Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-27
2001-12-04
Gaffin, Jeffrey (Department: 2841)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S801000, C361S786000, C361S759000, C024S563000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06327160
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a device for retaining a circuit board, such as a computer main board, on a support panel, and in particular to a circuit board retainer allowing quick and ready mounting of the circuit board to the support panel.
2. The Prior Art
Personal computers comprise a main board fixed inside an enclosure. A support panel is used to support and mount the main board in the enclosure. The most straightforward manner to fix the main board to the support panel is bolts. Fixing a circuit board to a support panel by bolts, however, is a laborious and time-consuming process for many bolts are needed to effectively secure the main board on the support panel.
Taiwan Patent Application No. 82208473 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,124 disclose a retainer for retaining a main board in an enclosure. A bolt is still required for securing the main board to the retainer. Taiwan Patent Application No. 84211189 discloses a retainer for retaining a circuit board in an enclosure. An L-shaped projection is formed on the retainer for engaging and securing a circuit board. The L-shaped projection, however, is not capable to soundly fix the circuit board causing ineffective grounding of the circuit board.
Another example of a circuit board retainer is disclosed in Taiwan Patent Application No. 81212404 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,125.
FIG. 7
of the attached drawings shows a circuit board retainer
99
disclosed in these patents for retaining a circuit board
130
on a support panel
150
. The circuit board retainer
99
comprises a base plate
140
and two side plates
100
,
120
extending from the base plate
140
. An offset section
151
is formed on the support panel
150
defining a groove therebetween for slidably receiving side projections of the base plate
140
thereby retaining the retainer on the support panel
150
. The side plates
100
,
120
are spaced from each other and are made resilient for allowing the side plates
100
,
120
to be inserted into a corresponding hole
131
defined in the circuit board
130
. Notches
101
,
121
are defined in opposite edges of each side plate
100
,
120
whereby when the side plates
100
,
120
are inserted into the hole
131
, the resiliency thereof forces the notches
101
,
121
to engage with a circumferential edge of the hole
131
thereby securing the circuit board
130
to the retainer
99
.
In actual operation, to insert the side plates
100
,
120
into the hole
131
requires manually compressing the side plates
100
,
120
. It would be a difficult job for a user to simultaneously handle three or more such retainers in mounting the circuit board to the retainers.
It is thus desired to provide a circuit board retainer for securing a circuit board to a support frame that overcomes the above problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a circuit board retainer for retaining a circuit board on a support panel without using bolts.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a circuit board retainer having a simple structure.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a circuit board retainer for readily mounting a circuit board to a support panel.
To achieve the above objects, a circuit board retainer in accordance with the present invention comprises a U-shaped body portion having a base plate and two side plates extending from the base plate. A panel connecting portion comprises two retaining tabs perpendicularly extending from the base plate and each defines a notch. A resilient tab is formed on the base plate and extending between the retaining tabs. The retaining tabs are received in corresponding slits defined in a support panel. The circuit board retainer is moved with respect to the support panel for rendering the notches of the retaining tabs to engage with edges of the corresponding slits. The resilient tab is biased by the resiliency thereof to engage with an opening defined in the support panel thereby securely mounting the circuit board retainer to the support panel. A board connecting portion comprises two resilient L-shaped members respectively extending from the side plates. Each L-shaped member has a first section perpendicularly extending from the corresponding side plate and a second section extending from the first section in a direction substantially parallel to the side plate. Wedge-shaped barbs are formed on opposite edges of the second section and are inclined with respect thereto. The second sections are forcibly inserted into a slot defined in a circuit board with an edge of the slot interposed between the barbs and the first sections thereby securely retaining the circuit board on the retainer.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2227761 (1941-01-01), Roethel
patent: 3501117 (1970-03-01), Soltysik
patent: 4114339 (1978-09-01), Ito
patent: 5267125 (1993-11-01), Liu
Chung Wei Te
Gaffin Jeffrey
Hon Hai - Precision Ind. Co., Ltd.
Tran Thanh Y.
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