US20100029124A1 - Card Connector - Google Patents
Card Connector Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20100029124A1 US20100029124A1 US12/182,995 US18299508A US2010029124A1 US 20100029124 A1 US20100029124 A1 US 20100029124A1 US 18299508 A US18299508 A US 18299508A US 2010029124 A1 US2010029124 A1 US 2010029124A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- card
- housing
- sliding member
- notch
- memory card
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 230000006870 function Effects 0.000 description 8
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 7
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000000284 resting effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000004026 adhesive bonding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003989 dielectric material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005476 soldering Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003466 welding Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
- H01R13/627—Snap or like fastening
- H01R13/6271—Latching means integral with the housing
- H01R13/6272—Latching means integral with the housing comprising a single latching arm
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06K13/00—Conveying record carriers from one station to another, e.g. from stack to punching mechanism
- G06K13/02—Conveying record carriers from one station to another, e.g. from stack to punching mechanism the record carrier having longitudinal dimension comparable with transverse dimension, e.g. punched card
- G06K13/08—Feeding or discharging cards
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
- H01R13/629—Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances
- H01R13/633—Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances for disengagement only
- H01R13/635—Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances for disengagement only by mechanical pressure, e.g. spring force
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S439/00—Electrical connectors
- Y10S439/946—Memory card cartridge
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a card connector, in particular to a memory card connector.
- Memory cards for storing data are used in many electronic devices, such as video cameras, digital still cameras, smartphones, PDA's, music players, ATMs, cable television decoders, toys, games, PC adapters, multi-media cards and other electronic applications.
- a card reader which typically is part of an electronic device, is used to read data from a memory card and transmit the data to the electronic device. And a card reader may also be used to write data from the electronic device to the memory card.
- a card connector is used to connect a memory card to a card reader.
- a common type of card connector is the push-push type, in which a memory card is first pushed into the cavity of the card connector to a latched operative position and is pushed again to be ejected and released from the latched position.
- a memory card connector 26 includes a dielectric housing 28 and a sheet metal shell 30 .
- the housing 28 and metal shell 30 together define a cavity 32 for receiving a memory card 36 ( FIG. 5 ).
- the cavity 32 has a front insertion opening 34 for a memory card to be inserted into and removed from the cavity 32 .
- the rear section 28 a of the housing 28 has through passages 38 for mounting a plurality of terminals 58 for connecting the memory card to a card reader.
- the memory card connector 26 also includes a card sliding member mechanism 60 located within the housing 28 .
- the card sliding member mechanism 60 includes a cam slider (a sliding member) 62 , a pin 64 and a coil spring 66 .
- the coil spring 66 is mounted on a spring mounting post 48 ( FIG. 3 ) and is sandwiched between the cam slider 62 and a rear wall portion 42 b.
- the cam slider 62 includes a rear, upwardly projecting body block 62 a and a forwardly projecting locking arm 62 b .
- the distal end of the locking arm 62 b includes a locking projection 68 , which has a gentle sloping surface 68 a at the lead side of the projection and an abrupt catch surface 68 b at the rear of the projection 68 .
- the cam slider 62 also includes a heart-shaped cam slot 70 on an outside face 62 c of the locking arm 62 b .
- the heart-shaped cam slot 70 is of a conventional “push/push” configuration.
- a first end 64 a of the pin 64 is fixed to a side wall section 28 b of the housing 28 .
- a second end 64 b of the pin 64 is captured in the heart-shaped cam slot 70 . Therefore, the second end 64 b of the pin 64 follows the contour of the cam slot 70 .
- the coil spring 66 constantly urges the cam slider 62 in a forward direction toward the front insertion opening 34 of the card-receiving cavity 32 .
- FIGS. 15-18 of the '828 patent show how the memory card 36 is inserted into the card-receiving cavity 32 through the front insertion opening 34 and placed in the latched operative position.
- the memory card 36 is inserted into the cavity 32 in the direction of the arrow designed by “A.”
- the memory card 36 is at a point where the memory card 36 rides along the gentle sloped surface 68 a ( FIG. 14 ) of the locking projection 68 to bias the locking projection 68 and the locking arm 62 b downwardly.
- FIG. 16 shows the memory card 36 being inserted further in the direction of arrow “A” until the locking projection 68 of the locking arm 62 b snaps into a locking recess 36 b at the edge of the memory card 36 , where the contacts on the underside of the memory card 36 are in contact with the terminals 58 ( FIG. 11 ).
- the memory card 36 now is locked to the cam slider 62 so that the memory card 36 and cam slider 62 move together.
- FIG. 17 of the '828 patent shows the memory card 36 and cam slider 62 being pushed all the way inwardly to an “overrun” or inner limit position. At this position, the memory card 36 and cam slider 62 further compress the coil spring 66 .
- the spring arm 84 ( FIGS. 2 and 7 ) which is stamped and formed out of a side plate 30 b of the metal shell 30 , is effective to bias the pin 64 into the heart-shaped cam slot 70 of the cam slider 62 .
- the lock of the projection 68 of the locking arm 62 b with the recess 36 b of the memory card 36 can be either a soft lock or a hard lock.
- a soft lock the lock of the projection 68 with the recess 36 b can prevent accidental removal of the memory card 36 from its latched operative position. But it cannot prevent the memory card 36 from being forcefully pulled out from its latched operative position.
- a hard lock the lock of the projection 68 with the recess 36 b can prevent the memory card 36 from being pulled out either by accident or by the application of a force.
- FIGS. 1A and 1B of the present application are schematic drawings of a hard lock between a projection 68 and a recess 36 b of the memory card 36 .
- the configuration of the projection 68 prevents the memory card 36 from being removed when the projection 68 is engaged with the recess 36 b.
- the inventor of the present application recognizes that in a conventional memory card connector with a hard lock, a forceful removal of the memory card from the latched operative position may damage the memory card connector.
- the first end 64 a of the pin 64 is fixed to the side wall section 28 b of the housing 28 , and the second end 64 b of the pin 64 latches into the latch notch 70 a of the heart-shaped cam slot 70 .
- FIG. 2 of the present application illustrates the pin 64 when the memory card 36 is not being forcefully pulled from the latched position.
- FIG. 3 of the present application illustrates the pin 64 when the memory card 36 is being forcefully pulled from the latched position, causing the pin 64 to bow out, thereby damaging the pin 64 .
- the applicant's invention solves this problem by using a latching member connected to the housing to keep (or latch) the memory card in the latched operative position.
- a pulling force on the memory card is transmitted from the memory card to the latching member and then to the housing.
- a pulling force on the memory card 36 is transmitted from the memory card 36 to the projection 68 , then to the cam slider 62 , to the pin 64 , and finally to the housing 28 . Since the pin 64 is used to transmit the force, it may be damaged if the force is sufficiently large.
- a card connector includes a housing, a sliding member that is configured to receive a card, and a latching member that is connected to the housing.
- the latching member is configured to engage the card to prevent the card from being removed from the housing.
- the sliding member is slidable relative to the housing;
- the sliding member is at least partially disposed in the housing, and the sliding member has a first position and a second position that is further inside the housing than the first position.
- the latching member has an engaged position and a disengaged position. At the engaged position the latching member engages the card to prevent the card from being removed from the housing. At the disengaged position the latching member is disengaged from the card thus allowing the card to be removed from the housing.
- the latching member when the sliding member is at the second position the latching member is at the engaged position to engage the card to prevent the card from being removed from the housing, and when the sliding member is at the first position the latching member is at the disengaged position and is disengaged with the card, thus allowing the card to be removed from the housing.
- the sliding member includes a notch.
- the sliding member pushes the latching member to the disengaged position.
- the notch of the sliding member allows the latching member to be at the engaged position.
- the card includes a notch.
- the latching member engages with the notch of the card to prevent the card from being removed from the card connector.
- the latching member and the notch of the card are configured so that when the latching member engages with the notch of the card to prevent the card from being pulled out of the housing, the engagement does not lift the latching member from the engaged position to the disengaged position.
- the latching member and the notch of the sliding member are configured so that the latching member is moved from the engaged position to the disengaged position when the sliding member moves from the second position into the first position.
- the notch of the sliding member includes an incline which allows the notch to lift the latching member out of the notch of the card when the sliding member moves from the second position into the first position.
- the latching member includes a locking member and an elastic member that connects the locking member to the housing.
- the locking member has an engaged position and a disengaged position and the elastic member biases the locking member towards the engaged position.
- the card includes a notch.
- the locking member engages with the notch of the card to prevent the card from being removed from the card connector.
- the locking member and the notch of the card are configured so that when the locking member engages with the notch of the card to prevent the card from being pulled out of the housing, the engagement does not lift the locking member from the engaged position to the disengaged position.
- the locking member and the notch of the sliding member are configured so that when the sliding member moves from the second position into the first position, the locking member is moved from the engaged position to the disengaged position.
- the notch of the sliding member includes an incline which allows the notch to lift the locking member out of the notch of the card when the sliding member moves from the second position into the first position.
- the notches are aligned along a lateral direction of the housing.
- the housing includes a side rail and the latching member is connected to the side rail.
- the housing includes a cover and the latching member is connected to the cover.
- a card connector includes a housing, a sliding member that is designed to receive a card, and a latching member.
- the sliding member is slidable relative to the housing.
- the latching member includes an engaged position where the latching member engages the card to prevent the card from being removed from the housing, and a disengaged position where the latching member is disengaged with the card to allow the card to be removed from the housing.
- the sliding member moves the latching member between the engaged position and the disengaged position.
- the sliding member is at least partially disposed in the housing, and it has a first position and a second position that is further inside the housing than the first position.
- the latching member when the sliding member is at the second position the latching member is at the engaged position to engage the card to prevent the card from being removed from the housing.
- the latching member When the sliding member is at the first position the latching member is at the disengaged position and is disengaged with the card, thus allowing the card to be removed from the housing.
- the sliding member includes a notch.
- the sliding member pushes the latching member to the disengaged position.
- the notch of the sliding member allows the latching member to be at the engaged position.
- the card includes a notch.
- the latching member engages with the notch of the card to prevent the card from being removed from the card connector.
- FIGS. 1A and 1B show a hard lock between the projection 68 of a locking arm and the recess of a memory card.
- FIG. 2 shows the pin of a memory card connector when the memory card is not being forcefully pulled from the latched position.
- FIG. 3 shows the pin of a memory card connector when the memory card is being forcefully pulled from the latched position.
- FIG. 4 shows a preferred memory card connector of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 shows another preferred memory card connector having a housing cover.
- FIG. 6A shows the preferred memory card connector of FIG. 4 having a memory card inserted therein.
- FIG. 6B is a detailed view of the latching mechanism of the preferred memory card connector shown in FIG. 4 .
- FIG. 7 shows a memory card at the released position.
- FIG. 8 shows a memory card at the latched position.
- a memory card connector 20 of the present invention may include a housing 30 , a sliding member 50 (which is in many respects similar to the cam slider of the '838 patent), and a locking mechanism 60 .
- the sliding member 50 is used to receive a memory card 80 and can slide within the housing 30 .
- the locking mechanism 60 is used to latch the memory card 80 at the operative position and to prevent the memory card 80 from being dislodged from the operative position.
- the housing 30 is preferably made from a dielectric material and includes two rails 32 , 34 , a plurality of electric terminals 36 , and an opening 38 .
- the two rails 32 , 34 arranged in parallel along the edges of the housing 30 , extend in a longitudinal direction of the housing 30 .
- One rail 32 is configured to receive a side (an edge) of the sliding member 50 , thereby allowing the sliding member 50 to slide along the rail 32 (to be described in more detail below).
- both rails 32 , 34 may be configured to receive two opposite sides (edges) of the sliding member 50 , respectively.
- each rail 32 , 34 is hollow and has a generally rectangular cross section. The side of each rail 32 , 34 facing the interior of the housing 30 is open to receive the slide member 50 and/or the memory card 80 .
- the terminals 36 of the housing 30 are used for electrical connection with the electric contacts of a memory card 80 .
- the terminals 36 may be of any type that is known in the art, such as the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,367,838.
- One or each of the side surfaces of the housing 30 may be covered with a cover.
- the cover is made from a metal such as sheet metal, although it can be made from any suitable material such as a plastic material.
- the cover may substantially shield the entire side of the housing 30 , as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,367,838.
- the cover 40 may shield only partially the surface of the housing 30 .
- the opening 38 of the housing 30 allows the housing 30 to receive a memory card 80 (as shown in FIG. 6A ), which can slide in and out of the housing 30 through the opening 38 .
- the sliding member 50 of the memory connector 20 is disposed inside the housing 30 and slidably mounted on the rail 32 of the housing 30 (see also FIGS. 1 and 2 ).
- the sliding member 50 is designed to receive the memory card 80 , and allows the memory card 80 to slide into and out of the housing 30 .
- the sliding member 50 is made from a metal, although it can be made from any other suitable material.
- the locking mechanism 60 of the memory card connector 20 is shown in each of FIGS. 4 , 6 A, 6 B, 7 , and 8 .
- the locking mechanism 60 is used to position the memory card 80 and sliding member 50 within the housing 30 .
- the locking mechanism 60 has structures to perform at least three functions. The first function is to position the sliding member 50 at various positions in the housing 30 as the sliding member 50 slides in the housing 30 .
- the second function is to secure (or latch) the memory card 80 in the housing 30 when the sliding member 50 is at the latched position, and to release the memory card 80 from the memory card connector 20 when the sliding member 50 is at the released position.
- the structure of the locking mechanism 60 for performing the first function may be similar in many respects to any prior art locking mechanism such as the locking mechanism described and shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,367,838.
- the structure may include a heart-shaped cam slot, a pin, and a spring 52 .
- the heart-shaped cam slot is part of the sliding member 50 .
- a first end of the pin is fixed to the housing 30 .
- a second end of the pin is captured in the heart-shaped cam slot. Therefore, the second end of the pin follows the contour of the cam slot.
- the heart-shaped cam slot may be part of the housing 30 .
- the first end of the pin is fixed to the sliding member 50 , and the second end of the pin may be captured in the heart-shaped cam slot on the housing 30 .
- the spring 52 of the memory card connector 20 compressed between the housing 30 and the sliding member 50 , always biases the sliding member 50 towards the released position (i.e., pushing the sliding member 50 in a direction outwardly towards the opening 38 of the housing 30 ).
- the structure of the locking mechanism 60 for performing the first function can position the sliding member 50 (and memory card 80 ) at three positions: the released position, the latched position, and the overrun position.
- a user places the memory card 80 in the sliding member 50 , and pushes the sliding member 50 and memory card 80 from the released position further inside the housing 30 , through the latched position, into the overrun position. Then the user releases the sliding member 50 and memory card 80 at the overrun position, allowing the spring 52 to push the sliding member 50 and memory card 80 from the overrun position into the latched position.
- the pin latches into a latch notch of the heart-shaped cam slot, thereby stopping the sliding member 50 at the latched position.
- the memory card 80 is connected (or latched) to the housing 30 , preventing the memory card 80 from being removed from the memory card connector 20 .
- the contacts of the memory card 80 are in contact with the terminals 36 of the memory card connector 20 .
- the user pushes the sliding member 50 and memory card 80 from the latched position further inside the housing 30 into the overrun position. Then the user releases the sliding member 50 and memory card 80 , allowing them to retract from the overrun position, through the latched position, and into the released position. At this position, the user can remove the memory card 80 from the memory card connector 20 .
- the second function performed by the locking mechanism 60 is (1) to secure (or latch) the memory card 80 in the housing 30 when the sliding member 50 is at the latched position, and (2) to release the memory card 80 from the memory card connector 20 when the sliding member 50 is at the released position.
- the structure of the locking mechanism 60 for performing the second function includes a latching member 62 , a notch 64 on the memory card 80 that is designed to engage the latching member 62 , and a notch 66 of the sliding member 50 to engage the latching member 62 with the memory card 80 or to disengage the latching member 62 with the memory card 80 .
- each of the notches 64 , 66 can be replaced by any suitable structure that can perform the same functions.
- the notches 64 , 66 are aligned laterally.
- the latching member 62 of the locking mechanism 60 includes a locking member 70 and an elastic member 72 that connects the locking member 70 to the housing 30 .
- the locking member 70 has an engaged position shown in FIG. 8 and a disengaged position shown in FIG. 7 .
- the elastic member 72 biases the locking member 70 towards the engaged position.
- the sliding member 50 and memory card 80 are at the released position, the sliding member 50 pushes the locking member 70 to the disengaged position as shown in FIG. 7 .
- the locking member 70 rests on the sliding member 50 when the sliding member 50 and memory card 80 is at the released position.
- the locking member 70 is placed in the engaged position by the elastic member 72 , resting within the longitudinally aligned notches 64 , 66 of the sliding member 50 and memory card 80 , as shown in FIG. 8 . At this position, the locking member 70 engages with the notch 64 of the memory card 80 to prevent the memory card 80 from being removed from the memory card connector 20 .
- the latching member 62 is connected to the housing's rail 32 .
- the latching member 62 and the rail 32 are formed or stamped from the same piece of sheet metal.
- the latching member 62 can be attached to the rail 32 in any suitable manner, such as soldering, welding, riveting, and gluing.
- the latching member 62 is connected to the housing's cover 40 in the same manner that the latching member 62 is connected to the housing rail 32 .
- the engagement between the locking member 70 and the notch 64 of the memory card 80 at the latched position is a hard lock.
- the locking member 70 engages the notch 64 of the memory card 80 at the latched position to prevent the memory card 36 from being pulled out by force.
- the surface of the locking member 70 which engages the notch 64 of the memory card 80 , is configured so that it does not lift the locking member 70 out of the notch 64 when the user attempts to forcefully pull the memory card 80 out of the connector 20 . This prevents the memory card 80 from being removed from the memory card connector 20 when the memory card 80 is at the latched position.
- this surface of the locking member 70 does not have a slope that allows the notch 64 of the memory card 80 to exert a lifting force on the locking member 70 .
- a relatively sharp edge 74 of the locking member 70 may engage of the card's notch 64 so that the notch 64 does not exert a lifting force on the locking member 70 .
- the notch 66 of the sliding member 50 preferably lifts the locking member 70 out of the notches 64 , 66 of the memory card 80 and sliding member 50 , allowing the memory card 80 and sliding member 50 to move to the released position.
- the engagement between the locking member 70 and the notch 66 of the sliding member 50 exerts a lifting force that lifts the locking member 70 out of the notches 64 , 66 of the memory card 80 and sliding member 50 .
- the notch 66 of the sliding member 50 may have an incline 76 (a gentle slope) which allows the notch 66 to lift the locking member 70 out of the notches 64 , 66 of the memory card 80 and sliding member 50 when the sliding member 50 moves from the latched or overrun position into the released position shown in FIG. 7 .
- the locking member 70 When the sliding member 50 is between the latched position and the overrun position, the locking member 70 may be at either the engaged position or the disengaged position. If the notch 66 of the sliding member 50 is sufficiently long, the locking member 70 will stay inside the notch 66 and the locking member 70 will be in the engaged position. If the notch 66 of the sliding member 50 is not sufficiently long, the locking member 70 will be pushed to the disengaged position outside the notch 66 when the sliding member 50 moves from the latched position to the overrun position. In this case, the surface of the locking member 70 that engages a back side of the notch 66 may have an incline 78 (a gentle slope) that allows the notch 66 to lift the locking member 70 to the disengaged position.
- a user first inserts the memory card 80 into the sliding member 50 (and the housing 30 ) of the memory card connector 20 .
- the memory card 80 is at the released position as shown in FIG. 7 , with the locking member 70 of the latching member 62 resting on the sliding member 50 .
- the sliding member 50 pushes the locking member 70 to the disengaged position at the released position.
- the locking member 70 is not engaged with the notch 64 of the memory card 80 .
- the memory card 80 will be at the latched position as shown in FIG. 8 , with the locking member 70 of the latching member 62 resting inside the notches 64 , 66 of the memory card 80 and sliding member 50 .
- the gentle slope 78 inside the notch 66 of the sliding member 50 will lift the locking member 70 of the latching member 62 into the disengaged position, allowing the memory card 80 and sliding member 50 to return to the released position under the spring force.
- the spring 52 pushes the memory card 80 and sliding member 50 back outwardly until the pin latches into the latch notch of the heart-shaped cam slot.
- the pin fixes the sliding member 50 at the latched position.
- the locking member 70 of the latching member 62 rests inside the notches 64 , 66 of the memory card 80 and sliding member 50 . Since the sliding member 50 is fixed at the latched position and cannot move past the latched position, the gentle slope 78 inside the notch 66 of the sliding member 50 cannot lift the locking member 70 into the disengaged position to allow the memory card 80 and sliding member 50 to return to the released position.
- the locking member 70 remains inside the notch 64 of the memory card 80 . If the user attempts to forcefully remove the memory card 80 from the latched position, the locking member 70 prevents the memory card 80 from being removed. And the force applied by the user is transmitted from the memory card 80 to the latching member 62 and then to the housing 30 . Since the force is not transmitted through the pin, the pin cannot be damaged by the attempted forceful removal.
- the user pushes the memory card 80 further inside the housing 30 into the overrun position and then releases the memory card 80 .
- the memory card 80 and sliding member 50 retreat under the spring force through the latched position to the released position.
- the sliding member 50 will not stop at the latched position because the pin will not latch into the latch notch of the heart-shaped cam slot. The user then can remove the memory card 80 from the card connector 20 .
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a card connector, in particular to a memory card connector.
- Memory cards for storing data are used in many electronic devices, such as video cameras, digital still cameras, smartphones, PDA's, music players, ATMs, cable television decoders, toys, games, PC adapters, multi-media cards and other electronic applications. A card reader, which typically is part of an electronic device, is used to read data from a memory card and transmit the data to the electronic device. And a card reader may also be used to write data from the electronic device to the memory card. A card connector is used to connect a memory card to a card reader.
- There are a variety of card connectors. A common type of card connector is the push-push type, in which a memory card is first pushed into the cavity of the card connector to a latched operative position and is pushed again to be ejected and released from the latched position.
- U.S. Pat. No. 7,367,828 ('828 patent), incorporated herein by reference, describes a typical memory card connector of the push-push type. As illustrated in
FIGS. 1 , 2 and 5-10 of this patent, a memory card connector 26 includes a dielectric housing 28 and asheet metal shell 30. The housing 28 andmetal shell 30 together define acavity 32 for receiving a memory card 36 (FIG. 5 ). Thecavity 32 has a front insertion opening 34 for a memory card to be inserted into and removed from thecavity 32. Referring toFIGS. 3 and 4 , the rear section 28 a of the housing 28 has throughpassages 38 for mounting a plurality of terminals 58 for connecting the memory card to a card reader. - Referring to
FIG. 1 of the '828 patent, the memory card connector 26 also includes a card slidingmember mechanism 60 located within the housing 28. The card slidingmember mechanism 60 includes a cam slider (a sliding member) 62, apin 64 and acoil spring 66. Thecoil spring 66 is mounted on a spring mounting post 48 (FIG. 3 ) and is sandwiched between thecam slider 62 and a rear wall portion 42 b. - Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 14 of the '828 patent, thecam slider 62 includes a rear, upwardly projecting body block 62 a and a forwardly projecting locking arm 62 b. The distal end of the locking arm 62 b includes alocking projection 68, which has a gentle sloping surface 68 a at the lead side of the projection and an abrupt catch surface 68 b at the rear of theprojection 68. Thecam slider 62 also includes a heart-shaped cam slot 70 on an outside face 62 c of the locking arm 62 b. The heart-shaped cam slot 70 is of a conventional “push/push” configuration. - As shown in
FIG. 1 of the '828 patent, a first end 64 a of thepin 64 is fixed to a side wall section 28 b of the housing 28. A second end 64 b of thepin 64 is captured in the heart-shaped cam slot 70. Therefore, the second end 64 b of thepin 64 follows the contour of thecam slot 70. Thecoil spring 66 constantly urges thecam slider 62 in a forward direction toward the front insertion opening 34 of the card-receivingcavity 32. -
FIGS. 15-18 of the '828 patent show how thememory card 36 is inserted into the card-receivingcavity 32 through the front insertion opening 34 and placed in the latched operative position. As shown inFIG. 15 , thememory card 36 is inserted into thecavity 32 in the direction of the arrow designed by “A.” InFIG. 15 , thememory card 36 is at a point where thememory card 36 rides along the gentle sloped surface 68 a (FIG. 14 ) of thelocking projection 68 to bias thelocking projection 68 and the locking arm 62 b downwardly. -
FIG. 16 shows thememory card 36 being inserted further in the direction of arrow “A” until thelocking projection 68 of the locking arm 62 b snaps into a locking recess 36b at the edge of thememory card 36, where the contacts on the underside of thememory card 36 are in contact with the terminals 58 (FIG. 11 ). Thememory card 36 now is locked to thecam slider 62 so that thememory card 36 andcam slider 62 move together. -
FIG. 17 of the '828 patent shows thememory card 36 andcam slider 62 being pushed all the way inwardly to an “overrun” or inner limit position. At this position, thememory card 36 andcam slider 62 further compress thecoil spring 66. - When pushing of the
memory card 36 in the inward direction “A” is stopped, as shown inFIG. 18 , thecoil spring 66 pushes thememory card 36 andcam slider 62 back outwardly until the second end 64 b of thepin 64 latches into a latch notch 70 a (FIG. 14 ) of the heart-shaped cam slot 70 and thememory card 36 andcam slider 62 are stopped at the latched operative position. At this point, the contact portions 58 e of the terminals 58 are still engaged with the contacts on the underside of thememory card 36. - From the latched operative position, a further push (to the “overrun” or inner limit position) and a release of the
memory card 36 allow thecoil spring 66 to push thememory card 36 back to the position ofFIG. 16 , whereupon thememory card 36 can be pulled outwardly with the locking recess 36b riding over the catch surface 68 b (FIG. 14 ) of thelocking projection 68. - Throughout this entire process, the spring arm 84 (
FIGS. 2 and 7 ) which is stamped and formed out of a side plate 30b of themetal shell 30, is effective to bias thepin 64 into the heart-shaped cam slot 70 of thecam slider 62. - Although not described in the '828 patent, the lock of the
projection 68 of the locking arm 62 b with the recess 36 b of thememory card 36 can be either a soft lock or a hard lock. In a soft lock, the lock of theprojection 68 with the recess 36 b can prevent accidental removal of thememory card 36 from its latched operative position. But it cannot prevent thememory card 36 from being forcefully pulled out from its latched operative position. In a hard lock, the lock of theprojection 68 with the recess 36 b can prevent thememory card 36 from being pulled out either by accident or by the application of a force. -
FIGS. 1A and 1B of the present application are schematic drawings of a hard lock between aprojection 68 and a recess 36 b of thememory card 36. The configuration of theprojection 68 prevents thememory card 36 from being removed when theprojection 68 is engaged with the recess 36 b. - The inventor of the present application recognizes that in a conventional memory card connector with a hard lock, a forceful removal of the memory card from the latched operative position may damage the memory card connector. At the latched operative position, as illustrated in
FIG. 18 of the '828 patent, the first end 64 a of thepin 64 is fixed to the side wall section 28 b of the housing 28, and the second end 64 b of thepin 64 latches into the latch notch 70 a of the heart-shaped cam slot 70. In other words, it is thepin 64 that keeps thememory card 36 andcam slider 62 in the latched operative position, preventing the removal of thememory card 64. However, since thepin 64 is relatively fragile, a forceful pull of thememory card 36 may damage thepin 64.FIG. 2 of the present application illustrates thepin 64 when thememory card 36 is not being forcefully pulled from the latched position.FIG. 3 of the present application illustrates thepin 64 when thememory card 36 is being forcefully pulled from the latched position, causing thepin 64 to bow out, thereby damaging thepin 64. - The applicant's invention solves this problem by using a latching member connected to the housing to keep (or latch) the memory card in the latched operative position. With this arrangement a pulling force on the memory card is transmitted from the memory card to the latching member and then to the housing. In the conventional arrangement of the '828 patent, on the other hand, a pulling force on the
memory card 36 is transmitted from thememory card 36 to theprojection 68, then to thecam slider 62, to thepin 64, and finally to the housing 28. Since thepin 64 is used to transmit the force, it may be damaged if the force is sufficiently large. - According to one aspect of applicant's invention, a card connector includes a housing, a sliding member that is configured to receive a card, and a latching member that is connected to the housing. The latching member is configured to engage the card to prevent the card from being removed from the housing. The sliding member is slidable relative to the housing;
- In a preferred embodiment, the sliding member is at least partially disposed in the housing, and the sliding member has a first position and a second position that is further inside the housing than the first position.
- In another preferred embodiment, the latching member has an engaged position and a disengaged position. At the engaged position the latching member engages the card to prevent the card from being removed from the housing. At the disengaged position the latching member is disengaged from the card thus allowing the card to be removed from the housing.
- In still another preferred embodiment, when the sliding member is at the second position the latching member is at the engaged position to engage the card to prevent the card from being removed from the housing, and when the sliding member is at the first position the latching member is at the disengaged position and is disengaged with the card, thus allowing the card to be removed from the housing.
- In yet another preferred embodiment, the sliding member includes a notch. When the sliding member is at the first position the sliding member pushes the latching member to the disengaged position. When the sliding member is at the second position the notch of the sliding member allows the latching member to be at the engaged position.
- In still yet another preferred embodiment, the card includes a notch. When the sliding member is at the second position, the latching member engages with the notch of the card to prevent the card from being removed from the card connector.
- In a further preferred embodiment, the latching member and the notch of the card are configured so that when the latching member engages with the notch of the card to prevent the card from being pulled out of the housing, the engagement does not lift the latching member from the engaged position to the disengaged position.
- In a still further preferred embodiment, the latching member and the notch of the sliding member are configured so that the latching member is moved from the engaged position to the disengaged position when the sliding member moves from the second position into the first position.
- In a yet further preferred embodiment, the notch of the sliding member includes an incline which allows the notch to lift the latching member out of the notch of the card when the sliding member moves from the second position into the first position.
- In a still yet preferred embodiment, the latching member includes a locking member and an elastic member that connects the locking member to the housing.
- In another preferred embodiment, the locking member has an engaged position and a disengaged position and the elastic member biases the locking member towards the engaged position.
- In still another preferred embodiment, the card includes a notch. When the sliding member is at the second position, the locking member engages with the notch of the card to prevent the card from being removed from the card connector.
- In yet another preferred embodiment, the locking member and the notch of the card are configured so that when the locking member engages with the notch of the card to prevent the card from being pulled out of the housing, the engagement does not lift the locking member from the engaged position to the disengaged position.
- In still yet another preferred embodiment, the locking member and the notch of the sliding member are configured so that when the sliding member moves from the second position into the first position, the locking member is moved from the engaged position to the disengaged position.
- In a further preferred embodiment, the notch of the sliding member includes an incline which allows the notch to lift the locking member out of the notch of the card when the sliding member moves from the second position into the first position.
- In a still further preferred embodiment, the notches are aligned along a lateral direction of the housing.
- In a yet further preferred embodiment, the housing includes a side rail and the latching member is connected to the side rail.
- In a still yet further preferred embodiment, the housing includes a cover and the latching member is connected to the cover.
- According to another aspect of applicant's invention, a card connector includes a housing, a sliding member that is designed to receive a card, and a latching member. The sliding member is slidable relative to the housing. The latching member includes an engaged position where the latching member engages the card to prevent the card from being removed from the housing, and a disengaged position where the latching member is disengaged with the card to allow the card to be removed from the housing. The sliding member moves the latching member between the engaged position and the disengaged position.
- In one preferred embodiment, the sliding member is at least partially disposed in the housing, and it has a first position and a second position that is further inside the housing than the first position.
- In another preferred embodiment, when the sliding member is at the second position the latching member is at the engaged position to engage the card to prevent the card from being removed from the housing. When the sliding member is at the first position the latching member is at the disengaged position and is disengaged with the card, thus allowing the card to be removed from the housing.
- In still another preferred embodiment, the sliding member includes a notch. When the sliding member is at the first position the sliding member pushes the latching member to the disengaged position. When the sliding member is at the second position the notch of the sliding member allows the latching member to be at the engaged position.
- In yet another preferred embodiment, the card includes a notch. When the sliding member is at the second position, the latching member engages with the notch of the card to prevent the card from being removed from the card connector.
-
FIGS. 1A and 1B show a hard lock between theprojection 68 of a locking arm and the recess of a memory card. -
FIG. 2 shows the pin of a memory card connector when the memory card is not being forcefully pulled from the latched position. -
FIG. 3 shows the pin of a memory card connector when the memory card is being forcefully pulled from the latched position. -
FIG. 4 shows a preferred memory card connector of the present invention. -
FIG. 5 shows another preferred memory card connector having a housing cover. -
FIG. 6A shows the preferred memory card connector ofFIG. 4 having a memory card inserted therein. -
FIG. 6B is a detailed view of the latching mechanism of the preferred memory card connector shown inFIG. 4 . -
FIG. 7 shows a memory card at the released position. -
FIG. 8 shows a memory card at the latched position. - As shown in
FIG. 4 , amemory card connector 20 of the present invention may include ahousing 30, a sliding member 50 (which is in many respects similar to the cam slider of the '838 patent), and alocking mechanism 60. The slidingmember 50 is used to receive amemory card 80 and can slide within thehousing 30. Thelocking mechanism 60 is used to latch thememory card 80 at the operative position and to prevent thememory card 80 from being dislodged from the operative position. - The
housing 30 is preferably made from a dielectric material and includes tworails electric terminals 36, and anopening 38. The tworails housing 30, extend in a longitudinal direction of thehousing 30. Onerail 32 is configured to receive a side (an edge) of the slidingmember 50, thereby allowing the slidingmember 50 to slide along the rail 32 (to be described in more detail below). Alternatively, bothrails member 50, respectively. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 4 , for example, eachrail rail housing 30 is open to receive theslide member 50 and/or thememory card 80. - The
terminals 36 of thehousing 30 are used for electrical connection with the electric contacts of amemory card 80. Theterminals 36 may be of any type that is known in the art, such as the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,367,838. - One or each of the side surfaces of the
housing 30 may be covered with a cover. Typically, the cover is made from a metal such as sheet metal, although it can be made from any suitable material such as a plastic material. The cover may substantially shield the entire side of thehousing 30, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,367,838. Alternatively, as shown inFIG. 5 of the present application, thecover 40 may shield only partially the surface of thehousing 30. - The
opening 38 of thehousing 30 allows thehousing 30 to receive a memory card 80 (as shown inFIG. 6A ), which can slide in and out of thehousing 30 through theopening 38. - As shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8 , the slidingmember 50 of thememory connector 20 is disposed inside thehousing 30 and slidably mounted on therail 32 of the housing 30 (see alsoFIGS. 1 and 2 ). The slidingmember 50 is designed to receive thememory card 80, and allows thememory card 80 to slide into and out of thehousing 30. Preferably, the slidingmember 50 is made from a metal, although it can be made from any other suitable material. - The
locking mechanism 60 of thememory card connector 20 is shown in each ofFIGS. 4 , 6A, 6B, 7, and 8. Thelocking mechanism 60 is used to position thememory card 80 and slidingmember 50 within thehousing 30. To this end, thelocking mechanism 60 has structures to perform at least three functions. The first function is to position the slidingmember 50 at various positions in thehousing 30 as the slidingmember 50 slides in thehousing 30. The second function is to secure (or latch) thememory card 80 in thehousing 30 when the slidingmember 50 is at the latched position, and to release thememory card 80 from thememory card connector 20 when the slidingmember 50 is at the released position. - The structure of the
locking mechanism 60 for performing the first function may be similar in many respects to any prior art locking mechanism such as the locking mechanism described and shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,367,838. The structure may include a heart-shaped cam slot, a pin, and aspring 52. Preferably the heart-shaped cam slot is part of the slidingmember 50. As shown inFIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 7,367,838, a first end of the pin is fixed to thehousing 30. A second end of the pin is captured in the heart-shaped cam slot. Therefore, the second end of the pin follows the contour of the cam slot. Alternatively, the heart-shaped cam slot may be part of thehousing 30. The first end of the pin is fixed to the slidingmember 50, and the second end of the pin may be captured in the heart-shaped cam slot on thehousing 30. Thespring 52 of thememory card connector 20, compressed between thehousing 30 and the slidingmember 50, always biases the slidingmember 50 towards the released position (i.e., pushing the slidingmember 50 in a direction outwardly towards the opening 38 of the housing 30). - The structure of the
locking mechanism 60 for performing the first function can position the sliding member 50 (and memory card 80) at three positions: the released position, the latched position, and the overrun position. To connect thememory card 80 to thememory card connector 20, a user places thememory card 80 in the slidingmember 50, and pushes the slidingmember 50 andmemory card 80 from the released position further inside thehousing 30, through the latched position, into the overrun position. Then the user releases the slidingmember 50 andmemory card 80 at the overrun position, allowing thespring 52 to push the slidingmember 50 andmemory card 80 from the overrun position into the latched position. At this point, the pin latches into a latch notch of the heart-shaped cam slot, thereby stopping the slidingmember 50 at the latched position. At the same time, thememory card 80 is connected (or latched) to thehousing 30, preventing thememory card 80 from being removed from thememory card connector 20. At the latched position, the contacts of thememory card 80 are in contact with theterminals 36 of thememory card connector 20. To release the slidingmember 50 andmemory card 80 from the latched position, the user pushes the slidingmember 50 andmemory card 80 from the latched position further inside thehousing 30 into the overrun position. Then the user releases the slidingmember 50 andmemory card 80, allowing them to retract from the overrun position, through the latched position, and into the released position. At this position, the user can remove thememory card 80 from thememory card connector 20. - As stated above, the second function performed by the
locking mechanism 60 is (1) to secure (or latch) thememory card 80 in thehousing 30 when the slidingmember 50 is at the latched position, and (2) to release thememory card 80 from thememory card connector 20 when the slidingmember 50 is at the released position. In the embodiment shown inFIGS. 4 , 6A, 6B, 7, and 8, the structure of thelocking mechanism 60 for performing the second function includes a latchingmember 62, anotch 64 on thememory card 80 that is designed to engage the latchingmember 62, and anotch 66 of the slidingmember 50 to engage the latchingmember 62 with thememory card 80 or to disengage the latchingmember 62 with thememory card 80. Alternatively, each of thenotches notches - As shown in
FIGS. 4 , 6A, 6B, 7, and 8, the latchingmember 62 of thelocking mechanism 60 includes a lockingmember 70 and anelastic member 72 that connects the lockingmember 70 to thehousing 30. The lockingmember 70 has an engaged position shown inFIG. 8 and a disengaged position shown inFIG. 7 . Theelastic member 72 biases the lockingmember 70 towards the engaged position. When the slidingmember 50 andmemory card 80 are at the released position, the slidingmember 50 pushes the lockingmember 70 to the disengaged position as shown inFIG. 7 . In other words, the lockingmember 70 rests on the slidingmember 50 when the slidingmember 50 andmemory card 80 is at the released position. At the latched position, the lockingmember 70 is placed in the engaged position by theelastic member 72, resting within the longitudinally alignednotches member 50 andmemory card 80, as shown inFIG. 8 . At this position, the lockingmember 70 engages with thenotch 64 of thememory card 80 to prevent thememory card 80 from being removed from thememory card connector 20. - In the embodiment shown in
FIGS. 4 , 6A, 6B, 7, and 8, the latchingmember 62 is connected to the housing'srail 32. Preferably, the latchingmember 62 and therail 32 are formed or stamped from the same piece of sheet metal. Alternatively, the latchingmember 62 can be attached to therail 32 in any suitable manner, such as soldering, welding, riveting, and gluing. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 5 , the latchingmember 62 is connected to the housing'scover 40 in the same manner that the latchingmember 62 is connected to thehousing rail 32. - Preferably, the engagement between the locking
member 70 and thenotch 64 of thememory card 80 at the latched position is a hard lock. In other words, the lockingmember 70 engages thenotch 64 of thememory card 80 at the latched position to prevent thememory card 36 from being pulled out by force. To this end, the surface of the lockingmember 70, which engages thenotch 64 of thememory card 80, is configured so that it does not lift the lockingmember 70 out of thenotch 64 when the user attempts to forcefully pull thememory card 80 out of theconnector 20. This prevents thememory card 80 from being removed from thememory card connector 20 when thememory card 80 is at the latched position. Preferably, this surface of the lockingmember 70 does not have a slope that allows thenotch 64 of thememory card 80 to exert a lifting force on the lockingmember 70. For example, as shown inFIG. 6B , a relativelysharp edge 74 of the lockingmember 70 may engage of the card'snotch 64 so that thenotch 64 does not exert a lifting force on the lockingmember 70. - On the other hand, when the sliding
member 50 moves from the latched or overrun position to the released position, thenotch 66 of the slidingmember 50 preferably lifts the lockingmember 70 out of thenotches memory card 80 and slidingmember 50, allowing thememory card 80 and slidingmember 50 to move to the released position. To this end, the engagement between the lockingmember 70 and thenotch 66 of the slidingmember 50 exerts a lifting force that lifts the lockingmember 70 out of thenotches memory card 80 and slidingmember 50. In the embodiment shown inFIGS. 4 , 6A, 6B, 7, and 8, thenotch 66 of the slidingmember 50 may have an incline 76 (a gentle slope) which allows thenotch 66 to lift the lockingmember 70 out of thenotches memory card 80 and slidingmember 50 when the slidingmember 50 moves from the latched or overrun position into the released position shown inFIG. 7 . - When the sliding
member 50 is between the latched position and the overrun position, the lockingmember 70 may be at either the engaged position or the disengaged position. If thenotch 66 of the slidingmember 50 is sufficiently long, the lockingmember 70 will stay inside thenotch 66 and the lockingmember 70 will be in the engaged position. If thenotch 66 of the slidingmember 50 is not sufficiently long, the lockingmember 70 will be pushed to the disengaged position outside thenotch 66 when the slidingmember 50 moves from the latched position to the overrun position. In this case, the surface of the lockingmember 70 that engages a back side of thenotch 66 may have an incline 78 (a gentle slope) that allows thenotch 66 to lift the lockingmember 70 to the disengaged position. - In operation, a user first inserts the
memory card 80 into the sliding member 50 (and the housing 30) of thememory card connector 20. Initially, thememory card 80 is at the released position as shown inFIG. 7 , with the lockingmember 70 of the latchingmember 62 resting on the slidingmember 50. In other words, the slidingmember 50 pushes the lockingmember 70 to the disengaged position at the released position. At this position, the lockingmember 70 is not engaged with thenotch 64 of thememory card 80. - As the user pushes the
memory card 80 further inside thehousing 30, thememory card 80 will be at the latched position as shown inFIG. 8 , with the lockingmember 70 of the latchingmember 62 resting inside thenotches memory card 80 and slidingmember 50. However, if the user releases thememory card 80 and slidingmember 50 at this time, thegentle slope 78 inside thenotch 66 of the slidingmember 50 will lift the lockingmember 70 of the latchingmember 62 into the disengaged position, allowing thememory card 80 and slidingmember 50 to return to the released position under the spring force. - If the user pushes the
memory card 80 and slidingmember 50 past the latched position into the overrun position and then releases thememory card 80, thespring 52 pushes thememory card 80 and slidingmember 50 back outwardly until the pin latches into the latch notch of the heart-shaped cam slot. At this position, the pin fixes the slidingmember 50 at the latched position. And the lockingmember 70 of the latchingmember 62 rests inside thenotches memory card 80 and slidingmember 50. Since the slidingmember 50 is fixed at the latched position and cannot move past the latched position, thegentle slope 78 inside thenotch 66 of the slidingmember 50 cannot lift the lockingmember 70 into the disengaged position to allow thememory card 80 and slidingmember 50 to return to the released position. As a result, the lockingmember 70 remains inside thenotch 64 of thememory card 80. If the user attempts to forcefully remove thememory card 80 from the latched position, the lockingmember 70 prevents thememory card 80 from being removed. And the force applied by the user is transmitted from thememory card 80 to the latchingmember 62 and then to thehousing 30. Since the force is not transmitted through the pin, the pin cannot be damaged by the attempted forceful removal. - To remove the
memory card 80 from the latched position, the user pushes thememory card 80 further inside thehousing 30 into the overrun position and then releases thememory card 80. Thememory card 80 and slidingmember 50 retreat under the spring force through the latched position to the released position. The slidingmember 50 will not stop at the latched position because the pin will not latch into the latch notch of the heart-shaped cam slot. The user then can remove thememory card 80 from thecard connector 20. - While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications can be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects. Therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.
Claims (17)
Priority Applications (1)
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US12/182,995 US7661971B1 (en) | 2008-07-30 | 2008-07-30 | Card connector |
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US12/182,995 US7661971B1 (en) | 2008-07-30 | 2008-07-30 | Card connector |
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US20100029124A1 true US20100029124A1 (en) | 2010-02-04 |
US7661971B1 US7661971B1 (en) | 2010-02-16 |
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US12/182,995 Expired - Fee Related US7661971B1 (en) | 2008-07-30 | 2008-07-30 | Card connector |
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JP4607217B2 (en) * | 2008-07-23 | 2011-01-05 | 山一電機株式会社 | Card connector |
JP5533028B2 (en) | 2009-04-01 | 2014-06-25 | 山一電機株式会社 | IC card connector |
CN101881290B (en) * | 2009-05-05 | 2013-06-05 | 深圳富泰宏精密工业有限公司 | Chip card locking device and portable electronic device |
JP5013278B2 (en) | 2009-08-04 | 2012-08-29 | 山一電機株式会社 | IC card connector |
ITPR20120085A1 (en) * | 2012-12-20 | 2014-06-21 | Indesit Co Spa | OVEN FOR COOKING PIETANCES. |
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