US4621552A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for separating printed-circuit boards from multi-board panels
Assignee: CENCORP BOULDER Co
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Filing: 1985-01-04
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Granted: 1986-11-11
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Expires: 2005-01-04
Abstract
Abstract The instant invention is particularly directed to a method and apparatus for automated handling of panels comprising a plurality of interconnected substrates in order to control and separate the circuit boards in a continuous processing line. One embodiment incorporates two shearing stations and a rotary transfer device therebetween in order to transfer a panel portion from the first station to the second station while controlling and rotating the panel for subsequent feed to the second station such that the panel portion is cut on a line of the substrate which is perpendicular to the original line of cut of the substrate. Throughout the handling of the panels and panel portions, sensing, gripping, and indexed feeding of the panels and panel portions are under the control of a programmable computer.
Inventors
- 👤 Gilbert T. Lopez
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 20:06
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05K; H05K3/00; H05K3/0011; H05K3/0044; H05K3/0052; B; B26; B26D; B26D11/00; B26D7/00; B26D7/01; B26D7/015; B26D7/06; B26D7/0675; B26D2007/0012; B26D2007/0056; H05K2203/00; H05K2203/02; H05K2203/0228; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T83/00; Y10T83/04; Y10T83/0448; Y10T83/0467; Y10T83/0495; Y10T83/0505; Y10T83/081; Y10T83/088; Y10T83/162; Y10T83/173; Y10T83/175; Y10T83/178; Y10T83/202; Y10T83/2074; Y10T83/2081; Y10T83/444; Y10T83/445; Y10T83/4564; Y10T83/463; Y10T83/4632; Y10T83/525
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
77 words
A method of handling a panel automatedly, said panel having means for referencing positional control of said panel, and comprising the steps of: receiving said panel at a feed assembly input; searching for said panel referencing means; clamping said panel according to and upon locating said referencing means; feeding said panel, while clamped, to a processing station and indexing said feeding according to a controller; and subdividing said panel at said processing station according to said controller.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
77 words
A method of handling a panel automatedly, said panel having means for referencing positional control of said panel, and comprising the steps of: receiving said panel at a feed assembly input; searching for said panel referencing means; clamping said panel according to and upon locating said referencing means; feeding said panel, while clamped, to a processing station and indexing said feeding according to a controller; and subdividing said panel at said processing station according to said controller.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
A method as in claim 1, and further comprising the steps of; positioning said panel against a reference surface for subsequent locating of said panel referencing means during said searching; and verifying proper clamping of said panel prior to said feeding.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
A method as in claim 1, and further comprising the step of: aligning said panel by said clamping.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method as in claim 1, and further comprising the steps of: identifying said panel according to a particular configuration; and selecting a particular control routine for said controller according to said identifying.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method as in claim 1, wherein said subdividing comprises the step of: separating at least one circuit board from said panel.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method as in claim 5, and further comprising the step of: cutting said panel to effect said separating.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method as in claim 6, and further comprising the step of: shearing said panel to effect said cutting.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method as in claim 6, wherein said circuit board has component leads protruding from a lower surface thereof, and further comprising the step of: displacing said circuit board relative to a cutting member at said processing station in order to provide clearance between said leads and said cutting member during said feeding.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method as in claim 5, wherein said panel further comprises at least one scrap portion, said method further comprising the steps of: receiving said circuit board from said processing station; and diverting said scrap portions to a scrap pile.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
44 words
A method as in claim 9, wherein said clamping is performed by a clamping means on a final scrap portion of said panel, and further comprising the steps of: unclamping said final scrap portion; and propelling said final scrap portions from said clamping means.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
84 words
An apparatus for handling a panel automatedly, said panel having means for referencing positional control of said panel, and comprising: means for receiving said panel at a feed assembly input; means for searching for said panel referencing means; means for clamping said panel according to and upon locating said referencing means; means for feeding said panel, while clamped, to a processing station and indexing said feeding according to a controller; and means for subdividing said panel at said processing station according to said controller.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
84 words
An apparatus for handling a panel automatedly, said panel having means for referencing positional control of said panel, and comprising: means for receiving said panel at a feed assembly input; means for searching for said panel referencing means; means for clamping said panel according to and upon locating said referencing means; means for feeding said panel, while clamped, to a processing station and indexing said feeding according to a controller; and means for subdividing said panel at said processing station according to said controller.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
42 words
An apparatus as in claim 11, and further comprising: means for positioning said panel against a reference surface for subsequent locating of said panel referencing means during said searching; and means for verifying proper clamping of said panel prior to said feeding.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
20 words
An apparatus as in claim 11, and said clamping means further comprising: means for aligning said panel during said clamping.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
34 words
An apparatus as in claim 11, and further comprising: means for identifying said panel according to a particular configuration; and means for selecting a particular control routine for said controller according to said identifying.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
24 words
An apparatus as in claim 11, and further comprising: means for separating at least one circuit board from said panel to effect said subdividing.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus as in claim 15, and further comprising: means for cutting said panel to effect said separting.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus as in claim 16, and further comprising: means for shearing said panel to effect said cutting.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
52 words
An apparatus as in claim 16, wherein said circuit board has component leads protruding from a lower surface thereof, and further comprising: means for displacing said circuit board relative to a cutting member at said processing station in order to provide clearance between said leads and said cutting member during said feeding.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
39 words
An apparatus as claim 15, wherein said panel further comprises at least one scrap portion, and further comprising: means for receiving said circuit board from said processing station; and means for diverting said scrap portions to a scrap pile.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
45 words
An apparatus as in claim 19, wherein said clamping is performed by a clamping means on a final scrap portion of said panel, and further comprising; means for unclamping said final scrap portion; and means for propelling said final scrap portion from said clamping means.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-11-10 | 1990-05-12 | 1990-11-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-11-10 | 1994-05-12 | 1994-11-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-11-10 | 1998-05-12 | 1998-11-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |