Control device and method of making the same

• US 5,408,385 A
• Filed: 04/30/1993
• Issued: 04/18/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robertshaw Controls Company (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Robertshaw Controls Company (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Fowler, Daniel L., Hayes, William S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Whang, Young
• Application Number:
  US08/056,350
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: 361/784, 361/724, 361/736, 361/748, 361/752, 361/796, 174/17 R, 174/260
• US Class Current: 361/784
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/144 Stacked arrangements of planar printed circuit boards
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/148 Arrangements of two or more hingeably connected rigid printed circuit boards, i.e. connected by flexible means
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09063 Holes or slots in insulating substrate not used for electrical connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0909 Preformed cutting or breaking line
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10128 Display
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10287 Metal wires as connectors or conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0052 Depaneling, i.e. dividing a panel into circuit boards; Working of the edges of circuit boards

Abstract

A control device and method of making the same are provided, the control device comprising two generally flat and rectangular circuit boards each having a component carrying side and an opposite solder side, each circuit board having a peripheral edge, and mounting structure holding the two circuit boards in spaced apart generally parallel relation with certain sides thereof facing each other, the mounting structure comprising a bracket unit generally engaging and encircling the peripheral edges of the two circuit boards so as to generally close the space between the two circuit boards around generally the entire peripheral edges thereof.

Claims

1. In a control device comprising two flat and rectangular circuit boards each having a component carrying side and an opposite solder side, each said circuit board having peripheral edge means, and mounting means holding said two circuit boards in spaced apart parallel relation with certain sides thereof facing each other, an improvement wherein said mounting means comprises bracket means engaging and encircling said peripheral edge means of said two circuit boards so as to close the space between said two circuit boards around the entire said peripheral edge means thereof.

2. A control device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said bracket means comprise a plurality of symmetrical bracket members.

3. A control device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said bracket means has means snap-fitted to said two circuit boards.

4. A control device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said bracket means comprises two like U-shaped bracket members each having a cross member and a pair of spaced apart substantially parallel legs provided with free ends, said bracket members having said free ends of said legs in an abutting relation.

5. A control device as set forth in claim 4 wherein each said leg of each said bracket member is snap-fitted to each said circuit board.

6. A control device as set forth in claim 5 wherein each said cross member of each said bracket member has slot means therethrough, each said circuit board having tangs extending into respective slot means of said bracket members.

7. A control device as set forth in claim 6 wherein said two circuit boards were initially a one-piece flat member that was subsequently broken apart into said two circuit boards, some of said tangs of said two circuit boards having been created by the breaking apart of said one-piece member.

8. A control device as set forth in claim 7 wherein said one-piece member was effectively folded in half to produce said two circuit boards so that like sides thereof face each other.

9. A control device as set forth in claim 8 wherein said like sides comprise said solder sides of said two circuit boards.

10. A control device as set forth in claim 1 and comprising a cover member that covers a non-facing side of one of said two circuit boards, said bracket means having means snap-fitted to said cover member.

11. A control device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said bracket means has means for snap-fitting to another structure.

12. In a control device comprising two flat and rectangular circuit boards each having a component carrying side and an opposite solder side, each said circuit board having peripheral edge means, and mounting means holding said two circuit boards in spaced apart parallel relation with certain sides thereof facing each other, an improvement wherein said mounting means comprises two like U-shaped bracket members each having a cross member and a pair of spaced apart parallel legs provided with free ends facing said free ends of the other bracket member, said cross member and said legs of each bracket member engaging said peripheral edge means of said two circuit boards.

13. A control device as set forth in claim 12 wherein each said leg of each said bracket member is snap-fitted to each said circuit board.

14. A control device as set forth in claim 13 wherein each said cross member of each said bracket member has slot means therethrough, each said circuit board having tangs extending into respective slot means of said bracket members.

15. A control device as set forth in claim 12 and comprising a cover member that covers a non-facing side of one of said two circuit boards, said bracket means having means snap-fitted to said cover member.

16. A control device as set forth in claim 12 wherein said bracket means has means for snap-fitting to another structure.

17. In a method of making a control device comprising two flat and rectangular circuit boards each having a component carrying side and an opposite solder side, each said circuit board having peripheral edge means, and mounting means holding said two circuit boards in spaced apart parallel relation with certain sides thereof facing each other, an improvement comprising the step of forming said mounting means to comprise bracket means that engage and encircle said peripheral edge means of said two circuit boards so as to close the space between said two circuit boards around the entire said peripheral edge means thereof.

18. A method as set forth in claim 17 and comprising the step of snap-fitting said bracket means to said two circuit boards.

19. A method as set forth in claim 17 and comprising the steps of forming said two circuit boards to initially be a one-piece flat member, thereafter, breaking said one-piece member into said two circuit boards that are interconnected together by wire means in a spaced apart coplanar relation thereof, and then folding said two circuit boards at said wire means thereof into said spaced apart parallel relation thereof.

20. A method as set forth in claim 17 and comprising the step of snap-fitting a cover member to said bracket means so that said cover member covers a non-facing side of one of said two circuit boards.