Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – Support brackets
Reexamination Certificate
1997-02-10
2001-05-15
Sparks, Donald (Department: 2835)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
Support brackets
C361S704000, C361S707000, C257S712000, C257S713000, C174S016300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06233159
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an apparatus that supports a circuit component on a circuit board. More particularly, the invention relates to a bracket that supports a circuit component on a circuit board during a wave-solder process and secures the component to a heat-dissipating surface for heat transfer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Brackets are used to support circuit components during the assembly of integrated circuits on circuit boards, and to secure the circuit components to heat-dissipating surfaces used for heat transfer. For example, one type of prior art bracket is used to support a voltage regulator while the voltage regulator is secured to the circuit board during a wave-solder process. The bracket also secures the regulator to a heat-dissipating surface, such as the external casing of the circuit board, when a thread-forming screw is inserted through the heat-dissipating surface, the regulator, and the bracket. The leads of the regulator are inserted into corresponding holes in the circuit board until the knees of some of the leads contact the circuit board. The bracket is placed on the circuit board by inserting the bracket's feet through the corresponding slots in the circuit board. The bracket simultaneously traps the top edge of the regulator by engaging the top edge of the regulator with a hook located on the top edge of the bracket. The hook prevents the regulator from tipping away from the bracket, but the hook does not secure or clamp the regulator to the bracket. A hole in the bracket is engaged by the thread-forming screw, which also engages a corresponding hole in the regulator, to clamp the regulator to the heat-dissipating surface. Tabs on the bracket feet are twisted to stabilize the bracket on the circuit board prior to the wave-solder process.
In the prior art bracket described above, the hook necessitates additional operations to provide clearance in the heat-dissipating surface for the hook, which extends past the regulator and the edge of the circuit board. The manufacturer must either emboss an indentation or punch out a hole in the heat-dissipating surface to avoid interference between the hook and the heat-dissipating surface. Once the allowance for the hook is made in the heat-dissipating surface, the circuit board with the bracket requires special loading to ensure that the hook properly aligns with the indentation or hole. Additionally, the prior art bracket requires positioning the holes relatively close to the edge of the circuit board which requires special machining operations that can increase the cost of the circuit board.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one form of the present invention, a bracket for supporting and aligning a circuit component with respect to a circuit board has a substantially flat mounting surface with front and rear faces and top, bottom, left, and right edges. A plurality of legs, sufficient to support the mounting surface of the bracket and the circuit component, extend rearwardly and downwardly from the left and right edges of the mounting surface. Feet, which extend downwardly from each leg, are positioned to align with slots in the circuit board. The feet are inserted into corresponding slots in the circuit board to secure the bracket to the circuit board. A tab extends rearwardly and downwardly from the top edge of the mounting surface such that the top edge of a circuit component can be inserted between the tab and the rear face of the mounting surface. The tab is dimensioned to frictionally engage the top edge of the inserted circuit component.
The mounting surface and the tab of the bracket have coaxial holes. These holes align with a corresponding hole in the circuit component when the top edge of the circuit component is inserted between the tab and the rear face of the mounting surface. Raised dimples on the rear face of the mounting surface engage the bottom edge of the circuit component and align the hole in the circuit component vertically with respect to the holes in the mounting surface and the tab. Additional raised dimples on each bracket leg are adapted to frictionally engage and secure the circuit component to the bracket and to align the hole of the circuit component horizontally with respect to the holes in the mounting surface and the tab. The frictional engagement of the tab, along with the vertical and horizontal positioning of the raised dimples on the rear of the flat mounting surface and the bracket legs, respectively, align the circuit component properly for the wave-solder process and for the insertion of a fastener without the necessity of additional positioning steps.
In summary, it is a general object of this invention to provide an improved bracket for supporting and vertically and horizontally aligning circuit components during the wave-solder process which simplifies the assembly and reduces the cost of manufacturing integrated circuits on circuit boards.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a bracket with greater clearance from the circuit component leads to further reduce the risk of shorting the circuit.
The invention may best be understood by reference to the following description when considered with the accompanying illustrations.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5450284 (1995-09-01), Wekell
Disclosed Annoymously, “Integrated Bracket & Spring Mount,” Research Disclosure, Oct. 1993, pp. 642.
Gomes David A
Harman Dedra Lee
Warren Brian Allen
Delco Electronics Corporation
Funke Jimmy L.
Sparks Donald
Vigushin John B.
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