Patent ID: 7463045

Claim:
A method for making contact between a contact probe and a terminal of an electronic device, the method comprising: bringing an end of a probe pin into contact with the terminal; bringing a first end of a first barrel into contact with the terminal while compressing a first spring, wherein the first barrel has a cavity with a bottom, an opening being disposed in the first end of the first barrel and the bottom being disposed at a second end of the first barrel, wherein the first spring is mounted in the cavity for elastically biasing the probe pin towards the opening; compressing a damper that is mounted to a second end of the first barrel and that elastically supports the first barrel, wherein the contact probe comprises a probe tip and the damper, the probe tip comprising the first barrel, the probe pin, and the first spring, the probe pin being movable forward and backward within the cavity; wherein the damper comprises a second barrel, a plunger, and a second spring, the second barrel has a cavity with a bottom, an opening is disposed in a first end of the second barrel and the bottom is disposed at a second end of the second barrel, the plunger is mounted in the second barrel so as to be movable forward and backward, and the second spring is mounted in the second barrel for elastically biasing the plunger towards the opening of the second barrel; and operating the damper comprises compressing the second spring and biasing the plunger towards the second end of the second barrel.