Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – With mating connector which receives panel circuit edge
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-22
2003-10-21
Duverne, Jean F. (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
With mating connector which receives panel circuit edge
C439S637000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06634889
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to socket connectors for circuit boards. More particularly, it relates to card-edge sockets and connectors used within computer systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Personal computer systems in general and IBM compatible personal computer systems in particular have attained widespread use. These personal computer systems now provide computing power to many segments of modem society. A personal computer system can usually be defined as a desktop, or portable microcomputer that includes a system unit having a system processor with associated volatile and nonvolatile memory, a display monitor, a keyboard, a hard disk storage device or other type of storage media such as a floppy disk drive or a compact disk read only memory (CD ROM) drive. One of the distinguishing characteristics of these systems is the use of a system board to electrically couple these components together. These personal computer systems are information handling systems which are designed primarily to give independent computing power to a single user or group of users and are inexpensively priced. One way of keeping the cost of computer systems down is to manufacture systems that use electrical parts in an efficient manner. Given the number of electrical devices in a computer system, such efficiency is paramount.
Modern multiple processor computer systems have sockets for multiple processors or microprocessors and require a termination card instead of a processor in situations in which a consumer orders a system that does not use each socket available for a processor on the computer system.
Referring to
FIG. 1
a,
a typical multi-processor circuit board
101
is represented showing two processor sockets. The first socket connector
102
holds a typical PENTIUM-type processor
107
. The second socket connector
103
holds a termination card
105
with termination resistors
106
.
FIG. 1
b
represents a typical termination card
105
for use in the socket connector
103
. Conductive pads
108
and
110
shown in
FIG. 1
b
are located on the back side of the termination card, and conductive pads
109
are on the front of the card. Also shown in
FIG. 1
b
are termination resistors
106
and the conductive path leading to terminal voltage
108
. Referring to
FIG. 1
c,
a cross-sectional view of the socket connector
103
is shown as it would appear along the axis B from
FIG. 1
a.
The signal pins
111
do not electrically couple when a termination card is not present.
Like computer systems that use sockets for processors, computer systems that use sockets to hold memory require a “continuity” circuit card to be installed in any socket not used for memory. Referring to
FIGS. 1
d
and
1
e,
a multiple memory module designed system
600
is represented showing three memory socket connectors
602
. Each socket connector
602
holds a memory module
605
. A typical memory module is a RAMBUS INLINE MEMORY MODULE (RIMM). As shown in
FIG. 1
d,
the memory controller
604
, also called a “memory channel”, is electrically coupled to all three memory module circuit cards
605
in series, terminating through termination resistors shown as
601
leading to termination voltage
603
. Thus, the memory module circuit cards
605
do not require termination resistors.
FIG. 1
e
represents a typical continuity circuit card
606
and a memory module circuit card
605
for use in the socket connector
602
shown in
FIG. 1
d.
The conductive pads
608
shown in
FIG. 1
e
are located on side A of the continuity circuit card
606
. The conductive pads
609
are located on side B (not shown) of the continuity circuit card
606
. Similar to the socket connector discussed above representing a conventional connector for multi-processor systems, the socket connector that requires use of a continuity module circuit card has signal pins inside the socket connector that do not electrically couple when a continuity circuit card or a memory module is not present.
What is needed is a system that does not require the extra expense of a termination card or a continuity card.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention provides a socket connector and a card-edge that eliminates the need for either a termination card for multiple processor systems or a continuity card for systems holding multiple sockets for memory. The design of the socket connector connects a bus, which can be a memory bus, processor bus or any electrical signal, from one side of the socket connector to the other side of the socket by cross-connecting the signal through the signal pins when the socket is empty.
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Lopez Arthur
Miller Kevin L.
Baker & Botts L.L.P.
Dell Products L.P.
Duverne Jean F.
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