Importance

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Abstract

A contact element for an electrical connector or an integrated circuit which is used with a hold-down mechanism has a base portion, a spring portion having at least partially helical spring elements, and a tapered contact portion which mates in a biased manner with the conductive rim of a hole. The contact element is particularly useful for surface mount applications. The spring portion is preferably arranged with a partially helical spring configuration so that compression of the spring also effects a torsional rotation of the contact portion. The contact element can be fabricated from: a flat sheet with punching, rolling, and/or forming operations, thin walled drawn parts, or modular parts. Additionally, spring sections may be arranged in tandem, in either a co-rotational or counter-rotational manner to provide additional degrees of design freedom with respect to compression range, axial spring rate, and rotational rate. Contact elements can be associated with insulating housings and/or spacers which provide functions such as alignment, compression limitation, contact support, and installation fixturing. In a preferred embodiment the contact portion has a non-linear taper which permits the normal mating force to be well defined regardless of the diameter of the conductive rim of the hole.

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First Claim