Interposer assembly

• US 6,926,537 B1
• Filed: 06/21/2004
• Issued: 08/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: InterCon Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Amphenol Corporation
• Inventors: Feeser, Scott, Auchincloss, Lloyd Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THANH TAM T
• Application Number:
  US10/873,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20050191871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 439/67, 439/77, 439/493
• US Class Current: 439/67
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/62 connecting to rigid printed circuits or like structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/772 Strain relieving means
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/24 resilient; resiliently-mounted
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/003 the coupling part being secured only to wires or cables

Abstract

An interposer assembly including specialized fastener retention apertures for use with a threaded fastener. The interposer assembly components are held together by the threaded fastener and aperture.

Claims

1. An interposer sub-assembly comprising a circuit member having a plurality of contact pads and a pair of circuit member joining apertures, each circuit member joining aperture having a perimeter and a diameter;

a bolster plate having a pair of bolster plate joining apertures wherein the bolster plate joining apertures and the circuit member joining apertures are aligned;

a pair of resilient retention members on the circuit member, each resilient retention member proximate to one circuit member joining aperture and extending inwardly past the perimeter of the circuit member joining aperture and into the circuit member joining aperture, the resilient retention member forming part of said circuit member or an overlay adhered to said circuit member; and

two fasteners, each fastener having a thread with a major diameter and a minor diameter, the major diameter being less than the circuit member joining aperture diameter, said fasteners passed through two aligned joining apertures, and each said fastener including a head engaging the bolster plate;

said thread for each fastener engaging and deforming a retention member proximate such thread so that the retention members and heads hold the circuit member and bolster plate together.

2. The interposer sub-assembly of claim 1 wherein the circuit member is flexible.

3. The interposer sub-assembly of claim 2 wherein the circuit member is a flex circuit comprised of an insulating substance and an electrically conductive core wherein the insulating substance is adhered to and covers the electrically conductive core and the circuit member joining aperture perimeter is comprised of the insulating substance.

4. The interposer sub-assembly of claim 3 wherein the electrically conductive core does not extend into the circuit member joining aperture perimeter.

5. The interposer sub-assembly of claim 4 wherein the retention members are each comprised of one or more flaps.

6. The interposer sub-assembly of claim 5 wherein none of said flaps extends to the center of a circuit member joining aperture.

7. The interposer sub-assembly of claim 4 wherein the retention members are each comprised of a single flap extending uniformly from the circuit member joining aperture perimeter to form an aperture smaller than the threaded fastener major diameter.

8. The interposer sub-assembly of claim 1 wherein the retention members are located distally from the bolster plate.

9. The interposer sub-assembly of claim 1 including an interposer plate having a pair of joining apertures located proximate the circuit member so that the bolster plate joining apertures, the circuit member joining apertures and the interposer plate joining apertures are aligned and a resilient retention member is located proximate each interposer plate joining aperture, each retention member extending into the proximate interposer plate joining aperture, and the pair of threaded fasteners extended through the said interposer plate joining apertures.

10. The interposer sub-assembly of claim 9 wherein the retention members are each comprised of one or more flaps.

11. The interposer sub-assembly of claim 10 wherein no flap extends to the center of a circuit member joining aperture.

12. The interposer sub-assembly of claim 10 wherein the resilient retention members are each comprised of a single flap extending uniformly from the circuit member joining aperture perimeter to form an aperture smaller than the threaded fastener major diameter.

19. The interposer sub-assembly as in claim 9 wherein a interposer plate forming aperture is enlarged, and a retention member extends into an enlarged interposer plate forming aperture.

13. An interposer sub-assembly comprising a flex circuit having two ends, a plurality of contact pads at each end, the flex circuit having a copper core and an insulating coating, a pair of joining apertures proximate to each end of the flex circuit;

a pair of bolster plates, each bolster plate having a pair of joining apertures, each bolster plate located proximate to one end of the flex circuit so that each bolster plate joining aperture is proximate to a flex circuit joining aperture, four resilient retention members, each retention member proximate to one flex circuit joining aperture and extending into one flex circuit joining aperture wherein the each resilient retention member is part of said flex circuit or the resilient retention member is an overlay adhered to said flex circuit; and

four threaded fasteners, each threaded fastener having a major diameter and a minor diameter, each threaded fastener passed through two aligned joining apertures, each threaded fastener including a head engaging a bolster plate and a thread engaging and deforming a retention member proximate the thread so that the retention members and heads hold the flex circuit and the bolster plates together.

14. The interposer sub-assembly of claim 13 wherein the copper core does not extend into the flex circuit joining apertures.

15. The interposer sub-assembly of claim 14 wherein the retention members are each comprised of one or more flaps.

16. The interposer sub-assembly of claim 15 wherein no flap extends to the center of a flex circuit joining aperture.

17. The interposer sub-assembly of claim 14 wherein the retention members are each comprised of a single flap extending uniformly from the flex circuit joining aperture perimeter to form an aperture smaller than the threaded fastener major diameter.

18. The interposer sub-assembly of claim 13 wherein the retention members are each located distally from the bolster plate.