Jack assembly including a contact switching system

Claim 1

A jack assembly which includes a contact switching system for receiving a coaxial plug, comprising: an insulative housing having a terminal-receiving chamber and an aperture communicating with the chamber for insertion therethrough of the coaxial plug, the housing including a terminal pivot support means in the chamber; a fixed terminal mounted on the housing and including a tail portion for soldering to a circuit board, a fixed rounded contact portion located in the chamber and a connecting portion extending between said tail portion and said fixed rounded contact portion, a substantial length of said connecting portion being securely located within a slot in a sidewall of said housing; and a movable terminal mounted on the housing and including a cantilevered spring contact arm projecting from said terminal pivot support means for pivoting thereabout, the spring contact arm including a first contact portion for contacting the rounded contact portion of the fixed terminal and a second contact portion for contacting the coaxial plug when inserted into the chamber, the spring contact arm being resiliently preloaded to act as the sole means to bias the first contact portion against the rounded contact portion of the fixed terminal, and the spring arm being configured so that the first contact portion slides along and wipes over the rounded contact portion when the coaxial plug is inserted into the chamber and in contact with the second contact portion, wherein said cantilevered spring contact arm has a pair of relatively angled legs defining a dog-leg configuration, an end of one of the legs defining said second contact portion, an end of the other leg being pivotable about said terminal pivot support means, and said first contact portion being located between the end of the first section and a point where the sections converge.