Claims
- 1. A connector adapted to have a portable object having contact terminals on one surface engage with contact elements within the connector upon insertion therein comprising a case, a chamber within said case, an opening leading into said chamber and adapted to receive said portable object along a predetermined direction, connecting means in said chamber for electrically connecting said portable object upon insertion into said chamber, said connecting means including electrical contact elements disposed to be actuated from a first stable idle position of the connecting means to a second operating position of the connecting means to cause landing of said contact elements on respective contact terminals and establish an electrical connection therebetween upon displacement of the portable object within the chamber, each of said contact elements being flexible and having, respectively, one fixed extremity affixed to said connecting means and one free contact extremity directed towards said opening, the free contact extremity being positioned to engage its respective contact terminal on the object upon the object being inserted into the chamber, and the contact element being formed to flex upon such engagement such that the free contact extremity moves in an opposite direction to the direction of insertion of the object and such that the relative movement between the free contact extremity and the respective contact terminal is greater than said displacement of the portable object within the chamber after landing of the contact element on the respective contact terminals.
- 2. A connector according to claim 1, wherein said connecting means comprises a first jaw and a second jaw, said second jaw being movable and adapted to support said contact elements and to be displaced within the chamber along said predetermined direction between said stable idle position close to said opening and said operating position away from said opening.
- 3. A connector according to claim 2 further comprising means for guiding said second jaw and for tipping said second jaw with respect to the portable object as said jaw is displaced between said idle and operating positions.
- 4. A connector according to claim 3 wherein said connecting means further comprise an entraining device disposed to receive an extreme section of the portable object and entrain the second jaw for movement between said idle and said operating positions by the sole displacement of the portable object along said direction.
- 5. A connector according to claim 1, wherein each of said contact elements comprises a curved section having a concave surface turned towards the said opening.
- 6. A connector according to claim 5, wherein each of said contact elements includes a substantially rectilinear first section between its curved section and its free extremity.
- 7. A connector according to claim 6, further including at least a partially rectilinear section between the curved section and the fixed extremity of each contact element.
- 8. A connector according to claim 2, wherein said free extremity comprises a contact area extended by an extreme section directed towards said second jaw and adapted to contact an abutment on said second jaw in the operating position.
- 9. A connector according to claim 8, wherein said fixed extremity comprises a flexible securing means arranged so that said fixed extremity is removably supported in a corresponding opening in said second jaw.
- 10. A connector according to claim 1, wherein said connecting means includes an abutment adapted to be engaged by an end of the portable object inserted into the chamber, and the connecting means, in the idle position, is located within the chamber such that the portable object may be inserted freely without engagement between said contact elements and said contact terminals until said end engages said abutment.
- 11. A connector according to claim 10, wherein said connecting means is supported within the chamber by means enabling rotation of the connecting means upon engagement of said end with said abutment so as to cause said contact elements to engage said contact terminals and enabling displacement of the connecting means in the direction of insertion of the object.
Priority Claims (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
78 36544 |
Dec 1978 |
FRX |
|
79 05761 |
Mar 1979 |
FRX |
|
79 20644 |
Aug 1979 |
FRX |
|
Parent Case Info
This application is a division, of application Ser. No. 105,654, filed Dec. 20, 1979.
US Referenced Citations (9)
Foreign Referenced Citations (6)
Number |
Date |
Country |
631516 |
Jun 1936 |
DE2 |
1300255 |
Jun 1962 |
FRX |
1316687 |
Dec 1962 |
FRX |
1578229 |
Aug 1969 |
FRX |
2043365 |
Oct 1980 |
GBX |
0639056 |
Dec 1978 |
SUX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Badge & Badgereader, IBM Tech. Discl. Bull., vol. 2, #2, 8-1959, pp. 30-31, Croll et al. |
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
105654 |
Dec 1979 |
|