Grounding shroud for an electrical connector

Claim 2

An electrical connector for a card reader, comprising: an insulative housing with conductive electrical contacts extending in a card receiving mouth in the housing, a conductive shroud encircling the housing, spring contact fingers extending from the shroud into the mouth, a ground reference plane extending along the shroud and along the spring contact fingers, a card receiving space in the mouth between the spring contact fingers and the contacts, the spring contact fingers being spaced apart from the contacts to engage frictionally against a surface on a card receiving by the card receiving space, and to connect electrically with the surface of the card when the surface of the card is conductive electrically, and the spring contact fingers being constructed for deflection away from the contacts by a card received in the card receiving space, whereby the card receiving space is widened.

Claim 3

An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein, the spring contact fingers project into an open end of the mouth.

Claim 4

An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, comprising: conductive pads on the shroud constructed for connection to a circuit board.

Claim 5

An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein, the contacts are arranged in two rows within the mouth, and the fingers are adjacent to one of the rows and provide a low impedance return path within the mouth.

Claim 6

An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, comprising: conductive pads on the shroud constructed for connection to a circuit board.

Claim 7

A conductive, low impedance return path in combination with electrical contacts in an insulative housing of an electrical connector, comprising: a conductive plate externally of the housing, conductive spring contact fingers on the plate extending into a mouth of the housing, the electrical contacts extending in the mouth, and a removable card connected to the contacts and having a conductive surface beside each of the contacts, the conductive surface being biased frictionally against the spring contact fingers, the conductive plate and the conductive surface beside each of the contacts in the mouth providing a low impedance return path, a card receiving space between the spring contact fingers and the contacts in the mouth, and the card receiving space being widened by a card in the card receiving space biasing the spring contact fingers away from the contacts.

Claim 8

A conductive, low impedance return path in combination with electrical contacts in an insulative housing of an electrical connector, comprising: a conductive plate externally of the housing, conductive spring contact fingers on the plate extending into a mouth of the housing, the electrical contacts extending in the mouth, and a removable card connected to the contacts and having a conductive surface beside each of the contacts, the conductive surface being biased frictionally against the spring contact fingers, the conductive plate and the conductive surface beside each of the contacts in the mouth providing a low impedance return path, a card receiving space between the spring contact fingers and the contacts in the mouth, and the card receiving space being widened by a card in the card receiving space biasing the spring contact fingers away from the contacts.

Claim 9

An electrical connector as recited in claim 6, wherein, the spring contacts project into an open end of the mouth.

Claim 10

An electrical connector as recited in claim 6 comprising: conductive pads on the shroud for connection to a circuit board.

Claim 11

An electrical connector as recited in claim 6, wherein, the contacts are arranged in two rows within the mouth, and the conductive surface of the card extend along two exterior surfaces of the card, the exterior surfaces being beside the contacts in respective rows of the contacts and providing a low impedance return path beside each of the contacts.

Claim 12

An electrical connector comprising: an insulative housing with two rows of contacts extending in a card receiving mouth in the housing, a conductive shroud encircling the housing, a ground reference plane on plate sections of the shroud extending along external surfaces of the housing parallel to respective rows of the contacts, spring contact fingers extending from each plate section into the mouth, the spring contact fingers being spaced apart from the contacts to engage frictionally against flat surfaces of a card received by the mouthy, and to connect electrically the plate sections with the flat surfaces of a card when the flat surfaces of the card are conductive electrically, whereby the flat surfaces of the card extend the ground reference plane into the mouth, and a card receiving space between the spring contact fingers and the contacts in the mouth, the card receiving space being widened by a card in the card receiving space biasing the spring contact fingers away from the contacts.

Claim 13

An electrical connector comprising: an insulative housing with two rows of contacts extending in a card receiving mouth in the housing, a conductive shroud encircling the housing, a ground reference plane on plate sections of the shroud extending along external surfaces of the housing parallel to respective rows of the contacts, spring contact fingers extending from each plate section into the mouth, the spring contact fingers being spaced apart from the contacts to engage frictionally against flat surfaces of a card received by the mouthy, and to connect electrically the plate sections with the flat surfaces of a card when the flat surfaces of the card are conductive electrically, whereby the flat surfaces of the card extend the ground reference plane into the mouth, and a card receiving space between the spring contact fingers and the contacts in the mouth, the card receiving space being widened by a card in the card receiving space biasing the spring contact fingers away from the contacts.

Claim 14

An electrical connector as recited in claim 10, wherein, the contacts are arranged in two rows within the mouth, and the flat surfaces of the card extend along two exterior surfaces of the card, the exterior surfaces being beside the contacts in respective rows of the contacts and providing a low impedance return path beside each of the contacts.