Modular printed circuit board

Claim 2

A printed circuit board comprising: an electrically insulating printed circuit substrate, at least on electrically conductive path on at least one side of said substrate, at least one notch formed in said substrate for weakening said substrate along a continuous path dividing said substrate into at least first and second sections, said notch being formed such that said first and second sections can be separated by fracturing the substrate at said notch, said one conductive path passing from said first to said second section on said substrate whereby said fracturing separates said conductive path having a portion on each said section, a first set of circuit elements on said first section for performing a first electrical function, and a second set of circuit elements on said second section for performing a second electrical function, said first and second set of elements being electrically and operatively interconnected by said at least one electrically conductive path to form an electrical system in which the elements interact with one another in the performance of their functions.

Claim 3

A printed circuit board comprising: an electrically insulating substrate, a plurality of electrical conductors on at least one side of said substrate, a plurality of spaced serially alinged notches formed in said substrate for weakening said substrate along a continuous path dividing said substrate into at least first and second sections, said notches being sized and spaced such that said sections can be separated by fracturing the substrate along said path formed by said notches, said conductors extending from one section to the other section on the substrate intermediate said notches, a first set of elements on said first section for performing a first electrical function, and a second set of elements on said second section for performing a second electrical function, said first and second set of elements being electrically and operatively interconnected by said conductors to form an electrical system in which the elements interact with one another in the performance of their functions.

Claim 4

A printed circuit board comprising: an electrically insulating substrate, a plurality of electrical conductors on at least one side of said substrate, a plurality of spaced serially alinged notches formed in said substrate for weakening said substrate along a continuous path dividing said substrate into at least first and second sections, said notches being sized and spaced such that said sections can be separated by fracturing the substrate along said path formed by said notches, said conductors extending from one section to the other section on the substrate intermediate said notches, a first set of elements on said first section for performing a first electrical function, and a second set of elements on said second section for performing a second electrical function, said first and second set of elements being electrically and operatively interconnected by said conductors to form an electrical system in which the elements interact with one another in the performance of their functions.

Claim 5

The circuit board of claim 2 wherein said notches are formed of different lengths along said path.

Claim 6

The circuit board of claim 2 wherein said notches are formed with different depths.

Claim 7

A modular construction comprising: a printed circuit board for performing an overall system function comprising a substrate subdivided into a plurality of sections, each such section containing the circuit elements of a circuit module, each module performing one part of said overall system function, the boundary of each section comprising a mechanically weakened region of the substrate which, in response to mechanical pressure on a section, fractures and permits removal of that section, the modules being joined to one another by printed conductors on at least one surface of the substrate and the modules interacting with one another via said conductors to together perform said overall electrical function for which the printed circuit board is designed, the conductors passing over the weakened regions of the substrate and being formed of a material which fractures when the weakened section over which the conductors pass is fractured, whereby when one of the modules becomes defective, it may be removed by fracturing the weakened region of the substrate at the boundary of that module, and a replacement module substituted for the weakened module by placing it in the position formerly occupied by the defective module, and connecting conductors of the replacement module to corresponding fractured conductors on the substrate regions adjacent to the position occupied by the replacement module.

Claim 8

A modular construction comprising: a printed circuit board for performing an overall system function comprising a substrate subdivided into a plurality of sections, each such section containing the circuit elements of a circuit module, each module performing one part of said overall system function, the boundary of each section comprising a mechanically weakened region of the substrate which, in response to mechanical pressure on a section, fractures and permits removal of that section, the modules being joined to one another by printed conductors on at least one surface of the substrate and the modules interacting with one another via said conductors to together perform said overall electrical function for which the printed circuit board is designed, the conductors passing over the weakened regions of the substrate and being formed of a material which fractures when the weakened section over which the conductors pass is fractured, whereby when one of the modules becomes defective, it may be removed by fracturing the weakened region of the substrate at the boundary of that module, and a replacement module substituted for the weakened module by placing it in the position formerly occupied by the defective module, and connecting conductors of the replacement module to corresponding fractured conductors on the substrate regions adjacent to the position occupied by the replacement module.

Claim 9

The construction of claim 5 wherein said weakened region includes a notch in said substrate and said conductors pass over said notch.

Claim 10

The construction of claim 5 wherein said weakened region includes a plurality of aligned notches, said conductors passing over the substrate between said notches.