Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Reexamination Certificate
1997-11-19
2001-01-30
Arbes, Carl J. (Department: 3729)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
C029S837000, C053S447000, C361S759000, C361S801000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06178624
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to manufacturing electronic devices having printed circuit assemblies. More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to component mounting modules for protecting and securing particular components to printed circuit boards.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the electronics manufacturing industry, many electronic devices have printed circuit assemblies (PCAs) including one or more printed circuit boards (PCBs) and a plurality of components attached to the PCBs. For example, PCAs are commonly used in computers, televisions, stereos and many other types of electronic devices. Because the electronics manufacturing industry is highly competitive, it is desirable to reduce costs associated with shipping, assembling and inventorying PCBs and the related components for manufacturing a particular PCA. The “Original Equipment Manufacturers” (OEMs) of “motherboards” and “central processing units” (CPUs) used personal computers are a particularly competitive group of PCA manufacturers that are continually seeking to add value to their products.
Many personal computers now have Pentium II® CPUs manufactured by Intel Corporation of California. The Pentium II, unlike its predecessors, is a single-edge-contact unit that is coupled to a contact slot in the motherboard in an upright position along a single edge. Pentium II CPUs generally extend to a height well above the other components on the motherboard, and thus the Pentium II CPUs may be damaged or broken during handling, shipping and operation. To protect the Pentium II CPUs, OEMs generally require that a fixed bracket be mounted to the motherboard proximate to the contact slot in the motherboard. The fixed brackets generally extend to the height of the Pentium II CPUs. The fixed brackets and Pentium II CPUs, however, extend from the motherboards by such a great distance that they significantly reduce the number of motherboards that may be shipped in a given container. Thus, to reduce shipping costs and protect the CPUs, OEMs generally ship the fixed brackets and the Pentium II CPUs separately from the motherboards. A computer manufacturer then attaches the Pentium II CPUs to the motherboards while assembling personal computers.
To attach Pentium II CPUs to motherboards, computer manufacturers usually mount the fixed brackets to the motherboards at a CPU mounting site on the motherboard near the contact slot. The fixed brackets accordingly protect and hold the Pentium II CPUs in a desired operating position relative to the motherboards. Computer manufacturers, and especially custom computer manufacturers that assemble each computer to order, incur additional costs to mount the fixed brackets to the motherboards. For example, custom computer manufacturers must maintain significant inventories of brackets and fasteners that increase the overhead costs to individually assemble each computer to order. Custom computer manufacturers must also expend additional labor resources to mount the fixed brackets to the motherboards, and additional administrative resources may be required to manage the inventory and labor. Thus, it would be desirable to reduce the computer manufacturer's costs to attach Pentium II CPUs to motherboards without increasing the OEMs' shipping costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for attaching processors and other components to printed circuit assemblies. One particularly useful application for several embodiments of the invention is attaching a single-edge-contact processor to a PCB. In one embodiment, a mounting-module for attaching a component to a PCB is attached to the PCB prior to being shipped to a final device manufacturer. The component has a component height greater than a desired shipping height for the printed circuit assembly. The mounting-module, more particularly, may have a base attached to the printed circuit board and a component holder attachable to the base. The base and component holder together may have a first height less than the desired shipping height when the component holder is in a detached or lowered position. As such, the base may be attached to the printed circuit board prior to shipping without adversely impacting the shipping costs. The component holder may accordingly be raised or attached to the base to hold the component at the component height after shipping the printed circuit assembly to a device manufacturer. The base and the component holder together may thus be configured to position the component at a desired location on the printed circuit board when the component holder is raised or attached to the base in an assembled position after shipping.
In one particular embodiment, the base may have a first footing attached to the printed circuit board on one side of a mounting site for the component, a second footing attached to the printed circuit board on another side of the mounting site, and a plurality of first lock-elements such that each of the first and second footings have at least one first lock-element. The component holder may accordingly have a first support-member attachable to the first footing, a second support-member attachable to the second footing, and a plurality of second lock-elements such that each of the first and second support-members has at least one second lock-element. The first and second lock-elements are configured to engage one another when the support-members are raised or attached to the footings to hold the support-members in the assembled position.
The first and second support-members may have several different configurations with respect to the base. For example, in one embodiment, the first and second support-members may be first and second legs pivotally attached to the first and second footings. In another embodiment, the first and second support-members may be first and second legs slidably attached to the first and second footings. In still another embodiment, the first and second support-members may be first and second snap-on legs detachable from the first and second footings.
In operation, an OEM of printed circuit assemblies may attach the base onto a printed circuit board with the component holder in the lowered or detached position. A plurality of printed circuit assemblies with mounting-modules are then packaged and shipped to a computer manufacturer or other type of device manufacturer. After the printed circuit assemblies are shipped, the component holder is raised or attached to the base in the assembled position and a processor is inserted into the mounting-module.
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Arbes Carl J.
Micron Electronics Inc.
Perkins Coie LLP
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