EMI containment apparatus

A system for containment of EMI and RFI in an electronic device having a generally rigid housing and having a circuit board mountable within the housing comprises

• a polymeric thermoform having a peripheral sidewall, said sidewall having an outwardly extending lip thereon,
• said peripheral sidewall defining at least one polygonal compartment on said thermoform,
• said compartment having an open side,
• said thermoform having a first face and a second face,
• said thermoform having a conductive metal coating on at least the first face thereof,
• the open side of said at least one compartment coincident with said first face of said thermoform,
• said circuit board having a first side populated with at least one emitting component and having a ground trace fixed thereto,
• said polygonal compartment overlying said at least one emitting component,
• said ground trace in registry with said lip and touchingly engaged therewith,
• said housing having at least one opentopped enclosure formed therein, said at least one enclosure defined by upstanding ribs on said housing,
• said at least one enclosure receiving said compartment of said thermoform,
• said lip in registry with said upstanding ribs,
• an elastomeric gasket interposed between said ribs and said second face of said thermoform,
• whereby said elastomeric gasket urges said lip into touching engagement with said ground trace.

A system for containment of EMI and RFI in an electronic device having a generally rigid housing and having a circuit board mountable within the housing comprises

• a polymeric form having multiple compartments defined by hollow walls integrally formed in said form, each of said compartments having an open side, said form being a thermoform,
• said form having a first face and a second face,
• each of said open sides of said compartments coincide with said first face of said form,
• said form having a conductive metal coating on all of at least said first face thereof,
• said circuit board having a first side populated with a plurality of electronic components and having a ground trace fixed thereto,
• said compartments overlying at least some of said electronic components,
• said ground trace in registry with said hollow walls and touchingly engaged therewith,
• said housing having at least multiple opentopped enclosures formed therein, said enclosures defined by upstanding ribs on said housing,
• said enclosures receiving said compartments of said form,
• said hollow walls in registry with said upstanding ribs,
• an elastomeric gasket interposed between said ribs and said second face of said form,
• whereby said elastomeric gasket urges said hollow walls into touching engagement with said ground trace.

A system for containment of EMI and RFI in an electronic device having a generally rigid housing and having a circuit board mountable within the housing comprises

• a polymeric form having a peripheral sidewall, said sidewall having an outwardly extending lip thereon, said form having a first face and a second face, said form being a thermoform,
• said peripheral sidewall defining at least one polygonal compartment on said form,
• said compartment having an open side,
• said form having a conductive metal coating on at least the first face thereof,
• the open side of said at least one compartment coincident with said first face of said form,
• said circuit board having a first side populated with at least one emitting component and having a ground trace fixed thereto,
• said polygonal compartment overlying said at least one emitting component,
• said ground trace in registry with said lip,
• said housing having at least one opentopped enclosure formed therein,
• said at least one enclosure defined by upstanding ribs on said housing,
• said at least one enclosure receiving said compartment of said form,
• said lip in registry with said upstanding ribs,
• said lip having a multiplicity of spaced apart protrusions formed therein.

A method of shielding EMI/RFI in an electronic device, the method comprising

• coupling a containment form to a printed circuit board, said containment form being a thermoform;
• grounding the containment form to a ground trace;
• and
• compressing the containment form against the ground trace by contacting a portion of a housing of the electronic device against the containment form.

A system for shielding EMI/RFI, the system comprising:

• a housing;
• a circuit board comprising a ground trace, the circuit board being positioned within the housing;
• a containment form comprising a lip which extends around a periphery of the containment form, said containment for being a thermoform;
• a vacuum metallized layer attached to the containment form, wherein the vacuum metallized layer is capable of shielding EMI/RFI radiation;
• wherein the containment form is positioned in the housing so that the housing urges the containment form into contact with the ground trace so as to shield the circuit board from the EMI/RFI radiation.