Intermodule electrical coupling

Claim 1

An intermodule stacking coupling which can lie between a pair of modules and receive contacts that electrically couple the modules, comprising: a body of dielectric material having first and second opposite faces and having a multiplicity of through holes; a conductive plating which plates each of said holes and portions of at least one of said faces to connect the platings in said holes, to thereby form interconnected plated hole walls; first and second bushing devices, each including a plate and a plurality of dielectric bushings projecting from the plate, said plates of said first and second bushing devices lying respectively over said first and second body faces with said bushings projecting into said holes, each bushing having an end wall adjacent to said plate with an aperture in the end wall which is of smaller inside diameter than the rest of the bushing; a plurality of pin-receiving socket contacts lying in said plurality of holes, within the two bushings in the hole between said end walls; at least one grounding device lying in one of said holes that has plated walls, which is not occupied by said bushings, said grounding device having a pin-receiving grounding socket in contact with the plated walls of the hole.

Claim 10

A method for constructing an electrical coupling comprising: forming a body of dielectric material having first and second faces and a multiplicity of holes therein; plating said body with conductive material, including plating the walls of said holes and at least portions of one of said faces that interconnect said platings of said holes; forming a plurality of dielectric bushings and inserting them into a plurality of said plated holes to form a passage surrounded by the plated walls of the holes but isolated from direct contact therewith; said step of forming a plurality of bushings includes forming said bushings with large diameter tubular portions and with end walls having apertures of smaller diameters than said tubular portions; said step of inserting said bushings includes inserting a pair of bushings into each of said plurality of holes, one into said first body face and the other into said second body face, with said end walls closest to said body faces; and including inserting a socket contact having opposite ends forming pin-receiving sockets into each of a plurality of said holes, before fully inserting one of each said pair of bushings into the corresponding hole, with the ends of the socket contacts of smaller diameter than said apertures to trap the socket contact within the pair of bushings in the hole.

Claim 11

A method for constructing an electrical coupling comprising: forming a body of dielectric material having first and second faces and a multiplicity of holes therein; plating said body with conductive material, including plating the walls of said holes and at least portions of one of said faces that interconnect said platings of said holes; forming a plurality of dielectric bushings and inserting them into a plurality of said plated holes to form a passage surrounded by the plated walls of the holes but isolated from direct contact therewith; said step of forming a plurality of bushings includes forming said bushings with large diameter tubular portions and with end walls having apertures of smaller diameters than said tubular portions; said step of inserting said bushings includes inserting a pair of bushings into each of said plurality of holes, one into said first body face and the other into said second body face, with said end walls closest to said body faces; and including inserting a socket contact having opposite ends forming pin-receiving sockets into each of a plurality of said holes, before fully inserting one of each said pair of bushings into the corresponding hole, with the ends of the socket contacts of smaller diameter than said apertures to trap the socket contact within the pair of bushings in the hole.

Claim 12

A method for constructing an electrical coupling comprising: forming a body of dielectric material having first and second faces and a multiplicity of through holes therein; plating said body with conductive material, including plating the walls of said holes and at least portions of one of said faces that interconnect said platings of said holes; forming a plurality of dielectric bushings and inserting them into a plurality of said plated holes to form a passage surrounded by the plated walls of the holes but isolated from direct contact therewith, to hold contacts out of engagement with the plated walls of the holes; said steps of forming and inserting bushings includes leaving at least about 25% of the length of each hole free of a bushing, so only air lies between a contact in the hole and the plating on the walls of the hole.

Claim 13

A method for constructing an electrical coupling comprising: forming a body of dielectric material having first and second faces and a multiplicity of through holes therein; plating said body with conductive material, including plating the walls of said holes and at least portions of one of said faces that interconnect said platings of said holes; forming a plurality of dielectric bushings and inserting them into a plurality of said plated holes to form a passage surrounded by the plated walls of the holes but isolated from direct contact therewith, to hold contacts out of engagement with the plated walls of the holes; said steps of forming and inserting bushings includes leaving at least about 25% of the length of each hole free of a bushing, so only air lies between a contact in the hole and the plating on the walls of the hole.