Patent Publication Number: US-6659806-B2

Title: Modular jack connector

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a modular jack connector, and particularly to a modular jack connector which is so configured and mounted in a notebook computer that it can facilitate a connection/disconnection of a complementary plug connector therewith/therefrom. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Modular jacks, especially known as RJ45 and RJ11 connectors, are frequently used in notebook computers for internet and intranet connection. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, FIG. 6 shows a conventional RJ45 receptacle connector  5  comprising an insulating housing  6 , a terminal insert  7  for being retained in the housing  6  and a shield  8  for being assembled onto the housing  6 . The housing  6  has a mounting face  6   c  for mounting onto a circuit board (not shown) of a notebook computer  100 , a mating face  6   a  substantially perpendicular to the mounting face  6   c,  and a top face  6   b  opposite to the mounting face  6   c.  The mating face  6   a  defines a cavity  60  for receiving a complementary RJ45 plug connector  9  therein. The top face  6   b  defines a channel  62  communicating with the cavity  60  for engageably receiving therein a latch arm  90  of the plug connector  9 . The mounting face  6   c  defines an opening  64  communicating with the cavity  60 . The terminal insert  7  includes an insulating portion  70  for being retained in the opening  64  of the housing  6 , and a plurality of terminals  72  secured to the insulating portion  70 . Each terminal  72  includes a mating portion  720  received in the cavity  60  of the housing  6 , and a tail portion  724  projecting downwardly beyond the mounting face  6   c  of the housing  6  for electrically connecting to the circuit board of the notebook computer  100 . 
     FIG. 7 schematically shows a relationship between the RJ45 receptacle connector  5  mounted in the notebook computer  100  and the complementary RJ45 plug connector  9 . The cavity  60  and the channel  62  of the receptacle connector  5  are exposed outside through a side panel  100   a  of the notebook computer  100 . It can be seen that the channel  62  of the receptacle connector  5  is located adjacent to a top panel  100   b  of the notebook computer  100 . 
     When the RJ45 plug connector  9  is inserted into the cavity  60  of the RJ45 receptacle connector  5  by a user, the latch arm  90  of the plug connector  9  is partially received in the channel  62  to thereby securely lock the plug connector  9  in the receptacle connector  5 . When the plug connector  9  is required to be disengaged from the receptacle connector  5 , the user thumbs down the latch arm  90  and pulls the plug connector  9  away from the receptacle connector  5 . It can be understood that the thickness of the notebook computer  100  must be sufficiently large whereby there is enough space below the plug connector  9  to accommodate finger(s) of the user so that the finger(s) can grip a bottom face of the plug connector  9  to exert the pulling force. 
     However, with a miniaturization development of the notebook computers, the thickness of the notebook computer becomes thinner and thinner. Correspondingly, the space available for operating the plug connector  9  becomes limited, which results in an inconvenience for inserting or disengaging the plug connector  9  into or from the receptacle connector  5 . Thus, the arrangement of the prior art regarding the receptacle connector  5  and the notebook computer  100  generates difficulty in fulfilling the miniaturization development of the notebook computers. 
     Hence, the present invention aims to provide an improved modular jack receptacle connector mounted in a notebook computer to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved modular jack connector mounted in a notebook computer wherein the connector is so configured that it can facilitate a connection/disconnection of a complementary plug connector therewith/therefrom. 
     To achieve the above-mentioned object, a modular jack connector in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulating housing and a row of terminals retained in the housing. The housing has a mounting face adapted for mounting onto a circuit board, and a mating face and two opposite side faces all substantially perpendicular to the mounting face. The mating face defines a cavity for receiving therein a complementary connector. One of the side faces defines a channel communicating with the cavity for receiving therein a latch arm of the complementary connector. Each terminal includes a mating portion extending into the cavity and a tail portion projecting beyond the mounting face of the housing for electrically connecting to the circuit board. Comparing with the conventional modular jack connectors, the tail portions of the connector of this invention are twisted 90 degrees such that the mating portions of the row of the terminals are arranged in a direction generally perpendicular to the mounting face of the housing. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a modular jack receptacle connector in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of terminals of the receptacle connector of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an assembled view of the receptacle connector of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a front plan view of the receptacle connector of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a relationship between the receptacle connector mounted in a notebook computer and a complementary plug connector; 
     FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional modular jack receptacle connector; and 
     FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a relationship between the receptacle connector of FIG. 6 mounted in a notebook computer and a complementary plug connector. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIG. 1, an RJ45 receptacle connector  1  mounted in a notebook computer  2  (FIG. 5) in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulating housing  10 , a terminal insert  20  for being retained in the housing  10 , and a shield  30  for being assembled onto the housing  10  for Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) protection. 
     The insulating housing  10  has a mounting face  10   e  adapted for mounting onto a circuit board (not shown) of the notebook computer  2 , a mating face  10   a  perpendicular to the mounting face  10   e,  and two opposite side faces  10   b,    10   c  also perpendicular to the mounting face  10   e.  The mating face  10   a  defines a cavity  11  for receiving a complementary RJ45 plug connector  4  (FIG. 5) therein. The side face  10   b  defines a channel  12  communicating with the cavity  11  for receiving therein a latch arm  40  of the plug connector  4 . The housing  10  defines an opening  13  in the side face  10   c  communicating with the cavity  11  and a cutout  15  in a rear face  10   d  thereof. A plurality of passageways  14  is defined in the housing  10  communicating with the cavity  11  and the cutout  15 . In addition, the housing  10  defines a plurality of slots  16  in front of the opening  13  and communicating with the cavity  11 , a pair of grooves  18  respectively above and below the opening  13 , and a pair of recesses  17  respectively above and below the cavity  11 . 
     The terminal insert  20  includes an insulating body  21  and a plurality of terminals  22  secured to the insulating body  21 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the terminals  22  have a quantity of eight. The insulating body  21  includes a first and a second portions  210 ,  212  generally perpendicular to each other. The first portion  210  is formed with a pair of guiding portions  2102  on opposite upper and lower sides thereof for guiding and securing the terminal insert  20  into the housing  10 . 
     Referring to FIG. 2 in conjunction with FIG. 1, each terminal  22  includes a middle retention portion  222  embedded in the insulating body  21 , a mating portion  220  extending from a front end of the retention portion  222  and being angled rearwardly from a front nose  210   a  of the insulating body  21  to be disposed beside a face  210   b  of the first portion  210 , and a tail portion  224  extending from a rear end of the retention portion  222  and projecting beyond a bottom face  212   a  of the second portion  212  of the insulating body  21  in two rows in a staggered manner. Obviously, each terminal  22  has a curved portion  220   a  at the front nose  210   a  of the insulating body  21 . The retention portions  222  have first sections  2220 ,  2222  disposed in a common vertical plane. The first section  2220  of a lowest terminal  22  and the first sections  2222  of other seven terminals  22  are all embedded in the first portion  210  of the insulating body  21 . Furthermore, the other seven terminals  22  have second sections  2224  generally perpendicular to the first sections  2222  and embedded in the second portion  212  of the insulating body  21 . The second sections  2224  have different lengths to thereby make the tail portions  224  of the terminals  22  spaced varied distances from the common vertical plane of the first sections  2220 ,  2222 . 
     The shield  30  is stamped from a single metal sheet and comprises a front wall  31  defining an aperture  310  in correspondence with the cavity  11  of the housing  10 , a first side wall  32  perpendicularly extending from a side edge of the front wall  31 , a rear wall  33  rearwardly extending from a rear edge of the first side wall  32 , a second side wall  34  opposite to the first side wall  32 , and a top wall  35  connecting with the first and the second walls  32 ,  34  and a flap  36  opposite to the top wall  35 . A perforation  331  is defined between the first side wall  32  and the rear wall  33  to facilitate a bending of the rear wall  33  to cover the rear face  10   d  of the housing  10 . The first side wall  32  defines a cutout  320  corresponding to the channel  12  of the housing  10 . The rear wall  33  has a projection  330  with a hole  332  defined therein at a rear end thereof. The shield  30  is provided with a pair of resilient flanges  312  integrally extending from the front wall  31  and bent rearwardly, and a pair of ground legs  38  respectively extending downwardly from the first and the second side walls  32 ,  34 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, in assembly, the terminal insert  20  is assembled to the housing  10  from the rear face  10   d  of the housing  10 . The guiding portions  2102  of the terminal insert  20  are received in the grooves  18  of the housing  10  for facilitating insertion of the first portion  210  into the opening  13  until the curved portions  220   a  of the terminals  22  are received in the slots  16 . The mating portions  220  of the terminals  22  are received in the cavity  11  for engaging with corresponding terminals (not shown) of the RJ45 plug connector  4 . At the same time, free ends of the mating portions  220  are received in the passageways  14  of the housing  10 . The second portion  212  of the insulating body  21  is received in the cutout  15  of the housing  10 , and the tail portions  224  of the terminals  22  project beyond the mounting face  10   e  of the housing  10  for soldering to the circuit board of the notebook computer  2 . 
     Finally, the shield  30  is assembled to the housing  10  from the mating face  10   a  by positioning the front wall  31  on the mating face  10   a  of the housing  10  with the cavity  11  being exposed outside through the aperture  310 . The resilient flanges  312  are aligned with the recesses  17  of the housing  10 . The rear wall  33  is folded to abut the rear face  10   d  of the housing  10 . In addition, the hole  332  of the projection  330  engages with a protrusion (not shown) on the rear face  10   d  of the housing  10 , thereby fixedly securing the shield  30  on the housing  10 . The resilient flanges  312  are for electrically engaging with a shielding of the plug connector  4 , and the legs  38  are for soldering to a grounding circuit of the circuit board. 
     As schematically shown in FIG. 5, when the RJ45 receptacle connector  1  is mounted on the circuit board of the notebook computer  2 , the cavity  11  and the channel  12  are both exposed outside through a panel  20  of the notebook computer  2 . The channel  12  is generally positioned at a middle section of the panel  20  along a thickness direction of the notebook computer  2  and at a lateral side of the cavity  11 . When the RJ45 plug connector  4  is inserted into the cavity  11  of the RJ45 receptacle connector  1  by a user&#39;s fingers, the latch arm  40  is oriented sidewardly and partially received in the channel  12  with a free end  42  thereof being left outside of the notebook computer  2 . When the plug connector  4  is required to be disengaged from the receptacle connector  1 , the user&#39;s thumb and forefinger grasp the plug connector  4  in a direction generally perpendicular to the thickness direction of the notebook computer  2 . The RJ45 plug connector  4  can be easily pulled out from the RJ45 receptacle connector  1  as long as the user&#39;s thumb or forefinger presses against the free end  42  of the latch arm  40 . 
     Because the latch arm  40  is located at a side portion of the plug connector  4 , there is no need to provide additional space in the thickness direction of the notebook computer  2  to accommodate the latch arm  40 . More importantly, the user&#39;s thumb and forefinger operate the plug connector  4  in the direction generally perpendicular to the thickness direction of the notebook computer  2 , whereby the thumb and the forefinger of the user do not occupy the space of the notebook computer in the thickness direction. Therefore, such an arrangement between the RJ45 receptacle connector  1  and the circuit board of the notebook computer  2  not only conforms to the increasing trend of the miniaturization development of the notebook computers but also facilitate insertion/extraction of the RJ45 plug connector  4  in a limited space. 
     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.