The Whitaker Corporation

James E Crompton, Iii

Attalee Snarr Taylor

Edward John Bright

Kevin E Walker

Randy A Smith

John F Worrell

A faceplate for communications equipment includes a plate member having an opening for access to a communications port, and an icon mounting stall associated with the opening. The icon mounting stall includes a cavity in the plate member which is covered by a membrane along the front face of the plate member. The membrane is integrally formed in the plate member and is relatively thinner than the plate member. The membrane is puncturable to permit reception of an icon in the mounting stall.

Faceplate with provision for optional icons

An electrical socket (10) is disclosed for an electronic package (2) having an array of pins (4) wherein at least some of the pins are standoff pins each having a respective cross-sectional enlargement (6). The socket comprises a housing having a wall (12) defining a package mounting surface (14) and an oppositely facing locking surface (58). The wall has an array of openings (18, 48) which receive the pins and permit free passage of the enlargements through the wall. The openings include lateral channels (56) which are narrower than the enlargements. The package is secured to the socket by inserting the leads into their associated entranceways and moving the package transversely over the mounting surface so that the enlargements become trapped beneath the locking surface.

Coverless pin grid array socket

A retainer is disclosed for securing a heat sink having a plurality of parallel vertical fins above an electronic package which is mounted on a socket. The retainer comprises a clip assembly including a clip having a pair of spaced apart beams dimensioned to span the heat sink and to reside in respective grooves between respective pairs of adjacent ones of the fins. The beams are resiliently deflectable in respective planes extending parallel to the fins. One end of the clip is engageable beneath a ledge on one side of the socket. An opposite end of the clip is pivotally coupled to a latch. The latch is engageable beneath a second ledge on an opposite side of the socket upon deflection of the beams in their respective planes. The clip assembly biases the heat sink toward the socket when the one end of the clip and the latch are engaged beneath the first and second ledges. A toggle coupled between the clip and the latch is movable between open and closed positions to engage and disengage the latch with the second ledge. The toggle has an overcenter position corresponding to the closed position such that a force must be applied to the toggle to move the toggle from the closed to the open position.

Growing community of inventors

Pfafftown, NC, United States of America

James E Crompton, Iii