Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US6568960?dq=7,682,496
Timestamp: 2014-07-25 13:58:58
Document Index: 300382462

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 80', 'art 82', 'art 80', 'art 80', 'art 80', 'art 80', 'art 80', 'art 80', 'art 80', 'art 80', 'art 80', 'art 80', 'art 80']

Patent US6568960 - Dual circuit card connector - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign in<nobr>Advanced Patent Search</nobr>PatentsA compact electrical connector can receive two different kinds of circuit cards, of the type that are thin and flat and have contact pads on an active face, such as a MICROSIM card and a MMC card. The connector includes a body (52) with an insulative frame (81) and two sets of contacts (84, 114) on the...http://www.google.com/patents/US6568960?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6568960 - Dual circuit card connectorAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS6568960 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 09/809,690Publication dateMay 27, 2003Filing dateMar 15, 2001Priority dateSep 22, 1998Fee statusLapsedAlso published asCA2338840A1, CN1140877C, CN1318173A, DE69904494D1, DE69904494T2, EP1116159A1, EP1116159B1, US20010010984, WO2000017806A1Publication number09809690, 809690, US 6568960 B2, US 6568960B2, US-B2-6568960, US6568960 B2, US6568960B2InventorsHerve′ Guy Bricaud, Yves PizardOriginal AssigneeItt Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (4), Referenced by (17), Classifications (15), Legal Events (4) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetDual circuit card connectorUS 6568960 B2Abstract A compact electrical connector can receive two different kinds of circuit cards, of the type that are thin and flat and have contact pads on an active face, such as a MICROSIM card and a MMC card. The connector includes a body (52) with an insulative frame (81) and two sets of contacts (84, 114) on the frame, with each set of the contacts having pad-engaging ends arranged in patterns corresponding to the patterns of contact pads on the two types of circuit cards. A card-holder unit (54) has first and second card-holding compartments lying in horizontal planes that are vertically spaced. The cards can be inserted into the compartments and the unit is then slid into the body until pads of the two cards engage the two sets of contacts on the body.
What is claimed is: 1. An electrical connector for making electrical connections with contact pads on the active faces of first and second thin and flat circuit cards where said first and second circuit cards respectively have first and second sets of contact pads arranged in first and second pad patterns on their active faces, comprising:
a body including an insulative frame and first and second sets of contacts mounted on said frame, with said contacts having pad-engaging contact-ends arranged in first and second contact-end patterns a card-holder unit which is coupled to said body and which has first and second card-holding compartments for respectively holding said first and second card against said pad-engaging contact ends; said card-holder unit is constructed with said compartments being vertically spaced to hold said cards in vertically-spaced parallel planes, with at least a portion of a card in the second compartment lying directly over a card in the first compartment when said cards lie in horizontal planes in said compartments; said card-holder unit is slideable in forward and rearward direction on said frame, with said cards being installable and removable from said card-holder unit after said card-holder unit is slid rearward, and said cards being positioned with their contact pads engaging said pad-engaging contact-ends of said contacts when said card-holder unit has been slid forward to a forward position. 2. The connector described in claim 1 wherein:
said card-holder unit is completely removable from said frame by sliding said card-holder unit rearward off said frame in normal use. 3. An electrical connector for making electrical connections with pads on the active faces of first and second thin and flat circuit cards, comprising:
an insulative frame with first and second vertically-facing faces that each lies in substantially a horizontal plane wherein perpendicular lateral and longitudinal directions are parallel to said horizontal plane; first and second sets of contacts that are each mounted on said frame and that have first and second pad-engaging ends lying respectively at said first and second surfaces; a card-holder unit that has a horizontally-extending planar partition wall and that has compartment walls lying respectively below and above said partition wall and that, with said partition wall, define card holding compartments for respectively receiving said first and second cards, said compartment walls including side and end compartment walls that determine the lateral and longitudinal position of said first and second cards when they lie in said compartments; said second vertically-facing face lies above said first face, said first face faces upward, said second face faces downward, and said card holder unit is moveable from an initial position with respect to said frame to a final card holder unit position that locates said first and second cards respectively against said first and second faces of said frame with said pads on said faces of said cards lying against the pad-engaging ends of corresponding ones of said contacts. 4. The connector described in claim 3 wherein:
said frame has laterally opposite guide walls and said card-holding unit has unit tabs that lie at the height of said first compartment and that are longitudinally slideable along said frame guide walls. 5. A method for making electrical connections with first and second circuit cards that have active faces with contact pads arranged in different patterns, comprising:
installing said first and second cards in vertically-spaced lower and upper compartments of a card-holder unit; installing said unit into a body of a connector that has two sets of contacts lying in vertically spaced planes, including moving said unit relative to said body of said connector until pads of said first and second sets of pads respectively engage first and second of said sets of contacts. 6. The method described in claim 5 wherein:
said body has lower and upper faces that respectively face upward and downward and with upper face lying above said lower face; said step of installing said cards includes installing said first card in said lower compartment with said first card active face facing downward, and installing said second card in said upper compartment with said second card active face facing upwardly; said step of moving said unit includes sliding a majority of a length of said unit to a position between said upper and lower faces. 7. The connector described in claim 6 wherein:
said frame of said body has an integrally molded lower part that forms said upwardly-facing wall and which includes front and rear ends, and said frame has an integrally molded upper part that forms said downwardly-facing wall, with said upper part having laterally opposite sides that extend downwardly and that are mounted on laterally opposite sides of said rear end of said lower part of said frame. 8. An electrical connector for making electrical connections with contact pads on the active faces of first and second thin and flat circuit cards where said first and second circuit cards respectively have first and second sets of contact pads arranged in first and second pad patterns on their active faces, comprising:
a body including an insulative frame and first and second sets of contacts mounted on said frame, with said contacts having pad-engaging contact-ends arranged in first and second contact-end patterns a card-holder unit which is coupled to said body and which has first and second card-holding compartments for respectively holding said first and second card against said pad-engaging contact ends; said card-holder unit is constructed with said compartments being vertically spaced to hold said cards in vertically-spaced parallel planes, with at least a portion of a card in the second compartment lying directly over a card in the first compartment when said cards lie in horizontal planes in said compartments; said frame has laterally opposite sides with groove walls that form grooves, and said frame has an upwardly-facing wall with contact-passing slots, with said pad engaging contact ends of said first set of contacts projecting upwardly through said contact-passing slots to lie above said upwardly-facing wall but to be downwardly deflectable into said slots; said card-holder unit has tabs that are slideable longitudinally forward along said grooves with said groove walls including top groove walls that hold down said tabs to hold down said card-holder, and with said card-holder having a partition lying between said first and second compartments and pressing down the card in said first compartment toward said pad-engaging contact ends. 9. An electrical connector for making electrical connections with contact pads on the active faces of first and second thin and flat circuit cards where said first and second circuit cards respectively have first and second sets of contact pads arranged in first and second pad patterns on their active faces, comprising:
a body including an insulative frame and first and second sets of contacts mounted on said frame, with said contacts having pad-engaging contact-ends arranged in first and second contact-end patterns corresponding to said first and second pad patterns; a card-holder unit which is coupled to said body and which has first and second card-holding compartments for respectively holding said first and second card against said pad-engaging contact ends; said card-holder unit is constructed with said compartments being vertically spaced to hold said cards in vertically-spaced parallel planes, with at least a portion of a card in the second compartment lying directly over a card in the first compartment when said cards lie in horizontal planes in said compartments; said body has an upwardly-facing first card-engaging wall that lies at a first level, with said first set of contacts having their pad-engaging contact ends lying at and projecting above said first card-engaging wall to engage contact pads of said first card; said body has a downwardly-facing second card-engaging wall that lies at a higher level than said first card-engaging wall, with said second set of contacts having their pad-engaging contact ends lying at and projecting below said second card-engaging wall to engage contact pads of said second card. 10. The connector described in claim 9 wherein:
said upwardly-facing card-engaging wall of said body has a rear end, and said downwardly-facing second card-engaging wall has a rear end that lies forward of first rear end. 11. An electrical connector for making electrical connections with contact pads on the active faces of first and second thin and flat circuit cards that are each of generally parallelogram shape when viewing its active face, where said first and second circuit cards respectively have first and second sets of contact pads arranged in first and second pad patterns on their active faces, comprising:
a body including an insulative frame and first and second sets of contacts mounted on said frame, with said contacts having pad-engaging contact-ends arranged in first and second contact-end patterns a card-holder unit which is coupled to said body and which has first and second card-holding compartments for respectively holding said first and second card against said pad-engaging contact ends; said card-holder unit is constructed with said compartments being vertically spaced to hold said cards in vertically-spaced parallel planes, with at least a portion of a card in the second compartment lying directly over a card in the first compartment when said cards lie in horizontal planes in said compartments; said first and second cards lie respectively in said first and second compartments, with said first set of contact pads facing downwardly and engaging said contact ends of said first set of contacts, and with said second set of contact pads facing upwardly and engaging said contact ends of said second set of contacts. 12. The connector described in claim 11 wherein:
said compartments have rear end walls that determine longitudinal positions of said cards, with said second card having a greater longitudinal length than said first card, and with the rear end wall of said first compartment positioning a rear edge of said first card forward of the rear edge, of said second card. 13. An electrical connector for making electrical connections with pads on the active faces of first and second thin and flat circuit cards that each have laterally opposite card sides wherein the lateral spacing of the card sides of said first card are different from the lateral spacing of the card sides of said second card, comprising:
an insulative frame with first and second vertically-facing faces that each lies in substantially a horizontal plane; first and second sets of contacts that are each mounted on said frame and that have first and second pad-engaging ends lying respectively at said first and second vertically-facing faces; apparatus for locating said first and second cards respectively against said first and second faces of said frame with said pads on said faces of said cards each lying against the pad-engaging ends of a corresponding set of said contacts; said apparatus for locating including a first pair of laterally spaced side walls for engaging laterally opposite sides of said first card, and a second pair of laterally spaced side walls for engaging laterally opposite sides of said second card, the lateral spacing of said second pair of side walls being different from the lateral spacing of said first pair of side walls, and the lateral spacing of each of said pairs of side walls being about the same as the lateral spacing of a corresponding one of said card sides to laterally position the corresponding card. 14. The connector described including 13 wherein;
CROSS-REFERENCE This is a continuation-in-part of PCT Application PCT/EP99/06888 filed Sep. 17, 1999, which claims priority from French application 9811790 filed Sep. 22, 1998.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Two types of small and thin circuit cards are in wide use, that each have an embedded integrated circuit to store data and that each have an active face with contact pads that are connected to the integrated circuit. One type is called a smart card that is standardized in two formats, the smaller of which is called a MICROSIM card which has contact pads arranged in two rows. Another type of card is the MMC (MultiMediaCard) which is sold by San Disk Company. The MMC card is somewhat similar in shape and size to the MICROSIM Card, with both having a cut corner forming a polarizing part that assures proper orientation of the card. The MMC card is of somewhat greater thickness, length, and width than the MICROSIM card, and has its contact pads arranged in a single row along one end of the card. The MICROSIM card is commonly used to identify the user for access to a telephone or other electronic system. The MMC card is commonly used to store larger amounts of data, and is commonly called a �flash� type card.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is provided for making electrical connections with contact pads on the active faces of thin and flat circuit cards, wherein the connector can connect to a plurality of circuit cards, and connect to them simultaneously, in a compact connector. The connector includes an insulative body with first and second sets of contacts arranged in first and second contact pad patterns corresponding to the patterns of contact pads on the circuit cards. A card-holder unit has first and second card-holding compartments for each holding a circuit card. The compartments hold the cards in parallel planes. The card-holder unit can be moved into a fully installed position on the body, wherein each set of contacts on the body engages pads on the active face of each card in the unit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a rear and top isometric view of a body of an electrical connector constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6�6 of FIG. 4, but without the cards.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8�8 of FIG. 4.
FIG. 25A is a sectional view taken on line A�A of FIG. 25.
FIG. 25B is a sectional view taken on line B�B of FIG. 25.
FIG. 25D is a view taken on line D�D of FIG. 25C.
FIG. 57A is a view taken on line A�A of FIG. 57, which illustrates the card-holding unit just prior to its full insertion in the connector body.
FIG. 70 is a partial sectional view taken on line 70�70 of FIG. 65.
FIG. 76 is a sectional view taken on line 76�76 of FIG. 74.
LIMITED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION FIG. 2 illustrates an electrical connector 50 which includes a connector body 52 and a card-holder unit 54. The card-holder unit 54 can hold two circuit cards, including an MMC card 56 and a MICROSIM card 58. The MMC card 56 has a set of contact pads 64 lying in a transverse, or laterally L extending row near the front edge 66 of the card. The MICROSIM card 58 lies below the MMC card, with the MICROSIM card having a set of contact pads 74 arranged in two laterally-extending rows. After the two cards have been installed on the unit 54, the unit is slid forwardly F onto the contact body 52.
FIG. 11 shows the shape of the MMC card 56, while FIG. 12 shows the shape of the MICROSIM card 58. Both cards are thin and flat, in that their width in a lateral or transverse direction L and length in a longitudinal direction M are both a plurality of times greater than their thickness in a vertical direction V. Each card has an integrated circuit embedded in it, with the integrated circuit and any other circuitry therein connected to the contact pads. The contact pads lie on an �active� face on the card, with the MMC card of FIG. 11 having its active face at 62, facing upwardly and the MICROSIM card of FIG. 12 having its active face at 72 facing downwardly D. Each card also has a cut corner polarizer, with the MMC card of FIG. 11 having a polarizer 68 and the MICROSIM card of FIG. 12 having a polarizer at 78. Each polarizer assures that the card is installed in the correct orientation on the card-holding unit.
While terms such �upper�, �lower�, �horizontal�, etc. has been used in describing the relative positions of parts, it should be understood that the connector can be used in any orientation with respect to the Earth.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION In the description which follows, identical, similar or analogous components and elements will be denoted by the same reference numbers.
The MMC card 56 is of a known and standardized general design and has a rectangular general shape comprising a first plane large face 60, this being an �inert� face which, in the first embodiment, will be the lower face of the MMC card 56, and an upper opposite second plane large face 62, this being the �active� face which carries the contact pads 64 which are aligned longitudinally near the front end transverse edge 66 of the card, there being seven of these pads here (see especially FIG. 23).
The MMC card 56 includes, in its front end edge 66, a 45� cut corner 68 for polarizing the orientation of the card.
Likewise, and as may be seen especially in FIGS. 12 and 23, the MICROSIM card 58 is of known and standardized general design and is of a rectangular general shape having a first plane large face 70, this being an �inert� face which is the lower face of the MICROSIM card 58, and an upper opposite second plane large face 72, this being the �active� face which carries the contact pads 74 which are aligned longitudinally in four pairs whose standardized positions are defined with respect to the rear transverse edge 77 which has the cut corner 78 for polarizing the orientation of the card.
The connector body 52 illustrated in the figures is produced by moulding two parts�the lower part 80 and the upper part 82�in an insulating plastic, these parts being produced separately and then joined together.
The longitudinal wall 125 is extended at its rear longitudinal end by a vertical wall 140, the internal face of which is inclined at 45� so as to form an internal polarizing facet 142 intended to engage with the cut corner 68 of the MMC card 56 (see FIG. 21).
As may be especially seen in FIG. 13, in the position in which the MMC card 56 has been inserted into its compartment 152, the front transverse edge 66 of the MMC card 56 extends longitudinally forwards beyond the transverse edge 174 of the partition 150, particularly so that its cut corner 68 is �free� to engage with the inclined vertical polarizing facet 142, as will be explained below.
The compartment 154 is bounded longitudinally rearwards by a transverse vertical wall 191 whose internal vertical face 193 has a facet 194 inclined at 45� and intended to engage with the cut corner 78 for polarizing the MICROSIM card 58 in order to define a single position for inserting and for installing the card 58 in its lower compartment 154 when its rear transverse edge 77 butts against the internal vertical face 193.
Likewise, if the MICROSIM lower card 58 is in an improper position in its corresponding lower compartment 154, its front transverse edge 76 then projects longitudinally forwards beyond the card-holder slide-in unit and butts against a transverse stop bar 222 formed in relief on the horizontal face 98�which is illustrated in the context of the second and third embodiments (see especially FIG. 25)�thus again preventing complete insertion of the card-holder slide-in unit 54 into the operating position in the connector 50.
In this embodiment, if it is compared with the previous one, there is no longer an upper part of the connector 50, but its insulating body consists essentially of a lower part 80A made of two parts�a rear part 80A and a front part 80″A�that are joined together by means which will be described later.
In the assembled position of the two parts�the rear part 80A and the front part 80″A�as may be seen for example in FIGS. 35 and 31, there is a space between the front transverse face 242 of the rear part 80′A and the rear transverse face 241, 241′ of the front block 80″A so that the connection or output leads 102 associated with the contact elements that are borne by the rear part 80A and are arranged longitudinally to the front, can extend into this clear region in order to be connected to the corresponding tracks on the printed-circuit board P.
The 45� inclined facet 142, designed to allow the position of the MMC card 56 to be polarized, by the latter engaging with the cut corner 68, is formed here inside the right-angled piece 244 on the right-hand side in FIG. 26, and this facet is designed to engage with the upper portion of the cut corner 68, while the lower portion of the latter is designed, as will be explained below, to hold the MMC card 56 in the card-holder slide-in unit 54A.
Comparing FIGS. 33 and 34 with FIGS. 11 and 13 for example, it may be seen that the design of the upper cavity 152 of the card-holder slide-in unit 54A is generally similar in the first two embodiments, except for the means of longitudinal retention of the MMC card 56 in its housing, which means comprise here a single thickened region 180 which is formed along one of the lateral edges of the cavity 152 and which has a stop facet 182 oriented generally transversely rearwards, this facet here being inclined at 45� in order to engage with the lower part, with regard to FIG. 34, of the cut corner 68 and to form the means of polarizing the position of the MMC card in its housing (see FIG. 34).
Given the fact that the longitudinal retention means of the slide-in unit 54C with respect to the lower part 80C of the support for the connector are designed to bear beneath this lower part, it is no longer necessary to provide means for pressing the MMC card 56 vertically downwards in its front part and thus, as may be seen in FIG. 57, only a single �right-angled piece� 244 is provided on the longitudinal arm on the right-hand side, the function of this piece being simply to bear the polarizing facet 142 intended to engage with the cut corner 68 of the MMC card.
The alternative form, illustrated in FIGS. 58 to 60, called the �low-profile� form, that is to say a form which has a very small overall height, will now be described.
That lower part of the card-holder slide-in unit 54C which is not illustrated in detail in the figures is generally identical to that described with reference to the third embodiment, the arrangement of the two cards�the MMC card 56 and the MICROSIM card 58�also being identical, with the contact pads 64 and 74 longitudinally offset with respect to one another and oriented vertically downwards.
As may be seen in FIG. 59, the single lower part 80C of the connector support made of two parts�the rear part 80′C and the front part 80″C�is also simplified insofar as there are no means integrated into the connector for pressing the MMC card vertically downwards.
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