US4953059A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Spring loaded multi-wedge card retainer
Assignee: RTX Corp
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Filing: 1986-03-06
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Granted: 1990-08-28
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Expires: 2006-03-06
Abstract
Abstract A plurality of trapezoidal wedges in a channel for retaining a PCB heat sink are held in place by spring force provided by a compression spring inside the bottom end wedge. The compression forces provided by the spring are mainly effective to prevent twisting of wedges on the absence of a heat sink and to provide at least some degree of heat transfer between the heat sink and the chassis even if the responsible technician neglects to torque down the wedges.
Inventors
- 👤 Christopher T. McNulty
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 23:12
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05K; H05K7/00; H05K7/14; H05K7/1401; H05K7/1402; H05K7/1404
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
280 words
A printed circuit board (PCB) heat sink retainer, comprising: a single-open-sided tubular, rectangular channel in a PCB chassis; a plurality of rectangular-tubed wedges, each tube of each wedge having a pair of opposing rectangular sides and two congruently opposing trapezoidal sides formed by nonparallel, slanted end faces which mate with and slidably engage similarly slanted end faces of adjacent wedges alternately flipped for such engagement, said wedges being aligned end-to-end within said channel with a long side of a wedge facing, and in engagement with, a channel side opposite a channel side faced by a long side of a next adjacent wedge, said plurality of wedges including an entrance wedge fixed in position at a PCB insertion end of said channel and including a movable hollow end wedge, open at one end, at the other end of said channel; and a spring, one end of which rests against said other end of said channel, the other end of said spring being inserted within said movable hollow end wedge, and providing a preinsertion for slidably forcing the ends of said wedges against one another thereby causing oppositely directed lateral movement of alternate wedges and thereby forcing the long sides of alternate wedges against said facing channel sides such that upon insertion of a PCB heat sink between one of said facing channel sides and one set of alternate wedges, part of the spring force will be transmitted to and exerted by said one set of alternate wedges against a fully inserted heat sink and part of the spring force will be transmitted to and exerted by the other remaining set of alternate wedges against the other facing side of said channel.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
280 words
A printed circuit board (PCB) heat sink retainer, comprising: a single-open-sided tubular, rectangular channel in a PCB chassis; a plurality of rectangular-tubed wedges, each tube of each wedge having a pair of opposing rectangular sides and two congruently opposing trapezoidal sides formed by nonparallel, slanted end faces which mate with and slidably engage similarly slanted end faces of adjacent wedges alternately flipped for such engagement, said wedges being aligned end-to-end within said channel with a long side of a wedge facing, and in engagement with, a channel side opposite a channel side faced by a long side of a next adjacent wedge, said plurality of wedges including an entrance wedge fixed in position at a PCB insertion end of said channel and including a movable hollow end wedge, open at one end, at the other end of said channel; and a spring, one end of which rests against said other end of said channel, the other end of said spring being inserted within said movable hollow end wedge, and providing a preinsertion for slidably forcing the ends of said wedges against one another thereby causing oppositely directed lateral movement of alternate wedges and thereby forcing the long sides of alternate wedges against said facing channel sides such that upon insertion of a PCB heat sink between one of said facing channel sides and one set of alternate wedges, part of the spring force will be transmitted to and exerted by said one set of alternate wedges against a fully inserted heat sink and part of the spring force will be transmitted to and exerted by the other remaining set of alternate wedges against the other facing side of said channel.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
40 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said entrance wedge is settable to various fixed positions so as to provide the capability, by adjusting the position of the said entrance wedge, of exerting additional compressive forces on said plurality of wedges.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the position of said settable entrance wedge is settable by means of a set screw fixed in place with respect to the chassis.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
65 words
The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a wire, wherein each wedge of said plurality of wedges has a slot or bore through which said wire passes from one end of said channel to the other, said wire being anchored in each end of said channel for loosely holding said channel's wedges in longitudinal alignment and for preventing wedges from falling out of said channel.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the two edges at the end of the longest side of each trapezoidal wedge are chamfered.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the edge of each trapezoidal wedge closest to said entrance wedge is chamfered for easing sliding contact with a heat sink.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
94 words
A printed circuit board (PCB) heat sink retainer, comprising: a PCB chassis channel; a plurality of trapezoidal wedges, aligned end-to-end in said channel; and spring means, within said channel, applying a longitudinal compressive force on said plurality of wedges to displace said wedges laterally, alternate wedges being displaced in opposite lateral directions and bearing upon opposing walls of said channel, wherein said plurality of wedges includes an end wedge disposed at open end of said channel and having a cavity therein, and wherein said spring means is a compression spring inserted in said cavity.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
94 words
A printed circuit board (PCB) heat sink retainer, comprising: a PCB chassis channel; a plurality of trapezoidal wedges, aligned end-to-end in said channel; and spring means, within said channel, applying a longitudinal compressive force on said plurality of wedges to displace said wedges laterally, alternate wedges being displaced in opposite lateral directions and bearing upon opposing walls of said channel, wherein said plurality of wedges includes an end wedge disposed at open end of said channel and having a cavity therein, and wherein said spring means is a compression spring inserted in said cavity.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
81 words
A printed circuit board (PCB) heat sink retainer, comprising: a PCB chassis channel; a plurality of trapezoidal wedges, aligned end-to-end in said channel; and spring means, within said channel, applying a longitudinal compressive force on said plurality of wedges to displace said wedges laterally, alternate wedges being displaced in opposite lateral directions and bearing upon opposing walls of said channel, wherein said spring means is located at an end of said channel opposite an end selected for PCB heat sink insertion.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
81 words
A printed circuit board (PCB) heat sink retainer, comprising: a PCB chassis channel; a plurality of trapezoidal wedges, aligned end-to-end in said channel; and spring means, within said channel, applying a longitudinal compressive force on said plurality of wedges to displace said wedges laterally, alternate wedges being displaced in opposite lateral directions and bearing upon opposing walls of said channel, wherein said spring means is located at an end of said channel opposite an end selected for PCB heat sink insertion.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
118 words
A printed circuit board (PCB) heat sink retainer, comprising: a PCB chassis channel; a plurality of trapezoidal wedges, aligned end-to-end in said channel; and spring means, within said channel, applying a longitudinal compressive force on said plurality of wedges to displace said wedges laterally, alternate wedges being displaced in opposite lateral directions and bearing upon opposing walls of said channel, further comprising a wire, wherein each of said plurality of wedges has a slot or bore through which said wire passes from one end of said channel to the other, said wire being anchored in each end of said channel for loosely holding said wedges in longitudinal alignment and for preventing wedges from falling out of said channel.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
118 words
A printed circuit board (PCB) heat sink retainer, comprising: a PCB chassis channel; a plurality of trapezoidal wedges, aligned end-to-end in said channel; and spring means, within said channel, applying a longitudinal compressive force on said plurality of wedges to displace said wedges laterally, alternate wedges being displaced in opposite lateral directions and bearing upon opposing walls of said channel, further comprising a wire, wherein each of said plurality of wedges has a slot or bore through which said wire passes from one end of said channel to the other, said wire being anchored in each end of said channel for loosely holding said wedges in longitudinal alignment and for preventing wedges from falling out of said channel.
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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) | 1993-08-27 | 1994-02-26 | 1994-08-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1997-08-27 | 1998-02-26 | 1998-08-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2001-08-27 | 2002-02-26 | 2002-08-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |