PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9843142-B2
Application Number: US-201514870884-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Connector receptacle having good signal integrity

Abstract:
Connector receptacles that have good signal integrity, are reduced in size, are reliable and durable, and are easy to assemble. One example may provide a connector receptacle having several ground connections to improve signal integrity and quality.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A connector receptacle comprising:
 a housing having a front side opening and two side openings; 
 a top row of contacts in a top side of the housing near the front side opening; 
 a bottom row of contacts in a bottom side of the housing near the front side opening; 
 a ground contact between the top row of contacts and the bottom row of contacts; 
 two side ground contacts, one on each side of the housing, each having a contact portion exposed at a side opening of the housing; and 
 a shield substantially around the housing, wherein the housing has a front guide portion defining the front side opening and extending forward beyond the shield, the shield comprising a plurality of extensions extending from a front edge of the shield and folded to fit in openings in the front guide portion of the housing. 
 
     
     
       2. The connector receptacle of  claim 1  wherein the ground contact between the top row of contacts and the bottom row of contacts is arranged to electrically connect to a front edge of a connector insert when the connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. 
     
     
       3. The connector receptacle of  claim 2  wherein the plurality of extensions form ground contacts to mate with a ground ring on a connector insert when the connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. 
     
     
       4. The connector receptacle of  claim 1  wherein the shield further comprises a top shield portion having openings, each opening located over a contact in the top row of contacts. 
     
     
       5. The connector receptacle of  claim 4  wherein the shield further comprises a bottom shield portion having openings, each opening located over a contact in the bottom row of contacts. 
     
     
       6. The connector receptacle of  claim 5  further comprising a first layer of insulating material and a first layer of metallic foil between the top row of contacts and the top shield portion and a second layer of insulating material and a second layer of metallic foil between the bottom row of contacts and the bottom shield portion. 
     
     
       7. The connector receptacle of  claim 6  wherein the top shield portion is formed using a deep drawing manufacturing process. 
     
     
       8. The connector receptacle of  claim 1  wherein each of the contacts comprises a beam portion and a through-hole portion. 
     
     
       9. The connector receptacle of  claim 8  wherein the housing comprises a front portion and a rear interlocking portion, wherein the beams of the contacts are located in the front portion of the housing and the through-hole portions of the contacts are at least partially located in the rear interlocking portion. 
     
     
       10. The connector receptacle of  claim 9  wherein the contacts are formed of a copper-nickel-silicon alloy. 
     
     
       11. The connector receptacle of  claim 1  wherein the shield is notched near the extensions. 
     
     
       12. A method of assembling a connector receptacle, the method comprising:
 forming a first mold around a first plurality of contacts; 
 forming a second mold around a second plurality of contacts; 
 aligning a ground plane portion between the first mold and the second mold and attaching the first mold to the second mold; 
 inserting contact tails for the first plurality of contacts, the ground plane portion, and the second plurality of contacts into a rear housing portion; 
 inserting beam portions of the first plurality of contacts, the ground plane portion, and the second plurality of contacts into a front housing portion and attaching the front housing portion to the rear housing portion; 
 inserting side ground contacts into sides of the rear housing portion; 
 placing a top shield portion over a top of the attached front and rear housings; and 
 attaching a bottom shield portion under the attached front and rear housings. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12  wherein the first mold and the second mold are formed using insert molding. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13  further comprising:
 before placing a top shield portion over a top of the attached front and rear housings, placing a first protective layer over openings in a top of the front housing portion; and 
 before attaching a bottom shield portion under the attached front and rear housings, placing a second protective layer over openings in a bottom of the front housing portion. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14  wherein the first protective layer and the second protective layer each include a metallic foil layer. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 12  wherein placing a top shield portion over a top of the attached front and rear housings further comprises:
 inserting a plurality of contacts extending from the top shield portion through corresponding openings in a top of the front housing portion; and 
 wherein placing a top shield portion over a top of the attached front and rear housings further comprises: 
 inserting a plurality of contacts extending from the bottoms shield portion through corresponding openings in a bottom of the front housing portion. 
 
     
     
       17. A connector receptacle comprising:
 a front housing portion attached to a rear housing portion; 
 a first mold around a first plurality of contacts; 
 a second mold around a second plurality of contacts and attached to the first mold; 
 a ground plane portion between the first mold and the second mold and attached to the first mold to the second mold, 
 a plurality of side ground contacts inserted into sides of the rear housing portion; 
 a top shield portion placed over a top of the attached front and rear housings; and 
 a bottom shield portion placed under the attached front and rear housings and attached to the top shield portion, 
 wherein portions of contact tails for the first plurality of contacts, the ground plane portion, and the second plurality of contacts are located in passages in the rear housing portion, and 
 wherein beam portions of the first plurality of contacts, the ground plane portion, and the second plurality of contacts are located in the front housing portion. 
 
     
     
       18. The connector receptacle of  claim 17  wherein the ground plane portion between the first mold and the second mold is arranged to electrically connect to a front edge of a connector insert when the connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. 
     
     
       19. The connector receptacle of  claim 17  further comprising a first layer of insulating material and a first layer of metallic foil between the first plurality of contacts and the top shield portion and a second layer of insulating material and a second layer of metallic foil between the second plurality of contacts and the bottom shield portion. 
     
     
       20. The connector receptacle of  claim 19  wherein the top shield portion is formed using a deep drawing manufacturing process.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a nonprovisional of and claims priority to U.S. patent provisional application No. 62/057,943, filed Sep. 30, 2014, which is incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The number and types of electronic devices available to consumers have increased tremendously the past few years, and this increase shows no signs of abating. Electronic devices, such as portable media players, storage devices, tablets, netbooks, laptops, desktops, all-in-one computers, wearable computing devices, cell, media, and smart phones, televisions, monitors, and other display devices, navigation systems, and other devices have become ubiquitous. 
     These devices often receive and provide power and data using various cable assemblies. These cable assemblies may include connector inserts, or plugs, on one or more ends of a cable. The connector inserts may plug into connector receptacles on electronic devices, thereby forming one or more conductive paths for signals and power. 
     The connector receptacles may be formed of housings that typically at least partially surround and provide mechanical support for contacts. These contacts may be arranged to mate with corresponding contacts on the connector inserts or plugs to form portions of electrical paths between devices. 
     Data rates for signals conveyed over these electrical paths have increased. Data rates in the hundreds of megahertz are now being used. Also, the number of signal paths in connector receptacles and inserts has also increased. The advent of higher data rates combined with an increasing signal density may compromise integrity and quality of signals in these connectors. Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide connector receptacles having an improved signal integrity. 
     Also, these receptacles consume space inside the electronic device. This consumed space may mean that the device may become larger, some functionality may be lost, or that some tradeoff may have to be made. These losses may be mitigated by reducing the size of the connector receptacle. It may also be desirable that these receptacles be reliable since they may be used many times during a device&#39;s life. Also, since many such receptacles may be needed over a product&#39;s lifetime, it may be desirable that these receptacles be simple to assemble. 
     Thus, what is needed are connector receptacles that have a good signal integrity, are reduced in size, are reliable and durable, and are easy to assemble. 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may provide connector receptacles that have good signal integrity, are reduced in size, are reliable and durable, and are easy to assemble. An illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide a connector receptacle having several ground connections to improve signal integrity and quality. For example, the connector receptacle may include side ground contacts that may electrically connect to side ground contacts on a connector insert. The receptacle may further have ground contacts near a front opening. These ground contacts may electrically connect to a ground ring or pad on the connector insert. A ground plane between top and bottom rows of contacts in the receptacle may be included to form a ground path with a front ground pad or ground ring on the insert and to isolate signals conveyed by the top row from signals conveyed by the bottom row of contacts. A shield for the receptacle may be formed as a single piece using a deep drawing process, as opposed to being stamped and folded. Such a shield may limit a number of gaps and openings in the shield to prevent high-frequency signal leakage into and out of the receptacle. Other techniques, such as using foil shielding at openings in the shield may be used to further reduce high-frequency leakage. Pairs of contacts conveying differential signal pairs may have adjacent contacts on each side of the pair that are connected to an AC ground. This ground arrangement may act as a strip-line to further improve signal integrity and quality of differential pair signals. 
     An illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide a connector receptacle that may have be reliable and durable despite having a reduced size. The connector receptacle may have a housing formed of two or more interlocking parts. These interlocking parts may provide reinforcement and support for housing and shields that may have a reduced thickness. The interlocking may be facilitated with tabs and openings on different structures. These various tabs and openings may also provide a connector receptacle that may be readily assembled during manufacturing. 
     An illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide a connector receptacle having a housing having a front side opening and two side openings. A top row of contacts may be located in a top side of the housing near the front side opening and a bottom row of contacts may be located in a bottom side of the housing near the front side opening. A ground contact between the top row of contacts and the bottom row of contacts may be included to form a ground connection with a front of a connector insert. The receptacle may further include two side ground contacts, one on each side of the housing, each having a contact portion exposed at a side opening of the housing. A shield may substantially surround the housing and side ground contacts, wherein the housing has a front guide portion defining the front side opening and extending forward beyond the shield. The shield may provide reinforcement for the side ground contacts, thereby increasing the retention force they provide. The shield may include a plurality of extensions extending from a front edge of the shield and folded to fit in openings in the front guide portion of the housing. These extensions may form ground contacts to mate with a ground ring on a connector insert. The shield may be notched near the extension to increase the flexibility of the resulting ground contacts. Openings in a top and bottom of the shield may be located over each of the contacts in the top and bottom rows. These openings may provide room for the contacts to deflect when a connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. Layers of insulating material metallic foil may be placed between the top row of contacts and the top shield portion and between the bottom row of contacts and the bottom shield portion. In various embodiments of the present invention, the shield may be formed using a deep drawn manufacturing process. 
     The contacts may each include a beam portion and a through-hole portion. The beam portions may be located in a front portion of the housing. The through-hole portions may be at least partially located in a rear interlocking portion of the housing. The contacts may be formed using a copper-nickel-silicon alloy or other type of material. 
     Another illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide a method of assembling a connector receptacle. This method may include forming a first mold around a first plurality of contacts, forming a second mold around a second plurality of contacts, aligning a ground plane portion between the first mold and the second mold, and attaching the first mold to the second mold. The method may further include inserting contact tails for the first plurality of contacts, the ground plane portion, and the second plurality of contacts into a rear housing portion, inserting beam portions of the first plurality of contacts, the ground plane portion, and the second plurality of contacts into a front housing portion, and attaching the front housing portion to the rear housing portion. Side ground contacts may be included by inserting side ground contacts into sides of the rear housing portion. A shell or shield may be formed by placing a top shield portion over a top of the attached front and rear housings and attaching a bottom shield portion under the attached front and rear housings. The shield may provide reinforcement for the side ground contacts, thereby increasing the retention force that they provide. 
     Another illustrative embodiment of the present invention may provide a connector receptacle. This connector receptacle may include a front housing portion attached to a rear housing portion. A first mold may be formed around a first plurality of contacts and a second mold may be formed around a second plurality of contacts, and the second mold may be attached to the first mold. A ground plane portion may be included between the first mold and the second mold and attached to the first mold to the second mold. A plurality of side ground contacts may be inserted into sides of the rear housing portion. A shell or shield may be formed by a top shield portion placed over a top of the attached front and rear housings and a bottom shield portion placed under the attached front and rear housings and attached to the top shield portion. Portions of contact tails for the first plurality of contacts, the ground plane portion, and the second plurality of contacts may be located in passages in the rear housing portion. Beam portions of the first plurality of contacts, the ground plane portion, and the second plurality of contacts may be located in the front housing portion. 
     In various embodiments of the present invention, the components of the receptacles may be formed in various ways of various materials. For example, contacts or pins and other conductive portions of the receptacles may be formed by stamping, metal-injection molding, machining, micro-machining, 3-D printing, or other manufacturing process. The conductive portions may be formed of stainless steel, steel, copper, copper titanium, phosphor bronze, a copper-nickel-silicon alloy, or other material or combination of materials. The conductive portions, such as the shields, may be joined together using soldering, spot or laser welding, or other technique. The conductive portions may be plated or coated with nickel, gold, or other material. The nonconductive portions, such as the protective pieces, the receptacle housings and other portions, may be formed using injection or other molding, 3-D printing, machining, or other manufacturing process. The nonconductive portions may be formed of silicon or silicone, rubber, hard rubber, plastic, nylon, elastomers, liquid-crystal polymers (LCPs), ceramics, or other nonconductive material or combination of materials. 
     Embodiments of the present invention may provide receptacles that may be located in, and may connect to, various types of devices, such as portable computing devices, tablet computers, desktop computers, laptops, all-in-one computers, wearable computing devices, cell phones, smart phones, media phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors, power supplies, adapters, remote control devices, chargers, and other devices. These connector receptacles may provide pathways for signals and power for cards or other modules, such as Secure Digital cards, Secure Digital High Capacity cards, Secure Digital Extended Capacity cards, Secure Digital Ultra-High-Capacity I cards, Secure Digital Ultra-High-Capacity II cards, memory sticks, compact flash cards, communication modules, and other devices and modules that have been developed, are being developed, or will be developed in the future. These connector receptacles may provide pathways for signals that are compliant with various standards such as Universal Serial Bus (USB), High-Definition Multimedia Interface® (HDMI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), Ethernet, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt™, Lightning™, Joint Test Action Group (JTAG), test-access-port (TAP), Directed Automated Random Testing (DART), universal asynchronous receiver/transmitters (UARTs), clock signals, power signals, and other types of standard, non-standard, and proprietary interfaces and combinations thereof that have been developed, are being developed, or will be developed in the future. 
     Various embodiments of the present invention may incorporate one or more of these and the other features described herein. A better understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention may be gained by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a first connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an oblique bottom side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a front view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a top view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a bottom view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates an exploded view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a housing that may be used as the housing in the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a contact assembly that may be used as a contact assembly in the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a rear housing portion and side ground contacts that may be used as a rear housing portion and side ground contacts in the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 11  illustrates top and bottom shield portions that may be used as the top and bottom shield portions for the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 12  illustrates another connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 13  illustrates an oblique bottom side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 14  illustrates a front view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 15  illustrates a side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 16  illustrates a top view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 17  illustrates a bottom view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 18  illustrates an exploded view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 19  illustrates a housing that may be used as the housing in the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 20  illustrates a contact assembly that may be used as a contact assembly in the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 21  illustrates a rear housing portion and side ground contacts that may be used as a rear housing portion and side ground contacts in the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 22  illustrates top and bottom shield portions that may be used as the top and bottom shield portions for the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 23  illustrates another connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 24  illustrates an oblique bottom side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 23 ; 
         FIG. 25  illustrates a front view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 23 ; 
         FIG. 26  illustrates a side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 23 ; 
         FIG. 27  illustrates a bottom view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 23 ; 
         FIG. 28  illustrates an exploded view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 23 ; 
         FIG. 29  illustrates a housing and contacts that may be used as the housing and contacts for the connector receptacle of  FIG. 23 ; 
         FIG. 30  illustrates a shield that may be used as a shield for the connector receptacle and in  FIG. 23 ; and 
         FIG. 31  illustrates a connector insert that may be employed and received by embodiments the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. This figure, as with the other included figures, is shown for illustrative purposes and does not limit either the possible embodiments of the present invention or the claims. 
     Connector receptacle  100  may include housing  110  having a front guide  112  forming a front opening. A connector insert may be inserted into the connector receptacle via the opening in front guide  112 . A number of contacts  120  may be located in slots or passages  113  in housing  110 . Side ground contacts  160  may be exposed at side openings  118  in housing  110 . Housing  110  may include posts  116 . Posts  116  may be placed in openings of a printed circuit board, device enclosure, or other appropriate substrate for mechanical stability. 
     Connector receptacle  100  may be at least partially covered on a top side by top shell or top shield portion  130 . Extensions  132  may extend from a front of top shield portion  130  away from a front of the connector receptacle  100 . Extensions  132  may be folded over and passed through openings  114  in front guide  112  to form contacts  134 . Contacts  134  may be ground contacts to form an electrical connection with a ground path or ground ring on a connector insert. Shield portion  130  may also include openings  138 . Openings  138  may provide room for the deflection of contacts  120  when a connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle  100 . When top shield portion  130  is fitted over housing  110 , opening  139  on top shield portion  130  may accept tab  119  on housing  110 . Similar tabs may be located on an opposing side and rear of connector receptacle  100 . These tabs  119  and openings  139  may hold top shield portion  130  in place relative to housing  110 . Top shield portion  130  may further include tabs  136 . Tabs  136  may be inserted into openings and connected to ground pads or traces in a printed circuit board or other appropriate substrate in an electronic device housing connector receptacle  100 . Top shield portion  130  may provide reinforcement for side ground contacts  160 . This reinforcement may increase the retention force that the side ground contacts  160  provide. 
     Connector receptacle  100  may include a first bottom shield portion  140 . Bottom shield portion  140  may include tabs  146  that may fit in openings in top shield portion  130  in order to secure bottom shield portion  140  to top shield portion  130 . Similar to top shield portion  130 , bottom shield portion  140  may include extensions  142 . Extensions  142  may be passed through openings  114  in front guide portion  112  to form contacts  144 . Contacts  144  may be ground contacts to form a ground connection with a ground pad or ground ring on a connector insert. First bottom shield portion  140  may be fixed to top shield portion  130  by spot or laser welding at points  144 . First bottom shield portion  140  may include openings similar to openings  138 . 
     Connector receptacle  100  may also include a second bottom shield portion  150 . Bottom shield portion  150  may include flanges  152  having openings  154 . Openings  154  may accept a fastener such that connector receptacle  100  may be secured to a printed circuit board, device enclosure, or other appropriate substrate or structure. Second bottom shield portion  150  may be fixed to top shield portion  130  by spot or laser welding at points  156 . 
     In this and the other embodiments of the present invention, one or more of these shield portions may be formed using a deep drawn process. This deep drawn process may result in a heavy duty shield portion having fewer openings as opposed to a conventional stamping, folding, and bending process. 
     Again, signals conveyed on contacts  120  may have a high data rates. Also, a relatively large number of signals may be packed into a fairly small connector receptacle  100 . Accordingly, this and the other embodiments of the present invention may utilize various techniques for improving grounding. For example, ground contacts  134  and  144  may be included to electrically connect to ground pads or a ground ring on a connector insert. Side ground contacts  160  may also be provided. Side ground contacts  160  may form ground connections with ground pads or a ground ring at the sides of a connector insert. Again, shield portions  130 ,  140 , and  150  may be deep drawn to reduce openings and sharp angles. These ground portions may be interlocked using openings and tabs and attached using spot or laser welding as well. As will be seen below, foil layers may be used to prevent high frequency leakage through openings  138 . Also, a mid-opening ground plane may be located in the front opening of connector receptacle  100 . Side ground contacts  160  may provide a retention force that pulls a connector insert into contact with the mid-opening ground plane, and this retention force may be increased by the reinforcement provided by the top and bottom shield portions. Further, contacts  120  may be used to convey differential signals. Typically, the differential signals may be located on adjacent contacts or pins. Contacts for AC signal grounds may be placed on each side of these adjacent contacts or pins. These AC grounds may include ground, power supplies, control lines, and other path having a low impedance to ground. 
     To further improve the signal integrity and quality, contacts  120  may be formed using a low impedance material. For example, an alloy of copper-nickel-silicon may be used. The resulting contacts  120  may have a lower impedance but may have a reduced beam spring force. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may compensate for this by using slightly longer contacts  120  than may otherwise be used. These longer contacts may have stronger beam force while maintaining a lower contact resistance. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an oblique bottom side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 . Contact tails  122  for a bottom row of contacts  120  and contact tails  123  for a top row of contacts may emerge from an underside of a rear housing portion  170 . Contact tails  122  and  123  may be through-hole contact tails which may be inserted into openings in a printed circuit board or other appropriate substrate. In other embodiments of the present invention, other types of contacts, such as surface mount contacts, may be used. 
     A top shield portion  130  may be attached to bottom shield portions  140  and  150 . Bottom shield portion  140  may include openings  138 , which may be similar to openings  138  on a top side of connector receptacle  100 . Extensions  142  may extend from bottom shield  140  and may pass through opening  114  to form ground contacts is shown above. Posts  116  and tabs  136  may also emerge from a bottom of connector receptacle  100 . Posts  116  may be placed in openings in a printed circuit board or other substrate for mechanical stability. Tabs  136  may be placed in openings connected to ground traces or planes in a printed circuit board or other substrate. Bottom shield piece  150  may include flanges  152  having fastener openings  154 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a front view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 . Housing  110  may have an opening in a front guide  112  into which a connector insert may be inserted. Connector receptacle  100  may include a top row of contacts  121  and a bottom row of contacts  120 . Extensions  132  and  142  may be inserted through openings  114  and folded back to form ground contacts  134  and  144 . Side ground contacts  160  may be available at side openings  118  in housing  110 . 
     A center ground plane or ground contact  192  may also be included. The center ground plane or ground contact may form a ground connection with a pad or ground ring on a front of a connector insert when the connector insert is inserted into connector receptacle  100 . Ground plane or ground contact  192  may include ground contacts  196 . These ground contacts  196  on the sides of ground plane  192  may help to maintain a ground connection when a connector insert is inserted into connector receptacle  100  at an angle. When a connector insert is inserted into connector receptacle  100 , side ground contacts  160  may provide a force pulling the connector insert into connector receptacle  100 . This force may be increased by the reinforcement provided by the various shield portions. This may assist in maintaining a ground connection between ground contacts  196  on ground plane  192  and the ground pad or ground ring at the front of a connector insert. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 . Extensions  132  from top shield  130  may be folded into a front opening of connector receptacle  100 . Similarly, extensions  142  of a first bottom shield portion  140  may be folded into a front opening of connector receptacle  100 . Top shield portion  130  may be secured to a housing  110  by aligning opening  139  in top shield portion  130  with tab  119  on a side of housing  110 . First bottom shield portion  140  may be attached to top shield portion  130  at points  144 . Similarly, a second bottom shield portion  150  may be attached to top shield portion  130  at points  156 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a top view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 . Extensions  132  of top shield portion  130  may be folded into openings  114  in guide  112 . Top shield portion  130  may include openings  138 . Openings  138  may allow the deflection of contacts in connector receptacle  100  when a connector insert is inserted into connector receptacle  100 . Connector receptacle  100  may further include a bottom shield portion  140 . Second bottom shield portion  150  may include flanges  152  having fastener openings  154 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a bottom view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 . Contact tails  122  for a bottom row of contacts and contact tails  123  for a top row of contacts may emerge from a bottom of rear housing portion  170 . Rear housing portion  170  may interlock with front housing portion  110  to add strength to connector receptacle  100 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates an exploded view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 . Connector receptacle  100  may include a bottom row of contacts  120  joined by insert molded portion  124 . Contacts  120  may have surface-mount or through-hole contacting tails. In this example, contacts  120  may have through-hole contacting tails  122 . Insert molded portion  124  may include posts  127 . Ground contact or ground plane  192  may include openings  194  to fit over posts  127 . Ground plane  192  may have contacting tails  190 . Connector receptacle  100  may also have a top row of contacts  120 . Top row contacts  121  may be joined together with insertion molded piece  125 . Insertion molded piece  125  may have an opening (not shown) on an underside to accept posts  127 . Top row contacts  121  may have contact tails, which in this example may be through-hole contact tails  223 . During assembly, the top row of contacts  121 , ground plane  192 , and bottom row contacts  120  may be joined together. This contact assembly may be joined with rear housing piece  170 . Specifically, contact tails  123 ,  190 , and  32  may be fit into passages  174  in rear housing piece  170 . Insert molded portions  124  and  125  may be located in notch  176  in rear housing piece  170 . 
     The beam portions of contacts  121  and  120  may be fit into the front housing portion  110 . Rear housing portion  170  may be fixed to housing portion  110  by mating tabs  178  in rear housing portion  170  with openings  117  in housing  110 . 
     Side ground contacts  160  may be attached to the assembled housing. Specifically, tabs  164  on ground contacts  160  may be inserted into openings  172  on sides of rear housing portion  170 . Side ground contacting portions  162  may be made available at openings  118  in sides of housing  110 . During assembly, a carrier may be attached at point  166  on side ground contact  160 . Once tab  164  is inserted into opening  172  in rear housing portion  170 , the carrier may be detached from point  166 . 
     Front housing portion  110  may include grooves or slots  113  on a top and bottom side. Grooves or slot  113  may allow for the deflection of contacts  121  and  120  during the insertion of a connector insert. To prevent contacts  121  and  120  from contacting top shell portion  130 , protective layers  180  and  182  may be used. These protective layers may be placed over slots or grooves  113 . Protective layers  182  may have an insulating side facing slots or grooves  113  to prevent electrical connections between pins. Protective layers  180  and  182  may have a metallic foil layer to prevent high frequency leakage through openings  138  in top shield portion  130 . 
     Top shield portion  130  may be placed over housing  110 . Contacts  134  may be aligned with openings  114  in housing  110 . A first bottom shield portion  140  may be attached to top shield portion  130 . Contacts  144  may be aligned with openings  114  in housing  110 . A second bottom shield portion  150  may also be attached to top shield portion  130 . These shield portions may be fixed together using spots or laser welding. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a housing that may be used as the housing in the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 . Housing  110  may include a front guide  112 . The front guide  112  may have openings  114  for accepting ground contacts formed by extensions of a shield. Side openings  118  may expose contacting portions of side ground contacts. Slots  113  may be used to house contacts. Slots  113  may allow the contacts to deflect when a connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. Tab  119  may be used to accept an opening on a top shield portion to secure a top shield portion to housing  110 . Opening  117  may accept a tab on a rear housing portion in order to lock housing  110  and a rear housing portion together. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a contact assembly that may be used as a contact assembly in the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 . A bottom row of contacts  120  may be joined by insert molded piece  124 . Contacts  120  may have contact tails  122 . Outside contacts in the bottom row of contacts  120  may be used as detect pins. Insert molded housing  124  may include posts  127 . Posts  127  may accept openings  194  of ground plane  192 . Ground plane  192  may include contact tails  190  and contacts  296 . A top row of contacts  121  may be joined by insert molded piece  125 . Insert piece  125  may have openings on an underside to accept posts  127 . Contacts  121  may include contact tails  123 . The joined insert molded pieces  124  and  125  may fit in a notch in a rear housing portion. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a rear housing portion and side ground contacts that may be used as a rear housing portion and side ground contacts in the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 . Rear housing portion  170  may include passages  174  for accepting contact tails of contacts in the receptacle. Notch  176  may accept insert molded portions around those contacts. Tab  178  may fit in an opening in a front housing portion to secure rear housing portion  170  to the front housing portion. Opening  172  may accept tab  164  on side ground contacts  160 . Contacting portions  162  of side ground contact  160  may be available at an opening of the front housing portion. A carrier may be attached to side ground contact  160  at point  166 . When tab  164  is inserted into opening  172 , the carrier may be removed from point  166 . 
       FIG. 11  illustrates top and bottom shield portions that may be used as the top and bottom shield portions for the connector receptacle of  FIG. 1 . A top shield portion  130  may include openings  138  and extensions forming contacts  134 . Opening  139  in top shield portion  130  may accept a tab on a housing to secure top shield portion  130  to the housing. First bottom shield portion  140  may include ground contacts  144 . Second bottom shield portion  150  may include flanges  152  having fastener openings  154 . 
     In other embodiments of the present invention, a connector receptacle may be attached to a device in other ways and flanges  152  may not be needed. An example is shown in the following figure. 
       FIG. 12  illustrates another connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Connector receptacle  200  may include housing  210  having a front guide  212  forming a front opening. As before, a connector insert may be inserted into the connector receptacle via the opening in front guide  212 . A number of contacts  220  may be located in slots or passages  213  in housing  210 . Side ground contacts  260  may be exposed at side openings  218  in housing  210 . Side ground contacts  160  may provide a retention force when a connector insert is inserted into this connector receptacle. This retention force may be increased by reinforcement provided by the shield portions described below. Housing  210  may include posts  216 . Posts  216  may be placed in openings of a printed circuit board, device enclosure, or other appropriate substrate for mechanical stability. 
     Connector receptacle  200  may be at least partially covered on a top side by top shell or top shield portion  230 . Extensions  232  may extend from a front of top shield portion  230 . Extensions  232  may be folded over and passed through openings  214  in front guide  212  to form contacts  234 . To reduce fatigue in the metal of extensions  232 , slots  239  may be formed on either side of extensions  232 . Contacts  234  may be ground contacts to form an electrical connection with a ground path or ground ring on a connector insert. Shield portion  230  may also include openings  238 . Openings  238  may provide room for the deflection of contacts  220  when a connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle  200 . When top shield portion  230  is fitted over housing  210 , an opening (not shown) on top shield portion  230  may accept a tab (not shown) on housing  210 . Similar tabs may be located on an opposing side and rear of connector receptacle  200 . These tabs and openings may hold top shield portion  230  in place relative to housing  210 . 
     Connector receptacle  200  may include a bottom shield portion  240 . Bottom shield portion  240  may include tabs  248  that may fit in openings (not shown) in top shield portion in order to secure bottom shield portion  240  to top shield portion  230 . Similar to top shield portion  230 , bottom shield portion  240  may include extensions  242 . Extensions  242  may be passed through openings  214  in front guide portion  212  to form contacts  244 . Contacts  244  may be ground contacts to form a ground connection with a ground pad or ground ring on a connector insert. Bottom shield portion  240  may be fixed to top shield portion  230  by spot or laser welding at points  247 . Bottom shield portion  240  may further include tabs  246 . Tabs  246  may be inserted into openings and connected to ground pads or traces in a printed circuit board or other appropriate substrate in an electronic device housing connector receptacle  200 . Bottom shield portion  240  may include openings similar to openings  238 . 
     In this and the other embodiments of the present invention, one or more of these shield portions may be formed using a deep drawn process. This deep drawn process may result in a heavy duty shield portion having fewer openings as opposed to a conventional stamping, folding, and bending process. 
     Again, signals conveyed on contacts  220  may have a high data rates. Also, a relatively large number of signals may be packed into a fairly small connector receptacle  200 . Accordingly, this and the other embodiments of the present invention may utilize various techniques for improving grounding. For example, ground contacts  234  and  244  may be included to electrically connect to ground pads or a ground ring on a connector insert. Side ground contacts  260  may also be provided. Side ground contacts  260  may form ground connections with ground pads or a ground ring at the sides of a connector insert. Again, shield portions  230  and  240  may be deep drawn to reduce openings and sharp angles. These ground portions may be interlocked using openings and tabs and attached using spot or laser welding as well. As will be seen below, foil layers may be used to prevent high frequency leakage through openings  238 . Also, a mid-opening ground plane may be located in the front opening of connector receptacle  200 . Side ground contacts  260  may provide a retention force that pulls a connector insert into contact with the mid-opening ground plane. This retention force may be increased by the reinforcement provided by the shield portions  230  and  240 . Further, contacts  220  may be used to convey differential signals. Typically, the differential signals may be located on adjacent contacts or pins. Contacts for AC signal grounds may be placed on each side of these adjacent contacts or pins. These AC grounds may include ground, power supplies, control lines, and other path having a low impedance to ground. 
     To further improve the signal integrity and quality, contacts  220  may be formed using a low impedance material. For example, an alloy of copper-nickel-silicon may be used. The resulting contacts  220  may have a lower impedance but may have a reduced beam spring force. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may compensate for this by using slightly longer contacts  220  than may otherwise be used. These longer contacts may have stronger beam force while maintaining a lower contact resistance. 
       FIG. 13  illustrates an oblique bottom side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 . Contact tails  222  for a bottom row of contacts  220  and contact tails  223  for a top row of contacts may emerge from an underside of a rear housing portion  270 . Contact tails  222  and  223  may be through-hole contact tails which may be inserted into openings in a printed circuit board or other appropriate substrate. In other embodiments of the present invention, other types of contacts, such as surface mount contacts, may be used. 
     A top shield portion  230  may be attached to bottom shield portion  240 . Bottom shield portion  240  may include openings  238 , which may be similar to openings  238  on a top side of connector receptacle  200 . Extensions  242  may extend from bottom shield  240  and may pass through opening  214  in front guide  212  to form ground contacts is shown above. Slots  239  may be located on each side of extensions  242  in order to reduce fatigue on extensions  242  by increasing their beam length. Posts  216  and tabs  246  may also emerge from a bottom of connector receptacle  200 . Posts  216  may be placed in openings in a printed circuit board or other substrate for mechanical stability. Tabs  246  may be placed in openings connected to ground traces or planes in a printed circuit board or other substrate. 
       FIG. 14  illustrates a front view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 . Housing  210  may have an opening in a front guide  212  into which a connector insert may be inserted. Connector receptacle  200  may include a top row of contacts  221  and a bottom row of contacts  220 . Extensions  232  and  242  may be inserted through openings in front guide  212  and folded back to form ground contacts  234  and  244 . Side ground contacts  260  may be available at side openings  218  in housing  210 . 
     A center ground plane or ground contact  292  may also be included. The center ground plane or ground contact may form a ground connection with a pad or ground ring on a front of a connector insert when the connector insert is inserted into connector receptacle  200 . Ground plane or ground contact  292  may include ground contacts  296 . These ground contacts  296  on the sides of ground plane  292  may help to maintain a ground connection when a connector insert is inserted into connector receptacle  200  at an angle. When a connector insert is inserted into connector receptacle  200 , side ground contacts  260  may provide a force pulling the connector insert into connector receptacle  200 . This may assist in maintaining a ground connection between ground contacts  296  on ground plane  292  and the ground pad or ground ring at the front of a connector insert. This force may be enhanced by the reinforcement provided by the various shield portions around housing  210 . 
       FIG. 15  illustrates a side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 . Extensions  232  from top shield  230  may be folded into a front opening of connector receptacle  200 . Similarly, extensions  242  of a bottom shield portion  240  may be folded into a front opening of connector receptacle  200 . Bottom shield portion  240  may be attached to top shield portion  230  at points  247 . 
       FIG. 16  illustrates a top view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 . Extensions  232  of top shield portion  230  may be folded into openings  214  in guide  212 . Slots  239  may increase the flexibility of extensions  232 . Top shield portion  230  may include openings  238 . Openings  238  may allow the deflection of contacts in connector receptacle  200  when a connector insert is inserted into connector receptacle  200 . 
       FIG. 17  illustrates a bottom view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 . Contact tails  222  for a bottom row of contacts and contact tails  223  for a top row of contacts may emerge from a bottom of rear housing portion  270 . Rear housing portion  270  may interlock with front housing portion  210  to add strength to connector receptacle  200 . 
       FIG. 18  illustrates an exploded view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 . Connector receptacle  200  may include a bottom row of contacts  220  joined by insert molded portion  224 . Contacts  220  may have surface-mount or through-hole contacting tails. In this example, contacts  220  may have through-hole contacting tails  222 . Insert molded portion  224  may include posts  227 . Ground contact or ground plane  292  may include openings  294  to fit over posts  227 . Ground plane  292  may have contacting tails  290 . Connector receptacle  200  may also have a top row of contacts  220 . Top row contacts  221  may be joined together with insertion molded piece  225 . Insertion molded piece  225  may have an opening (not shown) on an underside to accept posts  227 . Top row contacts  221  may have contact tails, which in this example may be through-hole contact tails  223 . During assembly, the top row of contacts  221 , ground plane  292 , and bottom row contacts  220  may be joined together. This contact assembly may be joined with rear housing piece  270 . Specifically, contact tails  222 ,  290 , and  223  may be fit into passages  274  in rear housing piece  270 . Insert molded portions  224  and  225  may be located in notch  276  in rear housing piece  270 . 
     The beam portions of contacts  221  and  220  may be fit into front housing portion  210 . Rear housing portion  270  may be fixed to housing portion  210  by mating tab  278  in rear housing portion  270  with opening  217  in housing  210 . 
     Side ground contacts  260  may be attached to the assembled housing. Specifically, tabs  264  on ground contacts  260  may be inserted into openings  272  on sides of rear housing portion  270 . Side ground contacting portions  262  may be made available at openings  218  in sides of front housing portion  210 . During assembly, a carrier may be attached at point  266  on side ground contact  260 . Once tab  264  is inserted into opening  272  in rear housing portion  270 , the carrier may be detached from point  266 . 
     Front housing portion  210  may include grooves or slots  213  on a top and bottom side. Grooves or slot  213  may allow for the deflection of contacts  220  and  221  during the insertion of a connector insert. To prevent contacts  221  and  220  from contacting top shell portion  230 , protective layers  280  and  282  may be used. These protective layers may be placed over slots or grooves  213 . Protective layers  282  may have an insulating side facing slots or grooves  213  to prevent electrical connections between pins. Protective layers  280  and  282  may have a metallic foil layer to prevent high frequency leakage through openings  238  in top shield portion  230  and corresponding openings in bottom shield portion  240 . 
     Top shield portion  230  may be placed over housing  210 . Contacts  234  may be aligned with openings  214  in housing  210 . A first bottom shield portion  240  may be attached to top shield portion  230 . Contacts  244  may be aligned with openings  214  in housing  210 . The top and bottom shield portions  230  and  240  may be fixed together using spots or laser welding. 
       FIG. 19  illustrates a housing that may be used as the housing in the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 . Housing  210  may include a front guide  212 . The front guide  212  may have openings  214  for accepting ground contacts formed by extensions of a shield. Side openings  218  may expose contacting portions of side ground contacts. Slots  213  may be used to house contacts. Slots  213  may allow the contacts to deflect when a connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle. Tab  219  may be used to accept an opening on a top shield portion to secure a top shield portion to housing  210 . Opening  217  may accept a tab on a rear housing portion in order to lock housing  210  and a rear housing portion together. 
       FIG. 20  illustrates a contact assembly that may be used as a contact assembly in the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 . A bottom row of contacts  220  may be joined by insert molded piece  224 . Contacts  220  may have contact tails  222 . Outside contacts in the bottom row of contacts  220  may be used as detect pins. Insert molded housing  224  may include posts  227 . Posts  227  may accept openings  294  of ground plane  292 . Ground plane  292  may include contact tails  290  and contacts  296 . A top row of contacts  221  may be joined by insert molded piece  225 . Insert piece  225  may have openings on an underside to accept posts  227 . Contacts  221  may include contact tails  223 . The joined insert molded pieces  224  and  225  may fit in a notch in a rear housing portion. 
       FIG. 21  illustrates a rear housing portion and side ground contacts that may be used as a rear housing portion and side ground contacts in the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 . Rear housing portion  270  may include passages  274  for accepting contact tails of contacts in the receptacle. Notch  276  may accept insert molded portions around those contacts. Tab  278  may fit in an opening in a front housing portion to secure rear housing portion  270  to the front housing portion. Opening  272  may accept tab  264  on side ground contacts  260 . Contacting portions  262  of side ground contact  260  may be available at an opening of the front housing portion. A carrier may be attached to side ground contact  260  at point  266 . When tab  264  is inserted into opening  272 , the carrier may be removed from point  266 . 
       FIG. 22  illustrates top and bottom shield portions that may be used as the top and bottom shield portions for the connector receptacle of  FIG. 12 . A top shield portion  230  may include openings  238  and extensions forming contacts  234 . Opening  239  in top shield portion  230  may accept a tab on a housing to secure top shield portion  230  to the housing. First bottom shield portion  240  may include ground contacts  244 . Second bottom shield portion  250  may include flanges  252  having fastener openings  254 . 
     In these examples, a connector receptacle may be mounted flat on a printed circuit board or other substrate. In other embodiments of the present invention, a connector receptacle may be attached to a printed circuit board in other ways. For example, the mounting may be vertical. An example is shown in the following figure. 
       FIG. 23  illustrates another connector receptacle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Connector receptacle  300  may include housing  310  having a front guide  312  forming a front opening. As before, a connector insert may be inserted into the connector receptacle via the opening in front guide  312 . A number of contacts  320  may be located in slots or passages  313  in housing  310 . Side ground contacts  360  may be exposed at side openings  318  in housing  310 . Housing  310  may include posts  316 . Posts  316  may be placed in openings of a printed circuit board, device enclosure, or other appropriate substrate for mechanical stability. 
     Connector receptacle  300  may be at least partially covered by shell or shield  330 . Shield portion  330  may include openings  338 . Openings  338  may provide room for the deflection of contacts  320  when a connector insert is inserted into the connector receptacle  300 . Shield  330  may be wrapped to form seam  334 . The two sides of seam  334  may be sealed by spot or laser welding at locations  336 . Shield portion  330  may further include tabs  332 . Tabs  332  may be inserted into openings and connected to ground pads or traces in a printed circuit board or other appropriate substrate in an electronic device housing connector receptacle  300 . A bottom side of shield portion  330  may include openings similar to openings  338 . 
     Again, signals conveyed on contacts  320  may have a high data rates. Also, a relatively large number of signals may be packed into a fairly small connector receptacle  300 . Accordingly, this and the other embodiments of the present invention may utilize various techniques for improving grounding. For example, side ground contacts  360  may be provided. Side ground contacts  360  may form ground connections with ground pads or a ground ring at the sides of a connector insert. As will be seen below, foil layers may be used to prevent high frequency leakage through openings  338 . Further, contacts  320  may be used to convey differential signals. Typically, the differential signals may be located on adjacent contacts or pins. Contacts for AC signal grounds may be placed on each side of these adjacent contacts or pins. These AC grounds may include ground, power supplies, control lines, and other path having a low impedance to ground. 
     To further improve the signal integrity and quality, contacts  320  may be formed using a low impedance material. For example, an alloy of copper-nickel-silicon may be used. The resulting contacts  320  may have a lower impedance but may have a reduced beam spring force. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may compensate for this by using slightly longer contacts  320  than may otherwise be used. These longer contacts may have stronger beam force while maintaining a lower contact resistance. 
       FIG. 24  illustrates an oblique bottom side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 23 . Contact tails  322  for contacts  320  may emerge from an underside of housing  310 . Contact tails  322  may be surface-mount contact tails which may be soldered to pads on a printed circuit board or other appropriate substrate. In other embodiments of the present invention, other types of contacts, such as through-hole contacts, may be used. 
     A shield portion  330  may be attached to housing  310 . Shield portion  330  may include openings  338 , which may be similar to openings  338  on a top side of connector receptacle  300 . Shield portion  330  may include openings  339  to accept tab  314  on housing  310 . Posts  316  and tabs  332  may also emerge from a bottom of connector receptacle  300 . Posts  316  may be placed in openings in a printed circuit board or other substrate for mechanical stability. Tabs  332  and rear ground contact  362  for a side ground contact may be placed in openings connected to ground traces or planes in a printed circuit board or other substrate. 
       FIG. 25  illustrates a front view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 23 . Housing  310  may have an opening in a front guide  312  into which a connector insert may be inserted. Connector receptacle  300  may include contacts  320 . Side ground contacts  360  may be available at side openings  318  in housing  310 . While not shown here, a center ground plane or ground contact  392  may also be included as in the previous examples. 
       FIG. 26  illustrates a side view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 23 . Tab  314  on a housing may fit in opening  339  in shield  330  to secure shield  330  in place. Rear contact  362  for a side ground contact may be available at a back end of connector receptacle  300 . Rear contact  362  and shield tab  332  may be placed in an opening in a printed circuit board and connected to ground. 
       FIG. 27  illustrates a bottom view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 23 . Contact tails  322  for contacts  320  may emerge from a bottom of housing  310 . Posts  316  and rear ground contacts  362  may also be available. 
       FIG. 28  illustrates an exploded view of the connector receptacle of  FIG. 23 . Connector receptacle  300  may include contacts  320 . Contacts  320  may have surface-mount or through-hole contacting tails. In this example, contacts  320  may have through-hole contacting tails  322 . 
     The beam portions of contacts  320  may be fit into housing  310 . Side ground contacts  360  may be placed in side openings of housing  310  such that side ground contacting portions  362  may be made available at openings  318  in sides of front housing portion  310 . 
     Housing  310  may include grooves or slots  313  on a top and bottom side. Grooves or slot  313  may allow for the deflection of contacts  320  during the insertion of a connector insert. To prevent contacts  320  from contacting top shell portion  330 , protective layers (not shown) may be used. These protective layers may be placed over slots or grooves  313 . The protective layers may have an insulating side facing slots or grooves  313  to prevent electrical connections between pins. The protective layers may have a metallic foil layer to prevent high frequency leakage through openings  338  in a top of shield portion  330  and corresponding openings in a bottom of shield portion  330 . 
     Shield portion  330  may be placed over housing  310 . Tabs  313  on housing  310  may be aligned with openings  339  in shield  330  to secure shield  330  in place relative to housing  310 . 
       FIG. 29  illustrates a housing and contacts that may be used as the housing and contacts for the connector receptacle of  FIG. 23 . Housing  310  may include a front guide portion  312  and slots  313  in a top and bottom surface. Slots  313  may accept contacts  320  and provide contacts room for the contacts to deflect when a connector insert is inserted. Side ground contacts may be inserted into side passages in housing  310  such that contacting portions are exposed at openings  318 . Tabs  313  may fit in an opening on a shield to secure a shield in place with housing  310 . Contacts  320  may include contact tails  312 . Contacts  320  may include wide mechanical stabilizing portions  320 . 
       FIG. 30  illustrates a shield that may be used as a shield for the connector receptacle and in  FIG. 23 . Shield  230  may include top and bottom openings  338 . Top and bottom openings  338  may provide room for the deflection of contacts during insertion of a connector insert. Opening  339  may accept a tab on the side of a housing when a housing is inserted into shield  330 . 
     Embodiments of the present invention may communicate with one or more different types of connector inserts. One such connector insert is the Lightning connector insert. Lightning connectors are reversible. That is, a Lightning connector insert may be inserted into a Lightening receptacle in one of two orientations. An example of a Lightning connector insert is shown in the following figure. This same physical arrangement may be used to convey signals for other types of interfaces as well. For example, HDMI, USB, Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, and other types of interfaces may be convey using the same physical connector insert arrangement, though various circuits and interconnects connected to the connector insert may be different and the contacts may or may not be reversible. 
       FIG. 31  illustrates a Lightning connector insert that may be employed and received by embodiments the present invention. Specifically, this connector may be used as a connector insert to plug into the above connector receptacles. 
     Connector insert  3100  may include insert portion or tab  3102 . Tab  3102  may be sized to be inserted into a corresponding receptacle connector during a mating event and may include a first contact region  3106  formed on a first major surface  3104  and a second contact region (not shown) formed at a second major surface (also not shown) opposite surface  3104 . Surface  3104  may extend from a distal tip  3114  of tab  3102  to spine  3116  that, when tab  3102  is inserted into a corresponding receptacle connector, abuts a housing of the receptacle connector or portable computing device that the receptacle connector is incorporated in. Tab  3102  may also include first and second opposing side surfaces that extend between the first and second major surfaces including  3104 . 
     A plurality of contacts  3110  can be formed in each of contact regions  3106  on each side of tab  3102  such that, when tab  3102  is inserted into a corresponding receptacle connector, contacts  3106  are electrically coupled to corresponding contacts in the receptacle connector. In some embodiments, contacts  3106  are self-cleaning wiping contacts that, after initially coming into contact with a receptacle connector contact during a mating event, slide further past the receptacle connector contact with a wiping motion before reaching a final, desired contact position. 
     The structure and shape of tab  3102  may be defined by a ground ring  3108  that can be made from stainless steel or another hard conductive material. Connector  3100  may include retention feature  3112  and a corresponding feature on the opposite side of tab  3102  formed as curved pockets in the sides of ground ring  3108  that may double as ground contacts. 
     The numbers pins or contacts and pins assignments may vary. Specific pinouts that may be used for these plugs and receptacles can be found in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/607,366, filed Sep. 7, 2012, titled DUAL ORIENTATION ELECTRONIC CONNECTOR, which is incorporated by reference. 
     In various embodiments of the present invention, the components of the receptacles may be formed in various ways of various materials. For example, contacts or pins and other conductive portions of the receptacles may be formed by stamping, metal-injection molding, machining, micro-machining, 3-D printing, or other manufacturing process. The conductive portions may be formed of stainless steel, steel, copper, copper titanium, phosphor bronze, a copper-nickel-silicon alloy, or other material or combination of materials. The conductive portions, such as the shields, may be joined together using soldering, spot or laser welding, or other technique. The conductive portions may be plated or coated with nickel, gold, or other material. The nonconductive portions, such as the protective pieces, the receptacle housings and other portions, may be formed using injection or other molding, 3-D printing, machining, or other manufacturing process. The nonconductive portions may be formed of silicon or silicone, rubber, hard rubber, plastic, nylon, elastomers, liquid-crystal polymers (LCPs), ceramics, or other nonconductive material or combination of materials. 
     Embodiments of the present invention may provide receptacles that may be located in, and may connect to, various types of devices, such as portable computing devices, tablet computers, desktop computers, laptops, all-in-one computers, wearable computing devices, cell phones, smart phones, media phones, storage devices, portable media players, navigation systems, monitors, power supplies, adapters, remote control devices, chargers, and other devices. These connector receptacles may provide pathways for signals and power for cards or other modules, such as Secure Digital cards, Secure Digital High Capacity cards, Secure Digital Extended Capacity cards, Secure Digital Ultra-High-Capacity I cards, Secure Digital Ultra-High-Capacity II cards, memory sticks, compact flash cards, communication modules, and other devices and modules that have been developed, are being developed, or will be developed in the future. These connector receptacles may provide pathways for signals that are compliant with various standards such as Universal Serial Bus (USB), High-Definition Multimedia Interface® (HDMI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), Ethernet, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt™, Lightning™, Joint Test Action Group (JTAG), test-access-port (TAP), Directed Automated Random Testing (DART), universal asynchronous receiver/transmitters (UARTs), clock signals, power signals, and other types of standard, non-standard, and proprietary interfaces and combinations thereof that have been developed, are being developed, or will be developed in the future. 
     Various embodiments of the present invention have been shown above. The features, such as front ground contacts, split shield portions, center ground contacts or planes, surface mount and through-hole contacts, and other features have been shown in the context of specific embodiments, though various other embodiments of the present invention may provide connector receptacles that mix and match these various features in other combinations. 
     The above description of embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form described, and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teaching above. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Thus, it will be appreciated that the invention is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20150930
Publication Date: 20171212
Grant Date: 20171212
Priority Date: 20140930
Inventors: HACK PAUL J.
TZIVISKOS GEORGE
GAO ZHENG
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H01R13/6583", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R43/24", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/60", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6585", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R43/24", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6585", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6583", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6583", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R13/6585", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/60", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R43/24", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R24/60", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 55633475