Cisco Technology, Inc.

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Michael Brooks

Long Dang

Don Nguyen

Harold D Babb

In one embodiment, a printed circuit board has a hole. The hole has a longest extent on a surface of the printed circuit board. A clip is held in the hole by feet of prongs. The feet are extensions each having a length that is more than half the longest extent of the hole. A heat sink is held, in part, relative to the printed circuit board by the clip. A part of the heat sink contacts a loop of the clip and applies a force on the clip directed away from the printed circuit board. The feet of the clip on an opposite side of the printed circuit board than the heat sink hold the clip to the printed circuit board to counteract the force. The prongs are configured to offset the feet such that the extensions overlap with the lengths extending along the longest extent of the hole by less than a sum of the lengths of the feet and less than the longest extent for insertion through the hole.

Printed circuit board clip

The ability to securely transmit information between two locations is of paramount importance in today's communication systems. Before the invention of digital transmission methods, analog transmission was commonplace. However, today's communication systems rely almost exclusively on transmitting information digitally. Digital transmission has become commonplace because it provides optimal accuracy and security. However, digital transmission also has drawbacks, for example, increased bandwidth requirements and the loss of information when converting information between the analog and digital domains. The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for encrypting analog data while minimizing data loss and conserving bandwidth.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Michael Brooks