US3728667A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Contactor for testing circuit modules with axial leads
Assignee: Triton Group Ltd
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Filing: 1971-03-03
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Granted: 1973-04-17
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Expires: 1991-03-03
Abstract
Abstract A contactor head for rapidly making connection with circuit modules which have axially-extending leads that are normally held by a carrier with V-shaped recesses. The head includes a ringshaped holder with a large aperture for receiving the circle of module leads, and pairs of resilient contactor members spaced about the holder for deflection against the module leads. The contactor members extend through slots in the holder, each slot having an outer wall portion to forcefully deflect the contactor member as the holder is pushed into a housing. The slots are arranged in pairs, with each slot of a pair spaced from the other slot in the direction of sliding of the holder into the housing. The contactor members are in the form of strips, with tapered outer ends for reception in the V-shaped carrier recesses. A compensating board is provided which has a circle of pins for contacting the contactor members, a row of conductors for receiving a standard plug, and jumpers for connecting the pins to the conductors.
Inventors
- 👤 B Richelmann
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 04:42
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01R; G01R1/00; G01R1/02; G01R1/06; G01R1/067; G01R1/073; G01R1/07307; G01R1/07342; G01R1/07314; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S439/00; Y10S439/912
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
202 words
A head for testing circuit modules with leads comprising: a housing assembly; a holder member mounted to move in directions into and out of said housing assembly, said holder member having a central aperture and a plurality of holes arranged in pairs about said aperture, each pair of holes including a first hole and a second hole spaced from the first hole substantially in the direction of sliding of the holder member on the housing; and a plurality of contactor members, each having an inner end portion mounted on said housing assembly and an outer end portion slideably extending through a corresponding hole in said holder member at an incline with respect to the direction of movement of said holder member on said housing assembly, so that said outer portions move with a directional component perpendicular to the directions of movement of said holder member into said housing, said contactor members being arranged in pairs with each member of a pair extending through a different hole of a pair of holes; the walls of said holes in said holder member including outer wall portions for pushing against said contactor members to enable forceful deflection of them as said holder member slides inwardly.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
202 words
A head for testing circuit modules with leads comprising: a housing assembly; a holder member mounted to move in directions into and out of said housing assembly, said holder member having a central aperture and a plurality of holes arranged in pairs about said aperture, each pair of holes including a first hole and a second hole spaced from the first hole substantially in the direction of sliding of the holder member on the housing; and a plurality of contactor members, each having an inner end portion mounted on said housing assembly and an outer end portion slideably extending through a corresponding hole in said holder member at an incline with respect to the direction of movement of said holder member on said housing assembly, so that said outer portions move with a directional component perpendicular to the directions of movement of said holder member into said housing, said contactor members being arranged in pairs with each member of a pair extending through a different hole of a pair of holes; the walls of said holes in said holder member including outer wall portions for pushing against said contactor members to enable forceful deflection of them as said holder member slides inwardly.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
147 words
A head for testing circuit modules with leads comprising: a housing assembly; a holder member slideably mounted in said housing assembly, said holder member having side walls defining a central aperture for receiving the leads of a circuit module, and said side walls having a plurality of holes leading to said aperture; and a plurality of contactor members, each having an inner end portion mounted on said housing assembly and an outer end portion slideably extending through a corresponding hole in said holder member at an incline with respect to the direction of slideable movement of said holder member on said housing assembly, to move with a lateral component toward a circuit module lead as said holder member slides into said housing, the walls of said holes including outer wall portions for pushing said contactor members to force them to deflect as said holder member slides inwardly.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
147 words
A head for testing circuit modules with leads comprising: a housing assembly; a holder member slideably mounted in said housing assembly, said holder member having side walls defining a central aperture for receiving the leads of a circuit module, and said side walls having a plurality of holes leading to said aperture; and a plurality of contactor members, each having an inner end portion mounted on said housing assembly and an outer end portion slideably extending through a corresponding hole in said holder member at an incline with respect to the direction of slideable movement of said holder member on said housing assembly, to move with a lateral component toward a circuit module lead as said holder member slides into said housing, the walls of said holes including outer wall portions for pushing said contactor members to force them to deflect as said holder member slides inwardly.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
69 words
The head described in claim 2 wherein: said holes are arranged in pairs about said aperture, with each pair containing a first hole and a second hole spaced from said first hole substantially in the direction of sliding of said holder member on said housing; and said contactor members are arranged in pairs, each member in a pair extending through a different hole of a pair of said holes.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
57 words
The head described in claim 2 wherein: each of said contactor members has a substantially strip form, with a width at least several times its thickness along most of its length, and with the outer end substantially flat and being tapered in width, whereby to enter a carrier with tapered recesses that hold the circuit module leads.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
97 words
The head described in claim 2 wherein: said housing includes first and second retainer members with adjacent faces, said first retainer member having a groove and said second retainer member having a flange received in said groove, each of said retainer members having pin receiving holes; each of said contactor members has a looped inner end portion disposed in said groove and held by said flange therein, and a free innermost portion; and including circuit means including a plurality of pins for projection into said pin-receiving holes to contact said free innermost portions of said contactor members.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
139 words
A head for testing circuit modules of a type which has several leads arranged about a central axis and which are normally held in a carrier lead retainer with several tapered recesses that hold the circuit module leads, comprising: a housing; a holder member slideably mounted on said housing, said holder member having a central aperture for receiving said carrier lead retainer and having a plurality of pairs of holes spaced about said aperture, the holes of each pair spaced from one another primarily in the direction of slideing of said holder member; and a plurality of pairs of contactor members having outer end portions extending through said pairs of holes, each contactor member including a strip of resilient electrically conductive material, with a tapered outer end for reception in one of said tapered recesses of said lead retainer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
139 words
A head for testing circuit modules of a type which has several leads arranged about a central axis and which are normally held in a carrier lead retainer with several tapered recesses that hold the circuit module leads, comprising: a housing; a holder member slideably mounted on said housing, said holder member having a central aperture for receiving said carrier lead retainer and having a plurality of pairs of holes spaced about said aperture, the holes of each pair spaced from one another primarily in the direction of slideing of said holder member; and a plurality of pairs of contactor members having outer end portions extending through said pairs of holes, each contactor member including a strip of resilient electrically conductive material, with a tapered outer end for reception in one of said tapered recesses of said lead retainer.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-04-16 | 1976-10-16 | 1977-04-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-04-16 | 1980-10-16 | 1981-04-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-04-16 | 1984-10-16 | 1985-04-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |