Patent US3713741A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3713741A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Methods of and apparatus for locating solder faults
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1972-01-03
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Granted: 1973-01-30
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Expires: 1992-01-03
Abstract
Abstract Solder faults occurring between the soldered circuit paths of a printed circuit board are visually located by filtering colored light reflected from the paths and faults with a filter of a configuration identical to the circuit paths. The light reflected from the paths passes through the filter and emerges a different color than the light reflected from the faults which is either unfiltered or filtered to remove different wave lengths of light. This filtration process results in images of the circuit paths being one color and images of the faults being another.
Inventors
- 👤 L Sheehan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 18:56
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01B; G01B9/00; G01B9/08
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
87 words
A method of visually detecting and locating highly reflective anomallies occurring within a highly reflective prescribed pattern wherein both the anomallies and prescribed pattern are set against a chromatic background comprising the steps of: illuminating the pattern and anomallies with light complementary in color to the background to isolate the pattern and anomallies from the background, focusing light reflected from the pattern and anomallies to produce an image thereof, filtering the image selectively to differentiate between the random objects and the pattern, and displaying the filtered image.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
87 words
A method of visually detecting and locating highly reflective anomallies occurring within a highly reflective prescribed pattern wherein both the anomallies and prescribed pattern are set against a chromatic background comprising the steps of: illuminating the pattern and anomallies with light complementary in color to the background to isolate the pattern and anomallies from the background, focusing light reflected from the pattern and anomallies to produce an image thereof, filtering the image selectively to differentiate between the random objects and the pattern, and displaying the filtered image.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
87 words
A method of visually detecting and locating highly reflective anomallies occurring within a highly reflective prescribed pattern wherein both the anomallies and prescribed pattern are set against a chromatic background comprising the steps of: illuminating the pattern and anomallies with light complementary in color to the background to isolate the pattern and anomallies from the background, focusing light reflected from the pattern and anomallies to produce an image thereof, filtering the image selectively to differentiate between the random objects and the pattern, and displaying the filtered image.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
87 words
A method of visually detecting and locating highly reflective anomallies occurring within a highly reflective prescribed pattern wherein both the anomallies and prescribed pattern are set against a chromatic background comprising the steps of: illuminating the pattern and anomallies with light complementary in color to the background to isolate the pattern and anomallies from the background, focusing light reflected from the pattern and anomallies to produce an image thereof, filtering the image selectively to differentiate between the random objects and the pattern, and displaying the filtered image.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the image of the objects is magnified.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the light reflected from the prescribed array is completely filtered while at least some wave lengths of light reflected from the random objects is passed and displayed.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the light reflected from the objects is displayed in a grid coordinate system to give the location of the random objects.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the background color is red and the illuminating light is green and wherein the green light reflected from the pattern is passed unfiltered to display a green image while the green light reflected from the anomallies is filtered to display yellow images.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the background color is red and the illuminating light is green and wherein the green light reflected from the pattern is passed through a yellow filter to display a blue image while the green light reflected from the anomallies is passed through a yellow filter to display a yellow image.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
126 words
A method of visually detecting and locating solder faults occurring within a prescribed array of solder paths wherein both the faults and prescribed solder paths are adhered to a substrate which is of a chromatic color comprising the steps of: illuminating the solder paths and faults with light complementary in color to the substrate to visually isolate the paths and faults from the substrate, focusing light reflected from the solder paths and faults to produce an image thereof, and filtering the image with a filter having a separate portion which is identical in configuration to the image of the solder paths and is of a color other than that reflected by the solder paths and faults to visually separate the prescribed solder paths from the faults.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
126 words
A method of visually detecting and locating solder faults occurring within a prescribed array of solder paths wherein both the faults and prescribed solder paths are adhered to a substrate which is of a chromatic color comprising the steps of: illuminating the solder paths and faults with light complementary in color to the substrate to visually isolate the paths and faults from the substrate, focusing light reflected from the solder paths and faults to produce an image thereof, and filtering the image with a filter having a separate portion which is identical in configuration to the image of the solder paths and is of a color other than that reflected by the solder paths and faults to visually separate the prescribed solder paths from the faults.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
113 words
Apparatus for visually detecting and locating highly reflective anomallies occurring within a highly reflective prescribed pattern wherein both the anomallies and prescribed pattern are mounted on a panel which is of a chromatic color comprising, means for aligning the panel, means for illuminating the pattern and anomallies with light complementary in color to the panel, means for focusing light reflected from the pattern and anomallies to produce an image thereof, a filter having separate areas with configurations identical in shape to the prescribed pattern to differentiate the prescribed pattern from the anomallies when the image is passed therethrough, and means for displaying the image after filtration to determine the location of the anomallies.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
113 words
Apparatus for visually detecting and locating highly reflective anomallies occurring within a highly reflective prescribed pattern wherein both the anomallies and prescribed pattern are mounted on a panel which is of a chromatic color comprising, means for aligning the panel, means for illuminating the pattern and anomallies with light complementary in color to the panel, means for focusing light reflected from the pattern and anomallies to produce an image thereof, a filter having separate areas with configurations identical in shape to the prescribed pattern to differentiate the prescribed pattern from the anomallies when the image is passed therethrough, and means for displaying the image after filtration to determine the location of the anomallies.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
51 words
The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the separate areas of the filter out certain wave lengths of light while the other areas of the filter filter out other wave lengths of light to display an image in which the anomallies appear in one color and the prescribed pattern appears in another.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
34 words
The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the separate areas of the filter are clear while other areas of the filter are tinted with a color other than but not complementary to the illuminating color.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
50 words
The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the separate areas of the filter completely absorb light reflected from the prescribed pattern while other areas of the filter transmit at least some visible wave lengths of light reflected from the anomallies to produce a filtered image of only the anomallies for display.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the display means is a screen having grid coordinates thereon to aid in determining the location of the anomallies.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3264105A
Cited
US3617744A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-01-30 | 1976-07-31 | 1977-01-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-01-30 | 1980-07-31 | 1981-01-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-01-30 | 1984-07-31 | 1985-01-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |