High-density packaging for multiple removable electronics subassemblies
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsTimothy R. Block, David P. Gaio, Ronald L. Soderstrom
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Packaging for an electronics assembly. A base card has a row of elongated slots. A number of individually insertable subassemblies have standoff feet and a pair of offset hooks at their sides. The hooks snap into the slots in such a way that each slot can hold the hooks for four different subassemblies, which are positioned adjacent each other and on both sides of the base card.
Claims12
An electronics assembly, comprising:
- a base card positioned in a base plane and having at least one row of elongated slots each having an axis in a first direction, said slots being spaced across said base card in a second direction, and having a plurality of electrical base-card connectors mounted thereon;
- a plurality of smaller subassemblies removably mounted on said base card, each said unit subassembly being positioned in a plane parallel to said base card, and having
- a circuit card carrying a plurality of electronic circuits,
- a connector for mating with one of said base-card connectors,
- a pair of substantially straight side edges extending in a direction transverse to said second direction,
- at least two spaced-apart feet projecting from said subassembly and resting on said base,
- at least two spaced-apart hooks projecting from respective ones of said side edges of said subassembly, each of said hooks engaging a different one of said slots so as to cause said feet to exert pressure upon said base card, and each of said, hooks being located at a different position along its respective side edge, so that each of said hooks engages its respective slot at a location along said respective slot such that adjacent hooks of two different ones of said subassemblies engage the same slot at different locations along the axis of said same slot.
An electronics subassembly for mounting on a base card positioned in a base plane and having at least one row of elongated slots each having an axis in a first direction, said slots being spaced across said base card in a second direction, and having a plurality of electrical base-card connectors mounted thereon, said subassembly comprising:
- a circuit card positioned in a plane parallel to said base plane,
- a connector for mating with one of said base-card connectors,
- a pair of substantially straight side edges extending in a direction transverse to said second direction,
- at least two spaced-apart feet projecting from said subassembly and having a length sufficient to rest on said base,
- at least two spaced-apart hooks projecting from respective ones of said side edges of said subassembly, each of said hooks having a shape for engaging a different one of said slots so as to cause said feet to exert pressure upon said base card, and each of said hooks being located at a different position along its respective side edge, so that each of said hooks engages its respective slot at a location along said respective slot such that adjacent hooks of two different ones of said subassemblies engage the same slot at different locations along the axis of said same slot.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.