Dell USA L P

Compaq Computer Corporation, Inc.

H Scott Estes

James J Ganthier

Deepak N Swamy

N Deepak Swamy

David Staggs

Michael D Ohlinger

A printed circuit board modular assembly is disclosed. The disclosed invention comprises a first printed circuit board having an electronic terminal portion for providing electrical connection to the first printed circuit board; a second printed circuit board having an electrical terminal portion for providing electrical connection to the second printed circuit board; a spacing member disposed between the first and second printed circuit boards; and electrical signal transmission contacts situated on the spacing member for providing electrical connection between the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board.

Method of manufacturing board-to-board connector

The substrate member of a multi-tier circuit board is provided, during the construction thereof, with an integral bar code structure by extending spaced apart, parallel finger sections of an interior metal ground plane portion of a panel structure outwardly past the routing path along which the substrate member is to be separated from the panel structure. After the substrate member is routed from the panel structure it has a peripheral side edge portion upon which exposed end surface portions of the spaced ground plane finger sections are disposed in a mutually spaced bar code array representative of predetermined information relating to the completed circuit board. The ground-seeking probe portion of a conductive scanning device is moved along the bar-coded edge of the substrate member to read and decipher the integral ground plane bar code structure compactly incorporated thereon during the manufacture of the substrate member.

Circuit board apparatus with integral, edge-readable bar code structure,

A space-saving circuit board mounting of a Surface Mounted Technology (SMT) device, such as a resistor, capacitor, ferrite or clock oscillator, is achieved using (1) a single through hole extending transversely through the board substrate, and (2) a cylindrical adapter having a first longitudinal portion coaxially received in the through hole and a second longitudinal portion projecting outwardly therefrom. The second longitudinal adapter portion has a radially inwardly extending notch that receives the SMT device and positions it with its electrically conductive opposite end sections spaced apart in a direction parallel to the axis of the through hole. Spaced apart external metal plating sections on the adapter connect the SMT device end portions to circumferentially separated metal plating segments on the surface of the through hole which, in turn, are representatively connected to ground and signal plane structures within the interior of the board substrate.

Circuit board SMT device mounting apparatus

Board-to-board connector including an insulative spacer having a

A circuit board having a thermal relief pattern for isolating heat generated during soldering of components thereon. The circuit board comprises (1) a substantially planar insulating substrate, the substrate having a via therethrough and (2) a substantially planar conductive layer located over the substrate, the via passing through the layer, the layer having a thermal relief pattern comprising a plurality of apertures located about the via, the plurality of apertures cooperating to restrict heat flow across the thermal relief pattern, each of the plurality of apertures having a boundary with the conductive layer free of discontinuities to inhibit edge effect electromagnetic resonance, the plurality of apertures defining a plurality of corresponding conductive bands in the conductive layer and between the plurality of apertures, the conductive bands cooperating to provide a predetermined minimum level of electrical conduction across the thermal relief pattern.

Circuit board thermal relief pattern having improved electrical and EMI

To facilitate a grounding connection between a circuit board and a chassis upon which it is to be mounted, a spaced series of unlined mounting holes are formed through the substrate portion of the circuit board between its top and bottom sides, and spaced series of grounding vias are formed through the substrate and positioned in a circular arrays around each of the mounting holes. Annular layers of a metallic plating material are formed on the opposite sides of the circuit board substrate, around the top and bottom ends of the unlined mounting holes, with the plating material being extended along the interior side surfaces of the vias between associated top and bottom annular plating material layers. Using solder masks placed on the opposite sides of the circuit board substrate, circular arrays of solder pads are formed on the outer side surfaces of the annular plating layers, with each solder pad array being interdigitated with the vias in one of the circular arrays thereof, and being horizontally offset from the vias. The bottom side of the circuit board is secured against a side of the chassis by extending metal mounting screws through the unlined mounting holes of the circuit board and threading the screws into corresponding holes in the chassis to press the bottom side solder pads of the circuit board against the chassis.

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

H Scott Estes