Chip carrier socket which requires low insertion force for the chip carrier

Claim 1

A chip carrier socket for an integrated circuit chip carrier, the chip carrier comprising a rectangular chip carrier body having oppositely facing major surfaces and outwardly facing chip carrier side surfaces which extend normally of the major surfaces, the chip carrier side surfaces having spaced-apart contact pads thereon which are between the major surfaces, the socket comprising a socket body having a rectangular recess therein which is dimensioned to receive the chip carrier, contact terminals in the socket body which contact the contact pads when the chip carrier is placed in the recess, the chip carrier socket being characterized in that: the socket body comprises a rectangular base having peripheral edges and having a chip carrier socket wall extending normally from each of the edges, each wall extending between two adjacent corners of the base and being spaced from the adjacent walls by gaps at the corners of the chip carrier socket body, the chip carrier socket walls defining the recess for the chip carrier, the walls each having an internal surface which is opposed to a chip carrier side surface when a chip carrier is placed in the recess and having an external surface which faces outwardly, each wall having terminal-receiving cavities extending inwardly thereof from its internal surface, the contact terminals being in the cavities, the walls being connected to the base by integral hinge sections and being stiffly pivotally movable, a rigid frame is provided in surrounding relationship to the walls, the frame comprising a plurality of rails which are joined to each other at their ends, each rail extending alongside one of the walls and being joined to the next adjacent rail at its ends, the frame being movable towards and away from the base between a first position and a second position, the frame being relatively remote from the base in the first position and being relatively proximate to the base in the second position, each of the rails and its associated wall having first camming means thereon, the first camming means being effective, upon movement of the frame from the first position to the second position, to move the walls pivotally inwardly of the recess whereby, upon placement of the chip carrier in the recess when the frame is in the first position and thereafter moving the frame to the second position, the walls will be moved relatively towards the chip carrier side surfaces and the contact terminals will be moved and held against the contact pads on the chip carrier side surfaces.