FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to multiple-contact connectors for use with electronic circuit boards, chips, chip carriers and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the electronic industry, an important factor is the rapid and accurate assembly of leads, terminals and contacts with the contact pads of printed circuit boards or other substrates. For convenience of connecting such elements, it has previously been suggested to facilitate the soldering of their connection by securing a solder slug or mass to one of the elements so that, when positioned in engagement with the other element and heated, the molten solder will cover the adjacent surfaces of both elements to form, when cooled, a soldered joint providing both a mechanical coupling and an electrical connection between the elements. Various arrangements of solder-holding elements are disclosed in Seidler Patents Nos. 4,120,558, 4,203,648, 4,679,889 and 5,052,954 in each of which a lead has a finger or tab struck from it holding a solder mass to the lead.

As the art has progressed, there has been an increasing need for connectors between various types of devices, such as recent developments in "smart cards" which generally include a credit-card-sized substrate including integrated circuit elements which can be repeatedly reprogrammed to alter the stored information on the card. These integrated circuits are connected to terminals (i.e., contact pads) on the faces or edges of the

smart card. Many uses have been suggested for these smart cards, including bank cards that include not only account identification information, but also current balance information or the like. There is therefore a need for easily connecting a smart card or the like having exposed contact pads, to other circuit elements which would be responsible for reading and recording or otherwise processing the information stored on the card. One type of connector that could be adapted for use with a smart card is the edge clip connector shown in Fig. 10 of Seidler Patent No. 4,679,889, which shows a device for permitting connecting a plug- in printed circuit board to another substrate by surface mounting. This connection includes a multiple-contact circuit board edge connector having a housing in which are mounted spring contacts for separable connection to contact pads on a circuit board when inserted. Extending from the bottom of the housing and integral with the individual spring contacts are leads which are bent outwardly at a right angle from the spring contacts so that the connector may be surface mounted to a substrate that is in a perpendicular relationship with the circuit board. The terminal end of each spring contact is formed to carry a solder mass, which is placed in register with a respective contact pad of the substrate and soldered to it by usual IR or vapor soldering techniques. Alternatively, the solder mass was omitted, and paste solder and flux applied to the contact pads before aligning the connector terminal ends.

There are significant drawbacks to this configuration, however. First, not all components are intended to be surface mounted, and in certain space configurations, surface mounting would be impossible. Second, since the two solder-bearing terminals of the connector are both contacting the same surface of the substrate and are essentially resting on the substrate, it is necessary to accurately hold the leads with respect to the contact pads on the substrate during soldering to prevent improper soldered connections.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the deficiencies in the prior art noted above, it is an object of the invention to provide a connector for separably attaching a multi-pin plug connector or printed circuit board or similar substrate to another substrate (such as a smart card) in generally parallel or aligned relationship to the connector.

It is another object of the invention to provide a connector that will resiliently retain the connector on the substrate during soldering to improve retaining the proper positioning thereof.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a connector useful for coupling smart cards, circuit boards or other substrates to external circuits, and which is simple and cost effective to manufacture.

In accordance with the objects of the invention, a connector is provided having a housing. One or more parallel sets of spring contacts are retained in the housing. The housing may have an open end into which a circuit substrate having bare contact pads may be inserted to contact the spring contacts. Alternatively, a multi-pin plug connector may be inserted into the housing open end. Integral with each of the spring contacts but extending outside of the housing is a solder-bearing terminal for connection to another substrate. Preferably two parallel rows of solder-bearing leads are used which straddle and hold a substrate between them with a resilient force during soldering to improve accuracy and reliability in soldering.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above mentioned and other objects, advantages and embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiments in conjunction with a review of the ^' appended drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a connector according

to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse cross-section of the connector of Fig. 1 along line 1-1 thereof;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of the device of Fig. l adapted to receive a dual row, multi-pin connector. Fig. 6 is a front elevational view of a modified form of the device of Fig. 1 adapted to receive a substrate with contact pads registering with the spring contacts.

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of a modification of the devices of Figs. 1-4, 5 and 6. Fig. 8 is a side elevation view of another modification of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a connector 10 including an outer housing 12. The housing is preferably formed of a non-conductive material, such as plastic, and may be preformed or molded. Extending from the housing are two parallel rows of conductive resilient leads 14 each of which is solder- bearing at or near its end or terminal with a solder slug or mass 16 held firmly to the lead. In the preferred embodiments, the solder is held near the distal end 18 of the individual leads 14.

As can be seen in Fig. l, the solder is held to each individual lead on the surface that faces an opposite lead 14.

This will allow any substrate 20 inserted between the two sets of leads 14 to be resiliently held between the leads with the solder abutting the surfaces of substrate 20. The leads 14 are spaced to be located in registry with conductive pads or the substrate 20, and straddle the substrate. The overall length of the ^' connector 10, the number of leads 14 and the spacing between the leads is correlated to each particular substrate, is dependent on

the length of the substrate 20, and the number of and spacing between the corresponding contact pads 22 on the surfaces of the substrate 20.

As can be seen in Fig. 2, the solder mass 16 on each lead 14 abuts a corresponding contact pad 22 on one of the two opposing surfaces 24a, 24b of the substrate 20. Although in the preferred embodiment the solder 16 is held in place by triangular tabs 26 that are bent up from the sides of the leads 14 and indented into the solder masses 16, as is shown in prior Patent No. 4,728,305 it is to be understood that any known method of attaching the solder masses 16 to the leads 14 is contemplated by the present invention. If contact pads 22 are present on only one of the two surfaces of the substrate 24a, 24b, it is contemplated that a non-conductive plug may be substituted for the solder masses 16 in the other set of the leads 14.

The housing 12 includes a plurality of channels 28 each of which includes a tapered opening 30 (e.g., a frustum of a pyranid) opposite the end from which its respective lead 14 extends. Individual spring contacts 31 are mounted within the respective channels against the walls 32 of the channels.

As seen in Figs. 3 and 4, each of spring contacts 31 preferably has a curved finger 34 struck out from a mid-portion of the contact 31, with finger 34 extending inward from the walls 32 into channel 28. Each of the apertures 30 and channels 28 will receive a pin of a dual row multi-pin connector to be coupled to the smart card or other substrate. Since each pin will have a width similar to that of the channels 28, the finger 34 will flex and contact the pin resiliently. The contacts 31 are prevented from moving away from the walls 32 in any suitable manner, such as by being molded in place or secured in grooves in the side wall of channel 28.

Fig. 5 shows a modification of the device of Figs. 1-4, where the openings 30A are made frustro-conical to guide pins of the mating multi-pin plug into engagement with spring contacts 31.

Fig. 6 shows a modification in which the housing is adapted to receive a substrate with contact pads in register with the spring contacts. In this instance, the central partition 50 shown in Fig. 2 is omitted. As seen in Fig. 2, the contacts and leads 14 are in a generally aligned arrangement without any significant angles along their length. This allows them to straddle over a smart card 20 generally in the plane of the smart card. Where desired, the leads 14 may be offset as shown in Fig. 7 so that the smart card 20 with leads 14 and connector 10 may rest on the same planar surface.

While Fig. 2 shows a square tapered entry 30 for the mating pins, it will be understood that circular tapered entries may be used if desired, as shown in Fig. 5. The "straddle termination" of Figs. 1-4 may also be a central one, with minimal length of terminals 14B, as seen in Fig. 8.

Thus, it can be seen that a connector is provided for releasably connecting a multi-pin connector or another circuit board to a smart card or the like, in a generally aligned or parallel relationship. Further, the construction and positioning of the leads 14 causes the substrate 20 to be resiliently held between them during soldering, thereby facilitating reliable soldering.

The objects and the advantages of the present invention are achieved by the embodiments shown and described. It is to be understood that these embodiments are shown and described solely for the purpose of illustration, and not for purpose of limitation, the present invention being limited only by the following claims.