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Apparatus for routing a flexible circuit element (216) between a top housing (102) and a bottom housing (108) in an electronic device such as a radiotelephone (100). The flexible circuit element includes a termination at a tab (2712) off the edge of the flex strip, oriented at an angle from the dire

Apparatus for routing a flexible circuit element (216) between a top housing (102) and a bottom housing (108) in an electronic device such as a radiotelephone (100). The flexible circuit element includes a termination at a tab (2712) off the edge of the flex strip, oriented at an angle from the direction of trace routing. This provides the minimum possible flex width so that the flex may be routed through minimally sized openings, in turn minimizing the size of the electronic device.

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1. An electronic device comprising:a first housing containing first operational circuitry; a second housing containing second operational circuitry; a joint element which movably joins the first housing and the second housing, the joint element defining a slot having a slot width; and a flexible cir

1. An electronic device comprising:a first housing containing first operational circuitry; a second housing containing second operational circuitry; a joint element which movably joins the first housing and the second housing, the joint element defining a slot having a slot width; and a flexible circuit element routed through the slot and electrically coupling the first operational circuitry and the second operational circuitry, the flexible circuit element including a flexible substrate having a body and a tab off an edge of the body, the body having a length and a width, and the tab having a length and a width; a plurality of conductors disposed side-by-side on the body along the width of the body, each of the plurality of conductors extending in a direction along the length of the body; and a plurality of termination pads disposed side-by-side on the tab along the length of the tab, each of the plurality of termination pads extending in a direction along the width of the tab, the termination pads oriented at an angle relative to the direction along the length of the body, and the flexible substrate having a maximum width less than the slot width, the maximum width defined by a combination of the widths of the body and the tab.