Existing female terminals are generally formed having opposing contact surfaces which serve for receiving the corresponding male terminal. Typically the contact surfaces which retain the male connector are unsupported cantilever structures which are configured to interface with the male connector in a specific orientation. However, common female terminals do not establish significant retention force and fail to retain the male terminal.

To provide for effective retention, a complex interface between the male and female contacts is commonly provided. However, due to the complexity of the interface, the male terminal can not be repetitively inserted in the correct position to consistently establish an effective electrical contact without distorting the female connector. Accordingly, undesirable deformation of the female terminal eventually results in an electrical discontinuity between the female and male terminals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the problems encountered with conventional connectors by providing a female terminal which improves the contact zone and the pressure exerted on a male terminal. The present invention further provides an interface area to repetitively receive the male terminal and consistently establish direct electrical contact.

The present invention provides an improved female terminal for attachment to a PCB through a plurality of extending legs. The connector body has a major lateral base which extend upwards from the legs and is folded over upon itself to establish a 180 degree fold or elbow to define a contact surface. The contact surfaces extend into the interior of the body and are supported by an embossing formed into the terminal body. The embossing therefore prevent undesirable distortion and provide additional electrical contact area for the contact surfaces which receive, retain, and establish the corresponding electrical contact with an inserted male terminal.

Additionally, as the lower portion of the connector body is in contact with the printed circuit board, the opposite portion includes appropriate stops, which impede the male terminal from surpassing a certain depth and interfering with the circuit traces of the printed circuit board. The connector body further defines a minor lateral base which include the stops an observation slots to allow visual confirmation of the correct insertion of the male terminal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The various features and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the currently preferred embodiment. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved female terminal of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an elevation front view of the improved female terminal along the major lateral base; and Figure 3 is an elevation lateral view of the improved female terminal (10) along the minor lateral base.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Figure 1 illustrates an improved female terminal 10 according to the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the terminal 10 is preferably formed as a one-piece connector body 20 having a major lateral base 12 and a minor lateral base 13. The lower portion 11 of the major lateral base 12 includes a plurality of legs 15 to connect the terminal 10 with a circuit trace of a printed circuit board 22 while the upper portion 21 defines an open end for receipt of a male connector (not shown). The connector body 20 further includes embossing 14 in each of the major lateral bases 12 and an observation slot 19 in each of the minor lateral bases 13.

The terminal 10 is preferably formed as a box-like structure having contact surfaces 16A extending into the interior of the connector body 20.

The contact surfaces 16A are preferably formed by folding the major lateral base 12 along a 180 degree elbow 16 (figure 3). The upper portion 21 of the major lateral bases 12 extend along elbowed surfaces 16 which converge one towards the other and into the interior of the connector body 20 to define the contact surfaces 16A and create an interface area contact zone for receipt of a male connector (not shown).

As shown in figure 2, the major lateral bases 12 include embossing 14.

The embossing 14 are preferably integrally formed in the major lateral bases 12 and support contact surfaces 16A. The contact surfaces 16A are folded at the elbow 16 to form a substantially curvalinear plane which meets the embossing 14 (figure 3). The embossing 14 therefore provide support and additional electrical contact area for the contact surfaces 16A to receive, retain, and establish the corresponding electrical contact with an inserted male

terminal. By supporting the contact surfaces 16A with the embossing 14, deformation caused by the repetitively insertion of a male contact is minimized. Additionally, as the embossing 14 are integrally formed with the terminal 10 and are in direct contact the contact surfaces 16A effective electrical contact is maintained after insertion of the male connector. Thus, once the male connector is inserted, the contact surfaces 16A deflect against the embossing 14 and electrical contact is continually assured.

To prevent the male terminal (not shown) from surpassing a certain depth and interfering with the circuit traces of the printed circuit board 22 a stop 17 is provided along the upper portion of the minor lateral base 13. The minor lateral base 13 further includes observation slots 19 which allows the visual observation of the contact panes 16A during insertion of the male terminal.

The foregoing description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.