Patent Publication Number: US-6699071-B1

Title: Electrical connector with retention mechanism of outer shell

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE OF THE RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is related to U.S. Patent application entitled “ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WITH REAR GROUND PLATE”, which is contemporaneously filed, and assigned to the common assignee. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly, to a multi-port modular jack having retention means for securing a shell to an insulative housing. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     High-speed modular jacks usually have metallic shells for avoiding electromagnetic interference (EMI). U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,172 issued to Roberts on Jan. 3, 1995 disclosed a conventional shielded jack. The Roberts jack is provided for mounting to a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and includes a dielectric housing and a one-piece shield substantially surrounding the housing. The shield also has a pair of solder tails extending downwardly for inserting into appropriate holes in the PCB and for soldering to appropriate ground traces on the PCB. The housing defines recesses in a bottom board mounting wall at a juncture of the bottom wall with a front or side walls of the housing. The shield forms supporting tabs at bottom edges of the shield extending into the recesses for retaining of the shield to the housing. 
     However, to a connector of multi-port, the elongated front wall of the shield needs to provide more retaining force to abut tightly against a front face of the housing. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,946 issued to Briones on Jul. 7, 1998 disclosed a conventional multi-port RJ-type electrical connector. The connector mounted on a PCB includes a plurality of openings in side by side relationship for receiving mating plugs. The Briones connector includes a housing and a one-piece stamped shield. The housing defines a plurality of cavities in a lower side thereof. The shield includes a plurality of latches engaging with corresponding cavities of the housing. 
     However, the Briones latches are relatively weak, and thus the engagement between the latch with the cavity may be destroyed by repeated insertion and withdraw of the plugs. 
     Hence, an electrical connector with an improved shell retaining arrangement is needed to overcome the foregoing shortcomings. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A main object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector with retention means for securing a shell to an insulative housing. 
     An electrical connector is mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) and extends into a cavity of an electronic appliance. The cavity of the electronic appliance includes a metallic internal circumference. The electrical connector includes an insulative housing, a plurality of terminals received in the housing, and a shell substantially surrounding the insulative housing. The housing includes front, rear, upper, lower, and side surfaces. A plurality of protrusions project from the lower surface of the housing. The shell has a plurality of tabs stamped from the shell and thereby defining corresponding holes engaging with the protrusions of the housing. 
     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 DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a modular jack according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an assembled view of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is another assembled view of FIG. 1 taken from a bottom aspect. 
     FIG. 4 is a front view of an electronic appliance assembly according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a modular jack  100  of the present invention is provided for mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB, not shown) and extends into a cavity  2001  of an electronic appliance  200 , such as a server, and mounted on a printed circuit boards (PCB, not shown). The cavity  2001  of the electronic appliance  200  has a metallic inner circumference  2002 . The modular jack  100  includes a molded insulative housing  1 , a plurality of terminals  3  received in the housing  1 , and a one-piece shell  2  surrounding and shielding the housing  1 . 
     The housing  1  is substantially rectangular-shaped with a front, rear, upper, lower and two side surfaces  10 ,  12 ,  11 ,  14  and  13 . The housing  1  defines a plurality of chambers  101  arranged in side-by-side and/or stacked relationship and exposed forwardly in the front surface  10 . Each chamber  101  accommodates a plurality of terminals  3  and is adapted for receiving a mating plug (not shown). The housing  1  forms a pair of posts  141  extending downwardly from the lower surface  14  for securing the modular jack  100  to the PCB. A plurality of protrusions  142  are formed on the lower surface  14  for securing the shell  2  to the housing  1 , which will be discussed later. 
     The shell  2  is stamped from one metal sheet into planar shape prior assembled to the housing  1 , which is not shown in detail. FIG. 1 shows the shell  2  is partially folded for assembling to the housing  1 . The shell  2  includes a front, rear, upper, lower and two side plates  20 ,  25 ,  21 ,  24 ,  23 . The front plate  20  defines a plurality of openings  201  corresponding to the chambers  101  of the housing  1  for receiving the mating plugs, and a plurality of stamped upper tabs  211 . The rear plate  25  includes a pair of retention plate  22  extending laterally from opposite sides. Each retention plate  22  defines a plurality of cutouts  221 . Each side plate  23  forms a plurality of barbs  231  projecting outwardly by stamping. A plurality of lower tabs  241  projects downwardly from the lower plate  24  by stamping, thereby defining a plurality of holes  242  in the lower plate  24 . The side plates  23  have a plurality of stamped side tabs  233 . The side plates  23  and the rear plate  25  forms a plurality of grounding tails  232 ,  251 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, in assembly, the one-piece shell  2  is folded to surrounding and shielding the housing  1 . The front plate  20  covers the front surface  10  of the housing  1  with the openings  201  in front of corresponding chambers  101  for permitting insertion of the mating plugs. The lower plate  24  is folded relative to the front plate  20  for partially covering the lower surface  14  of the housing  1 . The protrusions  142  of the lower surface  14  engage with the holes  242  of the shell  2 . The upper plate  21  is folded relative to the front plate  20  for covering the upper surface  11  of the housing  1 . The side plates  23  are folded relative to the front plate  20  for covering opposite surfaces  13  of the housing  1 . The rear plate  25  is bent relatively to the upper plate  21  for covering the rear surface  12  of the housing  1 . The retention plates  22  of the rear plate  25  are folded to engage with side plates  23  with the cutouts  221  of the retention plate  22  engaging with the barbs  231  of the side plates  23 . The posts  141  engage with corresponding holes (not shown) of the PCB. The grounding tails  232 ,  251  extend into corresponding soldering holes (not shown) of the PCB for grounding. The modular jack  100  is on the PCB and extends into the cavity  2001  of the electronic appliance  200 . The upper, side and lower tabs  211 ,  233  and  241  interferentially engage with metallic inner circumference  2002  of the cavity  2001 , thereby grounding the inner circumference  2002  of the cavity  2001  for avoiding electromagnetic interference (EMI). 
     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous, characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set fourth 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.