US4820196A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Sealing of contact openings for conformally coated connectors for printed circuit board assemblies
Assignee: Unisys Corp
•
Filing: 1987-10-01
•
Granted: 1989-04-11
•
Expires: 2007-10-01
Abstract
Abstract A connector having a housing with a number of cavities that receive connector pins is conformally coated. A thixotropic, curable material is used to seal-off the cavities at the end where the contact tails for the connector pins emerge from the housing. The sealing material seals off the cavities from the environment but does not extend so far into the cavities that electrically insulates the connector portion of the connector pins. The sealing material is preferably both ultravioletly-curable for rapid curing and heat-curable to cure the material in shadow areas.
Inventors
- 👤 Paul J. Roselle
- 👤 Richard T. Benkusky
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 05:49
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01R; H01R13/00; H01R13/40; H01R13/405; H01R13/46; H01R13/52; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S439/00; Y10S439/933; Y10S439/936; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49002; Y10T29/49117; Y10T29/49124; Y10T29/4913; Y10T29/49146
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
129 words
In an electrical connector having a housing, a connecting portion and at least one contact member in a cavity in said housing comprising a connecting contact tail that emerges from said housing and a conformal coating over at least a portion of said housing and said contact tails, the improvement comprising a thixotropic, curable sealing material that is applied under sufficient pressure so that the viscosity of said thixotropic material is lowered so that it flows into said cavities far enough to seal-off said cavities while said pressure is applied and before the conformal coating is applied, but not so far that said thixotropic material electrically insulates said connecting portion, wherein said thixotropic material is curable upon the release of said pressure and while so located in said cavities.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
129 words
In an electrical connector having a housing, a connecting portion and at least one contact member in a cavity in said housing comprising a connecting contact tail that emerges from said housing and a conformal coating over at least a portion of said housing and said contact tails, the improvement comprising a thixotropic, curable sealing material that is applied under sufficient pressure so that the viscosity of said thixotropic material is lowered so that it flows into said cavities far enough to seal-off said cavities while said pressure is applied and before the conformal coating is applied, but not so far that said thixotropic material electrically insulates said connecting portion, wherein said thixotropic material is curable upon the release of said pressure and while so located in said cavities.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
14 words
A connector as claimed in claim 1 wherein said thixotropic material is ultravioletly curable.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
14 words
A connector as claimed in claim 2 wherein said thixotropic material is heat curable.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
A connector as claimed in claim 1 wherein said connector is conformally coated after said thixotropic material is cured.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
A connector as claimed in claim 4 wherein said thixotropic material is ultravioletly curable.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
14 words
A connector as claimed in claim 5 wherein said thixotropic material is heat curable.
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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) | 1992-04-10 | 1992-10-10 | 1993-04-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1996-04-10 | 1996-10-10 | 1997-04-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2000-04-10 | 2000-10-10 | 2001-04-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |