Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-15
2001-08-28
Gaffin, Jeffrey (Department: 2841)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S752000, C361S727000, C361S807000, C361S825000, C439S260000, C439S341000, C439S342000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06282099
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to mounting and installing circuit cards in electronic equipment. More particularly, the invention relates to a multi-axis interconnection that facilitates the installation of circuit cards into computers, printers, and other types of electronic equipment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Computers, printers, facsimile machines and similar types of electronic equipment include electronic circuits and components formed in or mounted on a main circuit board. In a personal computer the microprocessor chip and the random access memory chips, for example, are mounted on the main circuit “mother” board. In a laser printer, the main circuit board is typically the formatter board. The formatter board includes the microprocessor and related memory chips that control the functions of the printer. Other circuits and components are often mounted on circuit cards that are plugged into the main circuit board. Modem cards, network cards, infrared connectivity cards and other option cards are examples of circuit cards that might be used in a computer or printer.
Option cards are usually plugged into the main circuit board with some type of socket connector. Edge connectors in which electrical contacts along the edge of the card are plugged into a mating female socket mounted on the main circuit board are the most common card connectors in computers. Usually, a cover and screws must be removed and reinstalled to access the female socket on the main circuit board to install the option card. It is desirable to eliminate or at least minimize the need for tools and screws during customer installation of circuit cards. In some printers, the circuit card edge contacts are plugged into sockets at the back of the frame tray in which the formatter board is fastened. Circuit cards used in these printers must be large enough to reach the sockets even if this size is not necessary to accommodate the circuitry and electronic components on the card. The formatter board or ribbon cable from the formatter board must also extend to the connector at the back of the frame. It would be advantageous to mount the circuit card and make electrical contact to the formatter or main circuit board independent of the size of the frame.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a structure for mounting and a method for installing a circuit card. The structure includes a track in which the circuit card may slide and pivot. The card slides into the track and then pivots to engage electrical contacts on the body of the circuit card, rather than on the edge of the card, with mating contacts on the main circuit board in the computer, printer or other electronic device. The invention makes it possible to position the electrical contacts at various locations on the circuit card as necessary or desirable to accommodate the computer or printer frame size and/or the preferred location of the contacts on the main circuit board.
In one embodiment of the invention, the track includes a first channel guide and a second channel guide. Each channel guide may be characterized by a lengthwise dimension from front to back and a transverse dimension perpendicular to the lengthwise dimension and perpendicular to the plane of the circuit card. For those applications in which the circuit card will pivot along its back edge to engage the contacts, the transverse dimension at the front of the guides is made greater than the thickness of the circuit card and the transverse dimension at the back of the guide is nominally equal to the thickness of the circuit card. This creates a V (laid on its side) shaped track. The circuit card slides into the track along the lengthwise dimension and pivots in the track on its back edge in the transverse dimension. For those applications in which the circuit card will pivot along one of its side edges, the first channel guide has a transverse dimension nominally equal to the thickness of the circuit card and the second channel guide has a transverse dimension greater than the thickness of the circuit card. In this configuration, the circuit card pivots in the track on a side edge in the transverse dimension.
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Saunders Don E.
Wilson Richard M.
Dinh Tuan
Gaffin Jeffrey
Hewlett--Packard Company
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