Philips Electronics North America Corporation

Zenith Electronics Corporation

Motorola Corporation

George Wozniczka

Robert Holmes

Roy E Hunninghaus

David J Cox

Keith D Meyer

An enclosure includes a base unit and a cover unit that snaps into the base unit easily, but is difficult to remove from the base unit without knowledge of the appropriate disassembly technique. The appropriate disassembly technique includes the application of pressure at key regions of the base assembly. The application of pressure at the key regions distorts the base assembly so as to disengage key portions of the cover unit from the base unit. The cover unit includes protrusions having an inclined surface and a flat surface. The inclined surface facilitates manufacturing assembly, and the flat surface encumbers the disassembly of the enclosure. The application of pressure at the key regions distorts the base unit so that the flat surfaces of the protrusions on the cover unit are disengaged from the base unit. In a preferred embodiment, the base unit is a resilient insulating material, such as plastic, and the cover unit is a shielding and heat sinking material, such as sheet metal.

Tamper-proof ballast enclosure

An electrical connecting device is provided which includes a housing comprising at least one orifice having disposed therein a connector for making electrical connection between electrical power-providing components and electrical power-receiving components. The connector includes inner and outer flange structures which substantially envelop edge portions of the orifice to provide a substantially continuous seal between at least side and bottom edge portions of the orifice and connector. In especially preferred embodiments, the edge portions of the orifice are contained in a groove formed between the inner and outer flange structures.

Electrical connecting device

An electrical connector for use in completing at least one electrical circuit is provided which includes a first half-connector body having an inner and outer flange structure which upon insertion into a housing comprising an orifice is effective to substantially envelop edge portions of the orifice to provide a substantially continuous seal between at least side and bottom edge portions of the orifice and connector. The first half-connector body also includes at least one opening for making electrical connection between electrical power-providing components and electrical power-receiving components. In especially preferred embodiments, the inner and outer flange structure define a substantially continuous groove about the periphery of the side and bottom edge portions and the connector includes an upper wall portion having a groove for containing a complementary tongue portion.

An electrical connecting device is provided which includes a housing comprising at least one orifice having disposed therein a connector for making electrical connection between electrical power-providing components and electrical power-receiving components. The connector includes inner and outer flange structures which substantially envelop edge portions of the orifice to provide a substantially continuous seal between at least side and bottom edge portions of the orifice and connect. In especially preferred embodiments, the edge portions of the orifice are contained in a groove formed between the inner and outer flange structures.

A generally rectangular, flat, conductive metal sheet is formed and provided with a predetermined array of apertures and slots by stamping. The sheet is generally comprised of first and second lateral sections and upper and lower center sections which are each coupled to a respective lateral section by a thin jumper, or bridge, element or elements. Each section further includes a mounting/terminal pin extending from a respective lower edge thereof. The sheet is then bent such as by automatic handling apparatus along three spaced axes located between or extending through the various sections and along and parallel to the length of the sheet from top to bottom so as to form a generally 'E'-shaped structure when viewed from above. Four axial lead diodes are then inserted within respective pairs of facing slots within the lateral and center sections and are soldered in place. The thin jumper elements are then broken away, forming a diode bridge which may then be coupled in circuit and mounted upon a printed circuit (PC) board by inserting and soldering each of the mounting/terminal pins in a respective aperture in the PC board. The four metal sections provide support for the four diodes and electrical coupling of the diodes to each other as well as the PC board-mounted circuitry and serve as a built-in heat sink integral with the bridge circuit. The flat, conductive metal sheet may be provided with various numbers of sections and slot arrangement to form a variety of circuits comprised of axial lead components.

Mounting coupling and heat sink assembly for axial lead components

An elongated printed circuit (PC) board connector having a plurality of terminal pins aligned in a linear array has attached to its terminal pins an elongated, linear, U-shaped bus bar with a plurality of apertures in its lower edge. A plurality of U-shaped conductors are inserted through respective pairs of edge apertures in the bus bar, with the distal ends of each of the conductors adapted for coupling to a terminal on a PC board upon which the connector is mounted by means of a pair of support columns and nut/bolt combinations. The bus bar, terminal pins and conductor combination is then dip soldered to establish mechanical coupling and electrical connection therebetween. The shorting bus bar electrically couples the conductors to the terminal pins, with each conductor coupled across a plurality of terminal pins which are thus maintained at the same voltage to maintain the bus bar at a constant, uniform voltage over its entire length and to provide this well-defined voltage level to the PC board terminals.

PC board connector with shorting bus bar

A two piece heat sink includes a first elongated mount/support member adapted at a first end for secure mounting on a printed circuit (PC) board and a second finned convector member adapted for secure, intimate coupling to a second end of the first mount/support member. The second convector member has a serrated aperture, or channel, therein and a plurality of fins disposed about its lateral periphery and aligned along the longitudinal axis of the first mount/support member so as to be oriented generally perpendicular to the plane of the PC board. The mount/support member is tapered along its length and its second end is beveled to facilitate its insertion within the second member's aperture to permit the mount/support member to be press fit coupled to the convector member. Press fitting the two heat sink members together causes the serrations within the convector member's aperture to cold flow resulting in intimate and secure coupling between the two heat sink members providing a high degree of mechanical coupling and thermal transfer therebetween. The vertically oriented fins are aligned with the upward flow of air heated by the circuitry on the PC board for efficient thermal dissipation, while the mount/support member provides a mounting surface for an electronic component and allows for minimum PC board mounting area for the heat sink.

Two piece heat sink with serrated coupling

A heat sink positioned on a printed circuit (PC) board includes a generally planar center portion and first and second pluralities of spaced planar ribs extending generally transversely from respective lateral edges of the center portion. The heat sink is adapted for generally perpendicular mounting on the PC board and includes first, second and third mounting tabs respectively extending from the lower edges of the bottom lateral ribs of the first and second pluralities of lateral ribs as well as from the lower edge of the planar center portion. Each mounting tab is adapted for insertion within a respective aperture in the PC board and includes an elongated proximal portion and a distal end portion. The distal end portion of the mounting tab is wider than the proximal portion thereof and includes a pair of cam surfaces, each disposed on a respective lateral edge of the mounting tab and adapted to engage a respective edge portion of the PC board immediately adjacent to the PC board aperture when the distal end portion is rotationally displaced about the elongated proximal portion of the mounting tab resulting in the twisting thereof. Thus, the heat sink is mounted on the PC board in a positive locking manner. Rotation of the mounting tab and further engagement of the cam surfaces thereof with the edges of the PC board aperture provide more intimate heat sink-PC board contact which affords increased thermal transfer, more secure and stable heat sink mounting, and more reliable PC board assembly.

Growing community of inventors

Chicago, IL, United States of America

George Wozniczka