Nortel Networks Corporation

Scott Mackenzie

Joseph J Lommen

A gasket for ESD (electrostatic discharge) protection and EMC (electromagnetic containment) for use in a card cage used to house slidable circuit modules. The gasket is engaged with a rear cross member of a shelf of the card cage, adjacent a backplane. The gasket has two ridges, namely an ESD ridge to provide ESD protection and an EMC ridge to contain electromagnetic wave energy emitted from a module. As a module is slid into the card cage towards the backplane, a surface of the module contacts the ESD ridge of the gasket, thereby discharging any static electricity on the module (because the gasket is grounded through connection to the shelf which is grounded to a frame). Contact of the module with the ESD ridge occurs before engagement of pins from the backplane with connectors on a surface of the module. As the module is further slid towards the backplane, the module contacts the EMC ridge of the gasket, thereby ensuring containment of electromagnetic wave energy having a wavelength greater than the distance from the EMC ridge to the backplane. Another aspect of the invention includes hooks at the ends of the gasket to connect the gasket to legs of the rear cross member. Another embodiment of the invention includes an EMC rounded surface instead of an EMC ridge.

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Nepean, Canada

Scott Mackenzie