Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-27
2003-04-22
Gandhi, Jayprakash N. (Department: 2841)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S740000, C361S742000, C361S752000, C361S758000, C361S759000, C361S801000, C361S809000, C361S825000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06552914
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a circuit board assembly mechanism, and more specifically to a circuit board assembly mechanism for stacking circuit boards up within an input/output (I/O) switch box.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For current electronic devices, the more compact of their volumes, the more competitive of their commercial interests. Because the circuit board is the most space-consuming components in an electronic device, the circuitry layout turns to be a compelling issue of downsizing the circuit board and minimizing the volume of the electronic device.
Typically, a circuit board is fabricated as a single module with specific functions, and different circuit boards are assembled in a single case to form an electronic device. As a result of the modular circuit board, the assembling task of the electronic device is highly reduced. For instance, an I/O switch box could be fabricated by selectively combining several circuit boards with desired functions, such as a circuit board providing keyboard/mouse connecting ports and another circuit board providing monitor interfacial ports. Thus, the circuit boards, which can be easily acquired from the ordinary market, simply contribute to the I/O switch as its main components.
When an electronic device includes many circuit boards, how to effectively assemble these circuit boards is an important issue to compact its volume. A conventional design positions the circuit boards on the same plate within the case of an electronic device. The conventional design simplifies the fabrication of electronic devices, but expands the spaces they occupy. Another conventional design of electronic devices stacks several circuit boards up by fixing and separating them with bolts and nuts, therefore, minimizing the spaces they occupy.
FIG. 1
illustrates the conventional stacked circuit board structure. Typically, the base
1
, which is made of rigid material for housing the first circuit board
5
and the second circuit board
3
, includes fixing holes
8
a
,
8
b
,
8
c
, and
8
d
(hereinafter refer to
8
) and pillars
2
a
,
2
b
,
2
c
, and
2
d
(hereinafter refer to
2
) extruding from its bottom plate. The first circuit board
5
includes first bolt holes
6
a
,
6
b
,
6
c
, and
6
d
(hereinafter refer to
6
). Likewise, the second circuit board
3
includes second bolt holes
9
a
,
9
b
,
9
c
, and
9
d
(hereinafter refer to
9
) and lead holes
4
a
,
4
b
,
4
c
, and
4
d
(hereinafter refer to
4
). Since the lead holes
4
, which are positioned corresponding to the pillars
2
, have inner diameters broader than those of the pillars
2
, the second circuit board
3
can be mounted right on the bottom plate of the base
1
by screwing bolts
11
a
,
11
b
,
11
c
, and lid through the second bolt holes
9
and fixing holes
8
. Moreover, since the first holes
6
, which are positioned corresponding to the pillars
2
, have inner diameters narrower than those of the pillars
2
, the first circuit board
5
can be mounted right on the pillars
2
by screwing bolts
7
a
,
7
b
,
7
c
, and
7
d
through the first bolt holes
6
into the pillars
2
. Therefore, the base
1
in which the first circuit board
5
stacked above the second circuit board
3
, compacts the volume of the electronic device adopting the stacked circuit board structure within the base
1
.
Although the aforementioned stacked circuit board structure enables electronic devices to minimize their volume, its bolts holes
6
,
9
and lead holes
4
interfere in the design of the circuitry layout of the two circuit boards
3
,
5
. Generally, fixing an upper circuit board, namely the circuit board on the pillars, needs at least four bolt holes thereon, and especially to the lower circuit board, namely the circuit board on the bottom plate of the base, it demands extra four lead holes. As a result of these holes, especially of the lead holes, which allow no conducting lines to cross through, the stacked circuit board structure labors the design of the circuits.
In addition, there are usually several bolt holes on the corners of a circuit board for facilitating its assembly, when the manufacturer fabricates the circuit board. However, the conventional stacked circuit board structure demands extra lead holes, which are not inherently on the circuit board. For accommodating to the conventional structure, the circuit board must be completely redesigned instead of acquiring it from the ordinary market, thereby raising its fabricating cost.
In brief, there is a huge need to resolve the disadvantages of the conventional stacked circuit board structure as well as compact the electronic device adopting many circuit boards.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An objective of the invention is to provide a mechanism for assembling a plurality of circuit boards along the vertical direction.
Another objective of the invention is to provide a switch box with stacked circuit board structure for communicating among computer peripheral devices.
The invention discloses a circuit board assembly mechanism employed in a switch box, which communicates many computer peripheral devices, for assembling a plurality of circuit boards along the vertical direction. The switch box includes a first circuit board and a second circuit board, in which the second circuit board has a third hole, and the first circuit board has a first hole and a second hole opposite to the first one. The circuit board assembly mechanism mainly includes a base and connecting bracket. The base housing the first circuit board and the second circuit board comprises a bottom plate, a side plate, and a boundary plate. The bottom plate has a fourth hole corresponding to the third hole and a pillar extruding from it corresponding to the first hole. The second circuit board is mounted on the bottom plate by inserting a first fixer through the fourth hole and the third hole, and the first circuit board is mounted on the pillar above the second circuit board by inserting a second fixer through the first hole into the pillar. Bending the side plate, which is bent from a wing of the bottom plate, shapes the boundary plate, on which a split exists corresponding to the second hole. A perpendicular first strip and a second strip shape the connecting bracket. The first strip has a foot hole for fixing the connecting bracket with the first circuit board by inserting a third fixer through the second hole and the foot hole. The second strip has a flange corresponding to the split for restringing the connecting bracket in the boundary plate by inserting the flange into the split, thereby connecting the first circuit board with the side plate of the base.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5124888 (1992-06-01), Suzuki et al.
patent: 5502620 (1996-03-01), Funck et al.
patent: 5740019 (1998-04-01), Lee
patent: 5863141 (1999-01-01), Hong et al.
patent: 6000559 (1999-12-01), Stopyra et al.
patent: 6005775 (1999-12-01), Chiu
patent: 6188017 (2001-02-01), August, Jr.
Aten International Co. Ltd.
Gandhi Jayprakash N.
Vigushin John B.
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