Patent Publication Number: US-2011065337-A1

Title: Contact pin socket

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (a) Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a contact pin socket that is installed within a plug socket, and which is able to disperse the applied force produced when contact pins are inserted, thereby increasing elastic softness of the contact pin socket and reducing the possibility of permanent deformation of the contact pin socket. 
     (b) Description of the Prior Art 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , which shows a cutaway view of a contact pin socket of the prior art, which primarily comprises a contact pin socket  10  provided with a slightly U-shaped cross-sectional form, and a slot  102  is formed at the center of the contact pin socket  10 . Inwardly protruding circular arc-shaped contact portions  101  are formed at centers of the two sides of the slot  102  of the contact pin socket  10 , and the protruding contact portions  101  are provided with the effectiveness to grip a contact pin  20 , thereby enabling a tighter electrical connection between the contact pin socket  10  and the contact pin  20 . 
     However, after inserting the contact pin  20  into the contact pin socket  10 , then the contact portions  101  are subjected to insertion compression, producing elastic deformation which causes the contact pin  20  to produce a lateral force F on the contact portions  101  of the contact pin socket  10 , whereby the lateral force F exerts a pushing force exactly on the sides of the contact pin socket  10 , which further produces a moment diverging push with the bottom portion acting as a fulcrum. Hence, after a contact pin has been inserted and extracted an excessive number of times or a contact pin has been left inserted for a comparatively long period of time, then, elastic fatigue causes the contact pin socket  10  manufactured from metal material to spread outward, thereby causing the slot  102  to gradually widen. Accordingly, electrical contact is degraded, resulting in a short circuit or poor electrical contact, and hence there is a need for improvement. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In light of the shortcomings of the aforementioned prior art structure, the inventor of the present invention, having accumulated years of experience in related arts, has meticulously carried out extensive study and exploration to ultimately design a new improved contact pin socket. And a primary objective of the present invention is to provide a contact pin socket which is able to reduce metal fatigue and increase elastic softness. 
     In order to achieve the aforementioned objective, two sides of a bottom portion of the contact pin socket of the present invention are respectively formed with first folded plates and second folded plates, and first bent portions are respectively formed between the first folded plates and the second folded plates. Accordingly, the first folded plates and the second folded plates respectively formed on the two sides of the contact pin socket are able to disperse the applied force produced when a contact pin is inserted into the contact pin socket and firmly grip the contact pin, as well as reducing metal fatigue and prolonging operational life of the contact pin socket. 
     To enable a further understanding of said objectives and the technological methods of the invention herein, a brief description of the drawings is provided below followed by a detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a cutaway view of a contact pin socket of the prior art. 
         FIG. 2  shows a structural schematic view of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  shows a cutaway view ( 1 ) depicting implementation of the preferred embodiment according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  shows a cutaway view ( 2 ) depicting implementation of the preferred embodiment according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  shows a structural elevational view of another preferred embodiment according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  shows a schematic view ( 1 ) depicting the preferred embodiment in use according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  shows a schematic view ( 2 ) depicting the preferred embodiment in use according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  shows a side view of yet another preferred embodiment according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , which shows a structural schematic view of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, wherein a contact pin socket  30  is a metallic bent member, which primarily comprises a bottom plate  300 , two sides of which are respectively upwardly bent to form first folded plates  301 , and ends of the first folded plates  301  respectively form bent portions  303  which are respectively inwardly bent towards the inner sides of the first folded plates  301  to form second folded plates  302 . The first folded plates  301  and the second folded plates  302  are approximately parallel, and gaps  304  are respectively formed between the first folded plates  301  and the second folded plates  302 ; moreover, a slot  305  is formed between the two second folded plates  302 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , which show cutaway views ( 1 ), ( 2 ) respectively depicting implementations according the preferred embodiment, and as depicted in  FIG. 3 , when a contact pin  20  is inserted into the contact pin socket  30 , then the contact pin  20  first contacts a portion of an upper section of the slot  305 , after which, referring to  FIG. 4 , the first folded plates  301  outwardly expand using the bottom portion as a fulcrum to increase elasticity and absorb a resistance force F 1 . When the contact pin  20  is further inserted into the interior of the slot  305 , then the contact area between the contact pin  20  and the second folded plates  302  becomes greater, thereby causing the second folded plates  302  to deviate slightly from the bent portions  303  towards the inner sides of the gaps  304 , and enabling a lateral force F 2  produced by the contact pin  20  to be absorbed by the second folded plates  302 . Because the contact pin socket  30  is mainly manufactured from copper material of good electric conductivity, in addition to the increased elasticity provided by the structural design of the present invention, thus, a force F exerted on the contact pin socket  30  by the contact pin  20  is effectively dispersed and absorbed, thereby reducing elastic fatigue. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , which shows an elevational structural view of another preferred embodiment according to the present invention, wherein the embodiment primarily comprises a rectangular bottom plate  400 , three sides of which are respectively upwardly bent to form first folded plates  401 . Moreover, ends of the first folded plates  401  respectively form bent portions  403  which are respectively inwardly bent towards the inner sides of the first folded plates  401  to form second folded plates  402 . The first folded plates  401  and the second folded plates  402  are approximately parallel, and gaps  404  are respectively formed between the first folded plates  401  and the second folded plates  402 . Furthermore, a slot  405  is formed between the two oppositely disposed second folded plates  402 , and another gap  406  is formed between the other second folded plate  402  and the two oppositely disposed second folded plates  402 . 
     The structural system as depicted in  FIG. 5  is an embodiment which can be used by two different plug contacts. Referring to  FIG. 6 , which shows a plug terminal with circular contact pins  50  being respectively inserted into the slots  405  of the two opposite facing folded plates  402  of the contact pin sockets  40  of the present invention to form a stable electrical contact therebetween. Moreover, referring to  FIG. 7 , which shows a plug terminal with flat contact pins  60  being respectively inserted into the contact pin sockets  40 , in which the flat contact pins  60  are respectively inserted into the gaps  406  between the three second folded plates  402  arranged in a U-shaped configuration of each of the contact pin sockets  40 , thereby similarly forming a stable electrical contact therebetween. Accordingly, the design of the present invention is not only applicable for use by plugs provided with the circular contact pins  50 , but can also be used by plugs provided with the flat contact pins  60 , thus providing widespread use of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , which shows an embodiment depicting a further variation and improvement, wherein ends of the second folded plates  302  of the contact pin socket  30  are respectively further internally bent to form third folded plates  306 . The third folded plates  306  respectively extend into the gaps  304 , and each end slightly contacts the first folded plates  301 , thus causing an included angle φ to be formed with the first folded plates  301 , which provide increased and improved elasticity. Furthermore, the design providing the included angles φ respectively between the third folded plates  306  and the first folded plates  301  enables the upper portion of the second folded plates  302  to be subjected to a substantially tight diverging force while providing better elasticity at the lower portion, thereby achieving the effectiveness to enable firmer retention of a contact pin, and thus preventing the contact pin from easily coming away. 
     As a result of the attentive design of the present invention, the present invention is provided with the following advantages when in use: 
     1. The present invention is characterized in that it is formed from the first folded plates  301  and the second folded plates  302  to enable absorbing a force exerted thereon and prevent elastic fatigue; as well as providing better restoring elasticity, thereby preventing permanent deformation and providing the contact pin socket of the present invention with consistency in the puling and inserting forces. 
     2. The present invention is further characterized in that it comprises a structural configuration which uses the bottom plate  300  as a base, and three sides of the bottom plate  300  are respectively formed with the aforementioned first folded plates  301  and the second folded plates  302  to assume a U-shaped structural arrangement when seen from above, thereby providing a structural configuration which can be used by circular contact pin plugs and flat contact pin plugs for the more convenient use thereof. 
     3. The design of the present invention is yet further characterized in that it is further formed with the third folded plates  306 , which are respectively bent to form an included angle with the first folded plates  301 , thereby providing the upper portion of the second folded plates  302  with a substantially tight diverging force, and providing the lower portion with better elasticity, and thus providing the entire structural configuration with the effectiveness to enable firmer retention of a contact pin to prevent the contact pin from easily coming away. 
     In conclusion, the effectiveness of the contact pin socket of the present invention to provide industrial practicability complies with the essential elements as required for a new patent application, accordingly a new patent application is proposed herein. 
     It is of course to be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that a wide variety of modifications thereto may be effected by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.