Patent Publication Number: US-8113883-B2

Title: Card connector with double locking portions between metal shield and insulative housing thereof

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to an electrical card connector, and more particularly to an express card connector having double locking portions for providing reliable attachment between a metal shield and an insulative housing thereof. 
     2. Description of Related Arts 
     An express card connector usually includes an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts retained in the insulative housing, a metal shield covering the insulative housing for defining a card receiving room therebetween, a guiding member for guiding an inserted card into the card receiving room and an ejector assembled at a side of the insulative housing for ejecting the card from the card receiving room. The contacts are soldered on a printed circuit board (PCB) and the insulative housing is assembled on the PCB thereby. The metal shield usually defines a plurality of cutouts and the insulative housing correspondingly forms a plurality of blocks interferencely protruding into the cutouts. Therefore, the metal shield and the insulative housing are secured with each other thereby. However, the express card connector needs to be repaired because something thereof may be damaged in the assembling process or may be in fault in the following, daily use. Under such a condition, the metal shield is required to be removed from the insulative housing. A repairer needs rather large strength to separate the blocks from the cutouts, which may cause damage to the express card connector, or even damage to the PCB. 
     Hence, an electrical card connector having a metal shield and an insulative housing easily separated from each other is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical card connector having a metal shield and an insulative housing easily separated from each other, facilitating a repairer to repair the electrical card connector when it doesn&#39;t work. 
     To achieve the above object, an electrical card connector includes an insulative housing defining a plurality of passageways, a plurality of contacts retained in the passageways and the insulative housing and a metal shield covering the insulative housing. The insulative housing has a base portion and a pair of retaining portions extending forwardly from the base portion. Each retaining portion defines a cavity. The metal shield includes a main portion and a plurality of lateral walls for defining a card receiving room. The metal shield integrally forms a locking portion having a stamped portion therefrom. The stamped portion is received in the cavity to pre-loadingly engage with the retaining portion. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective, assembled view of a first embodiment of an electrical card connector constructed in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective, exploded view of the electrical card connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an insulative housing of the electrical card connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective, assembled view of a second embodiment of the electrical card connector; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective, exploded view of the electrical card connector of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective, assembled view of a third embodiment of the electrical card connector; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective, exploded view of the electrical card connector of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective, assembled view of a fourth embodiment of the electrical card connector; 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of the electrical card connector of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective, assembled view of a fifth embodiment of the electrical card connector; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective, exploded view of the electrical card connector of  FIG. 10 ; and 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective, assembled view of a sixth embodiment of the electrical card connector. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , a first embodiment of an electrical card connector  100  of the present invention includes an insulative housing  2 , a plurality of contacts  12  retained in the insulative housing  2 , a metal shield  3  covering the insulative housing  2  for defining a card receiving room therebetween, a guiding member  11  assembled at a side of the insulative housing  2 , and an ejector  10  assembled on the guiding member  11  for ejecting an inserted card from the card receiving room. The electrical card connector  100  essentially receives two kinds of express cards standardized by PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association), which is widely known by persons in the skilled art, and it is not described in detail herein. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2-3 , the insulative housing  2  is rectangular and comprises an elongate base portion  20 , a pair of lateral walls  25  extending backwardly from two ends of the base portion  20 , and a tongue portion  21  extending backwardly from the base portion  20  to be located between the lateral walls  25 . The insulative housing  2  defines a plurality of passageways (not labeled) in the base portion  20  and the tongue portion  21 , and the contacts  12  are received in the passageways, with a plurality of first ends extending out of the base portion  20  for soldering on a printed circuit board (PCB, not shown) while a plurality of second ends extending beyond the tongue portion  21  for mating with the inserted card. The insulative housing  2  further includes a pair of retaining portions  22  extending forwardly from the lateral walls  25  along a card insertion direction. The retaining portions  22  and the lateral walls  25  are respectively located at two opposite sides of the base portion  20  along an elongated direction of the base portion  20  which is transverse to the card insertion direction. Each retaining portion  22  defines a slot  23  extending from an upper surface thereof to a lower surface thereof. The retaining portion  22  further defines an L-shaped cavity  24  having a first opening  242  on the upper surface thereof and a second opening  241  on a front surface thereof. The L-shaped cavity  24  defines a slope portion  243  in a vertical direction adjacent to the first opening  242 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , the metal shield  3  has an L-shaped main portion  30  and a plurality of lateral walls  31  extending vertically from the main portion  30 . The main portion  30  has a head portion  32  with a narrower width at the front thereof. The head portion  32  covers the insulative housing  2  and is secured to the insulative housing  2 . The head portion  32  forms a locking portion  34  bending vertically from a front edge thereof. The locking portion  34  forms a stamped portion  341  with a free end upwardly and outwardly away from the locking portion  34 . The locking portion  34  is guided by the slope portion  241  through the first opening  242 . The locking portion  34  protrudes into the L-shaped cavity  24 , during which the stamped portion  341  is compressed to have elasticity. The elasticity of the stamped portion  341  doesn&#39;t release until the stamped portion  341  meets the second opening  241 . At last, the stamped portion  341  protrudes into the second opening  241  and engages with the retaining portion  22 . The locking portion  34  is concaved in the L-shaped cavity  24 , just providing a pre-loading engagement between the metal shield  3  and the insulative housing  2 . In a repairing process, because the stamped portion  341  is concaved in the second opening  241 , the repairer uses an instrument to push the stamped portion  341  inwardly to disengage the locking portion  34  with the retaining portion  22 . Thereafter, the repairer easily separates the metal shield  3  away from the insulative housing  2  without damage and checks what is wrong with the electrical card connector  100 . The head portion  32  defines a pair of hollow elements  33  each with an aperture  321 . The hollow element  33  is orientated in the slot  23 . A screwing bolt (not shown) goes through the aperture  321 , the slot  23  in turn and at last, achieves the PCB. The screwing bolt provides a main screwing force between the electrical card connector  100  and the PCB, during which the metal shield  3  is fixedly assembled to the insulative housing  2 . The screwing bolt is alternatively, integrally formed on the metal shield  3 . Though the screwing manner is necessary in other embodiments, which will be shown following, but also the same as described in the first embodiment, therefore, it is not described in detail later. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4-5 , a second embodiment of the electrical card connector (not labeled) of the present invention is described as following. The electrical card connector includes an insulative housing  4 , a plurality of contacts (not labeled) retained in the insulative housing  4 , a metal shield  5  covering the insulative housing  4  for defining a card receiving room therebetween, all of above is same to the first embodiment of the electrical card connector. The second embodiment differentiates from the first embodiment of the electrical card connector at two locking portions  54  as labeled. The locking portion  54  is approximately U-shaped taken along a side view. The locking portion  54  includes a first elastic piece  541  extending downwardly from a front edge of the metal shield  5 , a second elastic piece  542  turning reversely, forwardly and upwardly from the first elastic piece  541  and an operating portion  544  at a free end of the second elastic piece  542 . The second elastic piece  542  forms a stamped portion  543  with a free end upwardly and outwardly away therefrom. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 5 , the insulative housing  4  is similar to the insulative housing  2  of the first embodiment. The insulative housing  4  forms a base portion  40  and a pair of retaining portions  42  extending forwardly from two ends of the base portion  40  along the card insertion direction. The retaining portion  42  also defines a cavity  44  having a first opening  442  on the upper surface thereof and a second opening  441  on a front surface thereof. The locking portion  54  protrudes into the cavity  44  from the first opening  442 , during which the stamped portion  543  is compressed to have elasticity, and at last, the stamped portion  341  protrudes into the second opening  441  and engages with the retaining portion  42 . The locking portion  54  is concaved in the L-shaped cavity  44 , just providing a pre-loading engagement between the metal shield  5  and the insulative housing  4 . In a repairing process, because the operating portion  544  is located on the upper surface of the retaining portion  42 , i.e., exposed out of the cavity  44 , the repairer easily pushes the operating portion  544  along a card ejection direction to disengage the stamped portion  543  with the retaining portion  42 . Thereafter, the repairer easily separates the metal shield  5  away from the insulative housing  4  and checks what is wrong with the electrical card connector. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 6-7 , a third embodiment of the electrical card connector (not labeled) of the present invention is similar to the second embodiment forementioned. Differently, the metal shield  5  forms a locking portion  55  similar to the locking portion  54 , having a first elastic piece  551  extending downwardly from a front edge of the metal shield  5 , a second elastic piece  552  turning reversely, rightward and upwardly from the first elastic piece  551  and an operating portion  554  at a free end of the second elastic piece  552 . The locking portion  55  is approximately U-shaped taken along a elevational, front view. The second elastic piece  552  forms a stamped portion  553  with a free end upwardly and outwardly away therefrom. The retaining portion  42  of the insulative housing  4  defines a cavity  45  having a first opening  452  on the upper surface thereof and a second opening  451  on a front surface thereof. The assembling process of the locking portion  55  and the retaining portion  42 , and the disassembling process therebetween, are same to what have been disclosed in the second embodiment above, it is not described in detail here. 
     In the first, second and third embodiments mentioned above, in fact, the second openings  241 ,  441 ,  451  formed on front surfaces of the retaining portions  22 ,  42  are not limiting, other lateral surfaces, such as a left surface or a right surface are both all right. Accordingly, the locking portions  34 ,  54 ,  55  also need to turn around. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 8-9 , a fourth embodiment of the electrical card connector (not labeled) of the present invention will be described as following. The electrical card connector includes an insulative housing  6 , a plurality of contacts (not labeled) retained in the insulative housing  6 , a metal shield  7  covering the insulative housing  6  for defining a card receiving room therebetween. The metal shield  7  includes a pair of locking portions  75  extending downwardly from a front edge thereof. The insulative housing  6  has a pair of retaining portions  62  corresponding to the locking portions  75 . The locking portion  75  defines a stamped portion  751  inwardly with two ends connecting with the locking portion  75 . The retaining portion  62  defines a slit  63  for receiving the stamped portion  751 . The slit  63  is regarded as a linear cavity functioning as the cavities  24 ,  44 ,  45 . The locking portion  75  and the slit  63  just provide a pro-loading engagement between the metal shield  7  away from the insulative housing  6 . In a repairing process, the repairer easily disengages the stamped portion  751  from the slit  63 . Thereafter, the repairer directly easily breaks off the metal shield  7  from the insulative housing  6  with fingers without damage to the electrical card connector. In the fourth embodiment, the locking portion  75  prefers to have an operating portion  752  at a distal end thereof. Therefore, the repairer presses the operating portion  752  upward to make the stamped portion  751  slip away from the slit  63  and easily separates the metal shield  7  away from the insulative housing  6  thereby. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 10-11 , a fifth embodiment of the electrical card connector (not labeled) of the present invention is described as following. The metal shield  7  forms a pair of locking portions  76  at a front edge thereof. Differently, the locking portion  76  has a clipping portion  761 . The retaining portion  62  forms a block portion  65 , and a stepped portion  64  located below the block portion  65  and sinking from the blocking portion  65 . The locking portion  76  enwraps the block portion  65  and the clipping portion  761  interferes with the stepped portion  64  for providing a pre-loading engagement. In a repairing process, the repairer directly easily breaks off the metal shield  7  from the insulative housing  6  with fingers without damage to the electrical card connector. The locking portion  76  prefers to have an operating portion  762  extending from the clipping portion  761  and therefore facilitates an operation of the repairer. 
     Referring to  FIG. 12 , a sixth embodiment of the electrical card connector (not labeled) of the present invention is similar to the fifth embodiment mentioned above. The locking portions  76  are formed at opposite inner sides instead of the front edge of the metal shield  7 . The block portions  65  and the stepped portions  64  are correspondingly formed at opposite inner sides of the insulative housing  6 . The assembling process of the locking portion  76  and the retaining portion  62 , and the disassembling process therebetween, are same to what is disclosed in the fifth embodiment above, it is not described in detail here. 
     In the present invention, the electrical card connector provides locking portions  34 ,  54 ,  55 ,  75 ,  76  integral with the metal shield  3 ,  5 ,  7 , and mated cavities  24 ,  44 ,  45  defined on the insulative housing  2 ,  4 , or a slit  63  defined on the insulative housing  6 , or mated stepped portions  64  formed on the insulative housing  6 . The locking portions  34 ,  54 ,  55 ,  75 ,  76  are pre-loading engaged with the cavities  24 ,  44 ,  45 , or the slit  63 , or the stepped portions  64  such that the metal shield  3 ,  5 ,  7  is easily disassembled from the insulative housing  2 ,  4  without damage in a repairing process. Furthermore, the electrical card connector  100  includes a screwing bolt providing a main screwing force between the electrical card connector  100  and the PCB. 
     While a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention has been shown and described, equivalent modifications and changes known to persons skilled in the art according to the spirit of the present invention are considered within the scope of the present invention as described in the appended claims.