Apparatus for resiliently mounting a circuit board within a device housing

• US 20060077642A1
• Filed: 10/13/2004
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Estes, Larry Glenn, Octaviano, Raymond Gary II
• Granted Patent: US 7,227,761 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/752
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/142 Spacers not being card guides

Abstract

A circuit board is mounted within a housing in a resilient manner to minimize the introduction of stresses warping the circuit board as the housing is warped or as a circuit board warped during its manufacture is mounted within the housing. The housing includes spaced apart mounting pads between which screw inserts extend as rigid columns through mounting holes within the circuit board. The surfaces of the mounting holes slide on the surfaces of the screw inserts, with the circuit board being resiliently held by resilient pads between its surfaces and the mounting pads.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. Apparatus for mounting a circuit board within a housing, wherein the apparatus comprises:

a mounting hole within the circuit board;

a pair of spaced apart mounting pads within the housing;

a rigid column extending through the mounting hole within the circuit board between the mounting pads; and

a first resilient spring washer disposed between a first mounting Dad in the spaced apart mounting Pads and a first side of the circuit board; and

a second resilient spring washer disposed between a second mounting pad in the pair of spaced apart mounting pads and a second side, opposite the first side, of the circuit board.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the resilient spring washers include a wave washer.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the resilient spring washers include a Bellville washer.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein a surface of the mounting hole slides along a surface of the rigid column.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein

the rigid column includes a screw insert extending from a first mounting pad within the pair of mounting pads, and

the apparatus additionally includes a screw extending through a second mounting pad within the pair of mounting pads to engage the screw insert.

7. (canceled)

8. Apparatus for mounting a circuit board within a housing, wherein the apparatus comprises:

a plurality of mounting holes within the circuit board;

a plurality of Pairs of spaced apart mounting pads within the housing;

a plurality of rigid columns, wherein each of the rigid columns extends through a mounting hole within the plurality of mounting holes and between a pair of spaced apart mounting pads within the plurality of spaced apart mounting pads; and

a plurality of first resilient spring washers, wherein each of the first resilient spring washers is disposed between a first mounting Dad in the spaced apart mounting pads and a first side of the circuit board; and

a second resilient spring washer disposed between a second mounting pad in each of the plurality of mounting pads and a second side, opposite the first side, of the circuit board.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein a surface of each of the mounting holes slides along a surface of a rigid column in the plurality of rigid columns.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein

each of the rigid columns includes a screw insert extending from a first mounting pad in the plurality of pairs of mounting pads, and

the apparatus additionally includes a plurality of screws extending through a second mounting pad in the plurality of pairs of mounting pads to engage the screw insert.

11. Apparatus comprising:

a first cover including a plurality of mounting first mounting pads, wherein at least one of the first mounting pads includes a screw insert extending having an outward extending portion extending outward from the first mounting pad to an insert end surface and having a threaded hole;

a second cover including a plurality of second mounting pads, wherein at least one of the second mounting pads includes a hole aligned with the threaded hole of the screw insert of at least one of the first mounting pads;

at least one screw extending through a hole in the plurality of second mounting pads, engaging a threaded hole in the plurality of first mounting pads to hold the second mounting pad against the insert end surface;

a circuit board extending between the plurality of first mounting pads and the plurality of second mounting pads, wherein the circuit board includes at least one mounting hole extending around the outward extending portion of a screw insert; and

a first resilient spring member extending around the outward extending portion of a screw insert and between a mounting pad and a first surface of the circuit board.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein a surface of the mounting hole slides along the outward extending portion of the screw insert.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, additionally comprising a second resilient spring member extending around the portion of a screw insert between a mounting pad and a second surface of the circuit board.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein one of the resilient spring members includes a wave spring washer.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein one of the resilient spring members includes a Bellville spring washer.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein one of the resilient spring members includes an elastomeric pad.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein both of the resilient spring members include elastomeric pads forming portions of a grommet extending through the mounting hole of the circuit board.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein one of the resilient spring members includes a helical spring.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein a surface of the mounting hole slides along the outward extending portion of the screw insert.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the resilient spring member includes a wave spring washer.

21. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the resilient spring member includes a Bellville spring washer.

22. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the resilient spring member includes an elastomeric pad.

23. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the resilient spring member includes a helical spring.