Low profile shielded jack

Claim 1

In a low profile shielded jack for mounting to a circuit board and for receiving a mating plug, the jack including a substantially rectangular dielectric housing having a front face, a bottom board mounting wall, and a top, rear and a pair of side walls substantially surrounding a plug-receiving cavity extending rearwardly from the front face for receiving a mating plug connector, where both a bottom portion of said front face and a front portion of said bottom board mounting wall being open to define an opening communicating with the cavity for accommodating a depending latch arm of a plug connector, a plurality of terminals mounted in the housing for making electrical contact with corresponding terminals on the plug connector when inserted into the plug-receiving cavity, a one-piece, substantially rectangular shield stamped and formed of conductive material and having front, top, rear and side wall portions substantially surrounding and shielding the front face and the top, rear and side walls, respectively, of the dielectric housing, wherein the improvement comprises at least two recesses in the bottom board mounting wall of the housing at the juncture thereof with the front face of the housing, one of said recesses provided at opposite sides of said opening, supporting tabs at a bottom edge of the front wall portion of the shield and extending rearwardly into said recesses, and the depth of said recess being at least equal to the thickness of said supporting tab so that the tab does not project downwardly beyond the bottom board mounting wall of the housing.