Claims
- 1. A connector comprising:an insulator having a plurality of parallel passages and an insulator front mating end; a plurality of contacts that are each mounted in one of said passages, with each contact having a contact front mating end; each contact front mating end comprises a loop that projections forward of said insulator front mating end, with said loop having a loop middle that faces forwardly and which is the frontmost part of the contact; each of said passages is of rectangular cross-section, with a width and with a height that is a plurality of times as great as said width; each of said contacts includes a plate portion that extends along substantially the entire the height of one of said passages and that has upper and lower vertically spaced plate ends, and a strip portion that is connected to said plate portion in a right angle bend at one of said vertical plate ends, with said strip portion having a strip width that is greater than said strip thickness, with said strip width extending parallel to the width of said passage, and with said strip portion forming said loop that projects forward of said insulator front portion.
- 2. The connector described in claim 1 including:a second connector device which has an insulator with a plurality of bores, and which has a plurality of contact elements each lying in one of said bores, with each contact element having a mating end in the form of a plate that extends primarily normal to said bores.
- 3. A contact comprising:a piece of sheet metal that includes a plate portion and a strip portion, said plate portion being substantially flat and having a predetermined thickness in a lateral direction, a height in a vertical direction, and a length in a longitudinal direction that is perpendicular to said lateral and vertical directions, with said height and length each being a plurality of times greater than said thickness; said strip portion having substantially said predetermined thickness in said vertical direction and having a width in said lateral direction which is greater than said predetermined thickness, with said strip portion having longitudinally-spaced front and rear end parts and having a front end; said piece of sheet metal having a right angle bent portion which is bent about a longitudinally-extending axis, with said bent portion being elongated in said longitudinal direction, said plate portion and said strip portion lying on opposite sides of said bent portion and merging therein with said bent portion having a front end lying a distance rearward of said front end of said strip portion to allow said front end of said strip portion to easily bend; said strip portion having bent parts lying below said right angle bent portion, and at least part of said plate portion extending downwardly from said bent portion to lie at about the same height as said bent parts of said strip portion.
- 4. The contact described in claim 3 wherein:said front end of said strip portion is bent into a loop with top and bottom ends and with a loop middle that is the most forward part of said contact.
- 5. The connector described in claim 3, including a connector, and wherein:said connector has an insulator with a plurality of passages extending in front and rear directions, with said insulator having a local front end lying adjacent to front ends of said passages, with said contact lying in one of said passages and with said middle of said loop lying forward of said local front end of said insulator; each of said passage front ends has a height, and said loop has top and bottom ends each lying in said passage and vertically spaced by more than half the height of said passage front end.
- 6. The contact described in claim 3 including a connector, wherein:said connector has an insulator with a plurality of parallel passages and said contact lies in a first of said passages, with said first passage having top and bottom walls spaced by a height substantially equal to the height of said plate portion with said plate portion lying in interference fit with said top and bottom walls, and with said front end part of said strip portion being free to deflect up and down.
- 7. The combination of first and second connectors, wherein:said second connector has a second insulator with a rear end forming a rearwardly opening cavity, said second insulator having a plurality of parallel second passages each extending in a forward longitudinal direction from a front end of said cavity, and said second connector has a plurality of second contacts that each extends through one of said second passages and that has a front termination end and that has a rear mating end with a surface that faces primarily rearwardly and that lies in said cavity; said first connector has a first insulator with a front end that can fit in said cavity, said first connector having a plurality of parallel first passages each extending in a longitudinal direction, and has a plurality of first contacts that each extends through one of said first passages, with each first contact having a front end forming a loop that has upper and lower ends each lying in a passage in said first insulator and a loop middle that is positioned to be pushed rearwardly by a surface of one of said second contacts as said first insulator front end moves into said cavity.
- 8. The combination described in claim 7 wherein:each of said passage has a front end and the loop at each contact extends in a single substantially 180° bend across substantially the entire height of the passage front end, with the upper and lower ends of each loop lying in the passage.
- 9. The combination described in claim 7 wherein:each of said first passages has a vertical height and a lateral width; each of said first contacts includes a plate portion that extends along substantially the entire height of one of said passages and that has upper and lower vertical plate ends, a strip portion and a right angle bend that connects said strip portion to said plate portion at one of said vertical plate ends, with said strip portion having a strip thickness and having a strip width that is greater than said strip thickness, with said strip width extending in a lateral direction that is normal to said plate portion, and with said strip portion forming said loop.
- 10. The combination described in claim 9, wherein:each of said first passages is of substantially rectangular shape with a laterally-extending width and with top and bottom walls spaced by a height that is a plurality of times as great as said width; said plate has top and bottom plate surfaces that lie in interference fit with said top and bottom walls of said passage.
- 11. A connector comprising:an insulator having a plurality of parallel passages and an insulator front mating end, with each passage having a front end with vertically spaced opposite sides; a plurality of contacts that are each mounted in one of said passages, with each contact having a contact front mating end; each contact front mating end comprises a single loop that projects forward out of said passage front end and forward of said insulator front mating end, with said loop having a loop middle that faces forwardly and which is the frontmost part of the contact, and with each loop having vertically spaced opposite loop sides; each of said loop opposite sides lies in a single one of said passages, with said loop opposite sides having locations that are vertically spaced apart by more than half the vertical height of said passage front end with said loop opposite sides biased against opposite sides of said passage, with said insulator forming a partially rearwardly-facing shoulder at one side of said insulator front mating end and with said loop having a loop side that lies against said shoulder.
- 12. The connector described in claim 11, wherein:each of said passages is of rectangular cross-section, with a width and with a height that is a plurality of times as great as said width; each of said contacts includes a plate portion that extends along the height of one of said passages and that has upper and lower vertically spaced plate ends that respectively engage upper and lower walls of said passage, and a strip portion that is connected to said plate portion in a right angle bend at one of said vertical plate ends, with said strip portion having a strip width that is greater than said strip thickness, with said strip width extending parallel to the width of said passage, and with said strip portion forming said loop that projects forward of said insulator front portion.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/439125 (now is U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,180) filed concurrently on Nov. 12, 1999.
US Referenced Citations (13)