Abstract:
A plug-type electrical connector includes a housing ( 10 ), an insert ( 20 ), a number of contacts ( 50 ), a conductive grounding clip ( 40 ) and a plastic spring latch ( 30 ). The contacts mount in the housing, the latch and grounding clip both clamp to a front of the insert, and the insert is mounted to a top of the housing. The grounding clip is formed in the shape of an elongate ring, with a front end bended downward to form a hook to clamp the front of the insert, and a rear end bended upward to electrically engage with a grounding surface of a mating receptacle ( 2 ). The spring latch has a lock ( 31 ) on a top surface to engage with an aperture ( 7 ) in the receptacle connector. The spring latch and the grounding clip are both more difficult to permanently deform during use than prior art metallic clips.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to a small form factor plug connector for high speed data transmission which has a plastic spring latch and separate conductive grounding tabs. 
     2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
     Referring to FIG. 9, a prior art concept for a small form factor plug connector  700  and complementary receptacle connector  800  are shown. The plug connector  700  has a main body  710 , an insert  720 , a plurality of contacts  730 , and a conductive metal latch  740 . A front portion  742  of the latch  740  is attached between the main body  710  and the insert  720 . A rear portion  744  of the latch  740  connects to a rear end of the insert  720 . A central portion  746  of the latch  740  extends in an arc between the front portion  742  and the rear portion  744 . A lock  748  sits atop the central portion  746 . 
     The mating receptacle connector  800  has a conductive shell  810 , roughly rectangular in shape and having an opening  820  for insertion of a front end of the mating plug connector  700 . A window  830  is defined in an upper wall  815  of the shell  810  for engaging with the lock  748  of the latch  740  on the plug connector  700 . The latch  740  serves a second purpose of establishing electrical grounding contact with the shell  810  of the receptacle. The latch  740  is quite long, and if the plug  700  is inserted into the receptacle  800  at a high angle, the latch  740  can be easily bent so that it no longer locks with the window  830 , and further, so that it no longer provides a reliable grounding contact between the plug connector  700  and the receptacle connector  800 . 
     Referring to FIG. 10, patent application Ser. No. 09/826,995, having the same assignee as the present application, discloses an electrical connector  901  having a housing  910  which includes an upper half  912  and a lower half  911 . A plastic latch  920  is rotatably mounted between the lower half  911  and a pair of retaining tabs  915 , which are integrally a part of the upper half  912 . A coil spring  926  arranged between the latch  920  and the upper half  912  biases the latch  920  in an upward position. A grounding tab  930  is fixed to the upper half  912 , and has a pair of spring arms  932  for electrically contacting a wall of a mating receptacle connector (not shown). Two retaining posts  940  of the upper half  912  can insert through holes  941  in the spring arms  932  and can be deformed into enlarged heads, thereby retaining the grounding tab  930  to the housing  910 . The retaining tabs  915  are vulnerable to being bent, and the inclusion of the coil spring  926  and the requirement for deforming the retaining posts  940  unnecessarily complicates manufacture of the connector  901 , increasing manufacturing costs. 
     An improved plug connector with a more robust latch design is desired to overcome the limitations of the prior art. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A first object of the present invention is to provide a small form factor plug connector which has a robust latching mechanism for locking the plug connector into a mating receptacle connector; 
     A second object of the present invention is to provide a small form factor plug connector which has a ground tab which reliably establishes an electrical connection with the mating receptacle connector. 
     A third objective of the present invention is to provide a small form factor plug connector which is easily and cheaply manufactured. 
     To achieve the above-mentioned objects, a plug connector in accordance with the present invention includes a housing, an insert, a plurality of contacts, a plastic spring latch, and a metallic grounding clip. 
     The housing has two sidewalls with a bed, a front shelf, and a top beam connecting the two sidewalls together. The contacts are mounted in the housing and are accessible at the front shelf for connecting with terminals of a mating receptacle connector. 
     The insert is slab-shaped and forms a thin tongue at a center of its forward end. The tongue is flanked by a pair of thicker support beams, which are flanked by side beams. 
     The grounding clip is made of a metallic material and is ring-shaped. The grounding clip is bended downward into a hook at its forward end to allow it to clamp to the support beams at the forward end of the insert. The grounding clip bends upward at its rearward half to electrically contact a grounding surface of the receptacle. 
     The spring latch is elongate and forms a hook at its front end to clamp to the tongue of the insert. A lock is formed on an upper surface of the spring latch for engaging with an aperture cut in the receptacle connector to lock the plug connector to the receptacle connector. The spring latch is made of plastic and is of such a design that it will not permanently deform in normal use. 
     The insert attaches to a top of the housing, completing assembly of the plug connector. The advantage of the present invention over the prior art is that the spring latch is more durable and provides for easier assembly than that of the prior art, and the grounding clip is more protected from permanent distortion and is simpler in design. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a plug connector in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a housing of the plug connector of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an insert of the plug connector of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a grounding clip of the plug connector of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a spring latch of the plug connector of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 6 is an assembled view of the plug connector of FIG. 1 with a complementary receptacle connector; 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a housing of a second embodiment of the plug connector of the present invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a printed circuit board of a second embodiment of the plug connector of the present invention; 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a disconnected plug and receptacle connectors of the prior art; and 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a second plug connector of the prior art. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIGS. 1,  7  and  8 , the present invention is a small form factor plug connector  1  for high speed data transmission. A first embodiment, shown in FIG. 1, includes an insulative housing  10 , an insulative insert  20 , a plurality of contacts  50 , a spring latch  30  made of an insulative material, and a conductive grounding clip  40 . A second embodiment comprises a conductive housing  100  (see FIG.  7 ), the insert  20  of FIG. 1 being made of a conductive material, the insulative spring latch  30  of FIG. 1, the conductive grounding clip  40  of FIG. 1, and a printed circuit board  150  having golden fingers  170 , as shown in FIG. 8 . The second embodiment is in keeping with other small form factor designs, and may be the more typical form of the invention. The plug connector  1  is designed to mate with a small form factor receptacle connector  2  (see FIG. 6) having a mating opening  5  in a front end thereof and an aperture  7  defined in a conductive upper side  3  thereof for engaging with the spring latch  30 . 
     As shown in FIG. 2, the housing  10  is in the shape of a box and includes an opposing pair of sidewalls  12 , with a bed  13 , a top beam  14  and a front shelf  15  connecting the sidewalls  12  together. The sidewalls  12  each have an upper edge  121  and the top beam  14  has a rear face  141 . The front shelf  15  is located in front of the bed  13 . The front shelf  15  has a plurality of passageways  17  defined in a top surface (not labeled) thereof, the passageways  17  being in communication with a space (unlabeled) between the sidewalls  12  and above the bed  13 . A slot  127  having a downward and forward slant is defined in each sidewall  12  from the upper edge  121  of each sidewall  12 . A window  19  is formed between the top beam  14  and the front shelf  15 . 
     The insert  20  is shown in detail in FIG.  3  and has the general shape of a slab. A forward portion (not labeled) of the insert  20  forms a thin tongue  21  at its center, a pair of thicker support beams  23  flanking the tongue  21 , and a pair of side beams  24  to the outer sides of the support beams  23 . The support beams  23  are thinner than the side beams  24  and have forward faces  231  slightly recessed from forward surfaces  241  of the side beams  24 . The tongue  21  is thinner than the support beams  23  and has a front edge  211  recessed from the forward faces  231  of the support beams  23 . An anchoring leg  227  protruding downwardly and forwardly at an angle is formed at an outward side of each side beam  24 . A concave depression  27  is defined in a rearward portion (not labeled) of the insert  20 . 
     FIG. 5 shows details of the spring latch  30 , which is made of a resilient material, such as plastic, and which is generally elongate in shape. A wedgeshaped lock  31  is formed on a top surface (not labeled) of the spring latch  30 . A hook-shaped front end  32  of the spring latch  30  defines a groove  39  at a rearward side of the front end  32  and forms a front face  36  at a foremost position of the front end  32 . 
     The grounding clip  40  is shown in FIG.  4  and has four sides connected in an elongate ring. A wide rear side  41  and a narrow front side  42  are connected together by two narrow connecting sides  43 . A forward portion (not labeled) of each connecting side  43  is downwardly bended into a hook shape and a rearward portion (not labeled) is upwardly bended to form a contact arch  44 . The forward portion (not labeled) of each connecting side  43  forms a front face  45  at a foremost position thereof. 
     In assembly, referring to FIG. 6, the contacts  50  are inserted from the bed  13  into the passageways  17  of the housing  10 . The grounding clip  40  is attached to the insert  20  by engaging the hook-shaped forward portions (not labeled) of the connecting sides  43  with the support beams  23  of the insert  20 . The rear side  41  of the grounding clip  40  then rests on a top of the insert  20  in the concave depression  27  and the forward portions (not labeled) of the grounding clip  40  then abut the forward faces  231  of the support beams  23  of the insert  20 . The spring latch  30  is then attached to the insert  20  with the front end  32  of the spring latch  30  engaging with the tongue  21  of the insert  20 , the front edge  211  of the tongue  21  fitting into the groove  39  of the spring latch  30 . When thus assembled, the front face  36  of the spring latch  30 , the front faces  45  of the grounding clip  40 , and the forward surfaces  241  of the insert  20  are all flush with one another. 
     Wires (not shown) in a cable  70  are then attached to rear sides (not labeled) of the contacts  50 . The insert  20  is then assembled to the housing  10 , the anchoring legs  227  of the insert  20  fitting into the slots  127  of the housing  10 , until a bottom side  26  of the insert  20  abuts the upper edges  121  of the sidewalls  12  of the housing  10 , and the front face  36  of the spring latch  30 , the front faces  45  of the grounding clip  40 , and the forward surfaces  241  of the insert  20  all abut the rear face  141  of the top beam  14  of the housing  10 . Cable retainers  129 ,  229  integrally formed on the rear sides of, respectively, the housing  10  and the insert  20 , can then be secured together using a ferrule or other means. Other means of engaging the insert  20  with the housing  10  can also be used, as is well known in the prior art. 
     The second embodiment of the plug connector  1  has the conductive housing  100  (see FIG.  7 ), which features a bed  131  extending from a front to a rear of the housing, with no front shelf  15  included. Referring to FIG. 8, instead of the contacts  50  being used, the second embodiment includes the printed circuit board  150 , which is installed on the bed  131 , the printed circuit board  150  having the plurality of golden fingers  170  adhering to a forward end thereof. The wires (not shown) of the cable  70  then attach to solder pads (not shown) on a rear end (not labeled) of the printed circuit board  150 . Circuit traces (not shown) on or in the printed circuit board  150  connect the golden fingers  170  with respective solder pads on the rear end of the printed circuit board  150 . A ferrule can then secure cable retainers of the housing  100  and the insert  20  together, as with the first embodiment. Other means of engaging the insert  20  with the housing  100  can also be used, as is well known in the prior art. 
     The assembled plug connector  1  provides an effective, high speed connector which can be efficiently assembled and which is robust in use. When the plug connector  1  is connected to the receptacle connector  2 , a front (not labeled) of the plug connector  1  inserts into the mating opening  5  of the receptacle connector  2  and the lock  31  of the spring latch  30  engages with the aperture  7  of the receptacle connector  2 , locking the plug connector I to the receptacle connector  2 . The contact arches  44  of the grounding clip  40  resiliently engage with a grounding surface (not shown) of the receptacle connector  2 , said grounding surface comprising the inner surface of the upper side  3  of the receptacle connector  2 . The golden fingers  170  or contacts  50  of the plug connector  1  electrically connect to electrical terminals (not shown) in the receptacle connector  2 . The spring latch  30  does not have the limitations of the prior art metal latch since its design and material make it more resilient than the prior art metal latch, and it is not subject to permanent deformation over the path in which it operates. The grounding clip  40  is also better protected from permanent deformation by the design of the contact arches  44  and the concave depression  27  into which they can be recessed. No coil spring is required in assembly, and assembly does not require a step of flattening retaining posts, as in one prior art connector. 
     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure 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.