Pin and socket contact electrical interconnect system

Claim 2

In a contact for use in an interconnect system, a box socket in the form of an elongate housing with connector pin entrance and base ends; first and second strap portions at opposite ends of said housing; a pair of spring members projecting inwardly from opposite sides of said housing and extended from connection to the housing adjacent the housing base end generally in the direction of the housing entrance end; said pair of spring members having outwardly flared free ends; said pair of spring members being tapered from larger cross section at the spring member mounting ends to relatively smaller cross section at a connector pin engaging electrical contact throat area between the pair of spring members; a pair of tabs projecting inwardly from opposite sides of said housing with connections to the housing integral with the inner edge of the strap portion and sloped to spaced ends for guided entrance of a connector pin and limiting lateral movement of a connector pin inserted to contact engagement between said pair of spring members; and wherein relatively narrow space is provided between the tip ends of said spring members and the inner tip ends of adjacent respective tabs of said pair of tabs.

Claim 3

The contact of claim 1, wherein electric circuit connective means extends externally from said box socket and includes a connector pin extension configured for mating electrical contact inserted connection with another unit of said box sockets.

Claim 4

The contact of claim 2, wherein said box socket and said electric circuit connective means is, as an article of manufacture, a combined unitary connector pin and box socket contact adapted for stacking interconnect with the connector pin of one unitary connector pin and box socket contact receivable into inserted contact mating relation with the box socket of another contact unit.

Claim 5

The contact of claim 3, wherein said box socket is generally rectangular transversely to the elongate axis of the box socket housing; and said connector pin of said unitary connector pin and box socket contact is substantially in line with and extended generally along the extension of the elongate axis of the box socket housing.

Claim 6

The contact of claim 1, wherein each of said spring members is tapered both in width and thickness.

Claim 7

The contact of claim 1, wherein the tip ends of the said outwardly flaired free ends of said pair of spring members overlap respectively the outer side of the inner tip ends of said pair of tabs.

Claim 8

In a contact for use in an interconnect system, a box socket in the form of an elongate housing with connector pin entrance and base ends; first and second strap portions at opposite ends of said housing; a pair of spring members projecting inwardly from opposite sides of said housing and extended from connection to the housing adjacent the housing base end generally in the direction of the housing entrance end; said pair of spring members having outwardly flared free eNds; said pair of spring members being tapered from larger cross section at the spring member mounting ends to relatively smaller cross section at a connector pin engaging electrical contact throat area between the pair of spring members; a pair of tabs projecting inwardly from opposite sides of said housing with connections to the housing integral with the inner edge of the strap portion and sloped to spaced ends for guided entrance of a connector pin and limiting lateral movement of a connector pin inserted to contact engagement between said pair of spring members; wherein relatively narrow space is provided between the tip ends of said spring members and the inner tip ends of adjacent respective tabs of said pair of tabs; electric circuit connective means extends externally from said box socket and includes a connector pin extension configured for mating electrical contact inserted connection with another unit of said box sockets; wherein said box socket and said electric circuit connective means is, as an article of manufacture, a combined unitary connector pin and box socket contact adapted for stacking interconnect with the connector pin of one unitary connector pin and box socket contact receivable into inserted contact mating relation with the box socket of another contact unit; and wherein said unitary connector pin and box socket contact is, as an article of manufacture, stamped and die formed from a dual thickness ribbon of conductive metal strip stock.

Claim 9

In a contact for use in an interconnect system, a box socket in the form of an elongate housing with connector pin entrance and base ends; first and second strap portions at opposite ends of said housing; a pair of spring members projecting inwardly from opposite sides of said housing and extended from connection to the housing adjacent the housing base end generally in the direction of the housing entrance end; said pair of spring members having outwardly flared free eNds; said pair of spring members being tapered from larger cross section at the spring member mounting ends to relatively smaller cross section at a connector pin engaging electrical contact throat area between the pair of spring members; a pair of tabs projecting inwardly from opposite sides of said housing with connections to the housing integral with the inner edge of the strap portion and sloped to spaced ends for guided entrance of a connector pin and limiting lateral movement of a connector pin inserted to contact engagement between said pair of spring members; wherein relatively narrow space is provided between the tip ends of said spring members and the inner tip ends of adjacent respective tabs of said pair of tabs; electric circuit connective means extends externally from said box socket and includes a connector pin extension configured for mating electrical contact inserted connection with another unit of said box sockets; wherein said box socket and said electric circuit connective means is, as an article of manufacture, a combined unitary connector pin and box socket contact adapted for stacking interconnect with the connector pin of one unitary connector pin and box socket contact receivable into inserted contact mating relation with the box socket of another contact unit; and wherein said unitary connector pin and box socket contact is, as an article of manufacture, stamped and die formed from a dual thickness ribbon of conductive metal strip stock.

Claim 10

The contact of claim 7, wherein at an intermediate state of manufacture said unitary connector pin and box socket contacts are interconnected by ribbon means left from said dual thickness ribbon of conductive metal strip stock.

Claim 11

The contact of claim 8, wherein said ribbon means includes two ribbons, a first ribbon connected to connector pins, and a second ribbon connected to the box socket housings of said unitary connector pin and box socket contacts.

Claim 12

The contact of claim 8, wherein said ribbon means is a ribbon connected to extensions of said box socket housings.

Claim 13

The contact of claim 7, wherein said pin is formed from the thicker portion of said dual thickness ribbon; and said box socket housing is formed from the thinner portion of said dual thickness ribbon of conductive metal strip stock.

Claim 14

The contact of claim 11, wherein said dual thickness ribbon of conductive metal strip stock includes an intermediate bevel transition between the two thicknesses of the dual thickness ribbon strip stock; and said bevel provides a box socket housing adjacent beveled end on said connector pins.

Claim 15

In a contact interconnect system for electrically interconnecting circuit boards stacked in spaced parallel relation: a box socket in the form of an elongate housing with connector pin entrance and base ends; first and second strap portions at opposite ends of said housing; a pair of spring members projecting inwardly from opposite sides of said housing and extended from connection to the housing adjacent the housing base end generally in the direction of the housing entrance end; said pair of spring members having outwardly flared free ends; said pair of spring members being tapered from larger cross section at the spring member mounting ends to relatively smaller cross section at a connector pin engaging electrical contact throat area between the pair of spring members; a pair of tabs projecting inwardly from opposite sides of said housing with connections to the housing integral with the inner edge of the strap portion and sloped to spaced ends for guided entrance of a connector pin and limiting lateral movement of a connector pin inserted to contact engagement between said pair of spring members; with relatively narrow space provided between the tip ends of said spring members and the inner tip ends of adjacent respective tabs of said pair of tabs; and a dielectric material housing with a box socket connector holding cavity mounted on a circuit board.

Claim 16

In a contact interconnect system for electrically interconnecting circuit boards stacked in spaced parallel relation: a box socket in the form of an elongate housing with connector pin entrance and base ends; first and second strap portions at opposite ends of said housing; a pair of spring members projecting inwardly from opposite sides of said housing and extended from connection to the housing adjacent the housing base end generally in the direction of the housing entrance end; said pair of spring members having outwardly flared free ends; said pair of spring members being tapered from larger cross section at the spring member mounting ends to relatively smaller cross section at a connector pin engaging electrical contact throat area between the pair of spring members; a pair of tabs projecting inwardly from opposite sides of said housing with connections to the housing integral with the inner edge of the strap portion and sloped to spaced ends for guided entrance of a connector pin and limiting lateral movement of a connector pin inserted to contact engagement between said pair of spring members; with relatively narrow space provided between the tip ends of said spring members and the inner tip ends of adjacent respective tabs of said pair of tabs; and a dielectric material housing with a box socket connector holding cavity mounted on a circuit board.

Claim 17

The contact interconnect system of clAim 13, wherein said box socket is part of a combined unitary connector pin and box socket contact, with an extension from the box socket an interconnection to a connector pin extended through an opening in the circuit board mounting said dielectric material housing.

Claim 18

The contact interconnect system of claim 14, wherein said connector pin is an elongate connector pin extended substantially along an extension of the longitudinal axis of said box socket.

Claim 19

The contact interconnect system of claim 15, wherein the box socket has a rectangularly shaped entrance end formed with outwardly directed tabs from all four sides of the rectangular entrance end; and with the box socket positioned in place in said box socket connector holding cavity said outwardly directed tabs being located below said beveled entrance section within the cavity.

Claim 20

The contact interconnect system of claim 13, wherein said box socket includes shoulder means at the box socket housing base end; and said box socket connector holding cavity in a dielectric material housing includes ledge means positioned to be engaged by said box socket shoulder means.

Claim 21

The contact interconnect system of claim 17, wherein the box socket connecting holding portion of said box socket holding cavity in said dielectric material housing is rectangular with two pairs of spaced parallel walls; and opening extends from said ledge means to the circuit board side of said dielectric material housing; and said extension from a box socket, fully inserted to the seated state in said dielectric material housing, extending into said opening extended from said ledge means.

Claim 22

The contact interconnect system of claim 15, wherein said connector pin is an extended length pin sufficiently long to establish mated electrical contact with a box socket mounted on a circuit board not adjacent to the circuit board, mounting the unitary connector pin and box socket contact with the extended length pin, in a stack of spaced parallel electrically interconnected boards.