Secure housing
AssigneeNeopost Limited
InventorsWalter Herbert Henson, Anthony Lawrence
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A secure electronic circuit on a printed circuit board is disclosed. The electronic circuit is enclosed in a housing comprising two shells located in abutment with opposite faces of the printed circuit board. One shell is provided with a first element that extends through an aperture in the printed circuit board and the other shell is provided with a second element that irreversibly engages with the first element and thereby secures both shells to the circuit board and inhibits removal of either shell. The construction is such that removal of either shell results in irreversible damage to the housing.
Claims6
A secure electronic circuit on a printed circuit board includes a secure housing enclosing said electronic circuit, said secure housing including a first shell secured in abutting relationship with a first face of the printed circuit board;
- at least one first element projecting from said first shell and extending through an aperture in said printed circuit board beyond a second face of the printed circuit board opposite to said first face;
- a second shell located adjacent to said second face of the printed circuit board;
- at least one second element integral with said second shell and located within said second shell;
- said second shell being secured in abutting relationship with the second face of the printed circuit board by irreversible engagement of said at least one second element and said at least one first element so that removal of or attempt to remove the second shell from the printed circuit board results in fracture of at least one of said first and second elements to provide evidence of tampering.
A secure electronic circuit as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the first and second shells include first and second side walls respectively, at least one of the shells extends beyond an edge of the printed circuit board and the side wall of the least one shell extends adjacent said edge and overlaps the side wall of the other shell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.