Smart card connector with landing contacts
US6354881B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 12, 1999 |
| Grant date | Mar 12, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 12, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06K7/0021
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A connector with a slot for receiving a smart card with contact pads, includes contacts that are held away from the card slot until the card becomes fully inserted, using a mechanism with a minimum number of easily formed parts. The mechanism includes a rocker (142) with a control part (144) that is pivotally mounted about a rocker axis (Y—Y) and that has a rear end forming a tab (186) that projects into the rear end of the card slot, to be deflected downwardly by the card reaching its fully inserted position. The control part also has a front end (174) that is coupled to the contacts to depress them until the card is fully inserted, whereupon the contacts are released to move up. The rocker, which is formed from a single piece of sheet metal, includes a pair of laterally-spaced fastening plates (150) that are fixed to the housing, and a pair of deflectable portions (148, 154) that can be resiliently deformed to permit the control part to pivot. The deflectable portions include torsion bars (148) that can be twisted about the rocker axis and that bias the control part towards the position where the rear end extends into the card slot. The front end of the control part is coup…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.