The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 07, 1997
Filed:
Sep. 28, 1995
Anthony B Suppelsa, Coral Springs, FL (US);
Dale W Dorinski, Coral Springs, FL (US);
Motorola, Inc., Schaumburg, IL (US);
Abstract
An assembly (5) has two or more plastic parts joined together. One of the plastic parts (20) has an electrical heating element (31) whose function is to soften a portion of the plastic when the heating element is electrically energized. Once the plastic is softened, the two parts can be separated and the assembly disassembled. When the two parts are joined together with snap-fit joints, the snap-fits have a heating element to soften a portion of the snap-fit (24) when the heating element is electrically energized, thereby allowing the housing to be opened and separated. If the two parts are ultrasonically welded together to form a housing, a heating element is located therein to soften the ultrasonically welded portion (44), thereby allowing the two halves of the housing to be separated. The heating element can be a nichrome or thin film resistor that is energized by a source (33) located within the housing, or by an power source external to the housing, or it may be inductively coupled to the power source.