US5435757A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Contact and alignment feature
Assignee: Whitaker LLC
•
Filing: 1993-07-27
•
Granted: 1995-07-25
•
Expires: 2013-07-27
Abstract
Abstract An electrical connector comprises, an insulative housing block (2), electrical contacts (4) held by the housing block (2), spring fingers (11) on each of the contacts (4) for gripping onto a conductive pin, cavities (6) in an insulating housing (5) for receiving the fingers (11), mouths (19) opening into the cavities (6) for receiving conductive pins to be gripped by the spring fingers (11), rails (21) in the cavities (6), each of the rails (6) being in between said spring fingers (11) of one of the contacts (4), and each of the rails (21) being aligned with a mouth (19) of one of the cavities (4) and positioning said spring fingers (11) in alignment laterally with respect to the mouth (19) to assure receipt of a conductive pin between said spring fingers (11).
Inventors
- 👤 James L. Fedder
- 👤 John R. Shuey
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 15:11
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01R; H01R13/00; H01R13/40; H01R13/02; H01R13/10; H01R13/11
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
160 words
An electrical connector comprising: an insulative housing block, electrical contacts held by the housing block, each of said electrical contact comprising spring fingers that have coplanar portions extending forward from a planar web joining the spring fingers, and forward of said coplanar portions the lengths of the spring fingers are twisted ninety degrees from the plane of the web, said spring fingers on each of the contacts for gripping onto a conductive pin, a discrete insulating housing having cavities for receiving the spring fingers, said cavities having mouths for receiving conductive pins to be gripped by the spring fingers, and rails in the cavities, each of the rails being in between said spring fingers of one of the contacts, and each of the rails being aligned with a corresponding mouth of one of the cavities and positioning said spring fingers in alignment laterally with respect to the mouth to assure receipt of a corresponding conductive pin between said spring fingers.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
160 words
An electrical connector comprising: an insulative housing block, electrical contacts held by the housing block, each of said electrical contact comprising spring fingers that have coplanar portions extending forward from a planar web joining the spring fingers, and forward of said coplanar portions the lengths of the spring fingers are twisted ninety degrees from the plane of the web, said spring fingers on each of the contacts for gripping onto a conductive pin, a discrete insulating housing having cavities for receiving the spring fingers, said cavities having mouths for receiving conductive pins to be gripped by the spring fingers, and rails in the cavities, each of the rails being in between said spring fingers of one of the contacts, and each of the rails being aligned with a corresponding mouth of one of the cavities and positioning said spring fingers in alignment laterally with respect to the mouth to assure receipt of a corresponding conductive pin between said spring fingers.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the rails extends from a mouth of one of the cavities.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the rails is fitted loosely in a space between said spring fingers of one of the receptacles.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
33 words
An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein the spring fingers on each of the contacts receives both a rail and a conductive pin, and the spring fingers grip the conductive pin.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
44 words
An electrical connector as recited in claim 1, wherein contact surfaces on the spring fingers are wider than the rails, and a space between the spring fingers on each contact is greater than the thickness of a rail being in between the spring fingers.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
An electrical connector assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the rails are insulating and are unitary with the housing.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
41 words
An electrical connector assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein, a space between the spring fingers and interior sides of the cavity allow movement of the spring fingers when they are biased apart by a pin received between the spring fingers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
38 words
An electrical connector assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein, each rail is a partition in a cavity that confines the spring fingers of a contact to one side or the other of the centerline of the mouth.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1998-07-24 | 1999-01-23 | 1999-07-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-07-24 | 2003-01-23 | 2003-07-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-07-24 | 2007-01-23 | 2007-07-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |