Platen-patch board assembly with spring biased electrical contact means to effect electrical test on an electrical circuit card

Claim 2

For use with test fixture to conduct electrical tests on an electrical circuit card; a device comprising a patch board, a platen, means for mounting the platen in spaced relation to the patch board, spring-biased electrical contact means projecting through the platen for effecting electrical contact with irregular surfaces of nodes of the electrical circuit card under test, electrical plug means electrically connected to the contact means and selectively positioned in the patch board for operative connection to test equipment, the electrical contact means including a plurality of spring biased contact pins, and means for carrying each of the spring-biased contact pins, the nodes of the electrical circuit card being formed in a predetermined pattern, and the platen having mounting holes formed in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the nodes of the electrical circuit card, and the means for carrying each of the springbiased contact pins being positioned in said mounting holes, each of said carrying means including outwardly flared resilient tangs effective upon the carrying means being selectively inserted through the mounting holes for locking the carrying means therein so as to render the spring-biased contact pins effective to apply a uniform pressure contact surface for making the electrical contact with the correspondingly positioned nodes of the electrical circuit card.

Claim 3

For use with a test fixture to conduct electrical tests on an electrical circuit card; a device comprising a patch board, a platen, means for mounting the platen in spaced relation to the patch board, spring-biased electrical contact means projecting through the platen for effecting electrical contact with irregular surfaces of nodes of the electrical circuit card under test, electrical plug means electrically connected to the contact means and selectively positioned in the patch board for operative connection to test equipment, the means for mounting the platen in spaced relation to the patch board including supporting post means mounted in the patch board and including means for securing the platen on the supporting post means in spaced relation to the patch board, the electrical contact means including a plurality of spring-biased contact pins, and means for carrying each of the spring-biased contact pins, the nodes of the electrical circuit card being formed in a predetermined pattern, and the platen having mounting holes formed in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the nodes of the electrical circuit card, and the means for carrying each of the spring-biased contact pins being positioned in said mounting holes, each of said carrying means including outwardly flared resilient tangs effective upon the carrying means being selectively inserted through the mounting holes for locking the carrying means therein so as to render the spring-biased contact pins effective to apply a uniform pressure contact surface for making the electrical contact with the correspondingly positioned nodes of the electrical circuit card.

Claim 4

For use with a test fixture to conduct electrical tests on an electrical circuit card; a device comprising a patch board, a platen, means for mounting the platen in spaced relation to the patch board, spring-biased electrical contact means projecting through the platen for effecting electrical contact with irregular surfaces of nodes of the electrical circuit card under test, electrical plug means electrically connected to the contact means and selectively positioned in the patch board for operative connection to test equipment, the means for mounting the platen in spaced relation to the patch board including supporting post means mounted in the patch board and including means for securing the platen on the supporting post means in spaced relation to the patch board, the electrical contact means including a plurality of spring-biased contact pins, and means for carrying each of the spring-biased contact pins, the nodes of the electrical circuit card being formed in a predetermined pattern, and the platen having mounting holes formed in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the nodes of the electrical circuit card, and the means for carrying each of the spring-biased contact pins being positioned in said mounting holes, each of said carrying means including outwardly flared resilient tangs effective upon the carrying means being selectively inserted through the mounting holes for locking the carrying means therein so as to render the spring-biased contact pins effective to apply a uniform pressure contact surface for making the electrical contact with the correspondingly positioned nodes of the electrical circuit card.

Claim 5

For use with a test fixture to conduct electrical tests on an electricAl circuit card; a device comprising a patch board, a platen, means for mounting the platen in spaced relation to the patch board, spring-biased electrical contact means projecting through the platen for effecting electrical contact with irregular surfaces of nodes of the electrical circuit card under test, electrical plug means electrically connected to the contact means and selectively positioned in the patch board for operative connection to test equipment, the platen including at least one mounting hole for the contact means, and the contact means including an elongated barrel element adapted to be selectively disposed so as to have one end thereof inserted through the mounting hole of the platen, a spring-biased electrical contact pin projecting from said one end of said barrel element for making a resilient electrical contact with an irregular surface node of the electrical circuit card, a retention spring means mounted on said barrel element adjacent said one end, and said retention spring means including projecting resilient elements for locking the barrel element from withdrawal upon said one end of the barrel element being inserted through the mounting hole so as to render the resilient elements of the retention spring means mounted adjacent said one end of the barrel element effective in said locking relation.

Claim 6

For use with a test fixture to conduct electrical tests on an electricAl circuit card; a device comprising a patch board, a platen, means for mounting the platen in spaced relation to the patch board, spring-biased electrical contact means projecting through the platen for effecting electrical contact with irregular surfaces of nodes of the electrical circuit card under test, electrical plug means electrically connected to the contact means and selectively positioned in the patch board for operative connection to test equipment, the platen including at least one mounting hole for the contact means, and the contact means including an elongated barrel element adapted to be selectively disposed so as to have one end thereof inserted through the mounting hole of the platen, a spring-biased electrical contact pin projecting from said one end of said barrel element for making a resilient electrical contact with an irregular surface node of the electrical circuit card, a retention spring means mounted on said barrel element adjacent said one end, and said retention spring means including projecting resilient elements for locking the barrel element from withdrawal upon said one end of the barrel element being inserted through the mounting hole so as to render the resilient elements of the retention spring means mounted adjacent said one end of the barrel element effective in said locking relation.

Claim 7

The device defined by claim 3 in which said retention spring means includes a retention spring cap holder mounted on said barrel element adjacent said one end, said spring cap holder being effective in a sense to limit movement of the spring-biased electrical contact pin from said one end of the barrel, and the projecting resilient elements of the retention spring means including outwardly flared tangs projecting from the retention spring cap holder and effective in a sense to lock the barrel element from withdrawal from the mounting hole of the platen.

Claim 8

The device defined by claim 3 in which the barrel element includes a first longitudinal channel therein opening at said one end, a plunger carrying the electrical contact pin and slidably mounted in said first channel, a compression spring having one end bearing upon a closed end of the first channel and an opposite end bearing upon the plunger to bias the plunger and thereby the electrical contact pin toward the open end of the first longitudinal channel the retention spring means includes a retention spring cap holder mounted on said barrel element adjacent said open end of said first longitudinal channel, said spring cap holder being effective in a sense to prevent movement of the plunger from said open end of the first longitudinal channel while permitting the electrical contact pin carried by the plunger to be biased by the compression spring through the open end of the first longitudinal channel into electrical contact with an irregular surface node of the electrical circuit card, the projecting resilient elements of the retention spring means including outwardly flared resilient tangs projecting from the retention spring cap holder and effective in a sense to lock the barrel element from withdrawal from the mounting hole of the platen, and a second longitudinal channel in the barrel element opening at an opposite end of the barrel element for receiving an electrical conductor leading to the electrical plug means selectively positioned in the patch board for operative connection to test equipment.