Patent Publication Number: US-2004048506-A1

Title: Electrical connector assembly with pull tab

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
     [0001] This present application is related to a U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/120,633, invented by David Tso-Chin Ko, entitled “PULL TAB FOR EXTRACTING ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR” filed on Apr. 4, 2002; an patent application entitled “ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY WITH EXTRACTION TOOL”, contemporaneously filed and invented by Yong-qian Zhong et al., assigned to the common assignee. Copies of the specifications are hereto attached. 
    
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0003] The present invention generally relates to an electrical connector assembly, and more particularly to an electrical connector assembly having a pull tab providing a robust holding of the connector assembly for separating the connector from a mated connector.  
       [0004] 2. Brief Description of the Related Art  
       [0005] The connector becomes smaller and smaller so as to benefit a thin, compact, and robust electrical device, such as Notebook Computer. As a result, it will be very difficult to get hold of it when it is removed from a mated connector. Sometimes the connector is pulled out by its associated cable, which will destroy the electrical connection between the connectors and the cables. Some extraction tools have been invented to solve above-mentioned questions.  
       [0006] U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,256, issued to Faillace on Oct. 9, 1990, discloses an extraction tool inserted between an electrical connector and an electrical device. The extraction tool has a level arm and a pair of object-contacting arms. The extraction tool is useful for separating objects from other devices. However the extraction tool of Faillace patent occupies large outer space which does not meet trend of electronic devices.  
       [0007] JP Pat. Publication No. 2001-035592, issued on Feb. 9, 2001, discloses an L-shaped extraction tab for extracting a connector from a periphery equipment. The L-shaped extraction tab has a cylindrical part mating with the connector, an action part and a knob part extending from a free end of the action part, the action part further defines a recess for a cable of the connector to extend through. The extraction tab may be assembled to the connector after the cable being assembled to the periphery equipment if the recess is big enough, which may cause the cable escaping from the recess of the extraction tab. The extraction tab may be assembled to the connector before the cable being assembled to the periphery equipment if the recess is very small, which may increase the difficulty of assembling the connector to the periphery equipment.  
       [0008] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/120,633, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, discloses a related pull tab for extracting an electrical connector from a mated connector, the pull tab has an engaging portion and a handling portion, the engaging portion has an engaging opening assembled to the electrical connector, and the handling portion defines a retaining aperture at a free end thereof receiving a cable of the electrical connector. However the retaining aperture is defined much big so that the cable may escape therefrom easily. Furthermore, the engaging portion engages with a shell or a cable retaining portion of the electrical connector, so that an outer force may not be transferred properly.  
       [0009] Hence, an improved pull tab is desired to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010] It is an object of this invention to provide an electrical connector assembly with a pull tab facilitating extracting the electrical connector assembly from a peripheral equipment.  
       [0011] An electrical connector assembly has an electrical connector, and a pull tab for extracting the electrical connector from a mated connector. The pull tab has a mounting portion and a handling portion. The mounting portion defines a mounting hole assembling the pull tab to the electrical connector. The handling portion defines a cavity for a cable of the electrical connector extending therethrough and a sidelong slot communicating with the cavity for facilitating assembling of the cable into the cavity of the pull tab.  
       [0012] Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector assembly with a pull tab of the present invention.  
     [0014]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pull tab of FIG. 1. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     [0015] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an electrical connector assembly  1  has an electrical connector  2  and a pull tab  3  for extracting the electrical connector  2  from a mated connector (not shown). The electrical connector  2  has a mating portion  21  with a cylindrical port on the front portion and a horizontal section  23  on a rear portion, and a cable  22  extending rearwardly from the horizontal section  23  of the mating portion  21 .  
     [0016] The pull tab  3  has a mounting potion  31  and a handling portion  32  extending from the mounting portion  31 . The mounting portion  31  defines a mounting hole  311  adjacent to a free end thereof. The mounting hole  311  has a diameter substantially equal to an exterior diameter of the mating portion  21  of the electrical connector  2 . The handling portion  32  defines a cavity  321  adjacent to the mounting portion  31  with a width less than the diameter of the mounting hole  311 . The handling portion  32  further defines a slot  322  at a side portion thereof communicating with the cavity  321  thereof.  
     [0017] In assembly, a free end of the cable  22  is soldered to an electrical element (not shown), the mounting hole  311  of the pull tab  3  encircles the mating portion  21  of the electrical connector  2 . The cable  22  of the electrical connector  2  is inserted in the cavity  321  of the pull tab  3  by passing through the slot  322  of the pull tab  3 .  
     [0018] In use, an outer force is exerted on the handling portion  32 , the outer force is transferred to the electrical connector  2  by the engagement of the mating portion  21  and the mounting hole  311 . Thus, the electrical connector assembly  1  is extracted from a mated connector.  
     [0019] An advantage of the present invention over the prior art results from the fact that the pull tab  3  of the electrical connector assembly  1  defines a cavity  321  and a slot  322  communicating with the cavity  321 , thus the cable  22  of the electrical connector  2  may be assembled into the cavity  321  through the slot  322 . As a result, the cavity  321  may be much small, the pull tab  3  may be assembled to the electrical connector  2  after the cable  22  of the electrical connector  2  being soldered to the electrical element, and the cable  22  may not escape from the cavity  321  of the pull tab  3 .  
     [0020] 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 disclosed 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.