Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6666717
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Patent Number
6,666,717
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Date Filed
Thursday, July 25, 200222 years ago
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Date Issued
Tuesday, December 23, 200320 years ago
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Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
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CPC
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US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 439 5415
- 439 159
- 439 160
- 439 567
- 439 631
- 439 637
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International Classifications
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Abstract
A pair of horizontal type connectors are densely arranged in a front-to-back direction. The front connector including an insulative housing with a horizontally forwardly facing mating port. A pair of piers forwardly extend from two opposite ends of the front connector. The rear connector including an insulative housing with a horizontally forwardly facing mating port. A pair of piers forwardly extend from two opposite ends of the rear connector. The front connector includes a pair of cutouts around a rear portion in alignment with the corresponding piers of the front connector, respectively. The cutout is configured to allow the front end of the corresponding pier of the rear connector located thereabove while without interference therewith when the front connector is upwardly moved.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to horizontal type DIMM (Dual In-line Memory Module) connectors, and particularly to dense arrangement of multiple horizontal type DIMM connectors.
2. The Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,606 having the same inventor and the same assignee with the invention, discloses structures of identical slanted type DIMM connectors for dense arrangement. Understandably, the slanted type DIMM connector is to replace the vertical type DIMM connector, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,887, for reducing the height/profile of the module/connector assembly. Anyhow, under some situations, the slanted type DIMM connectors are still unable to meet the strict low profile requirements because the DIMM module, which is inserted into the DIMM connector, obliquely upwardly extends from the DIMM connector thereby still occupying significant space in the vertical direction. Thus, the horizontal type DIMM connectors were provided to meet such requirements. Such conventional horizontal type DIMM connector is only for single use without concerns about usage of more than one horizontal type DIMM connectors. The invention is to provide a pair of horizontal type DIMM connectors which are adapted to be densely arranged in a front-to-back direction to reach the minimum height/profile in the vertical direction, the minimum space in the horizontal direction, and free release from the mother board for each individual horizontal type DIMM connector without obstacle during a de-soldering/rework process as pursued in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,606.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to an aspect of the invention, a first horizontal type DIMM connector includes a first insulative housing defining a first slot with a plurality of first contacts by two sides of the first slot. A pair of first piers extend forwardly from two opposite ends of the first housing, respectively. A pair of ejectors are horizontally pivotally mounted on the pair of first piers, respectively. A second horizontal type DIMM connector includes a second insulative housing defining a second slot with a plurality of second contacts by two sides of the second slot. A pair of second piers extends forwardly from two opposite ends of the first housing. A pair of ejectors are horizontally pivotally mounted on the pair of second piers, respectively. The second housing is positioned at the rear upper position with regard to the first housing.
The bottom face of the second housing is spaced from the upper face of the first housing with a distance so as not to have the module inserted into the second slot interfere with either the first housing or another module inserted into the first housing.
The rear portion of the first housing opposite to the first pier defines a cutout which is dimensioned, along the lengthwise direction of the first and second housings, larger than the front end of the second pier, and along the front-to-back direction close to the bottom of the ejector of the first connector, so that the front end of the second pier is structurally located above while being able to be compliantly vertically receiveably projected within said cutout when said second connector is densely/closely positioned behind the first connector.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of a pair of connectors without showing ejectors and contacts thereof according to the invention.
FIG. 2
is a perspective view of the first connector of FIG.
1
.
FIG. 3
is another perspective view of the first connector of
FIG. 1
without showing the board locks thereof.
FIG. 4
is a partially enlarged perspective view of the first connector of FIG.
1
.
FIG. 5
is a perspective view of the first connector of
FIG. 1
with the inserted DIMM module therein.
FIG. 6
is a side view of the pair of connectors of
FIG. 1
without showing the board locks thereof.
FIG. 7
is a partially enlarged perspective view of the first connector according to another embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
References will now be in detail to the preferred embodiments of the invention. While the present invention has been described in with reference to the specific embodiments, the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention. Various modifications to the present invention can be made to the preferred embodiments by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by appended claims.
It will be noted here that for a better understanding, most of like components are designated by like reference numerals throughout the various figures in the embodiments. Attention is directed to
FIGS. 1-6
wherein a first horizontal type DIMM connector
10
includes a first insulative housing
12
with an elongated body defining a first central slot
14
with a plurality of first contacts
16
by two sides of the first central
14
.
A pair of first piers
18
forwardly extend from two opposite ends of the first housing
12
, respectively. A pair of first ejectors
20
are pivotally mounted on the pair of first piers
18
, respectively. Three first standoffs
22
are respectively located on a bottom face
24
of the first housing
12
for raising up the first housing
12
so that it is easy to assemble the DIMM module
100
into the first central slot
14
of the first connector
10
without interference with the components of the mother board (not shown) on which the first connector is mounted.
The board locks
26
and the posts
28
are optionally extend downwardly from the first standoffs
22
for retaining the first connector
10
on the mother board (not shown). Two spacer
30
are provided on a rear portion of the first housing
12
for aligning tails of the first contacts
16
.
A second connector
40
is located around a rear upper portion of the first connector
10
. The second connector
40
includes a second insulative housing
42
with an elongated body defining a second central slot
44
with a plurality of second contacts
46
by two sides of the second central slot
44
.
A pair of second piers
48
forwardly extend from two opposite ends of the second housing
42
, respectively. A pair of second ejectors
50
are pivotally mounted on the pair of second piers
48
. Three second standoffs
52
are respectively located on a bottom face
54
of the second housing
42
for raising up the second housing
42
. The second standoffs
52
is higher than the first standoffs
22
so that it is easy to assembly another DIMM module
100
into the second central slot
44
of the second connector
40
without interference with either the first housing
12
or the associated DIMM module
100
received in the first central slot
14
. The second connector
30
also includes structures of the posts/board locks, and the spacers, which perform the similar functions as those in the first connector
10
.
The first housing
12
defines in the rear portion a pair of cutouts
32
opposite to the first pair of piers
18
in a front-to-back direction. The cutout
32
is dimensioned to be larger than the front end of the corresponding second pier
48
in a lengthwise direction of the first housing
12
and the second housing
42
. Also, the cutout
32
is recessed close to the bottom of the first ejector
20
in a front-to-back direction. Under this situation, the second connector
40
is able to be located behind the first connector
10
as close as possible to have the front end
49
of the second pier
48
structurally located above while being compliantly vertically receivebly projected within the corresponding cutout
32
without interference. Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 6
, the surface
34
beside the cutout
32
is located in front of the edge
491
of the front end
49
of the second pier
48
along the front-to-back direction, and the surface
36
beside the cutout
32
is located more inwardly in comparison with the inner edge
492
of the front end
49
of the second pier
48
. At the same time, the bottom face
54
of the second housing
42
is spaced from the top face
38
of the first housing
12
with a distance so as to have the module
100
inserted therein will not interfere with either the first housing
12
or the module
100
inserted in the first housing
12
.
It is noted that in this embodiment, both the first connector
10
and the second connector
40
are not identical while sharing most same portions for saving molding cost. In other words, the differences may only include heights of the standoffs and the tail lengths of the contacts. It is also noted that as mentioned only one of the board lock
26
and the post
28
may be required as shown in
FIG. 7
wherein the post
28
and a portion of the associated standoffs
22
are removed.
Similar to the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,606, the first connector
10
and the second connector
40
can be densely/closely arranged together in a front-to-back direction while the first connector
10
may be removed from the mother board for rework without being disturbing the second connector
40
thereabouts. Understandably, the ejectors
50
of the second connector
40
should be in an open position during removal of the first connector
10
. Different from the slanted type DIMM connectors aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,606, in the invention the first connector
10
and the second connector
40
are not identical with each other and positioned at two different levels while such slanted DIMM connectors are identical with each other and essentially located at the same level.
While the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention. Various modifications to the present invention can be made to the preferred embodiments by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claim.
Therefore, person of ordinary skill in this field are to understand that all such equivalent structures are to be included within the scope of the following claims.
Claims
- 1. An electrical connector assembly comprising:discrete and different first and second horizontal type connectors; said first connector including: a first insulative housing defining a first horizontal forwardly facing slot with a plurality of first contacts by two sides thereof; a pair of first horizontal piers extending forwardly from two opposite ends of the first housing; first standoffs extending perpendicularly and downwardly from a bottom face of the first housing and each of the first standoffs including a post extending downwardly therefrom; said second connector including: a second insulative housing defining a second horizontal forwardly facing slot with a plurality of second contacts by two sides thereof; a pair of second horizontal piers extending forwardly from two opposite ends of the second housing; second standoffs extending perpendicularly and downwardly from a bottom face of the second housing and each of said second standoffs including a post extending downwardly therefrom, said second housing positioned densely behind and above and in front-to-back alignment with the first housing; a pair of first cutouts formed at two opposite ends of a rear portion of the fist housing opposite to the corresponding first piers, respectively, and each of said first cutouts being dimensioned to be larger than a front end of the corresponding second pier in a lengthwise direction of the first housing; wherein said front end of the second pier is structurally located above the corresponding first cutout while being receiveably vertically projected within the first cutout without interference; wherein the second standoffs are higher than the fist standoffs; wherein the second connector is elevated above the first connector; wherein a pair of second cutouts are formed in the second housing similar to the first cutouts in the first housing; wherein the bottom face of the second housing is vertically spaced from a top face of the first housing; wherein a pair of ejectors are pivotally mounted on the corresponding piers, respectively.
- 2. The assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the fist pier and the second pier are dimensionally similar to each other.
- 3. The assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said cutout is recessed in a back-to-front direction closed to a bottom of the ejector.
US Referenced Citations (5)