Patent Publication Number: US-2007111377-A1

Title: Connector and method for making the same

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a connector which has better structural strength to prevent from being deformed and a method for making the terminal, the plastic frame and the metal case of the connector.  
      2. The Prior Arts  
      A conventional connector  10  is shown in  FIGS. 1A  to  1 D and generally includes a terminal  12 , an earth leg  14 , a plastic frame  16  and a metal case  18 . As shown in  FIG. 1B , the terminal  12  includes an arm  12   a  and a contact portion  12   b  protruding from a top of the front end thereof. When the terminal  12 , the earth leg  14 , the plastic frame  16  and the metal case  18  are assembled to be the connector  10 , if the wires (not shown) are to be installed to the grooves  15  on the front side of the plastic frame  16 , a force  11  as indicated in  FIG. 1B  is applied to the contact portion  12   b  and the force  11  makes the contact portion  12   b  to raise upward.  
      Besides, when bending the terminal  12 , in order to make a bent terminal rear end  12   c  and the contact portion  12   b,  the arm  12   a  includes a section that is wider than the terminal rear end  12   c  and contact portion  12   b.  In order to let the terminal  12  successfully insert into the insertion slots  16   a,    16   b  of the plastic frame  16 , as shown in  FIG. 1A  and  FIG. 1C , the separation portion between the insertion slots  16   a,    16   b  become thinner and the thinner separation portions make the plastic frame  16  to be less stronger. Furthermore, as shown in  FIG. 1D , the earth leg  14  includes a plurality of plates  14   a  so that the plastic frame  16  has to have a plurality of earth slots  16   c,    16   d  as shown in  FIG. 1C , the earth slots  16   c,    16   d  weaken the structural strength of the plastic frame  16 .  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a connector and a method for making the terminal, the plastic frame and the metal case of the connector, wherein the plastic frame includes a cavity for engaging the front end of the terminal so as to prevent the front end of the terminal from being raised upward.  
      A second objective of the present invention is to provide a connector and a method for making the terminal, the plastic frame and the metal case of the connector, wherein the terminal is made slim and only earth leg is required so that the plastic frame can be made stronger than the conventional plastic frames.  
      A third objective of the present invention is to provide a connector and a method for making the terminal, the plastic frame and the metal case of the connector, wherein the metal case includes two earth plates which are in contact with the plastic frame and the single earth leg, so that there will be not necessary to make multiple holes in the rear end of the plastic frame.  
      According to the present invention, a connector includes a terminal and a plastic frame, wherein the terminal includes a base with an arm extending inclinedly therefrom and a first contact portion protrudes from a top of a front end of the arm, The front end extends inclinedly from the first contact portion and has a sharp tip. The plastic frame has insertion slots for receiving the terminals and a wire space defined in a top of the plastic frame so as to receive wires therein and a plurality of receiving spaces are defined in the plastic frame and communicate with the insertion slots. A plurality of access slots are defined in the top of the plastic frame and communicate with the receiving spaces and wire space. The first contact portions of the terminals extend from the access slots and a cavity is defined in a front of each of the receiving spaces so as to receive the front end of the terminal. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:  
       FIGS. 1A  to  1 D show a conventional connector, and  
       FIGS. 2A  to  2 H show the connector of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      With reference to the drawings and in particular to  FIGS. 2A  to  2 E, a connector of the present invention comprises a terminal  22  and a plastic frame  26 . As disclosed in  FIG. 2A , the terminal  22  and the plastic frame  26  can achieve the purpose of the primary object of the present invention. If the terminal  22  is made to be slim and cooperates with a single earth leg  24  can achieve the purpose of the second object of the present invention. When cooperated with a metal case  28  and the earth leg  24 , the purpose of the third object of the present invention can be achieved.  
      The terminal  22  has a base  22   a,  an arm  22   b  extending inclinedly from the base  22   a,  and a first contact portion  22   c  protruding from a top of a front end  22   d  of the arm  22   b.  The front end  22   d  extends inclinedly from the first contact portion  22   c  and has a sharp tip. The plastic frame  26  has insertion slots  26   a,    26   b  defined in a rear end thereof so that the terminals  22  extends into the insertion slots  26   a,    26   b  so that the terminals  22  are inserted into the insertion slots  26   a,    26   b.  A wire space  26   d  is defined in a top of the plastic frame  26  so that wires (not shown) can be received therein. A plurality of receiving spaces  26   e  are defined in the plastic frame  26  and communicate with the insertion slots  26   a,    26   b  and a plurality of access slots  26   f  are defined in the top of the plastic frame  26  and communicate with the receiving spaces  26   e  and wire space  26   d.  The first contact portions  22   c  of the terminals  22  extend from the access slots  26   f  and are in contact with the wires. The access slot  26   f  are elongate slots and slightly wider than the terminals  22  so that the terminals  22  are well positioned in the access slot  26   f.  The terminals  22  can be made to be slim so that the sizes of the insertion slots  26   a,    26   b  can be made smaller. By this way, the separation portions between the insertion slots  26   a,    26   b  can be made wider which means the plastic frame  26  have better structural strength. A cavity  26   g  is defined in a front of each of the receiving spaces  26   e  so as to receive the front end  22   d  of the terminal  22  when the terminals  22  are inserted into the insertion slots  26   a,    26   b.  Because the arm  22   b  extends inclinedly and upward so that the receiving space  26   e  is not completely filled by the terminal  22 , therefore, the first contact portion  22   c  and the front end  22   d  can be further compressed downward. When the wires are put in the wire space  26   d,  the wires push the first contact portions  22   c  downward and the arm  22   b  is applied a reaction force to the wire by its nature so that the wires can be well positioned in the wire space  26   d  of the plastic frame  26 . Besides, during the installation of the wires, the front end  22   d  is engaged with the cavity  26   g  so that the front end  22   d  of the terminal  22  will not bend upward.  
      As shown in  FIG. 2C , the plastic frame  26  includes an earth slot  26   c  which communicates with an aperture on a top of the plastic frame  26 . An earth leg  24  is shaped to fit in the earth slot  26   c.  The present invention has only one earth leg  24  which is not composed of multiple plates as disclosed in the conventional earth leg so that only one earth slot  26   c  is needed and the only one earth slot  26   c  does not weaken the structural strength of the plastic frame  26 . When cooperated with a metal case  28 , the present invention can still have desired earth feature.  
      As disclosed in  FIGS. 2F, 2G  and  2 H, the metal case  28  is a hollow case and covers the wire space  26  and has a pair of engaging members extending from a front end thereof. Two engaging portions  28   a,    28   b  extend from the metal case  28  to form the engaging members. The two engaging portions  28   a,    28   b  each have a hook end  28   aa / 28   ba.  The plastic frame  26  includes an engaging hole  26   h  which includes a narrow opening so as to defined two shoulders in the engaging hole  26   h  so that the two hook ends  28   aa,    28   ba  are engaged with the two shoulders in the engaging hole  26   h.  A first earth plate  28   c  is located between the two engaging members and extends into the metal case  28 . The first earth plate  28   c  has a second earth plate  28   d  which is in contact with wires. The second earth plate  28   d  is located on a rear end of the metal case  28  and the earth leg  24  protrudes from an earth opening so that the second earth plate  28   d  is in contact with the earth leg  24 . Therefore, the first earth plate  28   c  is in contact with the wires and the second earth plate  28   d  is in contact with the earth leg  24 , so that the connector can be earth by the nature of the metal material of the metal case  28 .  
      The terminal  22 , the plastic frame  26 , the metal case  28  are made by using three respective mold sets.  
      Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims.