Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-04
2001-10-30
Gaffin, Jeffrey (Department: 2841)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S799000, C361S800000, C361S818000, C439S668000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06310784
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to communication distribution equipment, and more specifically to methods and apparatus for supporting a multiplicity of densely arranged or packed electrical shielded communication panels, each of which has a ground or conductive sheet covering the back side of the panel to provide back side shielding to the circuitry on that same panel as well as front side shielding to an adjacent panel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention includes apparatus and methods for supporting a multiplicity of densely-arranged and electrically-shielded panels. The apparatus and methods include a distribution structure, which has a rack or panel area for supporting at least two and, in a preferred embodiment, up to 20 adjacent panels at one level of the distribution cabinet. The cabinet itself will include a grounding or electrical connection point to which all of the panels are connected by a low resistance path. To achieve the shielding provided by the apparatus of this invention, there are included at least two similar panels carrying electrical signals which are supported adjacent and in close alignment to each other by the support rack. Each of the two panels comprises a face plate for securing the panels to the rack and in a preferred embodiment includes cable connectors to terminals for providing a plurality of input communication signals and a single output communication signal made up of the combined input signals. Each of the panels will include a printed circuit board which extends perpendicularly away from the face plate and which is made up of an insulating substrate having a circuit side and a back side. The circuit side includes a printed circuit, which is printed on the substrate by well-known printed circuit techniques. And the back side includes a conducted sheet or ground which is printed or otherwise secured to and substantially covers the back side of the substrate. A low-resistance conductive path exists between the conductive sheet on the circuit board and the electrical connection point of the rack or distribution cabinet such that each panel includes a low-resistance path between the conductive sheet and the connection point (normally ground) on the rack. As mentioned above, the connection point on rack is usually a grounding point such that all of the conductive sheets on each of the panels are at ground potential.
The adjacent panels are closely aligned and supported in the support rack so that the printed circuit of one of the panels is electrically shielded on its back side by the conductive sheet on that same panel and on its circuit or front side by the conductive sheet of the adjacent panel. According to a preferred embodiment, each of the panels is a panel for combining RF communication electrical signals which operate over a bandwidth at a selected center frequency. The printed circuit is simple and straightforward in that it provides electrical combination of incoming signals to a single output connector, such that a combination of signals is provided at the single output terminal. Also in a preferred embodiment, the printed circuit paths will be selected such that there is a constant resistence such as 75 ohms between each of the input terminals and the single output terminal. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a path resistance of 75 ohms is standard for coaxial cable since the loss in the cable is at a minimum at that impedance. When sending high-speed signals, it is preferred that the transmission line impedance be maintained the same over the signal path. Maintaining the same impedance enables the maximum power transfer.
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Bradshaw Janet A.
BuAbbud George H.
Matthes John W.
Zuhdi Muneer
Dinh Tuan
Gaffin Jeffrey
Marconi Communications Inc.
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