Patent ID: 7385144

Claim:
A method of electrically connecting two panels, comprising: (a) providing a first panel with a first surface spaced from a second surface; (b) forming an array of holes in said first panel extending from one of said first and second surfaces toward the other, each of said holes defining a wall within said first panel; (c) applying a plating to said wall of each of said holes to form vias; (d) filling each of said vias with an electrically conductive material; (e) thereafter cutting said first panel including said vias in a direction from said first surface toward said second surface to form a cut edge of said first panel, a portion of said plating along said wall of said vias and a portion of said conductive material within each of said vias being exposed by and extending substantially flush with said cut edge; (f) applying an electrically conductive plating to said portion of electrically conductive material within each of said vias that is exposed and is substantially flush with said cut edge; and (g) affixing said cut edge of said first panel to a second panel.