Electrical connectors - Patent Review 6299492

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector comprising:

(a) a housing having an entry face and a plurality of apertures open to the entry face, each said aperture having a central plane;

(b) a plurality of female contacts positioned within at least some of said apertures so that each said contact is associated with one of the apertures, each said female contact including a contact body secured to the housing and one or more flexible cantilever beams having proximal ends connected to the contact body and distal ends remote from the contact body, said one or more female contacts associated with at least one said aperture being early-make contacts with cantilever beams having distal ends adjacent the entry face and proximal ends remote from the entry face, said one or more contacts associated with at least one other said aperture being late-make contacts with cantilever beams having distal ends remote from the entry face and proximal ends adjacent the entry face.

2. A connector as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing has contact-mounting features associated with said apertures, said contact bodies of said female contacts being engaged with said contact-mounting features associated with the apertures holding said female contacts, the apertures and contact-mounting features associated with said early-make contacts being identical with said apertures and contact-mounting features associated with said late-make contacts.

3. A connector as claimed in claim 2 further comprising one or more male contacts having contact bodies and contact beams extending from said contact bodies, said contact bodies of said male contacts being disposed in one or more of said apertures of said housing and engaged with said contact mounting features associated with apertures holding said male contacts, the apertures and contact-mounting features associated with said male contacts being identical with said apertures and contact-mounting features associated with said female contacts.

4. A connector as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least some of said apertures have pairs of said female contacts disposed therein, the contact bodies of each such pair being disposed on opposite sides of the central plane of the aperture housing such pair.

5. A connector as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least some of the female contacts are integral contacts having the cantilever beams formed integrally with the contact bodies.

6. A connector as claimed in claim 5 wherein in at least some of the integral contacts, the contact body has a first thickness and at least a portion of each said cantilever beam has a second thickness less than the first thickness.

7. A connector as claimed in claim 6 wherein in at least some of said integral contacts, the entirety of each said cantilever beam has the second thickness.

8. A connector as claimed in claim 5 wherein the contact bodies of said female contacts are generally planar, polygonal frames, each such polygonal frame having a plurality of sides extending at least partially around a central opening, the cantilever beams associated with each of said polygonal frames having proximal ends connected to a proximal side of such frames and distal ends projecting across the central opening.

9. A connector as claimed in claim 8 wherein said housing defines contact-receiving slots in each said aperture, said frames being disposed in said slots.

10. A connector as claimed in claim 9 wherein said apertures and slots associated with said early-make contacts are identical with said apertures and slots associated with said late-make contacts, said late make contacts having said frames positioned in said slots with said proximal sides adjacent the entry face, said early make contacts having said frames positioned in said slots with said proximal sides remote from the entry face.

11. A connector as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing has a bottom face facing in a downward direction and said entry face faces upwardly, away from said mounting face, said female contacts having said cantilever beams extending generally vertically.

12. A connector as claimed in claim 11 wherein at least some of said contacts have termination elements formed integrally with the contact bodies and projecting downwardly beyond said bottom face.

13. A connector as claimed in claim 1 wherein said housing has a bottom face facing in a downward direct