CA1297964C - Electrical connectors and clips and methods of use - Google Patents
Electrical connectors and clips and methods of useInfo
- Publication number
- CA1297964C CA1297964C CA000562404A CA562404A CA1297964C CA 1297964 C CA1297964 C CA 1297964C CA 000562404 A CA000562404 A CA 000562404A CA 562404 A CA562404 A CA 562404A CA 1297964 C CA1297964 C CA 1297964C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- connectors
- stack
- edge
- clips
- housing
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
- H01R13/627—Snap or like fastening
- H01R13/6275—Latching arms not integral with the housing
Landscapes
- Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)
- Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
- Multi-Conductor Connections (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The combination of a plurality of like connectors and a pair of clips coupling together the connectors in a stack.
Each of the connectors comprises a housing fabricated of an electrically insulating material and is shaped with parallel upper and lower surfaces and with spaced front and rear faces and with spaced edges. Each housing has resilient edge latches positioned adjacent its edges with each edge latch having an extent movable toward the housing upon the application of pressure and resiliently movable away from said housing upon the removal of the pressure. Each of the clips comprises sections formed in a U-shaped configuration.
Each pair of clips is positionable in operative association with the edge latches of a plurality of connectors in a stack so as to couple together the connectors of their associated stack and to apply an inwardly directing compressive pressure to a plurality of edge latches in the stack whereby only one edge latch along each edge of a stack of connectors is resiliently biased outwardly. Also disclosed are the clips, per se, and the method of using the connectors and clips.
The combination of a plurality of like connectors and a pair of clips coupling together the connectors in a stack.
Each of the connectors comprises a housing fabricated of an electrically insulating material and is shaped with parallel upper and lower surfaces and with spaced front and rear faces and with spaced edges. Each housing has resilient edge latches positioned adjacent its edges with each edge latch having an extent movable toward the housing upon the application of pressure and resiliently movable away from said housing upon the removal of the pressure. Each of the clips comprises sections formed in a U-shaped configuration.
Each pair of clips is positionable in operative association with the edge latches of a plurality of connectors in a stack so as to couple together the connectors of their associated stack and to apply an inwardly directing compressive pressure to a plurality of edge latches in the stack whereby only one edge latch along each edge of a stack of connectors is resiliently biased outwardly. Also disclosed are the clips, per se, and the method of using the connectors and clips.
Description
~7~
SPECIFICATION
This invention relates to connectors and clip~ and, more particularly, ~o a stacked assembly of connectors with associated clips as well as ~o the clips per se and thelr method of use.
In electrical arts it is often desirable to releasably connect electrical contacts of one member with electrical contacts of another member. By way of example, it is often desirable to termininate a ribbon cable with a connec~or and then releasably couple that connector with a mating receptacle of an electronic machine. The connector secured to the ribbon cable might normally be provlded with female contacts whereas the electronic machine would be provided with male contacta pro~ecting therefrom in a predetermined array. The electronic machine migh~ be a computer, ~elecommunictions device or the like. Inasmuch as various electronic machlnes may be provided with different numbers of rows and columns of male contacts for being coupled, it has been found desirable to provide connectors with modular capabilities whereby the connec~ors may be assembled on Yite for coupling to electronic machines having any number of contacts in an array. ~a can be understood, the modularity of connectora extends the utllity of ribbon cables as well a8 the electronic machines to which they are to be coupled.
Connectors whlch are presently known and utilized for these general purposes are traditionally deficient in many ~z~
aspect~. For example, they do no~ provide the deslred ease of coupling and uncoupling of a 6ingle connector to a machine. They do not provlde the de61red ease of coupling and uncoupling of a plurality of connectors, one with respect to the other, into an a~sembly. Further, they do not provlde the desired ease of coupling and uncoupllng of an assembled stack of connectors with respect ~o an electronic machine with which they are to be utilized.
None of the known prior devices, whether commercial, in ~he patent literature or otherwise, teaches nor suggests the accurate, efficient, convenient, and economical connectors and clip8 and methods of use as described herein. All known methods, connectors and clips are simply lacking ln one regard or another.
As illustrated by the great number of prior patents and commercial devices, efforts are continuously being made in an attempt to releasably connect electrical members more efficien~ly. None of the prior efforts, however, suggests the present inventive combination of method steps and component elements arranged and configured for coupling electrLcal members as disclosed and claimed herein~ Prior methods and componenL elements do not provide the benefits attendan~ with the connectors and clips and methods of the present invention. The present invention achieves lts purposes, obJectives and advantages over the prlor art ~hrough a new, useful and unobvious combination of method steps and component elements, through the use of a minimum 1~7~6~
number of functionlng parts, at a reduc~ion in C06t to manufacture and employ, and through the utilization of only readily available material~ and conventional componen~s.
These objecLives and advantages should be construed as merely illus~rative of some of the more promlnent features and applications of the present invention. ~any other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a dlfferent manner or by modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other ob~ects and advantages as well as a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the ~ummary and detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention in addition to the scope of the invention as defined by the claims taken in con~unction with the accompanying drswings, The present inventlon is defined by the appended claims with the speciflc preferred embodlments shown in the attached drawings. For the purposes of summarizing the invention, ~he lnvention may be incorporated in the comblnation of a plurallty of llke connector~ ln an aligned stack and a palr of clip8 coupling together the connectors. Each of the connectors comprises a housing molded of an electrically insulating material and shaped with parallel upper and lower surfaces flnd wlth spaced front and rear faces and with ~paced edge6. ~ plurality of apertures are formed into the front face ln a linear array with thelr a~es ln a plane parallel with and between the upper and lower surfaces. An i4 electricslly conductive female contact i8 located in each of ~he apertures and is adapted to receive associated elec~rically conductive male contracts. Each housing has a latch plate secured to lts upper surface with resilient edge latches po~itioned adjacent its edges and within i~s plane.
Each edge latch has a central extent movable toward the housing upon the application of pressure and resiliently movable away fro~ the housing upon the removal of the pressure. Each clip of the pair of clips comprises an internal section, an external section parallel with the internal sectlon and an intermedlate section ~oining the internal and external sections in a U-shaped conflguration.
Each clip also is positioned with its internsl and external sections positioned ln association with edge laLches along one edge of the plurality of connectors in the aligned stack so as to couple together the connectors and to apply an inwardly directing compressive pressure to a plurali~y of edge latches in the stack whereby only one edge latch along each edge of the stack 18 resiliently biased outwardly for the removable coupling of the stack of connectors and their clips to an assoclated electronic machine~
The cllps of the pair of clip8 may be identically shaped whereby, when posltoned in as~oclation wLth the stack of connector~, the edge latch of t.he uppermost connector along one edge of the stack and the edBe latch of the lowermost connector along the other edge of the stack are resiliently biased outwardly. The cllps of the pair of cllps may be ~LZ~7~
similarly shaped whereby, when positioned in association with a staek of connectors, the edge latches of the uppermost connector of the stack are resiliently biased outwardly.
The present invention may also be incorporated in the eombination of a plurality of connectors and a plurality of elips for coupling together the connectors in a stack. Each 5 of the connectors comprises a housing fabricated of an electrieally insulating material and shaped with parallel upper and lower surfaces, spaced front and rear faces, and spaced edges. Eaeh housing has resilient edge latehes positioned adjacent its edges. Each edge latch has an extent movable toward the housing upon the application of pressure and resiliently movable away from the housing upon the removal of the pressure. Eae.h of the 10 clips eomprises seetions formed in a U-shaped configuration. Each pair of the elips is positionable in operative association with the edge latches of a plurality of connectors in a stack so as to couple together the conneetors and to apply an inwardly direeted compressive pressure to a plurality of edge latehes in the staek whereby one edge lateh along eaeh edge of a staek of eonneetors may be resiliently biased outwardly.
Eaeh of eonnectors may include a plurality of apertures formed into the front faee in a linear array between the upper and lower surfaees and an eleetrically eonduetive female contact located in each of the aportures and adapted to receive associated eleetrically eonduetive male eontaets. The eombination ma~ further inelude a plate seeured to one of the surfaces of each housing with the edges of each plate formed as the 20 edge latehes. Eaeh elip may eomprise an internal seetion, and external seetion parallel with the internal seetion and an intermediate seetion joining the internal and external seetions to form the U-shaped configuration. The eombination may further inelude parallel ridges fortned in one of the parallel seetions faeing toward the other of the parallel seetions for separating the eonnectors of the staek to be eoupled. The eombination may further include additional parallel ndges formed in one of the parallel sections at its upper and lower edges and ~acing toward the other of the ~arallel sections for coupling the uppermost and lowermost connectors of the stack to be coupled. The clips of each pair of clips may be identically shaped w;th their internal sections extending vertically to a height S less than the vertical height of the stack of connectors to be coupled whereby, when positioned in association with a stack of connectors, the edge latch of the uppermost connector along one edge of the stack and the edge latch of thc lowennost connector along the other edge of the stack may be resiliently biased outwardly. The clips of each pair of clips may be similarly shaped with their internal sections extending upwardly 10 vertically to a height less than the vertical height of the stack of connectors to be coupled whereby, when positioned in association with a stack of connectors, the edge latches of the uppermost connector of the stack may be resiliently biased outwardly. The cornbination may furthcr include an exteriorly directed notch formed in each latch means for receiving a locking finger when the stack is received by an electronic machine.
In addition, the invention may be incorporated into an improved clip means for use in combination with a plurality of connectors. The conncctors are of the type formed with a housing molded of an electrically insulating material and shaped with parallel upper and lower surfaces, spaced front and rcar faccs, and spaced edgcs. A plurality of electrically conductive contacts arc located in the front face adaptcd to couple with associated ~0 electrically conductive contacts. Each of the housings has resilient edgc latches positioned adjacent its cdges. Each of the cdge latchcs has a ccntral cxtent movablo toward the housing upon the application of force and resiliently movable away from the housing upon tho relieving of the forcc. The improved clip means comprises an internal section, an external section parallel with the internal section and an intermediate section joining the ;:
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internal and external section in a U-shaped configuratiorl. Each pair of thc clips is positionable with its internal and external sections in operative association with the edge latches of a plurality of connectors in a stack so as to couple together the connectors of their associated stack and to apply an inwardly directed compressive force to a plurality of S edge latches in the stack of connectors whereby one edge latch along each edge o~ a stack of connectors is resiliently biased outwardly for the coupling of the stack of connectors to an associated electronic machine.
The clip means may further include parallel ridges formed in the exterior sections facing toward the interior section for separating the connectors of the stack to be coupled.
10 The clip means may further include parallel ridges formed in the exterior sections at their upper and lower edges and facing toward the interior sections for coupling to the stack of connectors the uppermost and lowermost connectors to the stack being coupled. The clip means of each pair of clips may be identically shaped whereby, when positioned in association with a stack of connectors, the edge latch of the uppermost connector along 15 one edge of the stack and the edge latch of the lowermost connector along the other edge of the stack are resiliently biased outwardly. The clip means of each pair of clips may be similarly shaped whercby, when positioned in association with a stack of connectors, the uppermost edge latch of each edge of the stack are resiliently biased outwardly.
Lastly, tho invcntion may be incorporated into a method of coupling together, with 20 clips, a plurality of like connectors in a stack. The method includes the steps of: (1) pIoviding a plurality oE comlectors, each of the connectors comprising a housing molded of an electrieally insulating material and shaped with parallel upper and lower surfaces, spaced front and rear faces, and spaced edges, each housing having resilient edge latches positioned adjacent its edges, each edge latch having an extent movable toward the ~2~7 housing upon the application of an inwardly directed force and resiliently movable away from the housing upon the relieving of the force; (2) placing a plurality of the like connectoIs in a stack; (3) providing a pair of clips, each of the clips comprising sections formed in a U-shaped configurat;on; (4) positioning the pair of clips in operative 5 association with the edge latches of a plurality of connectors in a stack to apply an inwardly directed force to a plurality of edge latches in the stack whereby only one edge latch along each edge of the stack is resiliently biased outwardly. The method may further include the step of inserting the stack of connectors wlth its pair of clips into operative engagement with an electronic machine having fingers to contact the edge 10 latches and apply a force thereto tending to preclude withdrawal of the stack of connectors and its clips. The method may further include the step of applying an inwardly directed force to the edge latches contacted by the fingers to disengage the edge latches from the fingers and thereby remove the force tending to preclude withdrawal of the stack of connectors and its clips from the electronic machine. The method may further include the 15 step of withdrawing the stack of connectors and its clips from operative engagement with the electronic machine.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the more pertinent and important features of the present invontion in order that the detailed description of the invention that i ,.~ . ), ~ ~7964 follows may be better under6tood whereby the present contribution to the art may be more fully appreciated.
Addltional features of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the sub~ect of ~he claims of the preæent inventlon. It 6hould be appreciated by those skilled in Lhe art that the conceptlon and the specific embodi~ents disclosed herein may be readily utilized as a basis for modifylng or designing other methods and apparatus for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled ln the art that such equivalent methods and appartus do not depart from the spirlt and scope of the present lnventlon as set forth in the appended claims.
Brief Description of the Drawings For a more complete under~tandlng of the nature, ob~ects and advantages of the pre~ent invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in con~unction with the accompanying drawing~ in which:
Figure 1 is an exploded perspec~ive illustration of a portion o~ an electronic machine wi~h male contacts in combinatlon with stacked connectors and clips constructed in accordance wlth the principles of the pre~ent lnventlon.
Flgure 2 18 An exploded per~pectlve lllustratlon of a slngle connector of the type as shown ln Flgure 1.
Flgure 3 18 a perspective illu~trstion of the stack of connectors as shown in Figure 1 but with the connectors coupled wLth clips.
Flgure 3a i8 a front plan view of Flgure 3.
Flgure 4 ls a plan view of the stack of connectors and clips ahown in Flgure 1 but coupled wi~h the electronic machlne.
Flgure 5 is a front plant view of a stack of connectors and clips slmllar to that shown in Figure 3a but illustrating cllps constructed in accordance with an alternate embodlment of the inven~ion.
Slmilar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several Flgures.
Shown ln Figure 1 18 an exploded view of a portion of an electronic machlne 10 in comblnation with the connectors 12 and clips 14 constructed in accordance wi~h the primary embodiment of the present invention. The environment in which ~he inventlon is shown includes a plurality of connectors 12 in a stack and with associated clip~ 14 as well a8 the electronic machine 10 to which the connector 12 is to be coupled. When coupled, the s~acked connectors and their clips con0titute a multi-module plug connector Assembly 16.
The electronlc machlne 10 includes, on a free face 18 thereof, a plurallty oP male electrlcal pin contacts 20 symme~rically spaced in rows and columns and mounted ln an insulating base 22 and perlpheral walls 24 and 26 surroundlng ~he pln contacL~ for safety purposes. The contacts and 2S wall~ con~titute the receptacle 30. The number of rows and columns of pln contact,s will dictate the number of apertures and female contacts in the ad~acent face of ~he stack of i~
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connectors 12. Each male pin contact 20 has an enlarged central section 32 to facllitate replacement and proper positioning of broken or defective contacts. The connectors will be ~elected 8c that each has a row of apertures equal to the number of pin contacts in each row of the electronic machine. The number of connectors in each column of the stack will correspond ~o the number of columns of contacts ln the machine. For the sake of illustrative purposes only, the disclosed embodi~ent employs 15 contacts in each row and ~hree contacts in each column for a total of 45 contacts.
These numbers are arbitrarily selected since any numbers, greater or lesser could readily be employed.
Each connector 12 lncludes a housing 34 fabricated of a hlgh-iMpact, electrically insulating plastic. Each has an upper surface 36 and a lower surface 38 parallel with each other. Each also has a front face 40 adapted to be brought into contact with the electronlc machine and an opposed rear face 42 adapted to receive the electrlcal wlres 44 of the rlbbon cable 46 or other electronic component. The front and rear faces extend vertically to couple ~he upper and lower surfaces. Opposed end faces or edges 50 are also provlded to couple Lhe upper ànd lower ~urfaces and the front and rear faces. 'rhe front face 40 oE each connector 18 provlded wlth a predetermlned number of apertures 52 ln rows and columns selected to correspond wlth the number of rows and columns of plns 20 ex~endlng outwardly from the electronlc machine.
Preferably each connector has a ~ingle row of apertures for greatefit flexibillty of des~gn. Each aperture 18 provided with a female eignal contact 54 to receive a male pin contact 20 of the electronlc machlne at the front face 40 of the connector and to recelve the wlre 44 from the ribbon cable 46 at the rear face 42 of the connector.
Flgure 2 shows the apertures 52 ln the front face 40 of one of the connector houslngs 34. The apertures extend longitud-lnally from the front face where they receive the male signal contact6 20 of ~he electronic machine, all the way through ~he connector housing 34 to the rear face 42 where they receive the wires as of a ribbon cable. Located within each aperture i~, of course, the female type electrical contact 54 as well as thelr contact retainlng sprlngs 56. O~her conventional componen~s included within each connector housing 34 are the wlre grommet seal 58 and the contact spring retainer 60. Each connector also lncludes two connector housing dlscriminatlon keys 62 and their assoclated round nuts 64 for coupling together the varlous component elements of each connector housing. Since the makeup of each connector housing 18 essentially ~he ~ame and ~omewhat conven~ionnl, detalled description~ hereln are not deemed neces~ary.
As used hereln the terms upper and lower, horizontal and vertlcal, and the llke are used for descrlptlve purposes only. It should be readlly appreclated that the multi-module plug connectors could be used ln any vertical, horlzontal, or i~
37~6~
angular orientation without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventionO Such descriptive language hereln should, in no way, be con~trued as limitlng the inventlon in any manner.
Each connector housing ls provided with a latch pla~e 68 secured as by rivet6 70 or the like to it8 upper surface 36.
The latch plate 68 ls generally planar in its deslgn along it6 central extent 72 and include6 at its ends outwardly extending edge latches 74. The edge latches are preferably formed as extensions of the central extent of the la~ch pla~e. ~ach edge latch has one end 78 6ecured to a downwardly ~urned extension 80 of the latch plate and also has a free end 82 whereby a vertical central extent 84, essentially parallel wi~h the edges of the connector housing, may be resiliently urged inwardly toward the housing and the central portions of the connector by a pressure or force.
Each edge latch 74 may, therefore, be urged inwardly to effectively decrease the width of the connector from edge to edge. The relief of the pressure or force will allow ~he edge latches to resiLe and assume the extended positions as shown in Figure 1. In additlon, the central e~tent 84 of each edge latch is provlded wiLh a notch 86 of each edge fltCh iB provlded wLth a notch 86 to asslst ln coupllng to the electronic machlne a~ wlll be later described. Recesses 90 are formed adJacent the edges of the connectors to form forwardly proJec~lng arms 92 ln the connector houslng.
~ ~ ~2~36~
Turning now ~o the electronic machine 10, it is noted that outwardly spaced from the end walls 26 6urroundlng the pin conLacts 20 ls a supplemental wall 94 provided with plstes 96 havlng inwardly extending fingers 98 equal in number to the number of connectors in the stack. The fingers have inwardly projecting ends 100 located such that the insertion of a stack of connectors 12 into the receptacle 30 of the electronic machine will position the arms 92 of the connectors into the slots 104 between the end walls 26 and supplemental walls 94 to thus allow the ends 100 of the fingers to apply pressure to the edge latches 74 inserted into the slots. The notches 86 formed on the edge latches 74 will, thereby, be engaged by the ends 100 of ~he fingers 98 to apply a force and mechanical interference tending to preclude the withdrawing of the stack of connectors therefrom. The dlstance between the notches 86 and the front face 40 of the connectors along the central extent of the stack of connectors ls such that the ends of the fingers will engage the notches when the front face of the connectors is in contact with the mating face 18 of the electronic machine.
In this orientation, the pin contacts 20 of the electronic machlne wlll be received by ~he apertures 52 and female contacts 54 of the connectors for a secure electrical and mechanical contact therebetween. The end wall 26 of the receptacle sre received within reces~es 90 of the connectors.
Wlthdrawal of the ~tack of connectors from engagement with an electronic machlne and its pin contacts is effected g ~
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~2~379~
by an opertor providing an lnwardly dire~ted pressure against the central extents 84 of the edge latches 74 remote from the front face. The pressure applled by the operator will separate the notches from the ends of the fingers ~o relleve the pressure and mechanical interference holding the stack of connectors in operative engagement wlth the electronic machine. This will allow the withdrawal of the stack of connectors. Unfortunately, however, when the number of connectors in the stack is large, manual dexterity would be required to apply an lnwardly directed pressure to each and every one of ~he edge latches simultaneously as would be requlred to effec~ connector withdrawal. To that end, ~he multi-module plug clips 14 are provided.
As shown ln Figures 1, 3, 3a and 4, each cllp 14 has an interior section 106 and an exterior sectlon 108 interconnected with a coupling intermediate section 110. The interior section of each clip is of a height corresponding to the height~ of the connectors ln a stack to be ~oined.
Interior ridges 112 are formed pro~ecting to the center of the cllps from the lnterior face for being received between the colmector~ of the stack. Upper and lower ridges 114 and 116 secure ~ogether ~he uppermost and lowermost connectors of the s~ack. The lntermediate sectlon 110 18 of a wld~h whereby the spacing between the interior and ex~erlor porLions of the clip will functlon to ~pply a compressive force or pressure to the arms 92 of the connectors and to the edge latches 74. The interior section 106 ex~ends rearwardly from the intermediate section 110 a di6tance es6entially equal to the recess 90. The exterior ~ection 108 extend6 rearwardly a greater distance for disabling edge latches 74 a6 intended. In order, however, to retain the coupllng function of the edge latches; the height of the exterior por~lon of each clip i~ less than the height of the lnterior portion. In this manner, when clips are provided to the opposite edges of the stack of connectors, one edge latch on each edge of the stack of connectors will be free tG expand and contract for providing the latching or retention function in association with the finger~ of the electronic machlne.
The remaining edge latches on both sides of the stack of connectors will, however, be compressed by the clip so that their associated compressd fingers cannot provlde the retention function. The compresslon will continue BO long as the clips are in place. In thiH manner, the insertion of a stack 16 of connectors into operative position on the electronic machine will result in but a single finer on each edge of the stack of connectors providlng the retention functlon. Wlthdrawal of the stack of connectors may, therefore, be provlded by slmply conLractlng but a single edge latch flt each ed8e of the stack of connectors. Manual dexterlty 18 thu~ reduced for the coupling and uncoupling of connectors from the electronic machlne.
Shown ln F'igure 5 la an alternate embodiment of the inventlon whereln the a0~0clated c~lps 120 are slmllar ln construction. It 18 noted that the cllps of the primary ~2!97~
embodiment were ldentical in construcLion 80 that the edge latch along one edge of the top connector and the edge latch along the opposite edge of the bottom connector of each ~tack had their edge latches exposed for the coupling function~ In the alternate embodiment, however, the plug clips are 6imilar in design. As a resul~, any stack of connectors will have its topmost edge latches exposed for the coupllng function.
The design of the primary embodiment allows an operator to use any two clips with any stack so long a~ they are of a height to receive the predeterminded number of connectors within the stack. In the alternate embodiment, it would be necessary not only to have cllp8 of the proper height but also to use clips of the proper orientation, a left sided clip and right sided clip.
The nature of the single connector is such that its edge latches are designed 80 tha~ a~ the connector is pushed into the receptacle of the electronlc machine 10, the edge latches 74 will couple with the fingers 98 and keep the connector ln place during operation and use. The edge latches themselves are resiliently blased outwardly but can be pushed inwardly toward the housing and the center of the connector 12 when engaglng or dlsengaglng the connector with respect to the electronlc machlne. The receptacles have slots 104 within whlch the edge latches 74 are located when coupling of the mating members is deslred. In order to push the connector wlth its clips into the recelving slot~ of the receptacle, the operator will preferably press against the edge latches ~37~
and push them sllghtly inward relatlve to the connector for full lnsertion of ~he edge latches into the receiving slots.
The operator then releases the edge latches and they reslliently spring out to thelr biased position to have their notches engage the fingers of the recelving slot to hold the inserted connector firmly in the receptacle by a restrictive force as well as an interference fit. When the operator wants to remove the connector 12, he simply presses in with his fingers on the edge latches, again moving them in towards the connector housing which allows them Lo relieve the force and to clear the fingers at the receiving slots after which he may withdraw the connector from the receptable.
There is an obvious need in some applications to stack multiple uni~s of single connectors on top of one another and insert them as an assembled unit into a corresponding two-dimensional array of contacts wlthin the receptacle.
There are two problems as~ocia~ed with thi~. The first is to provide a means for keeping the stack of connectors, for lnstance three as shown in the attached drawings, all together as one unit 80 they will not lnadvertently become separated or mlsallgned. When three connectors are stacked ~ogether as a unit for slmpliclty and ~afety of ln~tallatlon, they Ahould remain together as one stacked connector assembly. The second dlfflculty 18 that each of the slngle connectors tha~ ~ake up ~he s~acked connecLor assembly must be engaged and dlsengaged with reten~lon fingers of the receptacle, However, each single module connector hss a pflir 79~L
of edge latches, and it is extremely difficult to utlliYe all three pairs of edge la~ches when installing and withdrawing such a stacked connector assembly. The clips, as described above, are used to overcome both of these difficultlesO
The clips of the present invention enable only one of the pairs of edge latches ln a 6tacked assembly of connec~ors to be activatable when engaglng and disengaging the aæsembly of connectors with the contacts of the receptacle. The clip disables all of the pairs of edge latches except for one.
Thus when the operator installs an a~sembly of 6tacked connectors 16, all he has to worry about is engaging and disengaging one pair of edge la~che~ with respect to the receptacle Just a8 he would with the installation of a single connector. The clip 18 placed around all of the other edge latches so that they are blased inward inside of the cl~p and therefore do not touch or engage the fingers of the receptacle. In other words, all of the latches but the ones that are actually being used for coupling purposes are placed in an inactive position inside the clips.
The method includes a plurality of steps, the fir6~ of which is providing a plurality of like connectors wlth edge latches essentially as descrlbed above. The me~hod then includes the step of placing the plurall~y of the llke connectors ln a s~ack. ~ palr oE cllps, cons~ructed, for example, in accordance wlth either of the two embodlment~ of the lnventlon as descrlbed above, are then provlded. The method then lncludes the step of positioning the palr of clips in operative association with the edge latches of the ~37~
', )1 ', ~
plurality of connectors in a stack to apply an lnwardly directed force to the plurality of edge latches in ~he s~ack whereby only one edge latch along each edge of the 6tack is resiliently biaæed outwardly. The stack of connector6 with their palr of clips i8 then inserted into an operative engagement with the receptacle of an electronic machine having fingers to contact the edge latches at notches formed in the edge latches to thereby apply a force thereto tending to preclude withdrawal of the stack of connector~ and its clips. The electronic machine may then be utilized.
Thereafter, a force is applied to the edge latches contacted by the fingers to disengage the edge latches from the fingers and thereby remove the pre~sure tending to preclude withdrawal of the stack of connector~ and it~ cllps from the electronic machine. The stack of connectors and its clLps are then withdrawn from operative engagement with the electronLc machine. The method of the preaent invention i8 essentlally the same for either disclosed embodiment.
The presen~ disclosure lncludes that information contained in the appended claims as well as that in the foregoing description. Although the invention has been described in lts preferred forms or embodiments with a certain degree of particularlty, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form ha~ been made only by way of example and ~ha~ numerous changes Ln the details of construction, fabrication and use, including the combination ~7~6~
and arrangement of par~s and method ~teps, may be resorted Lo without departing from the spirit and ~cope of the invention.
SPECIFICATION
This invention relates to connectors and clip~ and, more particularly, ~o a stacked assembly of connectors with associated clips as well as ~o the clips per se and thelr method of use.
In electrical arts it is often desirable to releasably connect electrical contacts of one member with electrical contacts of another member. By way of example, it is often desirable to termininate a ribbon cable with a connec~or and then releasably couple that connector with a mating receptacle of an electronic machine. The connector secured to the ribbon cable might normally be provlded with female contacts whereas the electronic machine would be provided with male contacta pro~ecting therefrom in a predetermined array. The electronic machine migh~ be a computer, ~elecommunictions device or the like. Inasmuch as various electronic machlnes may be provided with different numbers of rows and columns of male contacts for being coupled, it has been found desirable to provide connectors with modular capabilities whereby the connec~ors may be assembled on Yite for coupling to electronic machines having any number of contacts in an array. ~a can be understood, the modularity of connectora extends the utllity of ribbon cables as well a8 the electronic machines to which they are to be coupled.
Connectors whlch are presently known and utilized for these general purposes are traditionally deficient in many ~z~
aspect~. For example, they do no~ provide the deslred ease of coupling and uncoupling of a 6ingle connector to a machine. They do not provlde the de61red ease of coupling and uncoupling of a plurality of connectors, one with respect to the other, into an a~sembly. Further, they do not provlde the desired ease of coupling and uncoupllng of an assembled stack of connectors with respect ~o an electronic machine with which they are to be utilized.
None of the known prior devices, whether commercial, in ~he patent literature or otherwise, teaches nor suggests the accurate, efficient, convenient, and economical connectors and clip8 and methods of use as described herein. All known methods, connectors and clips are simply lacking ln one regard or another.
As illustrated by the great number of prior patents and commercial devices, efforts are continuously being made in an attempt to releasably connect electrical members more efficien~ly. None of the prior efforts, however, suggests the present inventive combination of method steps and component elements arranged and configured for coupling electrLcal members as disclosed and claimed herein~ Prior methods and componenL elements do not provide the benefits attendan~ with the connectors and clips and methods of the present invention. The present invention achieves lts purposes, obJectives and advantages over the prlor art ~hrough a new, useful and unobvious combination of method steps and component elements, through the use of a minimum 1~7~6~
number of functionlng parts, at a reduc~ion in C06t to manufacture and employ, and through the utilization of only readily available material~ and conventional componen~s.
These objecLives and advantages should be construed as merely illus~rative of some of the more promlnent features and applications of the present invention. ~any other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a dlfferent manner or by modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other ob~ects and advantages as well as a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the ~ummary and detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention in addition to the scope of the invention as defined by the claims taken in con~unction with the accompanying drswings, The present inventlon is defined by the appended claims with the speciflc preferred embodlments shown in the attached drawings. For the purposes of summarizing the invention, ~he lnvention may be incorporated in the comblnation of a plurallty of llke connector~ ln an aligned stack and a palr of clip8 coupling together the connectors. Each of the connectors comprises a housing molded of an electrically insulating material and shaped with parallel upper and lower surfaces flnd wlth spaced front and rear faces and with ~paced edge6. ~ plurality of apertures are formed into the front face ln a linear array with thelr a~es ln a plane parallel with and between the upper and lower surfaces. An i4 electricslly conductive female contact i8 located in each of ~he apertures and is adapted to receive associated elec~rically conductive male contracts. Each housing has a latch plate secured to lts upper surface with resilient edge latches po~itioned adjacent its edges and within i~s plane.
Each edge latch has a central extent movable toward the housing upon the application of pressure and resiliently movable away fro~ the housing upon the removal of the pressure. Each clip of the pair of clips comprises an internal section, an external section parallel with the internal sectlon and an intermedlate section ~oining the internal and external sections in a U-shaped conflguration.
Each clip also is positioned with its internsl and external sections positioned ln association with edge laLches along one edge of the plurality of connectors in the aligned stack so as to couple together the connectors and to apply an inwardly directing compressive pressure to a plurali~y of edge latches in the stack whereby only one edge latch along each edge of the stack 18 resiliently biased outwardly for the removable coupling of the stack of connectors and their clips to an assoclated electronic machine~
The cllps of the pair of clip8 may be identically shaped whereby, when posltoned in as~oclation wLth the stack of connector~, the edge latch of t.he uppermost connector along one edge of the stack and the edBe latch of the lowermost connector along the other edge of the stack are resiliently biased outwardly. The cllps of the pair of cllps may be ~LZ~7~
similarly shaped whereby, when positioned in association with a staek of connectors, the edge latches of the uppermost connector of the stack are resiliently biased outwardly.
The present invention may also be incorporated in the eombination of a plurality of connectors and a plurality of elips for coupling together the connectors in a stack. Each 5 of the connectors comprises a housing fabricated of an electrieally insulating material and shaped with parallel upper and lower surfaces, spaced front and rear faces, and spaced edges. Eaeh housing has resilient edge latehes positioned adjacent its edges. Each edge latch has an extent movable toward the housing upon the application of pressure and resiliently movable away from the housing upon the removal of the pressure. Eae.h of the 10 clips eomprises seetions formed in a U-shaped configuration. Each pair of the elips is positionable in operative association with the edge latches of a plurality of connectors in a stack so as to couple together the conneetors and to apply an inwardly direeted compressive pressure to a plurality of edge latehes in the staek whereby one edge lateh along eaeh edge of a staek of eonneetors may be resiliently biased outwardly.
Eaeh of eonnectors may include a plurality of apertures formed into the front faee in a linear array between the upper and lower surfaees and an eleetrically eonduetive female contact located in each of the aportures and adapted to receive associated eleetrically eonduetive male eontaets. The eombination ma~ further inelude a plate seeured to one of the surfaces of each housing with the edges of each plate formed as the 20 edge latehes. Eaeh elip may eomprise an internal seetion, and external seetion parallel with the internal seetion and an intermediate seetion joining the internal and external seetions to form the U-shaped configuration. The eombination may further inelude parallel ridges fortned in one of the parallel seetions faeing toward the other of the parallel seetions for separating the eonnectors of the staek to be eoupled. The eombination may further include additional parallel ndges formed in one of the parallel sections at its upper and lower edges and ~acing toward the other of the ~arallel sections for coupling the uppermost and lowermost connectors of the stack to be coupled. The clips of each pair of clips may be identically shaped w;th their internal sections extending vertically to a height S less than the vertical height of the stack of connectors to be coupled whereby, when positioned in association with a stack of connectors, the edge latch of the uppermost connector along one edge of the stack and the edge latch of thc lowennost connector along the other edge of the stack may be resiliently biased outwardly. The clips of each pair of clips may be similarly shaped with their internal sections extending upwardly 10 vertically to a height less than the vertical height of the stack of connectors to be coupled whereby, when positioned in association with a stack of connectors, the edge latches of the uppermost connector of the stack may be resiliently biased outwardly. The cornbination may furthcr include an exteriorly directed notch formed in each latch means for receiving a locking finger when the stack is received by an electronic machine.
In addition, the invention may be incorporated into an improved clip means for use in combination with a plurality of connectors. The conncctors are of the type formed with a housing molded of an electrically insulating material and shaped with parallel upper and lower surfaces, spaced front and rcar faccs, and spaced edgcs. A plurality of electrically conductive contacts arc located in the front face adaptcd to couple with associated ~0 electrically conductive contacts. Each of the housings has resilient edgc latches positioned adjacent its cdges. Each of the cdge latchcs has a ccntral cxtent movablo toward the housing upon the application of force and resiliently movable away from the housing upon tho relieving of the forcc. The improved clip means comprises an internal section, an external section parallel with the internal section and an intermediate section joining the ;:
" .
` ` ~ 2~
internal and external section in a U-shaped configuratiorl. Each pair of thc clips is positionable with its internal and external sections in operative association with the edge latches of a plurality of connectors in a stack so as to couple together the connectors of their associated stack and to apply an inwardly directed compressive force to a plurality of S edge latches in the stack of connectors whereby one edge latch along each edge o~ a stack of connectors is resiliently biased outwardly for the coupling of the stack of connectors to an associated electronic machine.
The clip means may further include parallel ridges formed in the exterior sections facing toward the interior section for separating the connectors of the stack to be coupled.
10 The clip means may further include parallel ridges formed in the exterior sections at their upper and lower edges and facing toward the interior sections for coupling to the stack of connectors the uppermost and lowermost connectors to the stack being coupled. The clip means of each pair of clips may be identically shaped whereby, when positioned in association with a stack of connectors, the edge latch of the uppermost connector along 15 one edge of the stack and the edge latch of the lowermost connector along the other edge of the stack are resiliently biased outwardly. The clip means of each pair of clips may be similarly shaped whercby, when positioned in association with a stack of connectors, the uppermost edge latch of each edge of the stack are resiliently biased outwardly.
Lastly, tho invcntion may be incorporated into a method of coupling together, with 20 clips, a plurality of like connectors in a stack. The method includes the steps of: (1) pIoviding a plurality oE comlectors, each of the connectors comprising a housing molded of an electrieally insulating material and shaped with parallel upper and lower surfaces, spaced front and rear faces, and spaced edges, each housing having resilient edge latches positioned adjacent its edges, each edge latch having an extent movable toward the ~2~7 housing upon the application of an inwardly directed force and resiliently movable away from the housing upon the relieving of the force; (2) placing a plurality of the like connectoIs in a stack; (3) providing a pair of clips, each of the clips comprising sections formed in a U-shaped configurat;on; (4) positioning the pair of clips in operative 5 association with the edge latches of a plurality of connectors in a stack to apply an inwardly directed force to a plurality of edge latches in the stack whereby only one edge latch along each edge of the stack is resiliently biased outwardly. The method may further include the step of inserting the stack of connectors wlth its pair of clips into operative engagement with an electronic machine having fingers to contact the edge 10 latches and apply a force thereto tending to preclude withdrawal of the stack of connectors and its clips. The method may further include the step of applying an inwardly directed force to the edge latches contacted by the fingers to disengage the edge latches from the fingers and thereby remove the force tending to preclude withdrawal of the stack of connectors and its clips from the electronic machine. The method may further include the 15 step of withdrawing the stack of connectors and its clips from operative engagement with the electronic machine.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the more pertinent and important features of the present invontion in order that the detailed description of the invention that i ,.~ . ), ~ ~7964 follows may be better under6tood whereby the present contribution to the art may be more fully appreciated.
Addltional features of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the sub~ect of ~he claims of the preæent inventlon. It 6hould be appreciated by those skilled in Lhe art that the conceptlon and the specific embodi~ents disclosed herein may be readily utilized as a basis for modifylng or designing other methods and apparatus for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled ln the art that such equivalent methods and appartus do not depart from the spirlt and scope of the present lnventlon as set forth in the appended claims.
Brief Description of the Drawings For a more complete under~tandlng of the nature, ob~ects and advantages of the pre~ent invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in con~unction with the accompanying drawing~ in which:
Figure 1 is an exploded perspec~ive illustration of a portion o~ an electronic machine wi~h male contacts in combinatlon with stacked connectors and clips constructed in accordance wlth the principles of the pre~ent lnventlon.
Flgure 2 18 An exploded per~pectlve lllustratlon of a slngle connector of the type as shown ln Flgure 1.
Flgure 3 18 a perspective illu~trstion of the stack of connectors as shown in Figure 1 but with the connectors coupled wLth clips.
Flgure 3a i8 a front plan view of Flgure 3.
Flgure 4 ls a plan view of the stack of connectors and clips ahown in Flgure 1 but coupled wi~h the electronic machlne.
Flgure 5 is a front plant view of a stack of connectors and clips slmllar to that shown in Figure 3a but illustrating cllps constructed in accordance with an alternate embodlment of the inven~ion.
Slmilar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several Flgures.
Shown ln Figure 1 18 an exploded view of a portion of an electronic machlne 10 in comblnation with the connectors 12 and clips 14 constructed in accordance wi~h the primary embodiment of the present invention. The environment in which ~he inventlon is shown includes a plurality of connectors 12 in a stack and with associated clip~ 14 as well a8 the electronic machine 10 to which the connector 12 is to be coupled. When coupled, the s~acked connectors and their clips con0titute a multi-module plug connector Assembly 16.
The electronlc machlne 10 includes, on a free face 18 thereof, a plurallty oP male electrlcal pin contacts 20 symme~rically spaced in rows and columns and mounted ln an insulating base 22 and perlpheral walls 24 and 26 surroundlng ~he pln contacL~ for safety purposes. The contacts and 2S wall~ con~titute the receptacle 30. The number of rows and columns of pln contact,s will dictate the number of apertures and female contacts in the ad~acent face of ~he stack of i~
~L2~796~
connectors 12. Each male pin contact 20 has an enlarged central section 32 to facllitate replacement and proper positioning of broken or defective contacts. The connectors will be ~elected 8c that each has a row of apertures equal to the number of pin contacts in each row of the electronic machine. The number of connectors in each column of the stack will correspond ~o the number of columns of contacts ln the machine. For the sake of illustrative purposes only, the disclosed embodi~ent employs 15 contacts in each row and ~hree contacts in each column for a total of 45 contacts.
These numbers are arbitrarily selected since any numbers, greater or lesser could readily be employed.
Each connector 12 lncludes a housing 34 fabricated of a hlgh-iMpact, electrically insulating plastic. Each has an upper surface 36 and a lower surface 38 parallel with each other. Each also has a front face 40 adapted to be brought into contact with the electronlc machine and an opposed rear face 42 adapted to receive the electrlcal wlres 44 of the rlbbon cable 46 or other electronic component. The front and rear faces extend vertically to couple ~he upper and lower surfaces. Opposed end faces or edges 50 are also provlded to couple Lhe upper ànd lower ~urfaces and the front and rear faces. 'rhe front face 40 oE each connector 18 provlded wlth a predetermlned number of apertures 52 ln rows and columns selected to correspond wlth the number of rows and columns of plns 20 ex~endlng outwardly from the electronlc machine.
Preferably each connector has a ~ingle row of apertures for greatefit flexibillty of des~gn. Each aperture 18 provided with a female eignal contact 54 to receive a male pin contact 20 of the electronlc machlne at the front face 40 of the connector and to recelve the wlre 44 from the ribbon cable 46 at the rear face 42 of the connector.
Flgure 2 shows the apertures 52 ln the front face 40 of one of the connector houslngs 34. The apertures extend longitud-lnally from the front face where they receive the male signal contact6 20 of ~he electronic machine, all the way through ~he connector housing 34 to the rear face 42 where they receive the wires as of a ribbon cable. Located within each aperture i~, of course, the female type electrical contact 54 as well as thelr contact retainlng sprlngs 56. O~her conventional componen~s included within each connector housing 34 are the wlre grommet seal 58 and the contact spring retainer 60. Each connector also lncludes two connector housing dlscriminatlon keys 62 and their assoclated round nuts 64 for coupling together the varlous component elements of each connector housing. Since the makeup of each connector housing 18 essentially ~he ~ame and ~omewhat conven~ionnl, detalled description~ hereln are not deemed neces~ary.
As used hereln the terms upper and lower, horizontal and vertlcal, and the llke are used for descrlptlve purposes only. It should be readlly appreclated that the multi-module plug connectors could be used ln any vertical, horlzontal, or i~
37~6~
angular orientation without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventionO Such descriptive language hereln should, in no way, be con~trued as limitlng the inventlon in any manner.
Each connector housing ls provided with a latch pla~e 68 secured as by rivet6 70 or the like to it8 upper surface 36.
The latch plate 68 ls generally planar in its deslgn along it6 central extent 72 and include6 at its ends outwardly extending edge latches 74. The edge latches are preferably formed as extensions of the central extent of the la~ch pla~e. ~ach edge latch has one end 78 6ecured to a downwardly ~urned extension 80 of the latch plate and also has a free end 82 whereby a vertical central extent 84, essentially parallel wi~h the edges of the connector housing, may be resiliently urged inwardly toward the housing and the central portions of the connector by a pressure or force.
Each edge latch 74 may, therefore, be urged inwardly to effectively decrease the width of the connector from edge to edge. The relief of the pressure or force will allow ~he edge latches to resiLe and assume the extended positions as shown in Figure 1. In additlon, the central e~tent 84 of each edge latch is provlded wiLh a notch 86 of each edge fltCh iB provlded wLth a notch 86 to asslst ln coupllng to the electronic machlne a~ wlll be later described. Recesses 90 are formed adJacent the edges of the connectors to form forwardly proJec~lng arms 92 ln the connector houslng.
~ ~ ~2~36~
Turning now ~o the electronic machine 10, it is noted that outwardly spaced from the end walls 26 6urroundlng the pin conLacts 20 ls a supplemental wall 94 provided with plstes 96 havlng inwardly extending fingers 98 equal in number to the number of connectors in the stack. The fingers have inwardly projecting ends 100 located such that the insertion of a stack of connectors 12 into the receptacle 30 of the electronic machine will position the arms 92 of the connectors into the slots 104 between the end walls 26 and supplemental walls 94 to thus allow the ends 100 of the fingers to apply pressure to the edge latches 74 inserted into the slots. The notches 86 formed on the edge latches 74 will, thereby, be engaged by the ends 100 of ~he fingers 98 to apply a force and mechanical interference tending to preclude the withdrawing of the stack of connectors therefrom. The dlstance between the notches 86 and the front face 40 of the connectors along the central extent of the stack of connectors ls such that the ends of the fingers will engage the notches when the front face of the connectors is in contact with the mating face 18 of the electronic machine.
In this orientation, the pin contacts 20 of the electronic machlne wlll be received by ~he apertures 52 and female contacts 54 of the connectors for a secure electrical and mechanical contact therebetween. The end wall 26 of the receptacle sre received within reces~es 90 of the connectors.
Wlthdrawal of the ~tack of connectors from engagement with an electronic machlne and its pin contacts is effected g ~
"` ~
~2~379~
by an opertor providing an lnwardly dire~ted pressure against the central extents 84 of the edge latches 74 remote from the front face. The pressure applled by the operator will separate the notches from the ends of the fingers ~o relleve the pressure and mechanical interference holding the stack of connectors in operative engagement wlth the electronic machine. This will allow the withdrawal of the stack of connectors. Unfortunately, however, when the number of connectors in the stack is large, manual dexterity would be required to apply an lnwardly directed pressure to each and every one of ~he edge latches simultaneously as would be requlred to effec~ connector withdrawal. To that end, ~he multi-module plug clips 14 are provided.
As shown ln Figures 1, 3, 3a and 4, each cllp 14 has an interior section 106 and an exterior sectlon 108 interconnected with a coupling intermediate section 110. The interior section of each clip is of a height corresponding to the height~ of the connectors ln a stack to be ~oined.
Interior ridges 112 are formed pro~ecting to the center of the cllps from the lnterior face for being received between the colmector~ of the stack. Upper and lower ridges 114 and 116 secure ~ogether ~he uppermost and lowermost connectors of the s~ack. The lntermediate sectlon 110 18 of a wld~h whereby the spacing between the interior and ex~erlor porLions of the clip will functlon to ~pply a compressive force or pressure to the arms 92 of the connectors and to the edge latches 74. The interior section 106 ex~ends rearwardly from the intermediate section 110 a di6tance es6entially equal to the recess 90. The exterior ~ection 108 extend6 rearwardly a greater distance for disabling edge latches 74 a6 intended. In order, however, to retain the coupllng function of the edge latches; the height of the exterior por~lon of each clip i~ less than the height of the lnterior portion. In this manner, when clips are provided to the opposite edges of the stack of connectors, one edge latch on each edge of the stack of connectors will be free tG expand and contract for providing the latching or retention function in association with the finger~ of the electronic machlne.
The remaining edge latches on both sides of the stack of connectors will, however, be compressed by the clip so that their associated compressd fingers cannot provlde the retention function. The compresslon will continue BO long as the clips are in place. In thiH manner, the insertion of a stack 16 of connectors into operative position on the electronic machine will result in but a single finer on each edge of the stack of connectors providlng the retention functlon. Wlthdrawal of the stack of connectors may, therefore, be provlded by slmply conLractlng but a single edge latch flt each ed8e of the stack of connectors. Manual dexterlty 18 thu~ reduced for the coupling and uncoupling of connectors from the electronic machlne.
Shown ln F'igure 5 la an alternate embodiment of the inventlon whereln the a0~0clated c~lps 120 are slmllar ln construction. It 18 noted that the cllps of the primary ~2!97~
embodiment were ldentical in construcLion 80 that the edge latch along one edge of the top connector and the edge latch along the opposite edge of the bottom connector of each ~tack had their edge latches exposed for the coupling function~ In the alternate embodiment, however, the plug clips are 6imilar in design. As a resul~, any stack of connectors will have its topmost edge latches exposed for the coupllng function.
The design of the primary embodiment allows an operator to use any two clips with any stack so long a~ they are of a height to receive the predeterminded number of connectors within the stack. In the alternate embodiment, it would be necessary not only to have cllp8 of the proper height but also to use clips of the proper orientation, a left sided clip and right sided clip.
The nature of the single connector is such that its edge latches are designed 80 tha~ a~ the connector is pushed into the receptacle of the electronlc machine 10, the edge latches 74 will couple with the fingers 98 and keep the connector ln place during operation and use. The edge latches themselves are resiliently blased outwardly but can be pushed inwardly toward the housing and the center of the connector 12 when engaglng or dlsengaglng the connector with respect to the electronlc machlne. The receptacles have slots 104 within whlch the edge latches 74 are located when coupling of the mating members is deslred. In order to push the connector wlth its clips into the recelving slot~ of the receptacle, the operator will preferably press against the edge latches ~37~
and push them sllghtly inward relatlve to the connector for full lnsertion of ~he edge latches into the receiving slots.
The operator then releases the edge latches and they reslliently spring out to thelr biased position to have their notches engage the fingers of the recelving slot to hold the inserted connector firmly in the receptacle by a restrictive force as well as an interference fit. When the operator wants to remove the connector 12, he simply presses in with his fingers on the edge latches, again moving them in towards the connector housing which allows them Lo relieve the force and to clear the fingers at the receiving slots after which he may withdraw the connector from the receptable.
There is an obvious need in some applications to stack multiple uni~s of single connectors on top of one another and insert them as an assembled unit into a corresponding two-dimensional array of contacts wlthin the receptacle.
There are two problems as~ocia~ed with thi~. The first is to provide a means for keeping the stack of connectors, for lnstance three as shown in the attached drawings, all together as one unit 80 they will not lnadvertently become separated or mlsallgned. When three connectors are stacked ~ogether as a unit for slmpliclty and ~afety of ln~tallatlon, they Ahould remain together as one stacked connector assembly. The second dlfflculty 18 that each of the slngle connectors tha~ ~ake up ~he s~acked connecLor assembly must be engaged and dlsengaged with reten~lon fingers of the receptacle, However, each single module connector hss a pflir 79~L
of edge latches, and it is extremely difficult to utlliYe all three pairs of edge la~ches when installing and withdrawing such a stacked connector assembly. The clips, as described above, are used to overcome both of these difficultlesO
The clips of the present invention enable only one of the pairs of edge latches ln a 6tacked assembly of connec~ors to be activatable when engaglng and disengaging the aæsembly of connectors with the contacts of the receptacle. The clip disables all of the pairs of edge latches except for one.
Thus when the operator installs an a~sembly of 6tacked connectors 16, all he has to worry about is engaging and disengaging one pair of edge la~che~ with respect to the receptacle Just a8 he would with the installation of a single connector. The clip 18 placed around all of the other edge latches so that they are blased inward inside of the cl~p and therefore do not touch or engage the fingers of the receptacle. In other words, all of the latches but the ones that are actually being used for coupling purposes are placed in an inactive position inside the clips.
The method includes a plurality of steps, the fir6~ of which is providing a plurality of like connectors wlth edge latches essentially as descrlbed above. The me~hod then includes the step of placing the plurall~y of the llke connectors ln a s~ack. ~ palr oE cllps, cons~ructed, for example, in accordance wlth either of the two embodlment~ of the lnventlon as descrlbed above, are then provlded. The method then lncludes the step of positioning the palr of clips in operative association with the edge latches of the ~37~
', )1 ', ~
plurality of connectors in a stack to apply an lnwardly directed force to the plurality of edge latches in ~he s~ack whereby only one edge latch along each edge of the 6tack is resiliently biaæed outwardly. The stack of connector6 with their palr of clips i8 then inserted into an operative engagement with the receptacle of an electronic machine having fingers to contact the edge latches at notches formed in the edge latches to thereby apply a force thereto tending to preclude withdrawal of the stack of connector~ and its clips. The electronic machine may then be utilized.
Thereafter, a force is applied to the edge latches contacted by the fingers to disengage the edge latches from the fingers and thereby remove the pre~sure tending to preclude withdrawal of the stack of connector~ and it~ cllps from the electronic machine. The stack of connectors and its clLps are then withdrawn from operative engagement with the electronLc machine. The method of the preaent invention i8 essentlally the same for either disclosed embodiment.
The presen~ disclosure lncludes that information contained in the appended claims as well as that in the foregoing description. Although the invention has been described in lts preferred forms or embodiments with a certain degree of particularlty, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form ha~ been made only by way of example and ~ha~ numerous changes Ln the details of construction, fabrication and use, including the combination ~7~6~
and arrangement of par~s and method ~teps, may be resorted Lo without departing from the spirit and ~cope of the invention.
Claims (21)
1. In combination, a plurality of like connectors in an aligned stack and a pair or clips coupling together said connectors, each of said connectors comprising a housing molded of an electrically insulating material and shaped with parallel upper and lower surfaces and with spaced front and rear faces and with spaced edges, a plurality of aperatures formed into said front face in a linear array with their axes in a plane parallel with and between said upper and lower surfaces, an electrically conductive female contact located in each of said aperatures adapted to receive associated electrically conductive male contacts, each said housing having a latch plate secured to its upper surface with resilient edge latches positioned adjacent its edges and within its plane, each said edge latch having a central extent being movable toward said housing upon the application of pressure and being resiliently movable away from said housing upon the removal of the pressure; and each clip of said pair of clips comprising an internal section, an external section parallel with said internal section and an intermediate section joining said internal and external sections in a U-shaped configuration, each clip also being positioned with its internal and external sections positioned in association with edge latches along one edge of said plurality of connectors in the aligned stack so as to couple together said connectors and to apply an inwardly directing compressive pressure to a plurality of edge latches in the stack whereby only one edge latch along each said edge of the stack is resiliently biased outwardly for the removable coupling of said stack of connectors and their clips to an associated electronic machine.
2. The combination as set forth in Claim 1 wherein said clips of said pair of clips are identically shaped whereby, when positioned in association with the stack of connectors, the edge latch of the uppermost connector along one edge of said stack and the edge latch of the lowermost connector along the other edge of the stack are resiliently biased outwardly.
3. The combination as set forth in Claim 1 wherein the clips of said pair of clips are similarly shaped whereby, when positioned in association with a stack of connectors, the edge latches of the uppermost connector of the stack are resiliently biased outwardly.
4. In combination, a plurality of connectors and a plurality of clips for coupling together said connectors in a stack, each of said connectors comprising a housing fabricated of an electrically insulating material and shaped with parallel upper and lower surfaces and with spaced front and rear faces and with spaced edges, each said housing having resilient edge latches positioned adjacent its edges, each said edge latch having an extent movable toward said housing upon the application of pressure and resiliently movable away from said housing upon the removal of the pressure; and each of said clips comprising sections formed in a U-shaped configuration, each pair of said clips being positionable in operative association with the edge latches of a plurality of connectors in a stack so as to couple together the connectors and to apply an inwardly directing compressive pressure to a plurality of edge latches in the stack whereby one edge latch along each edge of a stack of connectors may be resiliently biased outwardly.
5. The combination as set forth in Claim 4 wherein each of said connectors includes a plurality of apertures formed into said front face in a linear array between said upper and lower surfaces and an electrically conductive female contact located in each of said apertures and adapted to receive associated electrically conductive male contacts.
6. The combination as set forth in Claim 4 and further including a plate secured to one said surface of each said housing with the edges of each said plate formed as said edge latches.
7. The combination as set forth in Claim 4 wherein each said clip comprises an internal section, an external section parallel with said internal section and an intermediate section joining said internal and external sections to form the U-shaped configuration.
8. The combination as set forth in Claim 7 and further including parallel ridges formed in one of said parallel sections facing toward the other of said parallel sections for separating the connectors of the stack to be coupled.
9. The combination as set forth in Claim 8 and further including additional parallel ridges formed in one of said parallel sections at its upper and lower edges and facing toward the other of said parallel sections for coupling the uppermost and lowermost connectors of the stack to be coupled.
10. The combination as set forth in Claim 4 wherein said clips of each pair of clips are identically shaped with their internal sections extending vertically to a height less than the vertical height of the stack of connectors to be coupled whereby, when positioned in association with a stack of connectors, The edge latch of the uppermost connector along one edge of the stack and the edge latch of the lowermost connector along the other edge of the stack may be resiliently biased outwardly.
11. The combination as set forth in Claim 4 wherein the clips of each pair of clips are similarly shaped with their internal sections extending upwardly vertically less than the vertical height of the stack of connectors to be coupled whereby, when positioned in association with a stack of connectors, the edge latchs of the uppermost connector of the stack may be resiliently biased outwardly.
12. The combination as set forth in Claim 4 and further including an exteriorly directed notch formed in each said latch means for receiving a locking finger when the stack is received by an electronic machine.
13. For use in combination with a plurality of connectors of the type formed with a housing molded of an electrically insulating material and shaped with parallel upper and lower surfaces and with spaced front and rear faces and with spaced edges, a plurality of electrically conductive contacts located in the front face adapted to couple with associated electrically conductive contacts, each of the housings having resilient edge latches positioned adjacent its edges, each of the edge latches having a central extent being movable toward the housing upon the application of force and being resiliently movable away from said housing upon the relieving of the force, improved clip means comprising:
an internal section, an external section parallel with said internal section and an intermediate section joining said internal and external sections in a U-shaped configuration, each pair of said clip means being positionable with its internal and external sections in operative association with the edge latches of a plurality of connectors in a stack so as to couple together the connectors of their associated stack and to apply an inwardly directed compressive force to a plurality of edge latches in the stack of connectors whereby one edge latch along each edge of a stack of connectors is resiliently biased outwardly for the coupling of the stack of connectors to an associated electronic machine.
an internal section, an external section parallel with said internal section and an intermediate section joining said internal and external sections in a U-shaped configuration, each pair of said clip means being positionable with its internal and external sections in operative association with the edge latches of a plurality of connectors in a stack so as to couple together the connectors of their associated stack and to apply an inwardly directed compressive force to a plurality of edge latches in the stack of connectors whereby one edge latch along each edge of a stack of connectors is resiliently biased outwardly for the coupling of the stack of connectors to an associated electronic machine.
14. The clip means as set forth in Claim 13 and further including parallel ridges formed in said exterior sections facing toward said interior section for separating the connectors of the stack to be coupled.
15. The clip means as set forth in Claim 13 and further including parallel ridges formed in said exterior sections at their upper and lower edges and facing toward the interior sections for coupling to the stack of connectors the uppermost and lowermost connectors of the stack being coupled.
16. The clip means as set forth in Claim 13 wherein the clip means of each pair of clip means are identically shaped whereby, when positioned in association with a stack of connectors, the edge latch of the uppermost connector along one edge of the stack and the edge latch of the lowermost connector along the other edge of the stack are resiliently biased outwardly.
17. The clip means as set forth in Claim 13 wherein the clip means of each pair of clip means are similarly shaped whereby, when positioned in association with a stack of connectors, the uppermost edge latch of each edge of the stack are resiliently biased outwardly.
18. A method of coupling together, with clips, a plurality of like connectors in a stack, said method including the steps of:
providing a plurality of connectors, each of the connectors comprising a housing molded of an electrically insulating material and shaped with parallel upper and lower surfaces and with spaced front and rear faces and with spaced edges, each housing having resilient edge latches positioned adjacent its edges, each edge latch having an extent movable toward the housing upon the application of an inwardly directed force and resiliently movable away from the housing upon the relieving of the force;
placing a plurality of the like connectors in a stack;
providing a pair of clips, each of the clips comprising sections formed in a U-shaped configuration;
positioning the pair of clips in operative association with the edge latches of a plurality of connectors in a stack to apply an inwardly directed force to a plurality of edge latches in the stack whereby only one edge latch along each edge of the stack is resiliently biased outwardly.
providing a plurality of connectors, each of the connectors comprising a housing molded of an electrically insulating material and shaped with parallel upper and lower surfaces and with spaced front and rear faces and with spaced edges, each housing having resilient edge latches positioned adjacent its edges, each edge latch having an extent movable toward the housing upon the application of an inwardly directed force and resiliently movable away from the housing upon the relieving of the force;
placing a plurality of the like connectors in a stack;
providing a pair of clips, each of the clips comprising sections formed in a U-shaped configuration;
positioning the pair of clips in operative association with the edge latches of a plurality of connectors in a stack to apply an inwardly directed force to a plurality of edge latches in the stack whereby only one edge latch along each edge of the stack is resiliently biased outwardly.
19. The method as set forth in Claim 18 and further including the step of inserting the stack of connectors with its pair of clips into an operative engagement with an electronic machine having fingers to contact the edge latches and apply a force thereto tending to preclude withdrawal of the stack of connectors and its clips.
20. The method as set forth in Claim 19 and further including the step of applying an inwardly directed force to the edge latches contacted by the fingers to disengage the edge latches contacted by the fingers to disengage the edge latches from the fingers and thereby remove the force tending to preclude withdrawal of the slack of connectors and its clips from the electronic machine.
21. The method as set forth in Claim 20 and further including the step of withdrawing the stack of connectors and its clips from operative engagement with the electronic machine.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US037,047 | 1987-04-10 | ||
| US07/037,047 US4718857A (en) | 1987-04-10 | 1987-04-10 | Electrical connectors and clips and methods of use |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1297964C true CA1297964C (en) | 1992-03-24 |
Family
ID=21892161
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000562404A Expired - Lifetime CA1297964C (en) | 1987-04-10 | 1988-03-24 | Electrical connectors and clips and methods of use |
Country Status (4)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US4718857A (en) |
| EP (1) | EP0285860A3 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPS63269467A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1297964C (en) |
Families Citing this family (28)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE3740580A1 (en) * | 1987-11-30 | 1989-06-08 | Grote & Hartmann | ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR |
| DE3883209D1 (en) * | 1988-03-26 | 1993-09-16 | Weidmueller Interface | ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR. |
| US4881904A (en) * | 1988-09-20 | 1989-11-21 | Augat Inc. | Modular electrical connector |
| US5108313A (en) * | 1989-10-05 | 1992-04-28 | E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company | Modular connector |
| US5096436A (en) * | 1989-12-20 | 1992-03-17 | Burndy Corporation | Method of manufacturing a cable connector assembly |
| US5021002A (en) * | 1989-12-20 | 1991-06-04 | Burndy Corporation | Snap-lock electrical connector with quick release |
| US5090920A (en) * | 1990-04-17 | 1992-02-25 | Amp Incorporated | Module retention/ejection system |
| GB2243729A (en) * | 1990-04-17 | 1991-11-06 | Amp Inc | Electrical module retention/ejection system |
| JPH0782891B2 (en) * | 1990-07-04 | 1995-09-06 | ヒロセ電機株式会社 | Connection locking mechanism for electrical connectors |
| US5234357A (en) * | 1990-07-04 | 1993-08-10 | Hirose Electric Co., Ltd. | Lock mechanism for electrical connector |
| US5074803A (en) * | 1990-09-28 | 1991-12-24 | Amp Incorporated | Latching mechanism for shielded data connector |
| US5197901A (en) * | 1990-10-30 | 1993-03-30 | Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited | Lock-spring and lock-equipped connector |
| US5064383A (en) * | 1990-11-14 | 1991-11-12 | Amp Incorporated | Multiple conductor cable connector with clip and towers |
| US5389006A (en) * | 1993-08-13 | 1995-02-14 | Burndy Corporation | Lightweight entertainment connector |
| JPH11500265A (en) * | 1995-09-21 | 1999-01-06 | ジーメンス アクティエンゲゼルシャフト | Method for contacting a multipole socket connector |
| WO1997011512A2 (en) * | 1995-09-21 | 1997-03-27 | Siemens Aktiengesellschaft | Method for contacting a multiway socket connector |
| US5727963A (en) * | 1996-05-01 | 1998-03-17 | Lemaster; Dolan M. | Modular power connector assembly |
| TW406454B (en) * | 1996-10-10 | 2000-09-21 | Berg Tech Inc | High density connector and method of manufacture |
| US6315590B1 (en) * | 2000-04-03 | 2001-11-13 | Molex Incorporated | Floating panel mounted connector assembly |
| US6371788B1 (en) * | 2000-05-19 | 2002-04-16 | Molex Incorporated | Wafer connection latching assembly |
| NL1015918C2 (en) | 2000-08-11 | 2002-02-12 | Fci Mechelen N V | Cable connector and kit for making a cable connector. |
| DE10310502A1 (en) * | 2003-03-11 | 2004-09-23 | Molex Inc., Lisle | Earthed electrical connector for GHz signal frequency range, has earthing terminal provided with at least 2 mechanically coupled electrical contacts |
| TW200910701A (en) * | 2007-08-22 | 2009-03-01 | Delta Electronics Inc | Stacked combination connector and connector assembly |
| US8333603B1 (en) * | 2011-05-23 | 2012-12-18 | Delphi Technologies, Inc. | Electrical connection system having dielectric spring to absorb axial positional mating tolerance variation for multiple connectors |
| CN103367977A (en) * | 2012-03-29 | 2013-10-23 | 凡甲电子(苏州)有限公司 | Electric connector |
| US9083119B2 (en) * | 2013-03-14 | 2015-07-14 | Molex Incorporated | Connector having a housing with a pair of engagement arms and catch members |
| CN106848752B (en) * | 2017-01-22 | 2019-02-15 | 中航光电科技股份有限公司 | A kind of electric connector and connector assembly |
| CN109546420B (en) * | 2018-10-15 | 2020-09-04 | 富鼎精密工业（郑州）有限公司 | Electric connector and manufacturing method thereof |
Family Cites Families (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3753212A (en) * | 1970-01-20 | 1973-08-14 | Yazaki Corp | Multi-terminal connector assembly |
| US3829821A (en) * | 1972-09-29 | 1974-08-13 | Amp Inc | Latching system for an electrical connector assembly and a tool for actuating said system |
| US3852703A (en) * | 1973-01-05 | 1974-12-03 | Porta Syst | Modular jack strip assembly |
| US3854790A (en) * | 1973-09-17 | 1974-12-17 | Bunker Ramo | Electrical connector assembly |
| US3920309A (en) * | 1974-04-18 | 1975-11-18 | Amp Inc | Stackable electrical connector assembly |
| CA1033831A (en) * | 1974-11-05 | 1978-06-27 | James R. Bailey | Structure for electrical connections and panel assembly |
| US4621885A (en) * | 1985-09-20 | 1986-11-11 | Amp Incorporated | Ribbon cable connector with improved cover latch |
-
1987
- 1987-04-10 US US07/037,047 patent/US4718857A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
1988
- 1988-03-14 EP EP19880104008 patent/EP0285860A3/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1988-03-24 CA CA000562404A patent/CA1297964C/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1988-03-30 JP JP63077931A patent/JPS63269467A/en active Pending
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| EP0285860A2 (en) | 1988-10-12 |
| JPS63269467A (en) | 1988-11-07 |
| EP0285860A3 (en) | 1990-09-05 |
| US4718857A (en) | 1988-01-12 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKLA | Lapsed |