Circuit board keying arrangement
First Claim
1. For use with circuit boards that plug into matching receptacles, an arrangement for indicating the insertion of a board into any but a matching receptacle characterized bya plurality of contact pairs each having a first contact adapted for engagement with a second contact,said first contact and said second contact of each pair respectively located on said circuit board and said receptacle in selectable locations along individual rows colinear with the direction of insertion, andmeans for indicating when the contacts of a said pair are engaged,wherein said contacts are mounted at row locations selected so that at least the contacts of one of said pairs are engaged before a mismatched circuit board is fully inserted in said receptacle.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An arrangement for keying plug-in circuit boards and their receptacles so that a user is alerted visually and audibly if an attempt is made to insert a board into an improper receptacle. Contacts on the board are arranged in coded locations along the edges of the board which slide into the guide rails of the receptacles. Contact assemblies are mounted on the guide rails in a similar coded arrangement. The contacts and contact assemblies are positioned in such a manner that at least one board contact will electrically engage a receptacle contact assembly and energize an alarm before the board can be fully inserted into an improper receptacle.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. For use with circuit boards that plug into matching receptacles, an arrangement for indicating the insertion of a board into any but a matching receptacle characterized by
a plurality of contact pairs each having a first contact adapted for engagement with a second contact, said first contact and said second contact of each pair respectively located on said circuit board and said receptacle in selectable locations along individual rows colinear with the direction of insertion, and means for indicating when the contacts of a said pair are engaged, wherein said contacts are mounted at row locations selected so that at least the contacts of one of said pairs are engaged before a mismatched circuit board is fully inserted in said receptacle.
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11. For use with circuit boards that plug into matching receptacles, an arrangement for indicating the insertion of a board into any but a matching receptacle characterized by
a first contact located along a first edge of said board in one of a plurality of first coded locations colinear with the direction of insertion of said board, a second contact located along a second edge of said board in one of a like plurality of second coded locations colinear with the direction of insertion of said board, wherein each first location is associated with a different one of said second locations and the first and second locations being ordered in opposite directions, a plurality of receptacles each having first and second contact assemblies associated, respectively, with said first and second contacts of said circuit board wherein the contact assemblies of a matching one of said receptacles are located in the same general spatial relationship as their respective associated contacts such that neither assembly engages its contact before said board is fully inserted into said matching receptacle and the contact assemblies of a mismatched one of said receptacles being located in a different spatial relationship than the respective associated contacts such that at least one assembly engages its associated contact before said board is fully inserted into said mismatched receptacle, and means for indicating the engagement of a said contact assembly with one of said contacts.
Specification