Chip carrier and header assembly and terminals therefor

Claim 2

An I.C. chip carrier assembly for an I.C. chip having a plurality of electrically conductive leads extending therefrom, said assembly comprising: a chip carrier comprising a bottom wall having a plurality of receptacles extending therethrough, said receptacles being disposed to be generally in register with the leads of the I.C. chip; a plurality of carrier terminals mounted respectively in each of said carrier receptacles, each said carrier terminal comprising first and second female terminal portions, with the first female portion of each said carrier terminal being disposed to receive one said I.C. chip lead; a cover dimensioned and configured for locking engagement to said carrier to define a carrier subassembly, said cover further comprising a pair of subassembly latch arms connected to and extending therefrom; a header for mounting to a printed circuit board, said header comprising a bottom wall having a plurality of electrically conductive pins extending therethrough and disposed to be substantially in register with the second female portion of the respective carrier terminals, said header comprising locking means for lockingly engaging the subassembly latch arms of the cover to securely engage the carrier subassembly to the header.

Claim 3

An I.C. chip carrier assembly as in claim 1 wherein the header further comprises a plurality of interconnected upstanding walls connected to and extending from said bottom wall to define a socket for receiving at least a portion of said carrier, said upstanding walls substantially surrounding the pins of said header and extending from said bottom wall of a distance equal to or greater than the height of said pins.

Claim 4

An I.C. chip carrier assembly as in claim 2 wherein said header further comprises a protective material removably disposed in contact with said upstanding walls to substantially completely enclose the pins surrounded by said upstanding walls.

Claim 5

An I.C. chip carrier assembly as in claim 1 wherein said header further comprises a plurality of standoffs connected to and extending from said bottom wall, said standoffs defining legs for spacing said bottom wall from a printed circuit board.

Claim 6

An I.C. chip carrier assembly as in claim 1 wherein the bottom wall of said carrier comprises opposed top and bottom surfaces and a plurality of side surfaces, and wherein each receptacle thereof extends entirely through said bottom wall from the top surface thereof to the bottom surface and further extends to at least one said side surface.

Claim 7

An I.C. chip carrier assembly as in claim 1 wherein said carrier comprises a plurality of upstanding walls connected to and extending from said bottom wall thereof to define a chip recess for receiving and protecting the I.C. chip.

Claim 8

An I.C. chip carrier assembly as in claim 6 wherein the cover comprises a top wall and a plurality of side walls extending from and connected to said top wall, said side walls of said cover being disposed to be placed in generally telescoping engagement with the upstanding walls of said carrier, such that the locking engagement of the cover to the carrier substantially encloses a chip mounted in the chip recess of said carrier.

Claim 9

An I.C. chip carrier assembly as in claim 7 wherein the cover comprises a plurality of carrier latch arms connected to and extending therefrom, said carrier latch arms being disposed to lockingly engage said cover with said carrier to define a plugable subassembly.

Claim 10

An I.C. chip carrier assembly as in claim 8 wherein said subassembly latch arms each comprise a locking ledge engageable with the locking means of said header, and further comprise actuator means for rotating said locking ledges away from one another and out of engagement with said header, for disengaging said carrier subassembly from said header.

Claim 11

An I.C. chip carrier assembly as in claim 1 wherein said carrier and said header comprise polarization means for assuring proper orientation relative to one another.

Claim 12

An I.C. chip carrier assembly as in claim 1 wherein each carrier terminal comprises a pair of opposed cantilevered contact beams extending into the second female portion thereof for achieving double-sided redundant electrical contact with the pins of said header.

Claim 13

An I.C. chip carrier assembly as in claim 11 wherein the contact beams of said second female portion are of different respective lengths.

Claim 14

An I.C. chip carrier assembly as in claim 1 wherein each said carrier terminal is formed from a unitary piece of electrically conductive material and comprises an inner wall, an outer wall and an intermediate wall disposed between said inner and outer walls and generally parallel thereto, a first end wall connected to and extending orthogonaly between said inner and outer walls and a second end wall connected to and extending between said inner wall and said intermediate wall such that said first female socket portion is defined by said intermediate wall, said outer wall and a portion of said first end wall, and wherein the second female portion thereof is defined by said inner wall, said intermediate wall, said second end wall and a portion of said first end wall.

Claim 15

An I.C. chip carrier assembly as in claim 13 wherein each said carrier terminal further comprises cantilevered contact beams extending toward one another into said second female portion thereof from the first and second end walls.

Claim 16

An I.C. chip carrier assembly as in claim 14 wherein the contact beams extending into the second female portion are of different respective lenghts.

Claim 17

An I.C. chip carrier assembly as in claim 13 wherein each said carrier terminal comprises a cantilevered contact beam extending from said intermediate wall into the first female portion thereof, for urging one said I.C. chip lead into contact with the outer wall of said carrier terminal.

Claim 18

An I.C. chip carrier assembly as in claim 16 wherein the outer wall of each said carrier terminal is characterized by an aperture generally aligned with the contact beam extending into the first female portion thereof, whereby said aperture facilitates non-vapor soldering of said I.C. chip lead to said carrier terminal.

Claim 19

An I.C. chip carrier assembly as in claim 17 wherein the recess of said carrier comprises a bottom wall dimensioned for receiving the chip, said bottom wall including opposed top and bottom surfaces and a plurality of side surfaces extending therebetween, said receptacles of said carrier extending entirely through said bottom wall from said top surface to said bottom surface and to one of said side surfaces, the aperture of each said carrier terminal mounted in said receptacle being substantially in register with the portion of said receptacle extending through to the side surface of said carrier bottom wall.

Claim 20

A double female terminal for connecting an I.C. chip lead to an electrically conductive pin, said terminal being formed from a unitary piece of electrically conductive material stamp formed to define generally parallel inner and outer walls, an intermediate wall parallel to and intermediate said inner and outer walls, a first end wall connected to and extending orthogonally between said inner and outer walls and a second end wall connected to and extending between said inner wall and said intermediate wall, such that said intermediate wall, said outer wall and a portion of said first end wall define a first female socket portion of said terminal, and such that said inner wall, said intermediate wall, said second end wall and a portion of said first end wall define a second female portion of said terminal.

Claim 21

A double female terminal for connecting an I.C. chip lead to an electrically conductive pin, said terminal being formed from a unitary piece of electrically conductive material stamp formed to define generally parallel inner and outer walls, an intermediate wall parallel to and intermediate said inner and outer walls, a first end wall connected to and extending orthogonally between said inner and outer walls and a second end wall connected to and extending between said inner wall and said intermediate wall, such that said intermediate wall, said outer wall and a portion of said first end wall define a first female socket portion of said terminal, and such that said inner wall, said intermediate wall, said second end wall and a portion of said first end wall define a second female portion of said terminal.

Claim 22

A terminal as in claim 19 further comprising cantilevered contact beams extending toward one another and into said second female portion of said terminal from the first and second end walls repsectively.

Claim 23

A terminal as in claim 20 wherein the first and second contact beams extending into said second female portion are of different respective lengths.

Claim 24

A terminal as in claim 19 comprising a cantilevered contact beam extending from said intermediate wall convexly into said first female portion of said terminal for urging an I.C. chip lead into contact with the outer wall of said terminal.

Claim 25

A terminal as in claim 22 wherein the outer wall of said terminal is characterized by an aperture generally aligned with the contact beam extending into the first female portion thereof for facilitating non-vapor soldering or an I.C. chip lead to said terminal.

Claim 26

A terminal as in claim 23 wherein opposed portions of said outer wall and said contact beam extending into said first female portion are plated with solder.

Claim 27

An I.C. chip carrier assembly for electrically connecting and I.C. chip to a printed circuit board, said I.C. chip comprising a plurality of electrically conductive leads extending therefrom, said carrier assembly comprising: a pluggable carrier sub-assembly including: a carrier having a bottom wall with opposed top and bottom surfaces and opposed side surfaces and having a pair of opposed parallel side walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall and a pair of opposed parallel end walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall, said side and end walls defining a chip-receiving recess, said carrier further having a plurality of receptacles defined therein extending through said bottom wall from the top surface thereof to the bottom surface and to one said side surface, thereby defining a plurality of receptacle openings along each side wall of the carrier, each receptacle being disposed to be substantially in register with a lead of an inserted I.C. chip and each said receptacle providing visual and physical access to a terminal mounted therein from the top surface of the bottom wall, the bottom surface of the bottom wall and from said receptacle opening in one side surface; a plurality of carrier terminals disposed respectively in the receptacles of this said carrier, each carrier terminal including a first female portion dimensioned to receive one said I.C. chip lead and a second female portion adapted to electrically contact a pin terminal, each said carrier terminal being mounted in a carrier receptacle so that said first female portion lies adjacent the receptacle opening in said side surface; and a cover comprising the top wall for extending across and covering at least a portion of the chip-receiving recess of said carrier, said cover including latch means for locking engagement with said carrier to define the sub-assembly therewith; and a header comprising a bottom wall having opposed top and bottom surfaces, a plurality of pins extending through said bottom wall and projecting from both said top and bottom surfaces thereof, said pins being disposed to be substantially in register with the second female portions of said carrier terminals, a plurality of upstanding side walls connecting to and extending from said bottom wall and substantially surrounding said pins to define a carrier socket dimensioned for receviing at least a portion of said carrier such that the second female portions of said carrier terminal engage the pins of said header, Whereby, an I.C. chip may be inserted into said carrier so that each of the leads extending therefrom are received in one said first female portion and whereby each inserted lead may be reflow soldered to said first female portion by contacting said first female portion with a heater tip introduced through the receptacle opening on the side of the carrier.

Claim 28

An I.C. chip carrier assembly for electrically connecting and I.C. chip to a printed circuit board, said I.C. chip comprising a plurality of electrically conductive leads extending therefrom, said carrier assembly comprising: a pluggable carrier sub-assembly including: a carrier having a bottom wall with opposed top and bottom surfaces and opposed side surfaces and having a pair of opposed parallel side walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall and a pair of opposed parallel end walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall, said side and end walls defining a chip-receiving recess, said carrier further having a plurality of receptacles defined therein extending through said bottom wall from the top surface thereof to the bottom surface and to one said side surface, thereby defining a plurality of receptacle openings along each side wall of the carrier, each receptacle being disposed to be substantially in register with a lead of an inserted I.C. chip and each said receptacle providing visual and physical access to a terminal mounted therein from the top surface of the bottom wall, the bottom surface of the bottom wall and from said receptacle opening in one side surface; a plurality of carrier terminals disposed respectively in the receptacles of this said carrier, each carrier terminal including a first female portion dimensioned to receive one said I.C. chip lead and a second female portion adapted to electrically contact a pin terminal, each said carrier terminal being mounted in a carrier receptacle so that said first female portion lies adjacent the receptacle opening in said side surface; and a cover comprising the top wall for extending across and covering at least a portion of the chip-receiving recess of said carrier, said cover including latch means for locking engagement with said carrier to define the sub-assembly therewith; and a header comprising a bottom wall having opposed top and bottom surfaces, a plurality of pins extending through said bottom wall and projecting from both said top and bottom surfaces thereof, said pins being disposed to be substantially in register with the second female portions of said carrier terminals, a plurality of upstanding side walls connecting to and extending from said bottom wall and substantially surrounding said pins to define a carrier socket dimensioned for receviing at least a portion of said carrier such that the second female portions of said carrier terminal engage the pins of said header, Whereby, an I.C. chip may be inserted into said carrier so that each of the leads extending therefrom are received in one said first female portion and whereby each inserted lead may be reflow soldered to said first female portion by contacting said first female portion with a heater tip introduced through the receptacle opening on the side of the carrier.

Claim 29

An I.C. chip carrier assembly as in claim 25, wherein said first female portion of each said carrier terminal includes an outer wall disposed adjacent said receptacle opening and having a window defined therein substantially in registration with said receptacle opening, whereby a heater tip may be inserted through said receptacle opening and said window to make direct contact with an inserted I.C. chip lead for reflow soldering the I.C. chip lead to the carrier terminal.

Claim 30

A carrier assembly as in claim 5 wherein the cover of said carrier subassembly further comprises a pair of subassembly latch arms pivotally connected thereto and extending therefrom for locking engagement with said header, whereby said subassembly latch arms of said cover enable secure but removable connection of said subassembly to said header.

Claim 31

A carrier assembly as in claim 27 wherein said subassembly latch arms each comprise a locking ledge at locations thereon for locking engagement with said header and wherein each said subassembly latch arm further comprises in actuator at a location thereon spaced from the corresponding locking ledge, said pivotal connections of said subassembly latch arms to said cover being disposed at locations thereon intermediate the corresponding actuator and the locking ledge, whereby forces exerted on said actuators cause said subassembly latch arms to pivotally rotate out of locking engagement with said header.