Circuit board socket

Claim 2

A disconnect type lead socket adapted to be soldered to a circuit board or the like comprising an elongate hollow metal body having an open and a closed end and opposed interior side walls, said body being impervious to molten solder away from the open end, and a contact spring confined within said body, said spring comprising a generally U-shaped strip of spring metal having a bight portion adjacent to but spaced from the closed end of the body and a pair of legs extending from the opposite ends of the bight portion along said walls of the body toward the open end thereof, said legs being connected to said body adjacent the open end thereof, the portions of said legs adjacent the closed end of said body slidably engaging the side walls of said body, said legs including lead contacts intermediate said portions and the connections between the spring and said body, said contacts projecting into the interior of said body away from said side walls whereby upon insertion of a lead into the socket and past said contacts the contacts are spread apart to form an electrical connection with the lead and said spring is elongated in the direction of insertion of the lead into the socket.

Claim 3

A disconnect type lead socket as in claim 1 wherein said body is generally square in cross section; said spring side walls are located between opposite flat body side walls; and the flat outside side walls of the body form sides of solder flow passages in the circuit board hole extending through the thickness of the circuit board.

Claim 4

A disconnect type lead socket as in claim 1 wherein said body includes at least one flat longitudinally extending external surface whereby when said socket is positioned in a circuit board hole such surface and the hole defined a solder flow passage extending through the thickness of the circuit board.

Claim 5

A disconnect type lead socket as in claim 3 wherein the ends of the spring are bent over the edges of the body at the open end thereof.

Claim 6

A disconnect type lead socket as in claim 1 including means at the open end of said body for indicating the angular orientation of the socket in a circuit board hole.

Claim 7

A disconnect type lead socket as in claim 5 whereby said means comprises a part of said spring extending from said socket.

Claim 8

A disconnect type lead socket as in claim 2 wherein one end of said spring extends from the open end of said body so as to indicate the angular orientation of the socket in a circuit board hole.

Claim 9

A disconnect type lead socket as in claim 1 including a shearable contact ear extending outwardly from the exterior of said body for engagement with the wall of a circuit board hole whereby the socket may be fitted in an oversized circuit board hole.

Claim 10

A disconnect type lead socket as in claim 4 wherein shearable contact ears extend away from said body at outside corners thereof whereby the socket may be fitted into an oversized circuit board hole.

Claim 11

A disconnect type lead socket as in claim 1 wherein said legs are bent over opposing edges of the open end of said body.

Claim 12

A disconnect type lead socket adapted to be fitted into a circuit board hole and soldered to circuitry on the circuit board comprising an elongate hollow solder impervious body having a closed end and an open end, and a spring contact confined within said body for making an electrical connection with a lead inserted into said socket, the exterior surface of said body including at least one ear projecting laterally outwardly from said body and adapted to engage the interior surface of a circuit board hole whereby said socket may be fitted into an oversized circuit board hole.

Claim 13

A disconnect type lead socket adapted to be fitted into a circuit board hole and soldered to circuitry on the circuit board comprising an elongate hollow solder impervious body having a closed end and an open end, and a spring contact confined within said body for making an electrical connection with a lead inserted into said socket, the exterior surface of said body including at least one ear projecting laterally outwardly from said body and adapted to engage the interior surface of a circuit board hole whereby said socket may be fitted into an oversized circuit board hole.

Claim 14

A contact strip of indefinite length comprising A carrier strip formed of spring metal stock, a plurality of spring contacts formed from integral portions of said strip spaced along said strip at regular intervals, a severable lead portion of said strip joining each contact to said strip, a plurality of separate elongate hollow solder impervious socket members, each spring contact extending into the interior of one socket member, and a connection formed between each spring contact and its surrounding socket.

Claim 15

A contact strip of indefinite length comprising A carrier strip formed of spring metal stock, a plurality of spring contacts formed from integral portions of said strip spaced along said strip at regular intervals, a severable lead portion of said strip joining each contact to said strip, a plurality of separate elongate hollow solder impervious socket members, each spring contact extending into the interior of one socket member, and a connection formed between each spring contact and its surrounding socket.

Claim 16

A contact strip as in claim 12 wherein said contacts are generally U-shaped portions of said strip and are positioned within said socket members with the bight portions adjacent closed socket ends and the leg portions bent over the open ends of the socket members.

Claim 17

A circuit board socket comprising an elongate socket body having an open end, a spring contact fitted within the body for establishing an electrical connection with a lead inserted into said socket body through the open end thereof, a sharp edge on said spring within said body, and a projection on an inner wall of the socket body extending toward and past said edge with the edge buried within the projection and a pair of independent, wiped electrical contacts formed between the spring and the projection, said contacts lying to either side of the edge.

Claim 18

A circuit board socket comprising an elongate socket body having an open end, a spring contact fitted within the body for establishing an electrical connection with a lead inserted into said socket body through the open end thereof, a sharp edge on said spring within said body, and a projection on an inner wall of the socket body extending toward and past said edge with the edge buried within the projection and a pair of independent, wiped electrical contacts formed between the spring and the projection, said contacts lying to either side of the edge.

Claim 19

A circuit board socket as in claim 13 wherein said body is provided with a closed end opposite said open end and is seamless, and said projection comprises a convex dimple formed in the socket body side wall without puncturing side wall.

Claim 20

A circuit board socket as in claim 14 wherein said spring is formed from a strip of flat spring stock and a portion of said spring is secured to the socket body by two laterally spaced dimple and edge connections whereby four independent electrical contacts are formed between the spring and the body.

Claim 21

A disconnect type lead socket adapted to be soldered to a circuit board comprising an elongate hollow metal body having a closed end and an open end, said body being impervious to molten solder away from said open end; and a spring contact confined within the body and forming part of an electrical connection with circuitry on a circuit board to which the socket is soldered; the spring contact comprising a generally U-shaped member having a bight portion and a pair of legs extending away from the bight portion in generally the same direction, the spring being positioned within the body with the bight portion adjacent but spaced from the closed end of the body and with the legs extending along the interior walls of the body toward the open end of the body; a connection between the free end of each of the legs and the body adjacent the open end of the body to prevent movement of the leg ends toward the closed end of the body, each leg including a contact portion intermediate the connection adjacent the open end of the body and the bight portion, said contact portions being bowed away from the interior walls of the body; the portions of the legs between the contact portions and the bight portions slidably engaging the interior of the body whereby upon insertion of a lead into the body through the open end thereof, the lead engages the contact portions to force them apart and form an electrical connection with the spring and elongate the same to move the bight portion toward the closed end of the body.

Claim 22

A disconnect type lead socket adapted to be soldered to a circuit board comprising an elongate hollow metal body having a closed end and an open end, said body being impervious to molten solder away from said open end; and a spring contact confined within the body and forming part of an electrical connection with circuitry on a circuit board to which the socket is soldered; the spring contact comprising a generally U-shaped member having a bight portion and a pair of legs extending away from the bight portion in generally the same direction, the spring being positioned within the body with the bight portion adjacent but spaced from the closed end of the body and with the legs extending along the interior walls of the body toward the open end of the body; a connection between the free end of each of the legs and the body adjacent the open end of the body to prevent movement of the leg ends toward the closed end of the body, each leg including a contact portion intermediate the connection adjacent the open end of the body and the bight portion, said contact portions being bowed away from the interior walls of the body; the portions of the legs between the contact portions and the bight portions slidably engaging the interior of the body whereby upon insertion of a lead into the body through the open end thereof, the lead engages the contact portions to force them apart and form an electrical connection with the spring and elongate the same to move the bight portion toward the closed end of the body.

Claim 23

A disconnect type lead socket adapted to be soldered in a circuit board hole comprising an elongate hollow and solder impervious metal body open at one end; a generally U-shaped spring formed of flat strip stock confined within the body with the reverse bend portion adjacent the closed end of the body and the legs extending along the interior sides of the body, the ends of the legs being bent over the edge at the open end of the body; and lead contacts on the spring legs spaced from the interior of the body and spaced apart from each other a distance less than the spacing between the legs at the open end of the body.

Claim 24

A disconnect type lead socket adapted to be soldered in a circuit board hole comprising an elongate hollow and solder impervious metal body open at one end; a generally U-shaped spring formed of flat strip stock confined within the body with the reverse bend portion adjacent the closed end of the body and the legs extending along the interior sides of the body, the ends of the legs being bent over the edge at the open end of the body; and lead contacts on the spring legs spaced from the interior of the body and spaced apart from each other a distance less than the spacing between the legs at the open end of the body.

Claim 25

A disconnect type lead socket As in claim 18 wherein the open end of the body is flared outwardly.

Claim 26

A disconnect type lead socket adapted to be soldered in a plated circuit board hole comprising an elongate hollow metal body of rectangular cross section having generally flat interior and exterior side walls, an open end and a closed end, and opposed interior side walls, said exterior side walls intersecting at four longitudinally extending corners for engagement with the circuit board hole, said body being imperforate and seam free away from said open end so as to form a barrier to the flow of molten solder from outside the body into the interior of the body away from the open end thereof; and a spring contact confined within the interior of the body including a pair of spring arms having opposed lead contacts normally located away from the interior side walls of the body to permit retention of a lead inserted into the socket through the open end of the body and between the spring arms.

Claim 27

A disconnect type lead socket adapted to be soldered in a plated circuit board hole comprising an elongate hollow metal body of rectangular cross section having generally flat interior and exterior side walls, an open end and a closed end, and opposed interior side walls, said exterior side walls intersecting at four longitudinally extending corners for engagement with the circuit board hole, said body being imperforate and seam free away from said open end so as to form a barrier to the flow of molten solder from outside the body into the interior of the body away from the open end thereof; and a spring contact confined within the interior of the body including a pair of spring arms having opposed lead contacts normally located away from the interior side walls of the body to permit retention of a lead inserted into the socket through the open end of the body and between the spring arms.