Plug connector for dil components

Claim 1

A multi-pin connector for use with a dual-in-line component having pins placed in two lines that are parallel to each other, comprising: (a) an insulating socket body having a middle portion (b) socket contacts in said body, said contacts (1) being placed at points lined-up with the pins of a dual-in-line component to be fitted in said socket, (2) each said contact having a soldering end part designed as a soldering pin and sticking out at a right angle from a side of said body that is to be placed on a printed circuit board, (3) each said contact having a middle keeper part fitted at least partly with a locking fit in the socket body, said middle part running through the socket body, (4) and each having a further end part opposite to said first noted end part, said further end sticking out from a side of the socket body opposite to the said board, said further end part being in the form of a spring element for at least part of its length that may be moved in a direction at a right angle to a lengthways axis of said body, said body further having support face means of which each is opposite to one of said further contact ends along sides of the said body, the spacing between the support face means and the further ends of the contacts being such that the pins of said dual-in-line component may be taken up therebetween. (c) two clamping plates forming a clamping system having lengthways edges at which they are foldingly joined together along a folding line, said plates having outer plate edges parallel to said fold line, said socket having keeper lug elements fitted partly round said outer plate edges, said plates being able to be folded between an unclamped position and a clamping position with said plate edges resting against the said spring elements in these two said positions, the clamping plates being folded and sloped away from said board in said unclamped position like a roof and in the clamping position being in a plane that is parallel to the side of said socket body next to said board, said spring elements being pressed towards said pins of said dual-in-line component in said clamping position to press said pins against said support faces with a clamping bias force (d) said body further having a stop face on the side thereof facing away from said board, said stopface having two sloped surfaces that are sloped like the sides of a valley inward towards the socket body middle portion and towards the side of said socket body next to said board (e) said clamping plates being able to be folded past the clamping position thereof into a locking position, in which the clamping plates are sloped like the sides of a valley towards said board and in which said clamping plates are at least partly rested against said sloped surfaces on said stop face and (f) each spring element is in the form of solid spring tonguepiece with a front face resting against one of said edges of said clamping plates and with a back face turned towards the support face, said tonguepiece and edges being shaped so that the bias force exerted by said edge against said tonguepiece in said locking position is less than said clamping bias force, but sufficient to clamp said pins within said socket body to thereby prevent said clamping plates from inadvertently moving back through said clamping position to said unclamped position once said clamping plates have been moved to said locking position.