Configurations of electronic component-carrying apertures in a termination belt

Abstract

A miniature component carrier includes a thin, resilient mask through which are formed multiple spaced-apart apertures each of which is sized and shaped to compliantly receive and hold a miniature component in a controlled orientation during termination processing such that the side margins of the aperture primarily contact and grip the corner regions of the miniature component. At least some of the apertures have side margins that form rhomboidal or elliptical apertures. The shape and size of the multiple spaced-apart apertures confine within an operational tolerance contact between the side margins of the aperture and the side or end wall surfaces of the electronic component. This reduces mechanical damage to the side and end wall surfaces that results from their contact with the side margins during receipt and gripping of the miniature component in the aperture.

1 . A miniature component carrier including a thin, resilient mask through which are formed multiple apertures that are sized and shaped to compliantly receive and hold multiple miniature electronic components in a controlled orientation, each electronic component having opposed upper and lower surfaces spaced apart by a component thickness bound by opposed side wall surfaces and opposed end wall surfaces, each electronic component further having multiple corner regions in which one of the upper surface or the lower surface meets at least one of a side wall surface and an end wall surface, comprising: 
 multiple spaced-apart apertures each having side margins that are shaped to facilitate placement of an electronic component in each aperture such that the side margins of the aperture primarily contact and grip the corner regions of the electronic component, thereby confining within an operational tolerance side margin contact with one or both of the side or end wall surfaces and thus reducing damage to the side and end wall surfaces resulting from their contact with the side margins during receipt and gripping of the electronic component in the aperture.    
   
   
       2 . The component carrier of  claim 1 , in which the side margins of the aperture form a rhomboidal aperture.  
   
   
       3 . The component carrier of  claim 1 , in which the side margins of the aperture form an elliptical aperture having sufficient eccentricity to confine within the operational tolerance side margin contact with one or both of the side or end wall surfaces.  
   
   
       4 . The component carrier of  claim 1 , in which the thin, resilient mask further includes a relief opening that extends from the aperture, the relief opening facilitating temporary deformation of the resilient mask during receipt and gripping of the miniature component.  
   
   
       5 . The component carrier of  claim 4 , in which the aperture has side margins that form a rhomboidal aperture and the relief opening is a slot that extends outwardly from a vertex of the rhomboidal aperture.  
   
   
       6 . The component carrier of  claim 5 , in which a terminal end of the slot includes a bulbous hole.  
   
   
       7 . The component carrier of  claim 4 , in which the thin, resilient mask further includes multiple relief openings.  
   
   
       8 . The component carrier of  claim 7 , in which each of the multiple relief openings (1) is adjacent to a side margin of the aperture and (2) facilitates temporary deformation of the resilient mask during receipt and gripping of the miniature component.  
   
   
       9 . The component carrier of  claim 8 , in which each of the multiple relief openings includes relief opening side margins that form one of a square, rectangular, circular, triangular, elliptical, semicircular, and trapezoidal relief opening.  
   
   
       10 . The component carrier of  claim 8 , in which the side margins of the aperture form a rhomboidal aperture having multiple vertices and the multiple relief openings include curvilinear relief opening side margins that form arc-shaped relief openings that each have an apex that is positioned adjacent to a vertex of the rhomboidal aperture.  
   
   
       11 . The component carrier of  claim 8 , in which the side margins of the aperture form an elliptical aperture having a major axis and a minor axis and the multiple relief openings include curvilinear relief opening side margins that form multiple arc-shaped relief openings, the arc-shaped relief openings positioned adjacent to the elliptical aperture such that the major axis of the elliptical aperture intersects an apex of each arc-shaped relief opening.  
   
   
       12 . The component carrier of  claim 1 , further including a flexible metal tape having multiple holes that are sized and shaped to compliantly receive and hold the resilient mask, at least some of the holes having side margins that form one of a rhomboidal and elliptical hole.  
   
   
       13 . The component carrier of  claim 1 , in which the miniature component is one of a chip capacitor and an integrated passive electronic component.  
   
   
       14 . A miniature component carrier capable of receiving and holding multiple miniature components, comprising: 
 a thin, resilient mask through which is formed multiple spaced-apart apertures each of which is sized and shaped to compliantly receive and grip a miniature component in a controlled orientation, at least some of the apertures having side margins that form one of a rhomboidal or elliptical aperture.    
   
   
       15 . The miniature component carrier of  claim 14 , in which each miniature component includes opposed upper and lower surfaces spaced apart by a component thickness bound by opposed side wall surfaces and opposed end wall surfaces and each miniature component further includes multiple corner regions defined by intersection of one of the upper surface or the lower surface with at least one of a side wall surface and an end wall surface, and in which the side margins of the aperture primarily contact and grip the corner regions of the miniature component, thereby confining side margin contact with the side and end wall surfaces within an operational tolerance and thus reducing damage to the side and end wall surfaces resulting from their contact with the side margins during receipt and gripping of the miniature component in the aperture.  
   
   
       16 . The component carrier of  claim 14 , in which the thin, resilient mask further includes a relief opening that extends from the aperture, the relief opening facilitating temporary deformation of the resilient mask during receipt and gripping of the miniature component.  
   
   
       17 . The component carrier of  claim 14 , in which the relief opening is a slot that extends outwardly from one of a vertex of the rhomboidal aperture and a major axis of the elliptical aperture.  
   
   
       18 . The component carrier of  claim 17 , in which a terminal end of the slot includes a bulbous hole.  
   
   
       19 . The component carrier of  claim 14 , in which the thin, resilient mask further includes multiple relief openings.  
   
   
       20 . The component carrier of  claim 19 , in which each of the multiple relief openings (1) is adjacent to a side margin of the aperture and (2) facilitates temporary deformation of the resilient mask during receipt and gripping of the miniature component.  
   
   
       21 . The component carrier of  claim 20 , in which each of the multiple relief openings includes relief opening side margins that form one of a square, rectangular, circular, triangular, elliptical, semicircular, and trapezoidal relief opening.  
   
   
       22 . The component carrier of  claim 19 , in which the rhomboidal aperture includes multiple vertices and in which the multiple relief openings include curvilinear relief opening side margins that form arc-shaped relief openings that each include an apex that is positioned adjacent to a vertex of the rhomboidal aperture.  
   
   
       23 . The component carrier of  claim 19 , in which the elliptical aperture includes a major axis and a minor axis and the multiple relief openings include curvilinear relief opening side margins that form multiple arc-shaped relief openings, the arc-shaped relief openings positioned adjacent to the elliptical aperture such that the major axis of the elliptical aperture intersects an apex of each arc-shaped relief opening.  
   
   
       24 . The component carrier of  claim 14 , further including a flexible metal tape having multiple holes that are sized to compliantly receive and hold the resilient mask, at least some of the holes having side margins that form a rhomboidal or elliptical hole.  
   
   
       25 . The component carrier of  claim 1 , in which the miniature component is one of a chip capacitor and an integrated passive electronic component.  
   
   
       26 . In a miniature component carrier including a thin, resilient mask, an improvement comprising: 
 multiple spaced-apart apertures each of which is sized and shaped to compliantly receive and grip a miniature electronic component in a controlled orientation, at least some of the apertures having side margins that form one of a rhomboidal or elliptical aperture.