Clip for clamping heat sink module to electronic module
First Claim
1. A clip for clamping a heat sink module to an electronic module, said clip comprising:
- (a) a substantially horizontal grid which includes a plurality of spaced ribs, said grid having a central section which has a first end and an opposite second end, a first resilient end section which is fixed to the first end of said central section and a second resilient end section which is fixed to the second end of said central section, said first and second resilient end sections extending upwardly from said central section, said first and second end sections being resiliently deflectable relative to said central section from an upper non-clamping position to a lower clamping position;
(b) a first vertical leg which is fixed to said first resilient end section, said first vertical leg extending downwardly from said first resilient end section and having a first projection, said first projection having a first upwardly facing edge surface which slants downwardly toward said grid; and
(c) a second vertical leg which is fixed to said second resilient end section and having a second projection, said second projection having a second upwardly facing edge surface which slants downwardly toward said grid, said first and second projections moving towards each other when said first and second resilient end sections are moved from said non-clamping position to said clamping position.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A spring clip for clamping a heat sink module to an electronic module. The heat sink module has a flat upper surface and a plurality of vertical cooling elements which extend upwardly from the upper surface of the heat sink module. The clip includes a central potion which engages the upper surface of the heat sink module and a pair of oppositely extending resilient end potions which are cantilevered from the central potion. A vertical leg portion is connected to the free end of each end portion of the clip and extends downwardly along one of the end surfaces of the electronic module. Each leg potion has an inwardly extending projection which has an upwardly facing edge surface for engaging a downwardly facing edge surface of the electronic module at one of the lower corners of the electronic module upon downward bending of the end potion so that the projection is biased upwardly against the lower corner of the electronic module due to the resiliency of the end potion.
53 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A clip for clamping a heat sink module to an electronic module, said clip comprising:
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(a) a substantially horizontal grid which includes a plurality of spaced ribs, said grid having a central section which has a first end and an opposite second end, a first resilient end section which is fixed to the first end of said central section and a second resilient end section which is fixed to the second end of said central section, said first and second resilient end sections extending upwardly from said central section, said first and second end sections being resiliently deflectable relative to said central section from an upper non-clamping position to a lower clamping position; (b) a first vertical leg which is fixed to said first resilient end section, said first vertical leg extending downwardly from said first resilient end section and having a first projection, said first projection having a first upwardly facing edge surface which slants downwardly toward said grid; and (c) a second vertical leg which is fixed to said second resilient end section and having a second projection, said second projection having a second upwardly facing edge surface which slants downwardly toward said grid, said first and second projections moving towards each other when said first and second resilient end sections are moved from said non-clamping position to said clamping position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A clip for clamping a heat sink module to an electronic module, said clip comprising:
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(a) a substantially horizontal grid which includes a plurality of spaced ribs, said grid having a central section which has a first end and an opposite second end, a first resilient end section which is fixed to the first end of said central section and a second resilient end section which is fixed to the second end of said central section, said first and second resilient end sections extending upwardly from said central section, said first and second end sections being resiliently deflectable relative to said central section from an upper non-clamping position to a lower clamping position; (b) a flat first vertical leg which is fixed to said first resilient end section, said first vertical leg extending downwardly from said first resilient end section and having a first flat projection which extends toward said grid, said first projection having a first upwardly facing edge surface which faces toward said grid, said first vertical leg and said first projection lying in a first vertical plane which extends longitudinally of said clip; and (c) a flat second vertical leg which is fixed to said second resilient end section and having a second projection which extends toward said grid, said second projection having a second upwardly facing edge surface which faces toward said grid, said second vertical leg and said second projection lying in a second vertical plane which extends longitudinally of said clip, said first and second projections moving towards each other when said first and second resilient sections are moved from said non-clamping position to said clamping position. - View Dependent Claims (6)
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7. A clip for clamping a heat sink module to an electronic module, said clip being configured from a flat bendable resilient metal sheet and comprising:
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(a) a substantially horizontal grid portion which has a plurality of apertures, said grid portion having a central section, a first horizontal end section, a second horizontal end section, a first transition section and a second transition section, each of said first and second horizontal end sections being higher than said central section and having an inner end and a free outer end, said first transition section extending upwardly from said central section to the inner end of said first horizontal end section, said second transition section extending upwardly from said central section to the inner end of said second horizontal end section, said first and second horizontal end sections being resiliently deflectable relative to said central section from an upper non-clamping position to a lower clamping position; (b) a first vertical leg portion which is fixed to the free end of said first horizontal end section and which extends downwardly from said first horizontal end section, said first vertical leg portion having a first projection, said first projection having a first upwardly facing edge surface which slants downwardly toward said grid portion; and (c) a second vertical leg portion which is fixed to the free end of said second horizontal end section and which extends downwardly from said second horizontal end section, said second vertical leg portion having a second upwardly facing edge surface which slants downwardly toward said grid portion, said first and second projections moving downwardly and towards each other when said first and second horizontal end sections are deflected from said non-clamping position to said clamping position, said first and second projections being biased upwardly by said first and second horizontal end sections when said first and second horizontal end sections are in said clamping position.
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8. A spring clip and heat sink assembly for application to an electronic module having a flat upper surface, a first downwardly facing edge surface and a second downwardly facing edge surface, said spring clip and heat sink assembly comprising:
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(a) a heat sink module having a base which has a first end surface, a second end surface, an upper surface and a bottom surface for abutting the upper surface of an electronic module, said heat sink module having a plurality of upwardly extending vertical cooling elements which are fixed to the upper surface of said base; (b) a spring clip which is made of a bendable and resilient material and which comprises; (1) a horizontal central section which rests on the upper surface of said base; (2) a flexible resilient first end section which is fixed to said central section and which is cantilevered from said central section toward said first end surface so that said first end section is spaced from the upper surface of said base, said first end section having a free end; (3) a flexible resilient horizontal second end section which is fixed to said central section and which is cantilevered from said central section toward said second end surface so that said first end section is spaced from the upper surface of said base, said first end section having a free end; (4) a first vertical leg which is fixed to the free end of said first end section and which extends downwardly along said first end surface, said first leg having a first projection, said first projection having a first upwardly facing edge surface which slants downwardly toward said heat sink module for engaging a first downwardly facing edge surface of an electronic module upon bending of said first end section downwardly relative to said central section for biasing said first upwardly facing edge surface upwardly against the first downwardly facing edge surface of the electronic module by the resiliency of said first end section; and (5) a second vertical leg which is fixed to the free end of said second end section and which extends downwardly along said second end surface, said second leg portion having a second projection, said second projection having a second upwardly facing edge surface which slants downwardly toward said heat sink module for engaging the second downwardly facing edge surface of the electronic module upon bending of said second end portion downwardly relative to said central section for biasing said second upwardly facing edge surface upwardly against the second downwardly facing edge surface of the electronic module by the resiliency of said second end section. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A spring clip and heal sink assembly for application to an electronic module having a flat upper surface, a first downwardly facing edge surface and a second downwardly facing edge surface, said spring clip and heat sink assembly comprising:
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(a) a heat sink module having a base which has a first end surface, a second end surface, an upper surface and a bottom surface for abutting the upper surface of an electronic module said heat sink module having a plurality of upwardly extending vertical cooling elements which are fixed to the upper surface of said base; (b) a spring clip which is made of a bendable and resilient material and which comprises; (1) a horizontal central section which rests on the upper surface of said base; (2) a flexible resilient first end section which is fixed to said central section and which is cantilevered from said central section toward said first end surface so that said first end section is spaced from the upper surface of said base, said first end section having a free end; (3) a flexible resilient horizontal second end section which is fixed to said central section and which is cantilevered from said central section toward said second end surface so that said first end section is spaced from the upper surface of said base, said first end section having a free end; (4) a first vertical leg which is fixed to the free end of said first end section and which extends downwardly along said first end surface, said first leg having a first projection, said first projection having a first upwardly facing edge surface for engaging a first downwardly facing edge surface of an electronic module upon bending of said first end section downwardly relative to said central section for biasing said first upwardly facing edge surface upwardly against the first downwardly facing edge surface the electronic module by the resiliency of said first end section, said first vertical leg being relatively flat and having a broad side which lies within a vertical plane which is transverse to the first end surface of said heat sink module; and (5) a second vertical leg which is fixed to the free end of said second end section and which extends downwardly along said second end surface, said second leg having a second projection, said second projection having a second upwardly facing edge surface for engaging a second downwardly facing edge surface of the electronic module upon bending of said second end section downwardly relative to said central section for biasing said second upwardly facing edge surface upwardly against the second downwardly facing edge surface of the electronic module by the resiliency of said second end section, said second vertical leg being relatively flat and having a broad side which lies within a vertical plane which is transverse to the second end surface of said heat sink module.
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13. A clamping heat sink and electronic module assembly comprising:
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(a) an electronic module having a first base which includes a flat upper surface, a first vertical end surface, a first downwardly facing edge surface which defines a first lower corner with said first vertical end surface, a second vertical end surface opposite said first end surface, a second downwardly facing edge surface which defines a second lower corner with said second vertical end surface; (b) a heat sink module having a second base which has an upper surface and a bottom surface for abutting the upper surface of said first base, said heat sink module having a plurality of spaced parallel rows of upwardly extending vertical cooling pins which are fixed to the upper surface of said second base; and (c) a clip having a clamping position and a non-clamping position and comprising; (1) a substantially horizontal grid, which includes a plurality of spaced ribs which extend between said rows of cooling pins, said grid having a central section which engages the upper top surface of said second base when said clip is in a clamping position, a first resilient end section which is fixed to said central section and which is spaced from the upper surface of said second base, and a second resilient end section which is fixed to said central section and which is spaced from the upper surface of said second base, (2) a first vertical leg which is fixed to the first end section of said grid and which extends along the first end surface of said first base, said first leg having a first projection which extends toward said first end surface, said first projection having a first upwardly facing edge surface which engages said first downwardly facing edge surface at said first lower corner when said clip is in said clamping position, (3) a second vertical leg which is fixed to the second section of said grid and which extends along the second end surface of said first base, said second leg having a second projection which extends toward said second end surface, said second projection having a second upwardly facing edge surface which engages said second downwardly facing edge surface at said second lower corner when said clip is in said clamping position, the distance between said first and second projections being less than the distance between said first and second end surfaces when said clip is in said non-clamping position, said first and second projections being movable away from one another by bending of the first and second sections of said grid upwardly relative to the central section of said grid to enable said clip to be moved toward and away from said clamping position with said combined heat sink module and said electronic module, said first and second projections being movable toward one another and downwardly relative to the central section of said grid by bending said first and second end sections downwardly relative to said central section so that when said first and second end sections are bent downwardly relative to said central section, said clip is in said clamping position, said first upwardly facing edge surface is biased upwardly against said first downwardly edge surface and said second upwardly facing edge surface is biased upwardly against said second downwardly facing edge surface due to the resiliency of the first and second sections of said grid. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification