U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,322 discloses an electrical connector comprising an insulative strip having electrically conductive receptacles, or sockets, for receiving conductive pins, or leads, of an electronic component. The sockets are integral tubular members having a cylindrical body portion and depending spring fingers which converge inwardly from the cylindrical body, the fingers being resiliently deflected upon receipt of a lead in the socket. The sockets further have solder tabs for electrical connection with circuit paths on a circuit board. In one embodiment, the sockets are frictionally retained in the insulative strip by holes in the insulative strip having a flat side to compress against the cylindrical body portion of the socket. This retention means requires that dimensions of the sockets and the holes be held to close tolerances to ensure a snug fit of the sockets in the holes. In another embodiment, an outer sleeve surrounds the cylindrical body portion with an interference fit, and a top of the sleeve resides adjacent to a bottom facing surface of the insulative strip to prevent withdrawal of the socket from the strip. This embodiment is relatively expensive to produce due to additional cost of manufacturing the outer sleeve and additional assembly required to install the outer sleeve. There is a need for a socket which is less expensive to manufacture and simpler to install than prior art electrical sockets.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds