Patent Publication Number: US-7581993-B1

Title: Socket connector

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention generally relates to a socket connector, and more particularly to a socket connector adapted for a charger capable of charging a bluetooth earphone. 
   2. The Related Art 
   Referring to  FIG. 7 , a conventional socket connector  100  used in a charger is shown. The socket connector  100  includes an insulating housing  40 , an insulating body  50  assembled with the insulating housing  40  and four ferrous terminals  60  mounted in the insulating body  50  respectively. The insulating housing  40  defines four limiting through-holes  41  in one row. The insulating body  50  protrudes upward to form four bumps  51  in a row and every two of the adjacent bumps  51  are spaced in an interval therebetween. Each bump  51  defines a receiving cavity  52 . The terminal  60  has a contact portion  61 , a soldering portion  63  and a connecting portion  62  connecting the contact portion  61  and the soldering portion  63 . The connecting portion  62  is perpendicular to the contact portion  61  and the soldering portion  63 . The contact portion  61  and the soldering portion  63  are parallel with each other and extend toward the same direction. 
   When the socket connector  100  is assembled, the terminals  60  are placed in a mold one by one, and then the terminals  60  are integrally formed with the insulating body  50  by a method of injection molding. The contact portion  61  of the terminal  60  is received in the receiving cavity  52  of the insulating body  50  for coupling with a mating connector. The connecting portion  62  is inserted in the insulating body  50  and the soldering portion  63  is exposed from the bottom of the insulating body  50  for being soldered on a printed circuit board of the charger. After the insulating body  50  and the terminals  60  are assembled together, the combination of the insulating body  50  and the terminals  60  is assembled with the insulating housing  40 . The bumps  51  of the insulating body  50  are respectively inserted into the through-holes  41  defined on the insulating housing  40 . 
   However, because the terminals  60  need being placed in the mold one by one for being integrally formed with the insulating body  50 , which wastes time and cannot ensure every two of the adjacent terminals  60  have the predetermined interval therebetween in the insulating body  50 , then an improved socket connector is desired. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a socket connector adapted for a charger capable of charging a bluetooth earphone. The socket connector includes a plurality of terminals and a dielectric body. Each of the terminals has a soldering portion. All the soldering portions are connected with a terminal strip so that all the terminals are integrated. The dielectric body is integrally formed with the integrated terminals that are prearranged in a mold by injection molding. The soldering portions and the terminal strip extend out of the dielectric body so that the terminal strip can be removed after the terminals and the dielectric body are fixed together. 
   As described above, because of the terminal strip connecting to all the soldering portions of the terminals, the terminals are formed integrally. The terminal strip is removed from the terminals after the integrated terminals are placed in the mold and integrally formed with the dielectric body, which saves work time and ensures that the every two of the adjacent terminals have the predetermined interval therebeteween in the dielectric body in order to facilitate the terminals integrally formed with the dielectric body. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a socket connector of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the socket connector; 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the socket connector; 
       FIG. 4  is another exploded view of the socket connector; 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of terminals connecting with a terminal strip; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the terminals assembled with a dielectric body of the socket connector; and 
       FIG. 7  is an exploded view of a prior socket connector. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , a socket connector  1  adapted for a charger capable of charging a bluetooth earphone is illustrated that includes a dielectric housing  30 , a dielectric body  10  assembled with the dielectric housing  30  and four terminals  20  disposed in the dielectric body  10 . 
   With reference to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , the dielectric housing  30  has an oval-shaped basic portion  31  disposed transversely. The center of the top of the basic portion  31  transversely protrudes upward to form an oval-shaped projecting portion  32 . Four oval-shaped through-holes  33  are longitudinally defined at the center of the top of the projecting portion  32  in a row. Every two of the adjacent through-holes  33  are spaced in an interval therebetween. The bottom of the basic portion  31  protrudes downward to form an extending portion  35  adjacent to the front of the basic portion  31 . Four receiving grooves  36  are defined at the bottom of the basic portion  31 . The rear of the receiving groove  36  is arc-shaped and tangent with the through-hole  33  passing through the receiving groove  36 . The front of the receiving groove  36  is quadrate and extends frontward and employs the extending portion  35  partially. So a limiting portion  37  is formed between every two of the adjacent receiving grooves  36 . Opposite sides of the basic portion  31  extend downward to form two blocking portions  34  that enclose the extending portion  35  and the receiving grooves  36  therebetween. 
   The dielectric body  10  has a substantially rectangular retaining portion  11  disposed transversely. The center of the top of the retaining portion  11  protrudes upward to form four oval-shaped bumps  12  arranged longitudinally in a row and every two of the adjacent bumps  12  are spaced in an interval. Each of the bumps  12  defines an oval-shaped receiving cavity  13  passing through the top thereof. The inner side of the receiving cavity  13  protrudes inward to form a shoulder  14  for a mating connector (not shown) being inserted therein easily. The front of the retaining portion  11  extends frontward to form four quadrate locking portions  15  corresponding to the four receiving cavities  13 . Every two of the adjacent locking portions  15  are spaced apart from each other by a locating recess  16  having the same width as the interval defined by the every two of the adjacent bumps  12 . The front of the retaining portion  11  extends frontward to define two opposite fixing portions  17  at opposite sides thereof. 
   Referring to  FIG. 3  as well as  FIG. 5 , the four terminals  20  are formed in a row by punching a board-shaped ferrous material. Every two of the adjacent terminals  20  are spaced in an interval. In the process of forming the terminals  20 , the four terminals  20  are integrally formed with a terminal strip  24  in order to facilitate assembly. Each of the terminals  20  has a contact portion  21  in flat strip-shape and disposed horizontally, a soldering portion  23  in flat strip-shape and a connecting portion  22  connecting the contact portion  21  and the soldering portion  23 . The rear of the contact portion  21  is arc-shaped. The front of the contact portion  21  extends frontward and extends vertically downward to form a wide portion  222  of the connecting portion  22 . The center of the wide portion  222  extends downward continually to form a narrow portion  224  of the connecting portion  22 . The narrow portion  224  extends frontward to form the soldering portion  23  perpendicular to the narrow portion  224 . The terminal strip  24  connects with the front of the soldering portions  23  of the terminals  20 . 
   Please refer to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 6 . In assembly, firstly the four terminals  20  integrally formed with the terminal strip  24  are placed in a mold at the same time, and then the terminals  20  are integrally formed with the dielectric body  10  by a method of injection molding. The contact portion  21  of the terminal  20  is received in the receiving cavity  13  of the dielectric body  10  and fixed on the bottom of the receiving cavity  13 . The connecting portion  22  is embedded in the retaining portion  11 . The soldering portion  23  is inserted in a lower portion of the locking portion  15  and slantwise extends downward to the front of the locking portion  15  from the center of the locking portion  15 . Then after the terminals  20  and the dielectric body  10  are assembled together, the terminal strip  24  is cut apart from the terminals  20 . The combination of the terminals  20  and the dielectric body  10  is assembled with the dielectric housing  30 . The bumps  12  of the dielectric body  10  are respectively received in the through-holes  33  of the dielectric housing  30 . The locking portions  15  are respectively positioned in the front of the receiving grooves  36  and the locating recesses  16  receive the limiting portions  37 . The fixing portions  17  are placed on opposite sides of the bottom of the extending portion  35  and blocked by the blocking portions  34  for being fixed in the charger. The soldering portions  23  of the terminals  20  further slantwise extend downward to the front of the dielectric housing  30  for electrically contacting to a printed circuit board. In use, the mating connector with magnets couples with the socket connector  1  (not shown). Contacts of the mating connector are respectively inserted in the receiving cavities  13  of the dielectric body  10  to contact the contact portions  21  of the terminals  20 . The mating connector and the socket connector  1  connect with each other stably for the magnetic attraction. 
   As described above, because of the terminal strip  24  connecting to all the soldering portions  23  of the terminals  20 , the terminals  20  are formed integrally. The terminal strip  24  is removed from the terminals  20  after the integrated terminals  20  are placed in the mold and integrally formed with the dielectric body  10 , which saves work time and ensures that the every two of the adjacent terminals  20  have the predetermined interval therebetween in the dielectric body  10  in order to facilitate the terminals  20  integrally formed with the dielectric body  10 . 
   The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. Such modifications and variations that may be apparent to those skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined by the accompanying claims.