USB Reader Terminal Retention via Sandwiched Insulative Body
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior USB readers experience loose connections and circuit damage due to poorly secured conductive terminals and a thick design, leading to poor contact and durability issues over time.
Innovation Solution
A reader apparatus with a circuit board, insulative body, and flexible arm-type conductive terminals that sandwich planar conductive terminals between the circuit board and rear supporting elements, along with a casing for electromagnetic shielding, to enhance durability and reduce thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conductive terminals are only welded to fix on the circuit board, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the connection becomes loose after long-term use causing poor contact or circuit damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into the insulative body: it provides mechanical support, houses the conductive terminals, and creates the sandwiching structure for enhanced retention. By integrating these functions into a single component rather than separate elements, the patent achieves improved connection durability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulative body is pre-formed with specific structural features (engaging protrusions, recesses, and the sandwiching configuration) that enable durable terminal retention before assembly. This preliminary structuring ensures that when the circuit board is inserted, the conductive terminals are immediately secured in a reliable manner, preventing loose connections from the outset.
2Reliability
If the insulating body is disposed on the circuit board, then the conductive terminals can be mounted, but the USB reader becomes fairly thick
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a conventional planar arrangement to a three-dimensional sandwiching configuration. The conductive terminals extend through the insulative body and are retained by engaging structures on opposite sides, creating a layered structure that maximizes terminal retention while minimizing the overall thickness of the USB reader.
Solution Approach 2:
The circuit board is nested within the insulative body structure, with the conductive terminals positioned between the circuit board and the insulative body's engaging structures. This nesting arrangement allows the components to be compactly integrated, reducing the reader's thickness while maintaining reliable terminal retention.
3Reliability
If the conductive terminals are bent downward and extended toward the circuit board, then the terminals can contact the circuit board, but the structure becomes complex and prone to loosening
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of bending the conductive terminals downward to contact the circuit board from above, the patent inverts the approach by having the insulative body's engaging structures contact the terminals from below and secure them in place. This inversion simplifies the terminal structure while improving contact stability, as the terminals remain relatively straight and are retained by the opposing engaging protrusions and recesses.
Data Source
AI summary
A reader apparatus, comprising: a circuit board, including a plurality of lower touching pads, located on a lower surface of the circuit board; an insulative body, including a front supporting element and a rear supporting element extending from the front supporting element, wherein a plurality of planar conductive terminals disposed on an upper surface of the front supporting element, the rear supporting element located under the circuit board, the plural planar conductive terminals extends backward and sandwiched between a lower surface of the circuit board and a upper surface of the rear supporting element, and the planar conducting terminals sandwiched between the lower surface of the circuit board and the upper surface of the rear supporting element electrically connects to a plurality of a lower touching pads; and a casing surrounding the circuit board and the insulative body.