Multilayer circuit board with integral flexible appendages

Claim 1

As an article of manufacture, a multilayer printed circuit board having an integral flexible web type conductor appendage comprising at least one flexible circuit-containing layer having at least one flexible appendage, a pair of rigid layers aligned in a predetermined manner with said at least one flexible layer and having electrical connections to the circuits on said at least one flexible layer, said rigid layers being bonded to the opposite sides of said at least one flexible layer in all areas except in locations in which said flexible appendage is located, said rigid layers being substantially oversize and holding said flexible appendage substantially rigid during the manufacturing procedure in which holes were drilled in said bonded array and thereafter plated through forming said electrical connections, said rigid layers being slotted at the location representing the beginning of said at least one flexible appendage and generally overlying the flexible circuit-containing layer, to enable the liberation of such flexible appendage subsequent to the plating operation by the utilization of a cutting device moved around the periphery of such appendage.

Claim 6

A method of creating a multilayer printed circuit board having integral flexible conductor appendages, comprising the steps of creating a plurality of circuit-containing flexible layers with at least some of said layers including an appendage portion, creating a pair of rigid layers having electrical interconnection areas and capable of being aligned with said flexible layers so as to subsequently bring about the completion of a number of desired electrical paths, slotting said rigid layers at locations corresponding to the positions of said appendages, bonding said rigid layers to opposed sides of said plurality of flexible layers in sandwich fashion, thus maintaining said appendage portions temporarily nonflexible, and with no bonding occurring between said rigid layers and said flexible appendage portions, creating holes in a number of said connection areas in the resulting laminate, immersing the bonded laminate in a metal plating solution for a sufficient length of time in a manner as to form a metallic coating on the walls of such holes, and releasing said flexible appendages from their temporary nonflexible conditions subsequent to the plating operation by utilizing a cutting device and cutting through said sandwiched layers around the periphery of such flexible appendages and to said slots formed in said rigid layers and then removing the portions of said rigid layers freed by such cutting action.

Claim 7

A method of creating a multilayer printed circuit board having integral flexible conductor appendages, comprising the steps of creating a plurality of circuit-containing flexible layers with at least some of said layers including an appendage portion, creating a pair of rigid layers having electrical interconnection areas and capable of being aligned with said flexible layers so as to subsequently bring about the completion of a number of desired electrical paths, slotting said rigid layers at locations corresponding to the positions of said appendages, bonding said rigid layers to opposed sides of said plurality of flexible layers in sandwich fashion, thus maintaining said appendage portions temporarily nonflexible, and with no bonding occurring between said rigid layers and said flexible appendage portions, creating holes in a number of said connection areas in the resulting laminate, immersing the bonded laminate in a metal plating solution for a sufficient length of time in a manner as to form a metallic coating on the walls of such holes, and releasing said flexible appendages from their temporary nonflexible conditions subsequent to the plating operation by utilizing a cutting device and cutting through said sandwiched layers around the periphery of such flexible appendages and to said slots formed in said rigid layers and then removing the portions of said rigid layers freed by such cutting action.

Claim 9

A method of creating a multilayer circuit board array having integral flexible appendages, comprising the steps of: creating circuitry on at least one layer of flexible material that includes at least one appendage portion, with such circuitry having interconnection points at pre-ascertained locations thereon and with respect to which points, subsequent electrical interconnection of at least some of such points with corresponding points of other layers of the array may be made, creating rigid layers between which said at least one flexible layer can be bonded, each of said rigid layers having interconnection points thereon at locations alignable with corresponding interconnection points on the other layers of the array, at least some of said layers having a series of closely spaced interconnection points thereon defining the principal portion of the multi-layer circuit board being created, each of said rigid layers being of greater dimension than the finished multilayer board is to be, slotting said rigid layers along at least some of the boundaries that define the commencement of said at least one appendage portion, applying adhesive at selected locations between said rigid and flexible layers so that said principal portions of all of said layers can be bonded together after alignment of the layers, and with no adhesive being used in conjunction with said at least one appendage portion, where the integral flexible appendage is to be created, aligning all of said layers, and then applying heat and pressure to said layers to bond said layers at said selected locations, creating holes in a number of said interconnection points, and thereafter plating such holes in order to create electrical connections between the layers at such points, and thereafter removing portions of said rigid layers at locations corresponding to the appendages to be created, such removal of portions of said rigid layers being facilitated by the placement of the slots and the absence of adhesive.

Claim 10

A method of creating a multilayer circuit board array having integral flexible appendages, comprising the steps of: creating circuitry on at least one layer of flexible material that includes at least one appendage portion, with such circuitry having interconnection points at pre-ascertained locations thereon and with respect to which points, subsequent electrical interconnection of at least some of such points with corresponding points of other layers of the array may be made, creating rigid layers between which said at least one flexible layer can be bonded, each of said rigid layers having interconnection points thereon at locations alignable with corresponding interconnection points on the other layers of the array, at least some of said layers having a series of closely spaced interconnection points thereon defining the principal portion of the multi-layer circuit board being created, each of said rigid layers being of greater dimension than the finished multilayer board is to be, slotting said rigid layers along at least some of the boundaries that define the commencement of said at least one appendage portion, applying adhesive at selected locations between said rigid and flexible layers so that said principal portions of all of said layers can be bonded together after alignment of the layers, and with no adhesive being used in conjunction with said at least one appendage portion, where the integral flexible appendage is to be created, aligning all of said layers, and then applying heat and pressure to said layers to bond said layers at said selected locations, creating holes in a number of said interconnection points, and thereafter plating such holes in order to create electrical connections between the layers at such points, and thereafter removing portions of said rigid layers at locations corresponding to the appendages to be created, such removal of portions of said rigid layers being facilitated by the placement of the slots and the absence of adhesive.

Claim 12

A method of creating a multilayer circuit board having integral flexible appendages comprising the steps of: creating circuitry on a plurality of similar size layers of flexible material with such circuitry having numerous interconnection points at preascertained locations thereon and with respect to which points, subsequent electrical interconnection of at least some of such points on each layer with corresponding points of other layers may be made, creating a pair of rigid layers between which said flexible layers can be bonded by the use of adhesive and the application of heat and pressure, with each of said rigid layers having numerous interconnection points thereon, disposed at locations alignable with corresponding interconnection points on the other layers, all of said layers having a series of closely spaced interconnection holes therethrough, serving to define the principal portion of the multilayer circuit board being created and to define termination portions for appendages, each of said flexible and rigid layers being of greater dimension than the finished multilayer board is to be with said rigid layers being slotted along at least some of the boundaries generally transversely of said flexible circuitry, applying adhesive at selected locations between said rigid and flexible layers so that said principal portions and termination portions of all of said layers can be bonded together and with no adhesive at locations between the principal portions and the termination portions so that said flexible appendages can be created, aligning said flexible and rigid layers and bonding the same together by heat and pressure, and thereafter removing portions of said rigid layers at locations corresponding to the appendages to be created, such removal of unwanted rigid material being facilitated by the placement of the slots and the absence of adhesive.

Claim 13

A method of creating a multilayer circuit board having integral flexible appendages comprising the steps of: creating circuitry on a plurality of similar size layers of flexible material with such circuitry having numerous interconnection points at preascertained locations thereon and with respect to which points, subsequent electrical interconnection of at least some of such points on each layer with corresponding points of other layers may be made, creating a pair of rigid layers between which said flexible layers can be bonded by the use of adhesive and the application of heat and pressure, with each of said rigid layers having numerous interconnection points thereon, disposed at locations alignable with corresponding interconnection points on the other layers, all of said layers having a series of closely spaced interconnection holes therethrough, serving to define the principal portion of the multilayer circuit board being created and to define termination portions for appendages, each of said flexible and rigid layers being of greater dimension than the finished multilayer board is to be with said rigid layers being slotted along at least some of the boundaries generally transversely of said flexible circuitry, applying adhesive at selected locations between said rigid and flexible layers so that said principal portions and termination portions of all of said layers can be bonded together and with no adhesive at locations between the principal portions and the termination portions so that said flexible appendages can be created, aligning said flexible and rigid layers and bonding the same together by heat and pressure, and thereafter removing portions of said rigid layers at locations corresponding to the appendages to be created, such removal of unwanted rigid material being facilitated by the placement of the slots and the absence of adhesive.

Claim 16

A method of making a rigid multilayer circuit board with flexible appendages attached thereto comprising the steps of: creating circuitry on at least one layer of flexible material that includes at least one appendage portion, with such circuitry having conductor leads as well as interconnection points at pre-ascertained locations thereon and with respect to which points, subsequent electrical interconnection of at least some of such points with corresponding points of other layers of the array may be made, forming at least a pair of rigid layers of a size larger than the intended size of the finished circuit board, between which rigid layers, at least one flexible layer can be bonded, each of said rigid layers having interconnection points thereon at locations alignable with corresponding interconnection points on the other layers of the array, at least some of said layers having a series of closely spaced interconnection points thereon defining the principal portion of the multilayer circuit board being created, forming slots of a desired length and at designated locations on said rigid layers, at the periphery of said principal portion, placing at least one layer of flexible material with conductor leads formed thereon between a pair of rigid layers, with a portion of said conductor leads being juxtaposed to the circuitry of a rigid layer, and with certain portions of said at least one layer of flexible material extending beyond the slots in at least some locations, to form a basis for flexible appendages, placing adhesive between said rigid layers and said at least one flexible layer in all areas except where the flexible appendages are to be created, aligning said layers and then bonding said rigid layers to said flexible layers to form said multilayer board, with conductor leads confined therein, creating holes through a number of said interconnection points, and thereafter removing portions of said rigid layers from locations outside said principal portion, thus to complete the creation of flexible appendages, such removal of portions of said rigid layers being facilitated by the placement of the slots and the absence of adhesive.

Claim 17

A method of making a rigid multilayer circuit board with flexible appendages attached thereto comprising the steps of: creating circuitry on at least one layer of flexible material that includes at least one appendage portion, with such circuitry having conductor leads as well as interconnection points at pre-ascertained locations thereon and with respect to which points, subsequent electrical interconnection of at least some of such points with corresponding points of other layers of the array may be made, forming at least a pair of rigid layers of a size larger than the intended size of the finished circuit board, between which rigid layers, at least one flexible layer can be bonded, each of said rigid layers having interconnection points thereon at locations alignable with corresponding interconnection points on the other layers of the array, at least some of said layers having a series of closely spaced interconnection points thereon defining the principal portion of the multilayer circuit board being created, forming slots of a desired length and at designated locations on said rigid layers, at the periphery of said principal portion, placing at least one layer of flexible material with conductor leads formed thereon between a pair of rigid layers, with a portion of said conductor leads being juxtaposed to the circuitry of a rigid layer, and with certain portions of said at least one layer of flexible material extending beyond the slots in at least some locations, to form a basis for flexible appendages, placing adhesive between said rigid layers and said at least one flexible layer in all areas except where the flexible appendages are to be created, aligning said layers and then bonding said rigid layers to said flexible layers to form said multilayer board, with conductor leads confined therein, creating holes through a number of said interconnection points, and thereafter removing portions of said rigid layers from locations outside said principal portion, thus to complete the creation of flexible appendages, such removal of portions of said rigid layers being facilitated by the placement of the slots and the absence of adhesive.