Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Sun Microsoft, Inc.

James M Carney

Robert S Antonuccio

Daniel D Gonsalves

Joseph M Spano

William A Izzicupo

Mathew J Palazola

Clifford B Willis

David E Desilets

Dave Desilets

Mark R Pugliese

Timothy M Holland

Alan Lee Winick

Joseph J Montagna

Thomas E Stewart

Christopher E Chiodo

Robert Antonnucio

Kenneth Kitlas

James F Testa

William Leslie Dailey

Hassan Siahpolo

Quentin J Lewis

Lewis B Sheen

Lee Winick

Chris Chiodo

Daniel F Hoornaert

Matthew Palazola

Yvetta D Pols

Mark Richard Pugliese

A card retention mechanism securely holds a card within a slot on a circuit board. The retention mechanism may include a carrier and a retainer. The carrier mounts to a chassis of the computer system adjacent to the card slot. The retainer may be pivotally mounted to the carrier. When the retainer is in a closed position, at least one surface of the retainer engages an endplate of the card, and the retainer engages the carrier. The engagement of the retainer and the carrier inhibits rotation of the retainer from the closed position to an open position. When the retainer is in the closed position, the retainer securely holds the card to the chassis of the computer system.

Card retention mechanism

An insulating guard is mounted over a backplane or motherboard in an electronic system that accepts hot pluggable circuit cards. The insulating guard has openings that expose only the connectors and allow a hot pluggable circuit card to be inserted without the possibility of shorting the backplane. In order to prevent contact between a card being inserted and adjacent cards that have already been connected to the system, the invention provides for insulating card dividers which are connected to the insulating guard and fit between adjacent cards. The card dividers can be attached to the insulating guard by parts which snap together, fasteners or adhesives.

Hot pluggable printed circuit board insulating system and method

A method and apparatus relating to a support bracket ( ) enabling hot-swapping of component trays ( ) in component racks ( ) is disclosed. A bracket ( ) is provided for removably mounting a tray ( ) in a component rack ( ). The bracket ( ) has two guide channels ( ) extending substantially from a front end of the bracket ( ) through to a back end. The guide channel ( ) is adapted for sliding engagement with the component carrying tray ( ). In addition, there is at least one stop guide ( ) that projects from each of the front and back ends of the bracket ( ). This stop guide ( ) aids in positioning the bracket ( ) during installation. On a backside of the bracket ( ), there is a detent ( ) that projects outward. The detent ( ) serves as an aid in positioning and releasably holding the bracket ( ) in place during installation. The configuration of the bracket ( ) allows it to be used as either a bottom bracket ( ) or a top bracket ( ) for mounting a tray ( ), without any additional modifications.

Hot swap fan mounting support bracket

A test fixture which holds multiple circuit boards in an edge-to-edge configuration for testing includes a sliding interconnect mechanism which is located between the circuit boards under test. The interconnect mechanism includes an interconnect board on which are mounted pairs of inter-wired frame connectors which mate with the connectors on each of the printed circuit boards to be tested and electrically interconnect the boards. The interconnect mechanism includes guide pins on which the interconnect mechanism slides to accurately align the frame and board connectors and an actuating mechanism to move the interconnect mechanism into position to securely mate the aligned connectors. The actuating mechanism can also be reversed to unmate the connectors and release the boards under test after the tests are completed.

Test fixture with quick connect and release board interconnect mechanism

For a circuit board populated with numerous components having different heights, the need for numerous individual heatsinks to accommodate the circuit board's multilevel surface is eliminated. Instead, heat is transferred to a single integral heatsink via a thermal-conductive material (i.e., a thermal phase change material and/or a resilient gap filling material). A fastener secures the thermal-conductive material between the bottom portion of the heatsink and the multilevel surface, and compresses the thermal-conductive material therein, creating a thermal path sufficient to transfer heat from the multilevel surface to the heatsink so that the circuit board operates within specified design parameters.

Apparatus for dissipating heat from a circuit board having a multilevel surface

The invention relates to a computer system and method thereof characterized by high airflow and low acoustic noise by separating the enclosure of the system into two sections, in which in one section cooling fans are arranged between power supply units and disk drives, the power supply units being located at the back of the section and the fans, as to the disk drives, serving as exhaust fans, and in the other section inlet fans are arranged to cool selected hardware electrical elements, such as CPU modules, PCI and graphics cards, wherein the placement of the inlet fans is selected to minimize pre-heated air and fan airflow paths are controlled and directed by an air dam to maximize the cooling effect, and noise damping material is employed in mounting the rack for the disk drives, the disk drives and fans and in forming the side walls of the enclosure.

Computer with high airflow and low acoustic noise

A PCI card is inserted through an I/O opening in a computer panel. On one edge of the card is a cover from one end of which projects a tab. A resilient gasket is attached to the panel to create a flexible EMC seal around the opening. Preferably the gasket is formed of tin-plated beryllium copper. The gasket has alternate staggered spring fingers oriented opposite to the direction of insertion of the PCI card. To retain the gasket the panel is formed with slots at either end and an outward struck projection at the middle. The gasket is formed with a tongue at either end to be inserted in one of the slots and a punched-out opening to receive the projection.

Modular EMC PCI card gasket

PCI cards are plugged into vertical risers, the lower edges of which have been plugged into a motherboard. This involves a considerable force being applied to the riser card, both during insertion and removal, and may damage the card or the underlying motherboard. A support for the top edge of the riser card clips onto the upper end thereof. Rearward extensions of the support are gripped by tabs struck out of a wall of the enclosure.

PCI riser card support

A computer housing or electronic apparatus frame (10) includes a compartment (12) that provides space for mounting a fan assembly (14) or similar component. The fan assembly (14) is mounted on a fan tray support (16), which is removably mountable within the computer housing (10) by means of the fan tray mounts (18). Fan tray mounts (18) are oriented facing one another so that side rails (22) of fan tray (16) are slidably received by the fan tray mounts (18). The fan tray mounts (18) further includes an elongated guide channel (31) that extends the length of the fan tray mount and is formed in the inside face (30) thereof. The fan tray mounts (18) also include a first, outwardly projecting stop (52) that is positioned inwardly from end wall (38) and a second, outwardly-projecting, resiliently-deflectable stop and latch lever (54) provided adjacent end wall (36). The first stop (52) and the second stop and latch (54) cooperate with tabs (84, 88) on the fan tray (16) to releasably latch the fan tray (16) in a predetermined position along the guide channel (31). The fan tray mounts (18) further include a pair of cantilevered spring arms (60, 62), which bias the fan tray (16) in a direction away from the guide channel (31) to minimize vibration transmission to the computer housing (10).

Fan tray guide and isolation mount and method

An apparatus for securing a conductor to a circuit board. The conductor is configured for being soldered to the circuit board through a first aperture in the board. The apparatus includes a conductor supporting portion having a second aperture therethrough. The conductor supporting portion is configured for coupling to the circuit board. The second aperture substantially aligns with the first aperture when the conductor supporting portion is coupled to the circuit board to permit the conductor to be inserted through both the first aperture and the second aperture. The apparatus includes a tab portion configured for coupling to the conductor supporting portion. A portion of the conductor is thus held substantially immobile between the conductor supporting portion and a first edge of the tab portion when the tab portion is coupled with the conductor supporting portion, thereby preventing the conductor from being broken at the portion of the conductor when the conductor is flexed.

Strain relief apparatus and methods therefor

A composite computer housing protects electronic components against shock and vibration. The housing has a midplane which divides the housing into a chassis section and a mainboard section. The chassis section holds hard disk drives. The mainboard section holds a mainboard, cards, a processor unit and other electronic components. A composite side cover assembly, having multiple layers, encloses the housing and provides a shell to inhibit flexion of the housing. The side cover presses against any number of the electronic components in the mainboard section to minimize vibration of these components and to enable the electronic components to provide internal support to the housing.

Rugged computer housing

A structural foam, injection molded superstructure is attached to a motherboard by means of threaded inserts. The superstructure is formed with guide ways for CPU processor modules, and also for the edges of PCI cards. Features of the structure include cam levers on the CPU modules to install and extract the modules. A metal transverse vertical retaining bracket is attached to the superstructure to hold sides thereof parallel and prevent splaying of the free, open end of the superstructure upon extraction of CPU processor modules. The assembly provides stiffness to the motherboard.

Motherboard stiffener and guide for processor modules and PCI cards

Computers are manufactured with connectors in which are inserted at least one PCI expansion card to increase the capacity of the computer. A computer enclosure panel is formed with an opening for insertion and withdrawal of the card. The card has a cover which blocks the opening after the card has been plugged in. The invention provides a retainer mounted on the rear panel which, when projected, engages the cover to assist in holding the card in place. The slide has a detent which is manually disengaged in order to slide the cover to retracted position. It further provides room for the tab conventionally extending outward of the card so that the card may be located closer to the side panel, thereby conserving space within the enclosure. Computers as shipped from the factory many times are not provided with PCI cards and the opening is blocked by a removable blanking cover. The slide also holds the blanking cover in position.

PCI expansion card slide-type retainer

Motherboards and cards (herein 'boards') mounted in computer enclosures must be supported on X, Y and Z axes to resist shock and vibration. This requires that four edges of the board be supported. Because of the high cost of such boards their lengths are made as small as possible, and this dimension is the direction of insertion of the board. A guide is attached to the leading edge of the board having a depending foot which engages fasteners formed on the base of the chassis of the enclosure. Thus the inner edge of the board is supported along two axes. Two side edges of the board are held in tracks and the outer edge is held at the point of insertion.

Support for electronic cards and boards of varying lengths

An edge of a long PCI card plugs into a connector at one end of a computer enclosure. The opposite end extends into the enclosure and may be superimposed over a component such as a disk drive. The support of the present invention is rigidly mounted on the enclosure to fit under the inner end of the card. A slide on the support grips the inner end of the card. The slide is adjustably positioned on the support to accommodate cards of different lengths.

Growing community of inventors

Pepperell, MA, United States of America

James M Carney