Patent Publication Number: US-6340305-B1

Title: Connector socket

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a connector socket, and more particularly to a connector socket that can be easily manufactured and assembled at reduced material cost and is more durable for use. 
     A connector socket is generally connected to a circuit board for receiving an expansion card, such as a memory card, a COMPACTFLASH card, etc. Currently, the connector socket is largely employed in computers and their related equipment. 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective of a conventional connector socket. As shown, the conventional connect socket mainly includes a main body  1  for flatly fixing to a circuit board and having a card slot  11  for an expansion card to insert thereinto, a guide hole  12  provided at an upper outer side to communicate with the card slot  11 ; a metal cover  2  snapped onto the main body  1  and having a guide channel  21  facing toward a direction the same as that of the card slot  11  and a round hole  22  provided at a top thereof; a control bar  3  movably received in the guide channel  21  with an outer push end  31  projected from an outer end of the guide channel  21 ; and a metal lever  4  located between the metal cover  2  and the main body  1 . The metal lever  4  includes a first downward bent end  41  extended into the guide channel  21  to be pushed inward by the control bar  3 , and a second downward bent end  42  extended into the guide hole  12  to contact with an expansion card fully inserted into the card slot  11 . The metal lever  4  is stamped to form an upward projected round hole  43  having a circular wall portion  44 . The metal lever  4  is located below the metal cover  2  with the circular wall portion  44  upward extending through the round hole  22 . The circular wall portion  44  is then stamped to flare and flatly associate with a top of the metal cover  2  while allowing the metal lever  4  to pivotally turn about the round hole  43  relative to the main body  1  and the metal cover  2 . 
     The metal cover  2  permits convenient removal of the expansion card from the card slot  11 . To remove the expansion card from the card slot  11 , simply push the control bar  3  at the push end  31 . At this point, an inner end of the control bar  3  contacts with the first bent end  41  of the metal lever  4 , causing the metal lever  4  to pivotally turn about the round hole  43  and the second bent end  42  thereof to move toward and thereby push the expansion card in the card slot  11  out of the card slot  11 . 
     The above-described conventional connector socket has the following disadvantages: 
     1. The metal lever  4  is stamped to form the round hole  43  and the circular wall portion  44 , and the circular wall portion  44  is upward extended through the round hole  22  on the metal cover  2  and then further stamped to flatly associate with the top of the metal cover  2 , such that the metal lever  4  is pivotally turnable about the round hole  43  relative to the metal cover  2 . The above manufacturing procedures are complicate and require increased cost. Moreover, stamping of the circular wall portion  44  after it has been extended through the round hole  22  to assemble to the metal cover  2  is not easily controllable. And, metal powder tends to occur due to scrape of the stamped wall portion  44  against the round hole  22  and endangers the safe electric conduction provided through the connector. 
     2. The wall portion  44  of the round hole  43  on the metal lever  4  forms the only one center of circle around which the metal lever  4  pivotally turns, and is therefore subject to quick wearing and finally results in a disengagement of the metal lever  4  from the metal cover  2 . 
     3. The metal cover  2  is made of a flat metal sheet of an increased thickness to ensure an overall structural strength of the cover  2 . This results in increased material and difficult fabrication thereof. 
     It is therefore tried by the inventor to develop an improved connector socket to eliminate the drawbacks existing in the conventional connector socket. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A primary object of the present invention is to provide a connector socket that includes a metal cover having a downward and then inward bent stopper provided at a rear side of the connector socket, such that the metal cover could be made with thin material while having an enhanced overall structural strength. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector socket that includes a metal cover having a stopper provided at a rear side thereof, and a metal lever located below the metal cover and having at least one supporting point thereon pressing against the stopper, such that the metal lever could pivotally turn about the supporting point without causing too much frictional contact of the metal lever with the metal cover to wear both members. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a connector socket that can be easily manufactured and assembled at reduced cost. 
     To achieve the above and other objects, the connector socket of the present invention includes a main body having a card slot and a guide hole communicable with the card slot, a metal cover having a guide channel at one side opposite to the guide hole and a downward extended stopper opposite to the card slot, a control bar movably received in the guide channel, and a metal lever located between the metal cover and the main body and held to the metal cover with a hooking plate upward projected from a hole on the metal cover. The metal lever has a first downward bent end engaged with an inner end of the control bar to move along with the latter, and a second downward bent end engaged with the guide hole on the main body. A rear edge of the metal lever has at least one supporting point in contact with the stopper of the metal cover. When the control bar is pushed into the guide channel and the first bent end of the metal lever is moved rearward, the metal lever is pivotally turned about the supporting point and the second bent end thereof is moved forward to push a card inserted in the card slot out of the card slot. 
     Further scope of the applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective of a conventional connector socket; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective of a connector socket according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective of the connector socket of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a sectioned top view of the connector socket of the present invention in a state ready for use; and 
     FIG. 5 is a sectioned top view of the connector socket of the present invention in a state for removing a card from the connector socket. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Please refer to FIGS. 2 and 3 that are exploded and assembled perspective views, respectively, of a connector socket according to the present invention. As shown, the connector socket mainly includes a main body  5 , a metal cover  6 , a control bar  7 , and a metal lever  8 . 
     The main body  5  is suitable for flatly fixing to a circuit board (not shown) and is provided at a front side with a horizontally extended card slot  51  into which, for example, an expansion card (not shown) is inserted, at one end of a top with a downward extended guide hole  52  to communicate with the card slot  51 , and at each end with a recess  53  to receive a weld interface  54  therein, so that the main body  5  is welded onto the circuit board at the weld interfaces  54 . 
     The metal cover  6  is removably connected to the top of the main body  5  and is provided at one end opposite to the guide hole  52  with a guide channel  61  that faces toward a direction the same as that of the card slot  51  for the control bar  7  to movably locate therein, at a top with an opening  62  having an expanded hole  63  formed at one end thereof, and at a rear side opposite to the card slot  51  with a length of downward and then forward bent stopper  64 . 
     The control bar  7  is movably received in the guide channel  61  of the metal cover  6  and includes a push portion  71  at an outer end thereof and a notch  72  at an inner end thereof. 
     The metal lever  8  is flatly and transversely located between the metal cover  6  and the main body  5 . The metal lever  8  includes a first downward bent end  81  close to the guide channel  61  of the metal cover  6  and engaged with the notch  72  of the control bar  7 , a second downward bent end  82  close to and extended into the guide hole  52  of the main body  5  to contact with an expansion card inserted into the card slot  51 , an upward and then forward bent hooking plate  83  projected from a front edge of the lever  8  to move into the opening  62  via the expanded hole  63  of the metal cover  6  and thereby holds the lever  8  to the metal cover  6 , and a rear edge divided into an expanded first surface  84  close to the second bent end  82  and a narrowed second surface  85  close to the first bend end  81 , both of the first and the second surfaces  84 ,  85  being detachably contacted with the stopper  64  of the metal cover  6 . 
     Please refer to FIG.  4 . When an expansion card is inserted into the card slot  51  from a front side of the main body  5  of the connector socket, the second bent end  82  of the metal lever  8  is pushed by the expansion card to shift backward, bringing the first surface  84  of the rear edge of the metal lever  8  to contact with the stopper  64  at the rear side of the metal cover  6 . At this point, the first surface  84  serves as a supporting point, and the metal lever  8  is pivotally turned about the first surface  84  to move the first bent end  81  forward and thereby push the control bar  7  outward relative to the guide channel  61 . On the other hand, when an extension card is to be removed from the card slot  51 , simply push the control bar  7  at the push portion  71 , as shown in FIG. 5, so that the first bent end  81  of the metal lever  8  in the notch  72  of the control bar  7  is moved rearward and brings the second surface  85  of the metal lever  8  to contact with the stopper  64  of the metal cover  6 . At this point, the second surface  85  serves as a supporting point and the metal lever  8  is pivotally turned about the second surface  85  to move the second bent end  82  forward and thereby push the expansion card out of the card slot  51 . 
     The notch  72  provided at the inner end of the control bar  7  serves as a means to prevent the first bend end  81  of the metal lever  8  from lateral displacement. The hooking plate  83  is so located at the metal lever  8  that it is extended through the opening  62  to abut on a front edge of the opening  62  without being easily detachable therefrom. 
     The following are some of the advantages that make the connector socket of the present invention superior to the conventional connector socket: 
     1. The metal lever  8  pivotally turns with the first or the second surfaces  84 ,  85  as a supporting point, depending on an actual moving direction of the first and the second bent end  81 ,  82 . With two supporting points that work alternately, the metal lever  8  is less liable to wear at a certain fixed point. And, a design based on the leverage prevents the metal lever  8  from easy separation from the metal cover due to a force applied on the lever  8 . 
     2. The metal cover  6  and the metal lever  8  are easy to produce and assemble, enabling a reduced manufacturing cost and a smooth operation of the metal lever  8  relative to the metal cover  6 . 
     3. The downward and then forward bent stopper  64  of the metal cover  6  also helps in enhancing an overall structural strength of the metal cover  6 . Thus, the metal cover  6  could be made with a metal sheet of reduced thickness to enable a lowered material cost and easy fabrication without adversely affecting the strength of the cover  6  and the stopper  64 . 
     It is appreciated that the metal lever  8  of the present invention is not necessarily to have the first and the second surface  84 ,  85  provided at the rear edge thereof. 
     The metal lever  8  may also be designed to have a rear edge that includes a rearward protruded portion corresponding to the hooking plate  83  at the front edge of the lever  8  and two forward and outward inclined portions at two sides of the rearward protruded portion. For example, the rear edge of the metal lever  8  may be an outward curved edge with the hooking plate  83  as a center of circle thereof. 
     The present invention has been described with a preferred embodiment thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications in the described embodiment can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.