Claims
- 1. An electrical connector for mounting on an upper face of a circuit board and for use with a smart card which is of generally rectangular shape and which has an active face with a front portion having contact pads thereon, said connector comprising a support of insulating material which has laterally opposite sides and front and rear ends, said support having a support upper face for lying substantially against the front portion of said card active face, said support face having opposite side portions and a main portion lying between said side portions, said main portion of said support face having a lateral width and having front and rear ends (84, 86) that are longitudinally spaced by a predetermined main portion length, and said connector including a plurality of contacts with card-engaging ends lying in a primarily laterally extending row on said support main portion and projecting above said support face, said connector including a sheet metal cover with integral cover upper and lower portions having front sections lying respectively above and below the level of said support face, wherein:said cover upper portion has a rear section that extends rearward of said support main portion rear end by at least 25% of the length of said support main portion between its ends (84, 86), and said cover rear section forms lower rear flanges that lie under said cover upper portion, said lower rear flanges extend towards each other and lie at about the same level as said support face to guide a forwardly inserted card from a location between said cover upper and lower portion rear sections to a location between said support face and said cover upper portion; said rear flanges extend longitudinally rearward of said support main portion rear end by a distance that is at least 25% of said length of said support main portion, said lower rear flanges extend toward each other, but with a gap between them that is about as wide as said support main portion, whereby to leave a wide open area on the circuit board; wherein the contacts have tails lying at the rear end of said support main portion and said cover upper portion has at least one slot aligned with each said tails.
- 2. The connector described in claim 1 including:a card ejecting mechanism for moving a fully forwardly inserted card rearwardly so it can be pulled out; said ejecting mechanism including a pusher that can be manually pushed forward and a pivotally mounted lever that is pivoted by said pusher to push the card rearwardly when the pusher is pushed forward; said pusher having a pushing edge (178) and said lever having a lever end (170) lying in the path of said pushing edge, said pusher and lever being free of direct pivotal connection to each other.
- 3. An electrical connector for use with a smart card which is of generally rectangular shape but with a corner of the rectangle having a polarizing cutaway, the smart card having an active face with a front portion having contact pads thereon, said connector comprising a support of insulating material which has laterally opposite sides and front and rear ends, said support having a support face for lying substantially against the front portion of said card active face, and said connector including a plurality of contacts mounted on said support for engaging said contact pads of a forwardly fully inserted card, said connector including:a sheet metal cover that includes an upper cover portion lying above said support face to form a card-holding cavity between them; a card ejecting mechanism for moving a fully forwardly inserted card rearwardly so it can be pulled out; said ejecting mechanism including a pusher that can be manually pushed forward and a pivotally mounted lever that is pivoted by said pusher to push the card rearwardly when the pusher is pushed forward; said pusher being slideable in forward and rearward directions on said sheet metal cover; said lever is pivotally mounted about a vertical axis that lies in said polarizing cutaway of a fully inserted card; wherein said connector is constructed to mount on a circuit board that has an upper face with conductive traces thereon; and wherein: said support has a rear edge and said upper cover portion extends rearward of said rear edge; said plurality of contacts have tails that lie at said rear edge and that are soldered to said circuit board traces thereat; said upper cover portion has a slot lying over said tails, to thereby provide access for soldering.
- 4. An electrical connector for use with a smart card which is of generally rectangular shape and which has an active face with a front portion having contact pads thereon, said connector comprising a support of insulating material which has laterally opposite sides and front and rear ends, said support having a support upper face for lying substantially against the front portion of said card active face, said support face having opposite side portions and a main portion lying between said side portions, said main portion of said support face having front and rear ends, and said connector including a plurality of contacts with card-engaging ends lying in a primarily laterally extending row on said support main portion and projecting above said support face, said connector including a sheet metal cover with cover upper and lower portions having front sections lying respectively above and below the level of said support face, wherein:said cover upper portion has a rear section that extends rearward of said support main portion rear end by at least 25% of the length of said support main portion between its ends, and said cover lower portion has a rear section that lies under opposite sides of said cover upper portion rear section, said cover lower portion rear section lying at about the same level as said support face to guide a forwardly inserted card from a location between said cover upper and lower portion rear sections to a location between said support face and said cover upper portion; a card ejecting mechanism for moving a fully forwardly inserted card rearwardly so it can be pulled out; said ejecting mechanism including a pusher that can be manually pushed forward and a pivotally mounted lever that is pivoted by said pusher to push the card rearwardly when the pusher is pushed forward; said pusher being slideable solely in forward and rearward directions on said sheet metal cover; said sheet metal cover includes a lower portion with a part that lies under said support; said pusher is formed of a piece of sheet metal that has upper and lower pusher flanges lying astride said upper and lower cover portions.
- 5. An electrical connector for use with a smart card which is of generally rectangular shape and which has an active face with a front portion having contact pads thereon, said connector comprising a support of insulating material which has laterally opposite sides and front and rear ends, said support having a support face for lying substantially against the front portion of said card active face, and said connector including a plurality of contacts mounted on said support for engaging said contact pads of a forwardly fully inserted card, said connector including:a sheet metal cover that includes an upper cover portion lying above said support face to form a card-holding cavity between them; a card ejecting mechanism for moving a fully forwardly inserted card rearwardly so it can be pulled out; said ejecting mechanism including a pusher that can be manually pushed forward and a pivotally mounted lever that is pivoted by said pusher to push the card rearwardly when the pusher is pushed forward; said pusher being slideable in forward and rearward directions on said sheet metal cover; said sheet metal cover includes a lower portion that lies under said support; said pusher is formed of a piece of sheet metal that has upper and lower pusher flanges lying astride said upper and lower cover portions.
- 6. The connector described in claim 5 wherein:said pusher has slots in said upper and lower pusher flanges, said slots extending in forward and rearward directions; said upper and lower cover portions are formed with projecting portions that project into said slots to guide said pusher in sliding.
- 7. An electrical connector for use with a smart card which is of generally rectangular shape and which has an active face with a front portion having contact pads thereon, said connector comprising a support of insulating material which has laterally opposite sides and front and rear ends, said support having a support face for lying substantially against the front portion of said card active face, and said connector including a plurality of contacts mounted on said support for engaging said contact pads of a forwardly fully inserted card, said connector including:a sheet metal cover that includes an upper cover portion lying above said support face to form a card-holding cavity between them; a card ejecting mechanism for moving a fully forwardly inserted card rearwardly so it can be pulled out; said ejecting mechanism including a pusher that can be manually pushed forward and a pivotally mounted lever that is pivoted by said pusher to push the card rearwardly when the pusher is pushed forward; said pusher being slideable in forward and rearward directions on said sheet metal cover; said sheet metal cover includes a lower cover portion with lower front flanges lying below portions of said support, and lower rear flanges each lying below a rear portion of said upper cover portion; said lower rear flanges having main parts lying at a higher level than said lower front flanges and said lower rear flanges having rear ends forming tabs that extend at rearward-downward inclines.
- 8. An electrical connector for use with a smart card that is of generally rectangular shape but with an approximately 45° cutaway at a polarizing corner that lies at an intersection of imaginary extensions of a card front edge and a card slide edge, the card having an active face with a front portion having contact pads thereon, said connector including a housing that forms a card receiving cavity into which the card can be forwardly inserted to a fully inserted position until it hits a stop, with the housing including an insulative support with a support face forming a wall of said cavity and lying substantially against the front portion of the active face of a fully inserted card, said connector including a plurality of contacts mounted on said support for engaging said contact pads of a fully inserted card, said connector comprising:an ejection mechanism for moving a forwardly fully inserted card rearwardly, including a lever that is pivotally mounted on said housing about a vertical axis, said axis lying rearward of said card front edge in said fully inserted position of said card; said support face lies at a predetermined level and said support has a raised part that is raised above the level of said support face by at least one-fourth the thickness of the card, with said raised part forming an edge that substantially engages said card polarized corner when the card is fully installed; said raised part has a top face lying below the top of an inserted card, and said lever lies on said top face of said raised part.
- 9. An electrical connector for use with a smart card that is of generally rectangular shape and that has an active face with a front portion having contact pads thereon, said connector including a housing that forms a card receiving cavity into which the card can be forwardly inserted to a fully inserted position until it hits a stop, with the housing including an insulative support with a support face forming a wall of said cavity and lying substantially against the front portion of the active face of a fully inserted card, said support having a lower face, said connector including a plurality of contacts mounted on said support for engaging said contact pads of a fully inserted card, wherein:said housing includes a sheet metal cover with upper and lower cover portions lying respectively above and below portions of said support, and said cover has laterally opposite sides that connect said upper and lower cover portions; said upper cover portion covers substantially the entire width and length of said cavity, and said lower cover portion includes a pair of flanges that lie rearward of said support and that extend toward each other and with a gap between them.
- 10. An electrical connector for use with a smart card that is of generally rectangular shape and that has an active face with a front portion having contact pads thereon and which has a front edge, said connector including a housing that forms a card receiving cavity into which the card can be forwardly inserted to a fully inserted position until it hits a stop, with the housing including an insulative support with a support face forming a wall of said cavity and lying substantially against the front portion of the active face of a fully inserted card, said support having a lower face, said connector including a plurality of contacts mounted on said support for engaging said contact pads of a fully inserted card, wherein:said housing includes a sheet metal cover with upper and lower cover portions lying respectively above and below portions of said support; and including a card ejecting mechanism that includes a one-piece pusher that is slideably mounted on said cover, and a lever pivotally mounted on said support and having a first end in the path of said pusher and a second end that pushes said card front edge rearwardly when said first end is pushed forwardly; said pusher being slideably mounted on said sheet metal cover to slide solely in forward and rearward directions, and said pusher having a rear end forming a tab that can be manually pushed.
- 11. An electrical connector for use with a smart card which is of generally rectangular shape and which has an active face with a front portion having contact pads thereon, said connector comprising a support of insulating material which has laterally opposite sides and front and rear ends, said support having a support upper face for lying substantially against the front portion of said card active face, said support face having opposite side portions, and said connector including a plurality of contacts with card-engaging ends lying in a primarily laterally extending row on said support and projecting above said support face, said connector including a sheet metal cover with cover upper and lower portions having front sections lying respectively above and below the level of said support face, wherein:said upper cover portion has a rear end, and said support rear end has a rear edge, said contacts having tails lying at said rear edge, said rear edge lying forward of said upper cover portion rear end; said upper cover has at least one slot, said at least one slot being aligned with each of said tails.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
99 13066 |
Oct 1999 |
FR |
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a continuation-in-part of PCT application PCT/EP 00/10261 filed Oct. 18, 2000, which claims priority from French application FR 9913066 filed Oct. 20, 1999.
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
PCT/EP00/10261 |
Oct 2000 |
US |
Child |
09/883041 |
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US |