Composite printed circuit card guide and holding device

Claim 1

A composite printed circuit card guide and holding device including an elongated, rigid U-shaped support member having a planar base with a longitudinal axis, two spaced apart upstanding arm members extending from said base, and flanges extending toward one another from locations on each upstanding arm spaced from said base, said flanges being spaced from one another a sufficient distance to enable passage therethrough of the printed circuit card, and printed circuit card engaging means slidably received within said rigid U-shaped support member, said printed circuit card engaging means including an elongated base supported on the base of the rigid U-shaped support member and a plurality of opposed, cantilevered, flexible spring fingers extending toward one another from said base and between the arms of the rigid U-shaped support member to resiliently engage and hold said printed circuit card, wherein: said elongated, rigid U-shaped support member includes at least one slot disposed in the base adjacent at least one end of said elongated, rigid U-shaped support member, said slot having a longitudinal axis substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of said base, and wherein said printed circuit card engaging means includes at least one tab extending from at least one end of said elongated base of said circuit card engaging means, said tab being disposed in said slot thereby inhibiting movement of said printed circuit card engaging means relative to said elongated, rigid U-shaped support member, and facilitating smooth sliding entry of a printed circuit card into the card guide and holding device.