I/O card and its associated cable harness assembly

• US 5,667,390 A
• Filed: 03/06/1995
• Issued: 09/16/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Keng, Leon
• Primary Examiner(s): Paumen, Gary F.
• Application Number:
  US08/398,427
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 439/76.1, 439/77, 439/493, 439/946, 439/449, 439/465, 439/467, 439/610, 361/737
• US Class Current: 439/76.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/53 connecting to cables except for flat or ribbon cables
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/57 surface mounting terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/562 Bending-relieving
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5845 the strain relief being achieved by molding parts around cable and connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/946 Memory card cartridge

Abstract

An I/O card and associated cable harness assembly (20) comprises an I/O card section (22) and a cable harness section (60) wherein the cable harness section (60) substantially structurally extends out of the I/O card section (22). The distal end of the cable harness section (60) is connected to an outside environment device (100). The cable harness section (60) has an engagement section (72) adapted to be latchably engaged within a cavity (32) in the I/O card section (22). There are a plurality of independent respective wires (64) extending within and along the cable harness section (60), and the front end of each wire (64) is appropriately solderably mounted to the corresponding pad on the internal PC board (26) in the I/O card section (22). The cable harness section (60) is substantially pre-assembled to the I/O card section (22) before the I/O card section (22) itself has been completely assembled. The I/O card section (22) associated with its integrally assembled cable harness section (60) is substantially structurally of one piece without any possibility of improper separation thereof, and that one piece assembly (20) may be substantially with the outside environment device (100) for transportation or sale due to the distal end of the cable harness section (60) directly attached to the outside environment device (100).

Claims

1. An I/O card and associated cable harness assembly comprising:

an I/O card section and a cable harness section;

said I/O card section including a frame snadwiched between a top cover and a bottom cover;

an internal PC board positioned in said I/O card section;

said cable harness section including a jacket portion enclosing a plurality of wires therein;

a strain relief means of said cable harness section cooperatively retained within the I/O card section for assembling said I/O card section and said cable harness section together as one unit for transportation or sale;

wherein

the frame of said I/O card section includes a cavity for snug receipt of said strain relief means of said cable harness section, and said strain relief means comprises a pair of pier-like projections for compliance with a configuration of said cavity in the frame, and each of the pier-like projections further includes a hole to receive a corresponding post extending upward within the cavity.

2. The assembly as described in claim 1, wherein the frame further includes a front slot and a rear slot communicating with the cavity, the cable harness section extending out of the I/O card section and communicating with an interior of the I/O card section where the PC is located.

3. The assembly as described in claim 1, wherein said plurality of wires are directly solderably mounted onto a plurality of circuit traces on the PC board.

4. The assembly as described in claim 3, wherein said plurality of wires extend through the rear slot of the frame to reach the corresponding circuit traces on the PC board.

5. A unitary assembly comprising an I/O card and a cable harness extending from said I/O card;

said I/O card including a frame shielded by cover means;

an internal PC board supportably held within an interior of said I/O card;

said cable harness comprising a plurality of wires wherein a front end of each of said wires substantially extends into the interior of said I/O card for electrical communication with a corresponding circuit on said PC board, and wherein the cable harness is substantially pre-assembled to the I/O card before said I/O card itself Has been completely assembled, and wherein said cable harness includes a strain relief means which is snugly received within a cavity in the I/O card and confronts a front slot of the I/O card which has a reduced width for only allowing portions of the cable harness to extend therethrough but confining the strain relief means within the cavity.

6. The assembly as described in claim 5, wherein said first end of each wire is directly mounted onto a circuit trace on said PC board without any redundant connectors.

7. An I/O card and associated cable harness assembly comprising:

an I/O card section and a cable harness section;

said I/O card section including a frame sandwiched between a top cover and a bottom cover;

an internal PC board positioned in said I/O card section;

said cable harness section including a jacket portion enclosing a plurality of wires therein;

a strain relief means of said cable harness section cooperatively retained within the I/O card section for assembling said I/O card section and said cable harness section together as one unit for transportation or sale;

wherein

the frame of said I/O card section includes a cavity for snug receipt of said strain relief means of said cable harness section, and the frame further includes a front slot and a rear slot communicating with the cavity, the cable harness section extending out of the I/O card section through the rear slot and communicating with an interior of the I/O card section where the PC board is located.

8. An I/O card and associated cable harness assembly comprising:

an I/O card section and a cable harness section;

said I/O card section including a frame sandwiched between a top cover and a bottom cover;

an internal PC board positioned in said I/O card section;

said cable harness section including a jacket portion enclosing a plurality of wires therein;

a strain relief means of said cable harness section cooperatively retained within the I/O card section for assembling said I/O card section and said cable harness section together as one unit for transportation or sale;

wherein

said a plurality of wires are directly soldered onto a plurality of circuit traces on the PC board, and said plurality of wires extend through the rear slot of the frame to reach the corresponding circuit traces on the PC board.