Patent Publication Number: US-7708597-B2

Title: Card connector with shell

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is generally related to the art of card connector and more particularly to an card connector having a dielectric base and a shell covering the dielectric base. 
   DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
   The reduced size of mobile components steps with the tides of mobile phone miniaturization and multimerization. The trend needs the electrical card connector to be lighter, thinner, shorter, and smaller. 
   An electrical card connector disclosed in TW patent 281319 comprises an dielectric housing or base, a number of contacts received in the housing or base, and a metal shell covering the dielectric housing or base, the centre of two sides of the housing or base extending protrusions, the bottom portion of the side of protrusions having grooves, the metal shell places protecting pieces and fins or tabs, the protecting pieces dispose mating holes, said protrusions were inserted into said mating holes, said ribs hold the grooves. 
   TW 291105 patent discloses another electrical card connector, said electrical card connector comprises a dielectric housing or base, a number of contacts received in the housing or base, and a metal shell covering the housing or base, the central portion of two side of the dielectric housing or base project protrusions, the metal shell has mating holes corresponding to the protrusions, the protrusions can be inserted into the mating holes. 
   The above-mentioned two references disclosed a structure that a protrusion mates a mating hole, the mating area of this structure is limited, it makes the metallic shell easy to be broken off from the dielectric housing or base. 
   Hence, an improved card connector is required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical card connector that metal shell securely assembled with the housing or base. 
   In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention supplies an electrical card connector comprising: a dielectric housing or base, numbers of contacts received in the housing or base, and a metallic shell covering the housing or base, the both sides of the housing or base having passageways or positioning slot, the both side of the metal shell having beams embedded/disposed in the passageways or positioning slot. The beams mating the passageways or positioning slot in elongated direction increase the function area between beams and passageways or positioning slot. It makes the electrical card connector stable. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an assembled, perspective view of a card connector; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded, perspective view of the card connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is another exploded, perspective view of the card connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a left view of the card connector as shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a front elevation view of the electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-section view of the card connector taken along line  6 - 6  in  FIG. 1 ; and 
       FIG. 7  is a cross-section view of the card connector taken along line  7 - 7  in  FIG. 1   
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1-7 , an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. 
     FIG. 1  is an assembled, perspective view of the electrical card connector  100 , it discloses the spatial location relationship of the components of the electrical card connector  100 . 
     FIG. 2  &amp;  FIG. 3  are exploded, perspective views of the electrical card connector as shown in  FIG. 1 ; it illustrates the structure of the components in detail. 
   The electrical card connector  100  comprises: a dielectric housing or base  1 , a plurality of contacts  2  received in housing or base  1 , and a metallic shell  3  covering the top of the housing or base  1 . 
   The dielectric housing or base  1  is made of a plastic material; the front and rear end of flat plate-shaped housing or base  1  are arranged symmetrically. Said housing or base  1  includes a mounting face  11  and the opposite supporting face  12 , there are contact slots  13  receiving the contacts  2  and arranging in front and real rows. Numbers of walls  131  are disposed between the contact slots  13 , numbers of eaves  132  extend from the walls  131 . Lateral walls  14  of the housing or base  1  have passageways or positioning slot  10  extending in an elongated direction of the housing or base  1 , at least one of two ends of the passageways or positioning slot  10  has a gap  141  for mating metal shell  3 . A step portion or protrusion  101  is placed in the passageway  10 . 
   Each contact  2  includes soldering portion  21 , connecting portion  22 , and touching portion  23 . Said connecting portion  22  extends an elastic arm  222  and stretches thorns  221 , the thorns  221  pierce through said housing or base  1  for maintaining the stable of the contact  2 . 
   Said metal shell  3  stamped by a sheet metal comprises a top wall  31  and a pair of protecting pieces  32  extending from both sides of the top wall  31 , the two ends of the protecting pieces  32  extend to each other forming a pair of fins or tabs  33 , the fins or tabs  33  have holding foot  331 , said housing or base  1  places holding recess  111  for receiving said holding foot  331 . Said protecting pieces  32  form beams  321  inserted into the passageway  10 , said beams  321  project protrusions  322 , said protrusions  322  mate the step portion or protrusion  101 . 
   When assembled, contacts  2  are inserted into the contact slots  13 , said beams  321  is slidable (sliding) into the passageway  10 , the protrusions  322  and the step portion or protrusion  101  mating each other makes the metal shell  3  and the housing or base  1  be assembled properly, as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
   Thus, the whole electrical card connector  100  are assembled, the structure of beams  321  mating passageways or positioning slot  10  increases the function area of between the housing or base  1  and the metal shell  3 , strengthens the stable of the electrical card connector  100 . 
   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.