Printed circuit board and method of producing same

• US 6,344,974 B1
• Filed: 09/13/1999
• Issued: 02/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hijikata, Masakazu, Takase, Hirokazu, Hirata, Minoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Thanh Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/394,686
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 361/760, 361/762, 361/763, 361/764, 361/766, 361/777, 361/782
• US Class Current: 361/760
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0266 Marks, test patterns or identification means
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0909 Preformed cutting or breaking line
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09127 PCB or component having an integral separable or breakable part
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/167 Using mechanical means for positioning, alignment or registration, e.g. using rod-in-hole alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0008 for aligning or positioning of tools relative to the circuit board H05K3/4638, H05K3/4679 take precedence; for manufacturing assemblages of components H05K13/0015
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0052 Depaneling, i.e. dividing a panel into circuit boards; Working of the edges of circuit boards

Abstract

A printed circuit board has a product board region where electronic components are mounted. The printed circuit board further has a positioning region where an element contour representing a certain mechanism element, an insulated substrate or the like is formed by a perforation line, a V-cut line or the like so as to be separated from the other portion of the positioning region along the line for another use. Instead of the foregoing element contour, a small printed circuit pattern with or without a small electronic component may be separably formed in the positioning region.

Claims

1. A printed circuit board having an insulated substrate formed thereon with a circuit pattern for mounting thereon an electronic component, said printed circuit board comprising:

a product board region for mounting said electronic component on said circuit pattern,

a positioning region provided so as to be separable from said product board region, said positioning region used for positioning said product board region relative to said electronic component, and

a separate given element for another use being separably formed in an unused region of said positioning region before said positioning and product board regions are separated.

2. The printed circuit board according to claim 1, wherein said given element comprises a printed circuit pattern.

3. The printed circuit board according to claim 1, wherein said given element comprises a printed circuit pattern formed thereon with an electronic component.

4. A method of producing a printed circuit board having an insulated substrate formed thereon with a circuit pattern, a product board region for mounting an electronic component on said circuit pattern, and a positioning region separable from said product board region used for positioning said product board region relative to said electronic component, said method comprising the steps of:

separably forming a given element for another use in an unused region of said positioning region; and

separating said given element from the positioning region for said another use after completing the mounting of the electronic component in the product region.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said given element comprises a printed circuit pattern.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein said given element comprises a printed circuit pattern formed thereon with an electronic component.

7. A printed circuit board having an insulated substrate formed thereon with a circuit pattern for mounting thereon an electronic component, said printed circuit board comprising:

a product board region for mounting said electronic component on said circuit pattern;

a positioning region provided so as to be separable from said product board region, said positioning region used for positioning said product board region relative to said electronic component; and

a separate given element for another use being separably formed in an unused region of said positioning, said given element being separated from the positioning region for said another use after mounting of the electronic component in the product board region is completed.

8. The printed circuit board according to claim 7, wherein said given element comprises a printed circuit pattern.

9. The printed circuit board according to claim 7, wherein said given element comprises a printed circuit pattern formed thereon with an electronic component.