Patent Publication Number: US-2005130509-A1

Title: Electrical terminal

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to an electrical terminal, and particularly to an electrical terminal received in an insulating housing of an electrical connector, and mated with a corresponding mating electronic component electrically.  
      2. Description of Related Art  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,302 discloses a card edge connector surface mounted onto a printed circuit board (PCB). The card edge connector comprises an insulating housing, a pair of latch arms extending from two ends of the insulating housing and a plurality of terminals installed in the insulating housing. An elongated slot is defined in the housing for receiving a mating portion of an electronic card. Each terminal has a contacting portion received in the slot for electrical connection with a corresponding gold finger of the mating portion of the electronic card. However, in application, the gold fingers of the electronic card tend to be stained by dielectric material. Certainly, this will adversely affect the electrical connection between the gold fingers of the electronic card and the contacting portions of the contacts.  
      Hence, an improved electrical terminal is required to overcome the disadvantage of the prior art.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved terminal having a contacting point that can ensure an electrical connection between the terminal and a corresponding electronic component.  
      In order to achieve the object set forth, an electrical terminal in accordance with the present invention is received in an insulating housing. The electrical terminal comprises a contacting portion, a soldering portion, a retaining portion retained in the insulating housing and a coupling portion connecting the contacting portion and the soldering portion. The contacting portion defines a contacting point including an upper section and a lower section. The lower section is wider than the upper section. As a result, the contacting point of the terminal is in a form of blade that can scrap stained dielectric material off a mating portion of a corresponding mating electronic component.  
      These and additional objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent after reading the following detailed description of the present embodiment with reference to the accompany drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an elevational view of an electrical terminal in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a partially cross-sectional, assembled view of the terminal in accordance with the present invention with an insulating housing and with an electronic component;  
       FIG. 3  is a partly enlarged, side elevational view of the electrical terminal taken along a direction X shown in  FIG. 1 ; and  
       FIG. 4  is a partly enlarged, side elevational view of the electrical terminal taken along a direction Y shown in  FIG. 1 .  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in this embodiment, an electrical terminal  1  in accordance with the present invention comprises a contacting portion  11 , a soldering portion  13 , a coupling portion  14  connecting the contacting portion  11  and the soldering portion  13 , and a retaining portion  12  protruding from the coupling portion  14  and extending between the contacting portion  11  and the soldering portion  13 . The contacting portion  11  defines a contacting point  110  adjacent to a tip end  113  thereof. The soldering portion  13  defines a soldering tail  131  extending in a direction opposite to an extending direction of the contacting portion  11 . The tail  131  is surface mounted to a contact pad  31  formed on a printed circuit board (PCB). The retaining portion  12  is opposed to and parallel to the soldering portion  13 . The retaining portion  12  similarly parallels the contacting portion  11  and has a protrusion beam  121  engaging with an insulating housing  21  of an electrical connector  2 . The protrusion beam  121  forms a barb  122  on a top edge thereof for engaging with the housing  21  interferentially. A guiding slot  132  is defined between the soldering tail  131  and the contacting portion  11  opposite to the retaining portion  12 . Furthermore, a cutout  133  is defined on an edge of the soldering tail  131  adjacent to the guiding slot  132 .  
      Turning to  FIG. 2 , the contacting portion  11  of the terminal  1  is received in a passageway  20  defined in the housing  21  of the electrical connector  2 . The protrusion beam  121  of the retaining portion  12  enters an engaging hole  22  defined in the housing  21 . The barb  122  of the retaining portion  12  hooks the inner face of the engaging hole  22  so that the electrical terminal  1  is retained in the housing  21  firmly. After the connector  2  is mounted on a proper position on the PCB  3 , the solder tail  131  is soldered to the contact pad  31  formed on the PCB  3 . Then an electronic component  4  is inserted into the housing along a direction A. The mating portion  41  of the electronic component  4  can slip on the contacting point  110  of the electrical terminal  1  along the direction A.  
      Together referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the contacting point  110  includes an upper section  111  and a lower section  112 . The width d of the upper section  111  is smaller than the width D of the lower section  112 , which results in that the contacting point  110  is in a form of blade. When the mating portion  41  of the electronic component  4  slipping on the contacting point  110  along the direction A, the contacting point  110  can scraped the mating portion  41 . If dielectric materials stain the mating portion  41 , the contacting point  110  in the form of blade can scrap the dielectric material off the mating portion  41 . In this condition, the electrical terminal  1  electrically connected with the corresponding electronic component  4  reliably.  
      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.