Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-23
2001-03-27
Gandhi, Jayprakash N. (Department: 2841)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S767000, C361S768000, C361S743000, C361S760000, C361S761000, C361S763000, C174S050510, C174S050510, C174S260000, C257S787000, C257S692000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06208524
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to electronic apparatus, including battery powerable apparatus and radio frequency communication devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Electronic devices come in many sizes and shapes. One type of device can be formed by mounting electronic components onto a substrate, such as a flexible polyester sheet. Some substrates can be quite small (i.e., credit card size or less), such that the resultant device formed is also small. There is generally an emphasis on decreasing overall device dimensions while increasing the overall performance and/or capabilities of a device. Classes of devices finding increasing use are active and passive radio frequency communication devices capable of tracking an object.
An example electronic device, and problems associated therewith which motivated the invention, are described with reference to
FIGS. 1 and 2
. An electronic device
10
includes a flexible polyester substrate
12
having conductive printed thick film ink traces
14
printed or otherwise formed thereon in a desired pattern. A thin profile battery
16
is effectively bonded to substrate
12
by cured conductive adhesive interconnections
17
and
20
which conductively connect portions of battery
16
to different portions of conductive traces
14
. Thin profile batteries comprise batteries that have thickness dimensions which are less than a maximum linear dimension of their anode or cathode. One type of thin profile battery is a button-type battery. Such batteries, because of their compact size, permit electronic devices to be built which are very small or compact.
An encapsulant mass
18
, for example insulative epoxy, is received over and adheres to thin profile battery
16
and substrate
12
. A typical thickness for flexible substrate
12
is 5 mils, with an example thickness for printed thick film
14
being between 1 and 1.5 mils. An example thickness for encapsulant mass
18
is 90 mils.
At certain elevated temperatures occurring either during test, operation or storage, material inside of thin profile battery
16
can be caused to outgas into the surrounding encapsulant mass
18
. The outgassing material can migrate through encapsulant mass
18
around or along cracks, crevasses and grain boundaries to a point where it reaches polyester film
12
. The soft or more flexible nature of substrate
12
typically compared to the encapsulant mass
18
can cause the substrate and encapsulant mass to displace from one another the result of the expanding gas, particularly below battery
16
. Accordingly, the gas can cause bowing or bubbling of the polyester film outwardly away from the encapsulant. Under such circumstances, the bowing or bubbling as a minimum creates an undesired appearing product. Even worse as shown in
FIG. 2
, the bubbling can cause rupturing of one or more conductive bonds between the printed thick film and battery as the printed thick film also pulls away from the encapsulant mass with the polyester film.
It would be desirable to develop structures which minimize or reduce problems associated with material which outgases from a gasifiable component received within an encapsulant mass.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Electronic apparatus, battery powerable apparatus, and radio frequency communication devices are disclosed. In but one implementation, an electronic apparatus comprises a substrate having a component mounted thereto. An encapsulant mass is received over and adheres to the gasiflable component and to the substrate. An opening is formed through the substrate and extends to the encapsulant mass. In another considered implementation, an electronic apparatus comprises a substrate having a component mounted thereto, with the component comprising a lateral periphery. An encapsulant mass is received over and adheres to the gasifiable component and to the substrate. An opening extends through the substrate from a location proximate the component within a region bounded by the component lateral periphery to externally of the substrate.
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Foster David
Gandhi Jayprakash N.
Micro)n Technology, Inc.
Wells, St. John, Roberts Gregory & Matkin P.S.
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