Electrical connector receptacle

Claim 1

An electrical connector receptacle of the type comprising an insulating housing having a plug-receiving end and a rearward end, a plug-receiving opening extending into said plug-receiving end, said opening having opposed first and second internal sidewalls and opposed internal endwalls, said housing having oppositely directed first and second external sidewalls, which are proximate to said first and second internal sidewalls respectively, and opposed external endwalls, a plurality of spaced-apart side-by-side conductors, each of said conductors having a contact spring portion which extends from said first internal sidewall at a location adjacent to said plug-receiving end diagonally into said opening and towards said rearward end, said connector receptacle being characterized in that: each of said conductors comprises a one-piece stamped and formed sheet metal member, said first external sidewall has a plurality of side-by-side conductor-receiving channel means therein extending from said location adjacent to said plug-receiving end to said rearward end, every other said channel means being of increasing depth along its length from said location to said rearward end, the remaining channel means being of decreasing depth along their length whereby said channel means are alternately deep and shallow at said rearward end, intermediate portions of said conductors being in said channel means, said conductors having reverse bends at said location and extending diagonally toward first end portions in said opening, second end portions of said conductors extending normally of, and beyond, said rearward end whereby, said contact springs are formed between said reverse bends and said first end portions, and said second end portions of adjacent conductors are offset from each other and can be inserted into holes in a circuit board which are on staggered centers.