	US 7,537,458 B2
	Connector for electronic devices
Jack S. Idzik, Kenilworth (Canada); Ryan Mitchell Bayne, Waterloo (Canada); and Ben Boomhour, Waterloo (Canada)
Assigned to Research In Motion Limited, Waterloo, Ontario (Canada)
Filed on Apr. 25, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/739,893.
Prior Publication US 2008/0268713 A1, Oct. 30, 2008
Int. Cl. H01R 12/00 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 439—65 [439/74; 439/862]

9 Claims

1. A connector for providing electrical and mechanical coupling between first and second objects, the connector comprising:

a plurality of connecting elements, a given connecting element generally having a horseshoe shape and comprising:

at least one first contact portion;

at least one second contact portion;

at least one guidance portion located towards an end of the given connecting element and adjacent to one of the at least one first and second contact portions; and

a biasing portion adjacent to the at least one first and second contact portions, rounded in an area adjacent to at least one of the at least one first contact portion and the at least one second contact portion and configured to provide an electrical connection therebetween and to resiliently move the given connecting element from a first position to a second position having a wider distance between the at least one first and second contact portions; and

an insulating member configured to maintain a spaced relationship between the plurality of connecting elements,

wherein, when applied to the first and second objects, each of the plurality of connecting elements moves from the first position to the second position in which the biasing portion provides a mechanical coupling force to the first and second objects and the at least one first contact portion electrically contacts a first contact area on the first object and the at least one second contact portion electrically contacts a second contact area on the second object to electrically couple the first and second objects.