Lock mechanism in an IC socket

Claim 1

An IC socket comprising: a socket substrate having opposed end faces and an upper surface extending between said end faces; an IC press cover disposable over the upper surface of said socket substrate; at least one lock lever for locking said IC press cover over the upper surface of said IC substrate, each said lock lever having a portion thereof pivotally supported by said socket substrate at one of said end faces thereof, a hooked portion extending upwardly from the pivotally supported portion and engageable with and disengageable from an end of said IC press cover when said IC press cover is disposed over the upper surface of said socket substrate, a push-down operating portion extending from the pivotally supported portion in a direction away from and perpendicular to said one of said end faces of the socket substrate, the push-down operating portion pivoting the lock lever at the pivotally supported portion thereof in a first direction in which said hooked portion moves away from the end of said IC press cover to disengage therefrom when said IC press cover is disposed above and over the upper surface of said socket substrate and a downwardly extending force is exerted on the push-down operating portion; and spring means for urging said lock lever to pivot, at the pivotally supported portion thereof, relative to said socket substrate in a second direction in which said hooked portion moves toward the end of said IC press cover to engage therewith when said IC press cover is disposed over the surface of said socket substrate, whereby when said socket substrate is supported on a wire board and said IC press cover is locked in a closed state by an engagement of the hooked portion of said lock lever with the end of said IC press cover, a robot arm can move downwardly onto the push-down operating portion of said lock lever to pivot said lock lever in said first direction thereby disengaging said hooked portion from the end of said IC press cover.