Abstract: In a clamshell housing, such as is used for portable devices, engaging elements other than screws or hooks are employed to prevent the two halves of a clamshell housing from having significant slippage between them along the interface at which they meet when the clamshell is subjected to bending and/or torsional moments. Such engaging elements may include slip preventing elements at the clamshell halves interface, e.g., various forms of interlocking teeth, elements that increase friction, or the like, which are added to, or molded into, each half of the housing. By restricting relative motion along the plane of the interface, the propensity to separate along the direction perpendicular to the interface plane is reduced. This is achieved because the restriction of the relative motion increases the bending and torsional rigidities.

Abstract: Microphone sub-assemblies for direct mounting on a telephone handset inner substrate comprise a tubular housing containing a microphone having terminal pins electrically connected within the tubular housing to leads extending through the housing tubular wall. The leads provide contact springs for spring biased contact with conductive lands on the substrate. In one embodiment, the contact springs comprise coiled springs and, in another embodiment, the contact springs comprise leaf springs terminating in arcuate cam surfaces.

Abstract: In a battery pack made up of battery cells encased within a housing made up of a stronger outer housing portion and a weaker inner housing portion, the battery cells are secured to the stronger outer housing portion. Advantageously, the relative motion between the battery cells and the stronger of the housing portions that results when prior art battery packs are dropped, and which causes catastrophic failure of the prior art battery packs, is prevented. The battery cells may be secured to the stronger outer housing portion, for example, by gluing the battery cells to the stronger housing portion, attaching the battery cells to the stronger housing portion by using double-sided sticky tape, molding features into the stronger housing portion that immobilize the battery cells adjacent to the stronger housing portion, or providing screw holes through the stronger housing portion so that screws may engage the battery cell or an appendage thereto.

Abstract: Acoustic component sub-assemblies for direct mounting on a telephone handset inner substrate comprise a tubular housing containing a component having terminal pins electrically connected within the tubular housing to coil springs extending outwardly through an open end of the tubular housing. The coil springs serve as component terminals for spring biased contact with conductive lands on the substrate. The tubular housing is press fitted within a seat on the substrate and contacted by the handset outer housing for being tightly clamped within the substrate seat.

Abstract: Apparatus for modelling or simulating the dynamics of interacting rigid bodies. In the apparatus, the rigid bodies are represented as convex polyhedra. Contacts between the bodies are modelled as contacts between a face and a vertex or between edges. All other types of contact are reduced to these types. The beginning or end of a contact is determined by means of linear interpolation. The dynamics of the contacts are modelled as contacts between massless rigid surface elements which are connected by massless viscous layers to the objects. The viscous layer connecting a surface element to its object permits the surface element to move either perpendicular to or tangent to the plane of contact. The properties of the viscous layers determine the dynamics of the contacts. In the implementation, the properties are described by means of two systems of springs and dampers, one permitting motion in the perpendicular direction and the other motion in the tangential direction.