Claims
- 1. An electrical connector for interconnecting conductors of a flexible circuit to conductive traces on a circuit board comprising:
- (a) a first housing having an opening for receiving said flexible circuit;
- (b) at least one bracket on the first housing for attachment to a circuit board,
- (c) multiple contacts in the first housing to engage conductors on said flexible circuit, the contacts having respective tails to engage respective conductive traces on the circuit board;
- (d) a second housing engaged and intermating with the first housing and moveable between a first position whereby the opening receives therein the flexible circuit, and a second position whereby conductors of the flexible circuit are urged against respective contacts to establish electrical connections therewith, and
- a pair of opposite first ends on said first housing,
- a pair of opposite second ends on said second housing that closely overlap respective said first ends in sliding engagement therewith,
- a positive stop including a pair of first abutting surfaces adjacent diagonally opposite corners on said first housing, said first abutting surfaces being associated with respective first ends,
- a pair of second abutting surfaces associated with respective second ends adjacent diagonally opposite corners on said second housing, and
- each of said first abutting surfaces being arranged in opposed spaced relationship with a corresponding one of said second abutting surfaces when said housings are in said closed position, and being in opposed adjacent relationship when said housings are in said open position.
- 2. The connector according to claim 1 wherein said first abutting surfaces are arranged to interferingly abut said second abutting surfaces to prevent separation of said first and second housings.
- 3. The connector according to claim 2 wherein each of said first abutting surfaces is on a respective first projection extending outwardly from a respective first end and including a clearance recess in each of said second ends for receiving a respective one of said first projections during movement of said first and second housings between said open and closed positions.
- 4. The connector according to claim 2 wherein each of said second abutting surfaces is on a respective second projection extending outwardly from a respective second end and including a clearance recess in each of said first ends for receiving a respective one of said second projections during movement of said first and second housings between said open and closed positions.
- 5. An electrical connector for interconnecting conductors of a flexible circuit to conductive traces on a circuit board comprising:
- (a) a first housing having an opening for receiving said flexible circuit;
- (b) at least one bracket on the first housing for attachment to a circuit board;
- (c) multiple contacts in the first housing to engage conductors on said flexible circuit, the contacts having respective tails to engage respective conductive traces on the circuit board;
- (d) a second housing engaged and intermating with the first housing and movable between a first position whereby the opening receives therein the flexible circuit, and a second position whereby conductors of the flexible circuit are urged against respective contacts to establish electrical connections therewith, and
- said first housing includes first and second opposite ends and said second housing includes an elongated member having a first flange attached to one end thereof and a second flange attached to the other end thereof, said first and second flanges having opposing first and second faces in sliding engagement with said first and second opposite ends respectively for guiding said second housing during movement thereof between said first and second positions, said elongated member arranged to be received within said opening to effect said urging of said conductors of said flexible circuit against said contacts when said second housing is moved from said first position to said second position, and including a pair of positive stops associated with diagonally opposite corners of said first and second housings holding said second housing captive to said first housing during said movement of said second housing.
- 6. The connector according to claim 5 wherein said positive stop includes a first abutting surface extending outwardly from said first end and a second abutting surface extending outwardly from said second end adjacent diagonally opposite corners of said first housing, and said second housing having first and second recesses in said first and second opposing faces within which said first and second abutting surfaces, respectively, extend so that when said second housing is moved from said closed position to said open position said first and second abutting surfaces cooperate with the ends of said recesses to maintain said second housing captive with said first housing.
- 7. An electrical connector for interconnecting conductors of a flexible circuit to conductive traces on a printed circuit board comprising:
- (a) a first housing having first and second opposite ends and an opening for receiving an end of said flexible circuit;
- (b) a plurality of contacts arranged in said first housing to contact said conductors of said flexible circuit, each contact having a tail for contact with a respective trace on said printed circuit board;
- (c) a second housing associated with said first housing, being movable with respect thereto from a closed position to an open position and from an open position to a closed position, including an elongated member having a first flange attached to one end thereof and a second flange attached to the other end thereof, said first and second flanges having opposing first and second faces in sliding engagement with said first and second opposite ends respectively for guiding said second housing during movement thereof between said closed position wherein said elongated member is received within said opening and urging each of said conductors of said flexible circuit within said opening against a respective one of said plurality of contacts and said open position wherein said flexible circuit is free to be inserted into or removed from said opening, and
- a pair of positive stops associated with diagonally opposite corners of said first and second housings holding said second housing captive to said first housing during said movement of said second housing.
- 8. An electrical connector for interconnecting conductors of a flexible circuit to conductive traces on a printed circuit board comprising:
- (a) a first housing having first and second opposite ends and an opening for receiving an end of said flexible circuit;
- (b) a plurality of contacts arranged in said first housing to contact said conductors of said flexible circuit, each contact having a tail for contact with a respective trace on said printed circuit board;
- (c) a second housing associated with said first housing including an elongated member having a first flange attached to one end thereof and a second flange attached to the other end thereof, said first and second flanges having opposing first and second faces in sliding engagement with said first and second opposite ends respectively for guiding said second housing during movement thereof between a closed position wherein said elongated member is received within said opening and urging each of said conductors of said flexible circuit within said opening against a respective one of said plurality of contacts and an open position wherein said flexible circuit is free to be inserted into or removed from said opening,
- a first projection extending outwardly from said first face, and
- two spaced indentations in said first opposite end arranged so that when said second housing is in said first position said first projection is in one of said indentations, and when said second housing is in said second position said first projection is in the other of said indentations, wherein said first projection is arranged to cam out of said one indentation when said second housing is moved from said open position to said closed position and to cam out of said other indentation when said cond housing is moved from said closed position to said open position.
- 9. The connector according to claim 8 including a second projection extending outwardly from said second face and two spaced indentations in said second opposite end arranged so that when said second housing is in said open position said second projection is in one of said indentations and when in said closed position said second projection is in the other of said indentations, wherein said second projection is diagonally opposite said first projection.
- 10. The connector according to claim 9 wherein said second projection includes a camming surface that is arranged to cam out of said one indentation, thereby resiliently deflecting said second flange away from said second opposite end, when said second housing is moved between said open and closed positions.
- 11. The connector according to claim 10 including means for holding said second housing captive to said first housing comprising a positive stop associated with corresponding adjacent diagonally opposite corners of said first and second housings.
- 12. The connector according to claim 11 wherein said diagonally opposite corners associated with said positive stop are spaced from said indentations in said first and second opposite ends.
Parent Case Info
This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 08/177,825 filed Jan. 5, 1994, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (24)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2272117 |
May 1994 |
GBX |
2272583 |
May 1994 |
GBX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
177825 |
Jan 1994 |
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