Electrical connector for flexible film circuits

Claim 1

An electrical connector for electrically interconnecting conductors on a flexible film strip to circuit traces on a circuit board, comprising dielectric housing means having side walls and end walls and a floor defining an upwardly opened cavity and having elongated passage means extending through said floor; first cam means provided on said side walls of said housing means; elongated means disposed in said passage means including a plurality of conductive contact element means spaced along and supported in an insulative member means, said contact element means having contact means extending upwardly in said cavity and lower portion means depending from said housing means for electrical connection to said circuit traces on said circuit board; and cover means having base means and depending plate means at each side of said base means with second cam means thereon, said cover means being movably positioned on said housing means with said base means extending across the top of said housing means with a space therebetween to receive said flexible film strip, and said plate means extending along said side walls with said second cam means thereon cooperating with said first cam means on said side walls so that as said cover means is moved to a closed position, said first and second cam means cooperate to move said cover means towards said housing means so that said flexible film strip inserted between said cover means and said housing means is engaged by said base means and pressed against said contact means to establish electrical contact between the conductors on said film strip and said contact means.