US 5,402,320 AGranted

Electronic shelf keying and alignment combination

AssigneeNorthern Telecom Limited

InventorsPeter J. Kielstra, Balwantrai Mistry, Amit Chawla, James K. Adamson

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Abstract

Within an electronic shelf, physically separating or isolating in a front to rear direction keying elements from connector alignment elements to provide a separation distance, minimizes the undesirable interaction that may occur between keying elements and connector alignment elements due to tolerance effects. Worst case manufacturing tolerances with respect to keying elements, for example, no longer influence in any significant way, the co-action of the connector alignment elements. Insertion of circuit packs into respective receiving stations is achieved with less effort since effort is not required to overcome extra frictional forces resulting from the keying elements interacting with the connector alignment elements. The separation distance between keying elements and connector alignment elements is made to be as large as possible so as to minimize the effects of keying elements opposing the repositioning of a circuit pack for connector alignment purposes by the connector alignment elements within a receiving station.

Claims10

Dependent claims

An electronic shelf and printed circuit board combination, the combination comprising:

a plurality of printed circuit boards, each having first connector means disposed adjacent to a rear edge region of the printed circuit board;
a shelf, having a plurality of printed circuit board receiving stations for receiving the printed circuit boards, each station having second connector means, the second connector means being disposed in a rear region of the receiving station for connection to a first connector means of an associated printed circuit board when inserted into the receiving station;
and
in respect of each circuit board and corresponding receiving station;
alignment means comprising co-operable alignment elements for aligning the first and second connector means for mating purposes, a first of the alignment elements being disposed in a rear region of the printed circuit board and a second alignment element being disposed in a rear region of the respective receiving station;
and
keying means for selectively permitting the first connector means of the printed circuit board to mate with the corresponding second connector means of the respective receiving station, the keying means comprising first and second keying elements and wherein the first keying element is disposed adjacent to a front edge region of the printed circuit board and the second keying element is disposed on a forward portion of the shelf thereby isolating the keying elements from the alignment elements in a front to rear direction.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.