Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7004770?dq=6,424,354
Timestamp: 2016-07-24 14:48:10
Document Index: 463716165

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 102', 'art 38', 'art 102', 'art 38', 'art 38', 'art 102', 'art 76', 'art 78', 'art 76', 'art 48']

Patent US7004770 - Memory card connector with card ejector plate - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsA memory card connector includes a dielectric housing having a terminal-mounting base and a pair of side wall sections extending forwardly from opposite sides of the base. A card eject mechanism is mounted on the housing and has a slide member movable in a card insertion/ejection direction. A card ejector...http://www.google.com/patents/US7004770?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7004770 - Memory card connector with card ejector plateAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7004770 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 10/869,580Publication dateFeb 28, 2006Filing dateJun 16, 2004Priority dateJun 17, 2003Fee statusPaidAlso published asUS20040259401Publication number10869580, 869580, US 7004770 B2, US 7004770B2, US-B2-7004770, US7004770 B2, US7004770B2InventorsLee-Jen WuOriginal AssigneeMolex IncorporatedExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (5), Referenced by (11), Classifications (11), Legal Events (3) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetMemory card connector with card ejector plate
Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and first to FIGS. 2–4, a first embodiment of a memory card connector, generally designated 36 (FIG. 4), includes a dielectric housing, generally designated 38. The housing includes a base plate 38 a spanning a pair of side wall sections 38 b and 38 c. The housing is molded of dielectric plastic material. A first group of conductive terminals, generally designated 40; a second group of conductive terminals, generally designated 42; and a third group of conductive terminals, generally designated 44 all are mounted in three rows on base plate 38 a of the housing. The three groups of terminals are arranged in linear rows across the base plate, with the first group 40 being at the rear of the connector, the third group 44 being at the front of the connector and the second group 42 being in a line or row between the first and third groups, as can be seen clearly in FIG. 2. The first group of terminals has a plurality of individual terminals 40 a, the second group of terminals has a plurality of individual terminals 42 a and the third group of terminals has a plurality of individual terminals 44 a. All of the terminals may be stamped and formed of conductive sheet metal material.
Still referring to FIGS. 2–4, a card locating plate, generally designated 48, has a pair of pivot posts 48 a which project outwardly from opposite side edges of the plate. The pivot posts are positionable into a pair of pivot notches 50 in side wall sections 38 b and 38 c of the dielectric housing. This pivotally mounts the locating plate to the housing above card received space 46. In other words, the bottom of the card receiving space is defined by base plate 38 a of the housing, and the top of the card receiving space is defined by locating plate 48, whereby a memory card is inserted into the connector between the base plate and the locating plate. The plate has a pair of guide rails 51 on opposite sides or edges thereof. The plate may be molded of plastic material.
Still referring to FIGS. 2–4, a metal to cover, generally designated 58, includes a top plate 58 a and a plurality of depending side walls 58 b. The cover is stamped and formed of sheet metal material to form a shielding shell when the cover is positioned over housing 38 as seen in FIG. 4. The side walls of the cover include a plurality of latch openings 58 c which snap into latching engagement with a plurality of chamfered latch bosses 59 protruding from the outsides of side wall sections 38 b and 38 c of the housing. This latches the cover to the housing as seen in FIG. 4. Finally, the metal top cover has an inwardly or downwardly bent, spring biasing flange 58 d for biasingly engaging the top of card locating plate 48 near the front edge 48 b thereof. In essence, spring biasing flange 58 d engages the top front of the locating plate and pivots the plate downwardly about pivot posts 48 a of the locating plate. When a memory card is inserted into card receiving space 46, this biases the card downwardly and pushes the contacts of the card into engagement with one of the groups of terminals 40, 42 or 44.
Referring to FIGS. 8–10, card locating/ejector plate 48 is slidably movable with ejector element 67 of eject mechanism 66. When an operator inserts one of the different types of memory cards 60, 62 or 64 into the card receiving space 46, the memory card engages its respective stop element 54, 55 or 56 on the plate to, thereby, move the plate and drive ejector element 67 of eject mechanism 66 slidably backward. When the card(s) 60, 62 or 64 is fully inserted into the connector, the stop elements on card locating plate 48 align the contacts of the respective card with its respective terminal group 40, 42 or 44. During this operation, guide member 69 of eject mechanism 66 moves in cam groove 71 to hold the card in its fully inserted position. When the user desires to eject the respective memory card, the user pushes on the card a second time, whereby coil spring 70 is effective to drive ejector element 68, ejector plate 48 and the respective memory card back outwardly of the connector. These types of push-push eject mechanisms are known in the art and cam groove 71 effectively is in a heart-shaped configuration.
FIGS. 13–15 show an embodiment of the invention wherein the memory card connector includes multiple ports or card-receiving spaces for receiving multiple memory cards of different types. Again, like reference numerals have been applied wherever possible to designate like components described above in the previous embodiment.
With those understandings, the housing of the embodiment in FIGS. 13–15 is a two-part structure. Specifically, housing 38 now becomes a lower housing part for pivotally mounting card locating plate 48 in conjunction with an eject mechanism mounted on side wall section 38 b of the lower housing part. A difference in the embodiment of FIGS. 13–15 is that only group 42 of terminals 42 a and group 44 of terminals 44 a are mounted on base plate 38 a of the housing.
An upper dielectric housing part, generally designated 102, includes a roof 104 which mounts the first group 40 of terminals 40 a on the underside thereof as best seen in FIG. 14. The tail portions 40 c of terminals 40 a are lengthened so that they extend all the way down past the lower housing part for connection to the printed circuit board. As seen in FIG. 15, upper housing part 102 is mounted on lower housing part 38. The upper housing part has a pair of positioning pins 106 and a positioning flange 108 that are positioned into a pair of positioning holes 110 and a positioning slot 112 in the top surface of side wall section 38 c. The side walls 58 b of cover 58 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1–15 are lengthened so that the cover can be positioned on top of upper housing part 102, with the cover still being mounted to the lower housing part 38 as seen in FIG. 15. In essence, the cover embraces the upper housing part and is mounted to the lower housing part to hold the upper part on the lower part. With the cover being fabricated of metal material, the cover provides a shield for the connector.
With card locating plate 48 pivotally mounted on lower housing part 38 as described with the previous embodiments, card receiving space 46 (FIG. 15) receives either an SD-type memory card or an XD-type memory card as described above. However, the card locating plate is spaced from roof 104 of upper housing part 102 to define a second card-receiving space 116 above the plate as seen in FIG. 15. The second card-receiving space receives a standard MS-type memory card. FIG. 16 simply shows an embodiment of metal top cover 58 which includes a pair of spring biasing flanges 58 b, versus the single spring biasing flange shown in FIGS. 2–4. Both spring biasing flanges 58 b in FIG. 16 similarly operate to biasingly engage the front top of card locating/ejector plate 48.
FIGS. 17–19 show a fifth embodiment of the invention wherein card locating/ejector plate 48 is a two-part structure including a front part 76 and a rear part 78. The rear part has a T-shaped engagement section 78 a which interengages with a T-shaped engagement notch 76 a of front part 76. This interengagement pivotally mounts the rear part to the front part, while the front part has pivot posts 48 a at opposite sides thereof, for purposes described above in relation to the previous embodiments of the invention. Pivot posts 48 a define a first pivot axis, and engagement notch 76 a defines a second pivot axis immediately behind the first pivot axis.
With the two-part card locating/ejector plate 48 of FIGS. 17–19, only the front part 48 of the plate pivots upwardly when a memory card 60, 62 or 64 is inserted into the connector. Since only the front part pivots, the rear part can be maintained in a fixed position beneath metal cover 58. As a result, the overall pivoting space of the plate is reduced which, in turn, decreases the overall height of the connector.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS5026296 *Mar 5, 1990Jun 25, 1991Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, LimitedElectrical connector equipped with release mechanismUS5161989 *Nov 15, 1991Nov 10, 1992Itt CorporationEjector equipped card connectorUS5234351 *Dec 7, 1992Aug 10, 1993The Whitaker CorporationMemory card holder and ejection mechanismUS5286214 *Dec 28, 1992Feb 15, 1994Kel CorporationMemory card connectorUS5490792 *Nov 12, 1993Feb 13, 1996Kel CorporationMulti-level memory card connector* Cited by examinerReferenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS7097511 *Jul 21, 2005Aug 29, 2006Research In Motion LimitedStructure for SIM card assembly and disassemblyUS7128612 *Dec 30, 2005Oct 31, 2006Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd.Electrical card connectorUS7229300 *Mar 16, 2006Jun 12, 2007Tai-Sol Electronics Co., Ltd.Drawer-type all-in-one card connectorUS7261576 *Jul 27, 2006Aug 28, 2007Hirose Electric Co., Ltd.Card connectorUS7351081 *May 16, 2007Apr 1, 2008Tai-Sol Electronics Co., Ltd.Memory card connector for automobileUS8070520Jan 18, 2010Dec 6, 2011Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd.Electrical card connectorUS8500471 *Apr 24, 2012Aug 6, 2013Proconn Technology Co., Ltd.Card connectorUS20060223377 *Dec 30, 2005Oct 5, 2006Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd.Electrical card connectorUS20070037422 *Jul 27, 2006Feb 15, 2007Hirose Electric Co., Ltd.Card connectorUS20070105446 *Mar 16, 2006May 10, 2007Tai-Sol Electronics Co., Ltd.Drawer-type all-in-one card connectorUS20100279552 *Jan 18, 2010Nov 4, 2010Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.Electrical card connector* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification439/159International ClassificationH01R13/629, G06K17/00, H01R13/62, G06K13/08Cooperative ClassificationG06K13/0825, G06K13/08, G06K13/0806European ClassificationG06K13/08A4, G06K13/08A, G06K13/08Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionAug 23, 2004ASAssignmentOwner name: MOLEX INCORPORATED, ILLINOISFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:WU, LEE-JEN;REEL/FRAME:015712/0681Effective date: 20040726Aug 28, 2009FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Aug 28, 2013FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 8RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services