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:
Feb. 27, 2001
Filed:
Jan. 18, 2000
Wilton Louis Cox, Charlotte, NC (US);
Charles David Fieselman, Concord, NC (US);
Leonard Douglas Hobgood, Durham, NC (US);
Paul Gilbert Watson, Jr., Durham, NC (US);
Simon Yu, Harrisburg, NC (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
The top and bottom parts of a one-piece cover of a PCMCIA card are snapped together to form lap-joint seams which are welded together with a laser, under argon gas. Only a few small tack welds are required to substantially increases the mechanical strength and moisture resistance and to eliminate the risk of accidentally opening the card. The operation can be done at a high rate with minimal cost. Also, an internal frame may be made much narrower to allow more card area, while still meeting structural requirements for PCMCIA cards. The weld penetrates fully through the first layer of the seam and only partially through a second layer. During welding a fixture holds the seams in reasonably precise position and tightly closed so the seams are much tighter after welding than when the card is only snap closed. The precise positioning of the seams also allows the size of the weld to be minimized which reduces the risk of burn through which may damage electronic components enclosed within the card during welding. The card is plugged into an externally accessible slot in a computer system during operation.