Abstract:
A circuit comprises a first circuit portion that includes an electrically insulative first body having a first connector and a first circuit element coupled to the first body. The circuit further comprises a second circuit portion that includes an electrically insulative second body having a second connector coupled to the first connector and a second circuit element coupled to the second body. The circuit further comprises a first electrical conductor coupled to the first and second circuit elements.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application 60/506,272, filed Sep. 26, 2003, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     In the field of electronics, it is often desirable to construct a working model of an electric circuit, a circuit being multiple electric components interconnected in one (or more) closed signal routes to perform a desired electrical or electronic function. A working model of an electric circuit may serve a number of purposes, such as, for example, a preliminary pattern serving as the plan from which a circuit not yet constructed will be produced, or a tentative description of a theoretical circuit that accounts for all of the known properties of the circuit.  
         [0003]     Existing circuit modeling systems (such as those associated with, for example, breadboards, wire-wrap boards, etc.) typically involve mounting multiple electrical components and/or prepackaged electrical circuits (themselves consisting of multiple electrical components) to a single shared surface (e.g. board) using a single interconnection that is both electrical (i.e. electrically conductive) and mechanical.  
         [0004]     Among the problems associated with interconnecting packaged electrical components and circuits to a single shared surface is the fact that the resulting surface (e.g. board) is preformed (i.e., its size and shape are predefined) and difficult to alter. As such, these circuits do not readily lend themselves to component-by-component reconfiguration, which is often required when designing and/or experimenting with circuits for particular purposes.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0005]     According to an embodiment of the present invention, a circuit comprises a first circuit portion that includes an electrically insulative first body having a first connector and a first circuit element coupled to the first body. The circuit further comprises a second circuit portion that includes an electrically insulative second body having a second connector coupled to the first connector and a second circuit element coupled to the second body. The circuit further comprises a first electrical conductor coupled to the first and second elements. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]      FIG. 1  is an exploded isometric perspective view of a circuit portion according to an embodiment of the invention;  
         [0007]      FIG. 2  is an exploded isometric perspective view of the circuit board portion  20  of the circuit portion  10  illustrated in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0008]      FIG. 3  is an exploded isometric perspective view of a circuit according to an embodiment of the invention; and  
         [0009]      FIG. 4  is an isometric perspective view of the circuit of  FIG. 3  in an assembled state. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0010]     The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like reference numbers signify like elements throughout the description of the figures.  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is an exploded isometric perspective view of a circuit portion  10  according to an embodiment of the invention. The circuit portion  10  includes a circuit board portion  20  that may be enclosed, when the circuit portion  10  is fully assembled, within a body portion  30  that includes a bottom portion  30 A and a top portion  30 B. As is illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the bottom portion  30 A of the body portion  30  includes, in an embodiment, a series of male connectors  50  and female connectors  60  around the perimeter of the bottom portion  30 A of the body portion  30 . As discussed in further detail below, the male connectors  50  and female connectors  60  enable attachment of the circuit portion  10  to a similarly configured circuit portion.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is an exploded isometric perspective view of the circuit board portion  20  of the circuit portion  10  illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The circuit board portion  20  includes a board  70  that, in an embodiment, consists of an insulating material, such as epoxy, resin or other material, known in the art, suitable for construction of a circuit board. In an embodiment, the board  70  includes multiple board leads  80 A,  80 B consisting of a conductive material, such as copper foil or other suitable conductive material. Although the board  70  illustrated in  FIG. 2  includes only two leads, the board may have, in varying embodiments, more or fewer than two leads.  
         [0013]     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , each lead  80 A,  80 B includes a first terminal  90 A,  90 B, which may be elevated above a surface of the circuit board  70 , and a second terminal  100 A,  100 B. In the illustrated embodiment, the terminals  90 A,  90 B,  100 A,  100 B comprise a recess or hole in a surface of the circuit board  70 . It should be noted, however, that the terminals  90 A,  90 B,  100 A,  100 B need not comprise a recess or hole, but may instead comprise any other connective terminal configuration known in the art.  
         [0014]     The circuit board portion  20  may further include a circuit element  110 . The circuit element  110  may be a resistor, capacitor, cell, diode, or any other well-known component used to construct an electrical circuit. In an embodiment, the circuit element  110  includes element leads  120 A,  120 B operable to be received by respective terminals  100 A,  100 B. When the terminals  100 A,  100 B receive the element leads  120 A,  120 B, the circuit board leads  80 A,  80 B and, consequently, the terminals  90 A and  90 B are electrically coupled to the circuit element  110 .  
         [0015]     As is shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the top  30 B of the body portion  30  includes body portion holes  130 A,  130 B. When the board portion  20  is situated within the body portion  30 , the body portion holes  130 A,  130 B are coaxial with respective terminals  90 A,  90 B. Accordingly, and as further discussed below, an object external to the portion  10  may be brought into contact with a terminal  90 A,  90 B by inserting such object into a corresponding body portion hole  130 A,  130 B.  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  illustrates an exploded isometric perspective view of a circuit  140 , an assembled embodiment of which is illustrated in  FIG. 4 . In the illustrated embodiment, the circuit  140  consists of three circuit portions  10 ,  150 ,  160 . The circuit portions  150 ,  160  have a general configuration identical to that of the circuit portion  10  described above in detail. As can be seen in both  FIGS. 3 and 4 , each circuit portion  150 ,  160  includes a respective circuit element  170 ,  180  that may be, but is not necessarily, different in function from the circuit element  110  of the circuit portion  10 .  
         [0017]     An important feature of an embodiment of the invention is that the circuit portions  10 ,  150 ,  160  can be physically attached to one another without there existing an electrical coupling between or among such physically attached circuit portions  10 ,  150 ,  160 . In constructing the circuit  140 , the circuit portions  10 ,  150 ,  160  may be attached to one another, as best shown in  FIG. 4 , by their respective corresponding male and female connectors  50 ,  60 . It should be understood that, while male/female connectors are employed in the illustrated embodiments, the circuit portions  10 ,  150 ,  160  may be attached or otherwise connected physically to one another in a number of ways known in the art. These physical connections may be removable (i.e., non-permanent) such that the portions  10 ,  150 ,  160  may be easily coupled to and decoupled from one another.  
         [0018]     Once the circuit portions  10 ,  150 ,  160  are physically attached to one another, electrically conductive lead pins  190  may be inserted into corresponding body portion holes (such as the holes  130 A and  130 B associated with portion  10 ) of the circuit portions  10 ,  150 ,  160 . The conductive pins  190 , once inserted into the body portion holes, electrically contact a corresponding one of the terminals (such as the terminals  90 A and  90 B associated with portion  10 ) of the circuit portions  10 ,  150 ,  160 . As a result, the circuit elements  110 ,  170 ,  180  can be electrically coupled to one another via the lead pins  190 . For example, by inserting one end of a pin  190  into a body portion hole of the portion  150  and by inserting the other end of the same pin  190  into a body portion hole of the portion  10 , the circuit elements  170  and  110  are electrically coupled to each other.  
         [0019]     The preceding discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the invention. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.