Compliant surface mount electrical contacts for circuit boards and method of making and using same
First Claim
1. An electrical contact comprising:
- a substantially rigid base section adapted for attachment to a conductive land on a first printed circuit board; and
a substantially rigid pin section extending from the base section along a centerline substantially normal to the base section, the pin section having two leg segments adjacent to one another and interconnected by a folded intermediate section, the folded intermediate section forming a tip of the pin section that is adapted for connection with a second printed circuit board, the two leg segment having deformable sections therein that project outwardly away from the centerline, the deformable sections in combination forming a substantially symmetrical shape about the centerline, wherein the electrical contact is adapted to deform substantially vertically and substantially evenly while resisting lateral expansion or twisting.
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Accused Products
Abstract
There is provided electrical contact for circuit boards. Each leg of the pin section has a deformable segment that can expand or contract along the direction of the leg to alleviate stress created by relative movement of printed circuit boards and/or off-board components interconnected thereby. The deformable segments have members that project in opposing directions relative to the direction of the leg, so that the segments are symmetrical. In one embodiment, each leg has a deformable segment having a outwardly curved shape. In another embodiment, each leg has a deformable segment in the shape of a rectangular frame. The deformable segments define at least one opening where the two legs of the pin section are not overlapping, which breaks the capillary flow of solder between the legs. The amount of solder that flows into the electrical contact is selectively controlled by the selected placement of the deformable segments.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. An electrical contact comprising:
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a substantially rigid base section adapted for attachment to a conductive land on a first printed circuit board; and
a substantially rigid pin section extending from the base section along a centerline substantially normal to the base section, the pin section having two leg segments adjacent to one another and interconnected by a folded intermediate section, the folded intermediate section forming a tip of the pin section that is adapted for connection with a second printed circuit board, the two leg segment having deformable sections therein that project outwardly away from the centerline, the deformable sections in combination forming a substantially symmetrical shape about the centerline, wherein the electrical contact is adapted to deform substantially vertically and substantially evenly while resisting lateral expansion or twisting. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An electrical contact comprising:
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a substantially rigid base section adapted for attachment to a conductive land on a first printed circuit board;
a substantially rigid pin section extending from the base section along a centerline substantially normal to the base section, the pin section having two leg segments adjacent to one another and interconnected by a folded intermediate section, the folded intermediate section forming a tip of the pin section that is adapted for connection with a second printed circuit board, each of the two leg segment having an opening therethrough at a position above the base section and below the tip, the two openings forming a hole through the pin section; and
a channel through the base section and between the two leg segments that is parallel to the centerline and adapted to allow an amount of a soldering material from the conductive land to flow via capillary action through the base section and between the two leg segments, the channel being intersected by the hole, wherein the capillary action of the soldering material in the channel is broken by the hole, thereby preventing the solding material from flowing past the hole and controlling the amount of soldering material that flows from the conductive land. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An electrical contact comprising:
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a substantially rigid base section adapted for attachment to a conductive land on a first printed circuit board;
a substantially rigid pin section extending from the base section along a centerline substantially normal to the base section, the pin section having two leg segments adjacent to one another and interconnected by a folded intermediate section, the folded intermediate section forming a tip of the pin section that is adapted for connection with a second printed circuit board, each leg segment having a deformable section therein that projects outwardly away from the centerline, the deformable sections in combination being substantially symmetrical about that centerline and defining a hole through the pin section; and
a channel through the base section and between the two leg segments that is parallel to the centerline and adapted to allow an amount of a soldering material from the conductive land to flow via capillary action through the base section and between the two leg segments, the channel being intersected by the hole, wherein the deformable section is adapted to deform substantially vertically and substantially evenly while resisting lateral expansion or twisting, and wherein the capillary action of the soldering material in the channel is broken by the hole, thereby preventing the solding material from flowing past the hole and controlling the amount of soldering material that flows from the conductive land. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method of making an electrical contact comprising the step of:
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(1) forming a metal blank with;
(a) a substantially rigid base section adapted for attachment to a conductive land on a first printed circuit board, (b) a substantially rigid pin section extending from the base section along a centerline and having a first leg segment, a second leg segment, and a foldable intermediate segment between the first and second leg segments, the first and second leg segments each having a deformable section therein that has at least one member projecting outwardly away from the centerline; and
(2) folding the metal blank into an operable shape wherein the pin section extends at an angle substantially perpendicular to the base section, the deformable sections are oriented substantially symmetrically about the centerline and define an opening through the pin section, and there is a channel between the first and second leg segments that is adapted to allow an amount of a soldering material from the conductive land to flow via capillary action through the base section and into the pin section, the channel being intersected by the opening.
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29. A method of interconnecting a first printed circuit board and a second printed circuit board comprising the steps of:
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(1) providing an electrical contact including;
(a) a substantially rigid base section adapted for attachment to a conductive land on a first printed circuit board;
(b) a substantially rigid pin section extending from the base section along a centerline substantially normal to the base section, the pin section having two leg segments adjacent to one another and interconnected by a folded intermediate section, the folded intermediate section forming the tip of the pin section that is adapted for connection with a second printed circuit board, each leg segment having a deformable section therein having at least one member that projects outwardly away from the centerline, the deformable sections in combination being substantially symmetrical about that centerline and defining a hole through the pin section; and
(c) a channel through the base section and between the two leg segments that is parallel to the centerline and adapted to allow an amount of a soldering material from the conductive land to flow via capillary action through the base section and between the two leg segments, the channel being intersected by the hole, wherein the deformable section is adapted to deform substantially vertically and substantially evenly while resisting lateral expansion or twisting, and wherein the capillary action of the soldering material is broken by the hole, thereby preventing the solding material from flowing past the hole and controlling the amount of soldering material that flows from the conductive land; and
(2) attaching the base section to the first printed circuit board; and
(3) attaching the pin section to the second printed circuit board. - View Dependent Claims (30)
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Specification