US5917147A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Clip-on non-snag grounding finger array
Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
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Filing: 1996-01-30
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Granted: 1999-06-29
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Expires: 2016-01-30
Abstract
Abstract A contact device includes a plurality of spring fingers on a conductive strip, each of the plurality of spring fingers having a cantilever spring portion, a locking tab, and a lead-in flange. The plurality of cantilever springs provide grounding contact to a removable cover when the plurality of locking tabs clip into a plurality of locking tab slots on the removable cover. Each lead-in flange has a lance-out tab. Every other of the plurality of lanced-out flanges clip into each of a plurality of lanced-out tab slots on the removable cover. Thus, after installation, the locking tab and the lead-in flange on each spring finger of the conductive strip provide for a clip-on, one-way positive-locking, non-snag, grounding contact with the cover of a base enclosure, furnishing an electromagnetic shield of electronic equipment within the base enclosure.
Inventors
- 👤 Jeffrey Michael Lewis
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 21:08
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05K; H05K9/00; H05K9/0007; H05K9/0015; H05K9/0016
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
126 words
A contact device comprising: a longitudinal member; a plurality of spring fingers on said longitudinal member, each of said plurality of spring fingers including a cantilever spring portion and a locking tab portion, wherein each of said plurality of locking tab portions nests behind a corresponding one of a plurality of locking tab slots on a removable cover; and wherein said longitudinal member further comprises a plurality of lead-in flanges and a plurality of lanced-out tabs coupled to said plurality of lead-in flanges, with alternating ones of said plurality of lanced-out tabs clipping into corresponding ones of a plurality of lanced-out tab slots on said removable cover, and with remaining ones of said plurality of lanced-out tabs bearing against a back side of said removable cover.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
126 words
A contact device comprising: a longitudinal member; a plurality of spring fingers on said longitudinal member, each of said plurality of spring fingers including a cantilever spring portion and a locking tab portion, wherein each of said plurality of locking tab portions nests behind a corresponding one of a plurality of locking tab slots on a removable cover; and wherein said longitudinal member further comprises a plurality of lead-in flanges and a plurality of lanced-out tabs coupled to said plurality of lead-in flanges, with alternating ones of said plurality of lanced-out tabs clipping into corresponding ones of a plurality of lanced-out tab slots on said removable cover, and with remaining ones of said plurality of lanced-out tabs bearing against a back side of said removable cover.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The contact device of claim 1 wherein said longitudinal member is made of a thin metal material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The contact device of claim 1 wherein said removable cover covers electronic equipment in a base enclosure.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
131 words
A contact device comprising: a removable cover coupled to a cover flange having a plurality of lanced-out tab slots and a plurality of locking tab slots; and a plurality of spring fingers on a conductive strip, each of said plurality of spring fingers including a cantilever spring portion with a locking tab, each of said plurality of locking tabs securing into said plurality of locking tab slots on said cover flange; a plurality of lead-in flanges on said conductive strip; a plurality of lanced-out tabs coupled to said plurality of lead-in flanges, with alternating ones of said plurality of lanced-out tabs clipping into corresponding ones of said plurality of lanced-out tab slots, and with remaining ones of said plurality of lanced-out tabs bearing against a back side of said cover flange.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
131 words
A contact device comprising: a removable cover coupled to a cover flange having a plurality of lanced-out tab slots and a plurality of locking tab slots; and a plurality of spring fingers on a conductive strip, each of said plurality of spring fingers including a cantilever spring portion with a locking tab, each of said plurality of locking tabs securing into said plurality of locking tab slots on said cover flange; a plurality of lead-in flanges on said conductive strip; a plurality of lanced-out tabs coupled to said plurality of lead-in flanges, with alternating ones of said plurality of lanced-out tabs clipping into corresponding ones of said plurality of lanced-out tab slots, and with remaining ones of said plurality of lanced-out tabs bearing against a back side of said cover flange.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
The contact device of claim 4 wherein said conductive strip is made of a thin metal material.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
The contact device of claim 4 wherein said plurality of cantilever spring portions provide grounding contact on a base enclosure.
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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) | 2002-06-28 | 2002-12-28 | 2003-06-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-06-28 | 2006-12-28 | 2007-06-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-06-28 | 2010-12-28 | 2011-06-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |