Socket for an electric part

Claim 1

A socket for supporting an electric part having at least one terminal, said socket comprising: a socket body having opposite ends, a side surface extending between said ends, an upper surface, and at least one electrical contact; a movable plate mounted to said socket body on the upper surface thereof and adapted to receive an electric part having at least one terminal, said movable plate having opposite ends and a side surface extending between the ends thereof, said movable plate slidable relative to said socket body in opposite directions, extending between the ends of said socket body along said upper surface thereof, between a contacting position at which the at least one terminal of an electric part when received by said movable plate contacts the at least one contact of said socket body and a noncontacting position at which the at least one terminal of an electric part when received by said movable plate is out of contact with the at least one contact of said socket body; an operating lever connected to said socket body and to said movable plate for mounting said movable plate to said socket body, and operable to move said movable plate from said contacting position to said noncontacting position, said operating lever having one end including both an upper portion pivotally connected to said movable plate and a lower portion pivotally connected to said socket body a free end, and at least one lever portion extending, in a direction between the ends of said socket body, alongside the side surface of said socket body from said one end of the operating lever to said free end thereof; transmission shaft means for pivotally connecting said one end of said operating lever, at the upper portion thereof, to the side surface of said movable plate at one of the ends thereof; and supporting shaft means for pivotally connecting said one end of said operating lever, at the lower portion thereof, to the side surface of said socket body at one of the ends thereof.