Dell USA L P

Other

Dell Products Inc.

Lightolier Incorporated

Dell Computer Corporation

Jerry D Gandre

Steven L Sands

Ty R Schmitt

R Steven Mills

Karl M Steffes

Paul Theodore Artman

James Don Curlee

Timothy C Dearborn

Richard Steven Mills

Steven R Carson

Tiffany J Williams

Randolph D Gray

Arthur Lopez

Dan E Swindler

Gita P Khadem

Robert J Neville, Jr

Steve L Sands

Thomas J Lavan

Henry Castillo

Joseph B Crosby

A cooling apparatus includes a chassis, a plurality of heat producing component slots defined by the chassis, and a plurality of valve systems mounted in the chassis, whereby a valve system is positioned adjacent each heat producing component slot. A fan may be coupled to the apparatus and a plurality of heat producing components such as, for example, a plurality of information handling systems, may be positioned in the heat producing components slots and selectively cooled using the plurality of valve systems, depending on the cooling requirements of each individual heat producing component.

Method and apparatus for cooling an information handling system

The present disclosure describes a system and method for installing support structures within rack systems for supporting components. In one aspect, a rack system is disclosed that includes a rack with a plurality of rails that each have a standard interface portion. The system also includes an arm assembly with an arm, a front rail interface, and a rear rail interface. The front rail interface may be disposed at one end of the arm and includes an interface portion formed to tool-lessly and releasably secure the end of the arm to an interface portion of a rack rail.

Rack system and method having tool-less releasable arm assembly

An electronic system includes a chassis with attachment features which may interchangeably accept and secure a connector assembly and paralleling board assembly. The connector assembly may be used in a lower cost nonredundant power supply configuration while the paralleling board assembly may be used in multiple power supply configurations. The power supply may be interchangeably connected to the connector assembly and the paralleling board assembly.

Electronic system implementing redundant and nonredundant power supply

A rack mount mechanism for a computer enclosure includes a trolley, a bracket which is rotatably coupled to the trolley which supports the computer enclosure, and fixed first and second bars on which the trolley is slidably coupled. The trolley can be placed in an extended position allowing the bracket supporting the computer enclosure to rotate 90 degrees. The computer enclosure can be slid out of the rack by sliding the trolley along the bars, rotated to a standing position supported by the bracket, serviced, rotated back to a horizontal position, and returned into the rack, all without detaching or removing the computer from the rack.

Rack mount mechanism for mid-tower type computer enclosure

A method and apparatus for dissipating heat from an electrical device and ducting air from one place to another. In a computer having several heat producing devices, one heat sink is thermally attached to each one of the devices. Each of the heat sinks has a base, two side walls and a top wall forming a passage therebetween. The base, side and top walls are all thermally conductive to the corresponding heat producing device, and therefore each of them radiate heat into the passage. Each of the heat sinks also includes several cooling fins that extend into the passage, thereby increasing the thermal efficiency of the heat sink. Furthermore, the passage is of sufficient size to allow multiple heat sinks to be serially lined up, thereby allowing an air mass to flow from one heat sink to another.

Combination heat sink and air duct for cooling processors with a series

The pushbutton switch of the present invention includes one or more normally open contact switches and a moveable base plate having a handle and moveable to either a disabled or an operational position by a force applied to the handle. One or more pushbuttons are included wherein each pushbutton is individually depressable to operate a respective one of said normally open contact switches to a closed condition when the moveable base plate is in the operational position. A cover plate having apertures corresponding to the pushbuttons and to the handle of the moveable base plate is included wherein the pushbuttons and the handle are accessible through the apertures. Two or more fasteners are used to slideably couple the moveable base plate to the cover plate. One or more detents are used to hold the moveable base plate in either the disabled or the operational position.

Pushbutton switch with disabling capability

A card stabilizer for stabilizing an expansion card inserted in a female edge connector. The card stabilizer consists of a frame member sized to extend around the female connector, locking device for locking the frame member relative to the female connector and a guide disposed on the frame member for receiving at least one end portion of the expansion card and to prevent movement and hence electrical disconnection of the expansion card in the female edge connector.

Expansion card stabilizer for a circuit board edge connector

The present invention provides a keyboard for typewriters, computers, and similar machines with improved ergonomics of control and a lower overall profile for the keyboard without a reduction in the range of key travel. The keyboard of the present invention includes a support base with a plurality of key shafts protruding outwardly from the support base. The key shafts are angled relative to the support base, for instance at a substantially 45 degree angle, and slanted away from a user of the keyboard. A keycap with a key guide slidably disposed about each key shaft is included wherein each keycap has an angled travel axis longitudinally along the key shaft. A plurality of switching elements is coupled to the support base with a switching element disposed beneath each key shaft. The keycap is moveable down and toward the user along the angled travel axis to operate the switching element. The activation surface of the keycap is slanted down and away from a user; for instance, the activation surface is substantially perpendicular to the travel axis wherein improved ergonomics of control is provided as well as a smaller keyboard without a reduction in the key travel range.

Keyboard with tilted axis key design

System for implementing a perspective windowing technique for a computer GUI is disclosed. The perspective windowing system of the present invention displays each of a plurality of open but inactive, or 'background,' windows, with perspective depth with respect to one or more focal points, resulting in the background windows effectively taking up less space on the display of the PC. In contrast, a full frontal view of the active window is presented on the display to call the user's attention to the active window. When the user activates a new window, it swings forward about its full scale front edge, such that a full frontal view of the newly active window is presented on the display, and the previously active window swings back about an axis defined by its full front scale edge to be displayed in perspective with respect to the predefined focal point.

Perspective windowing technique for computer graphical user interface

An integral information and energy storage system is disclosed comprising a disk drive having a housing, a shaft rotatably mounted therein, and a disk platter coupled to the shaft. A flywheel is also coupled to the shaft and includes, embedded in the flywheel, magnets having magnetic fields emanating therefrom. Electrical coils are positioned in the housing for receiving electrical energy from a power supply line and generating an electromagnetic field effective for selectively repulsing or attracting the magnets to thereby rotate the flywheel and convert electrical energy in the coils into kinetic energy in the flywheel. Alternatively, if power is not available on the power supply line, the coils generate electrical energy as the magnetic field is caused from rotation of the flywheel and the magnet embedded therein to move across the coil, thereby converting kinetic energy in the flywheel back into electrical energy in the coil and to the power supply line.

Integral information and energy storage system

A printed circuit board ground clip is provided having upwardly extending retainers and downwardly extending legs. The legs are designed to insert within plated-through holes of a variable thickness printed circuit board. The upwardly extending retainers terminate as a spaced pair of flanges which frictionally receive and electrically couple with a hook. The hook extends from the chassis of an electronic device, through a slot within the printed circuit board and between the spaced flanges. Accordingly, the hook and ground clip form an electrical conduit between a ground supply connected to the electronic device chassis and a ground conductor formed within the printed circuit board. Chassis-to-ground conductor attachment is performed during assembly of the board to the chassis backplane. Attachment can be quickly and easily reversed to allow board re-work, without requiring placement of heat upon the board. The present attachment mechanism further avoids user-inserted fasteners and the reliability problems they present.

Printed circuit board ground clip

A battery status indication circuit and a method of indicating battery status. The battery status indication circuit comprises: (1) an indicator having an inactive state and an active state and (2) an indicator modulation circuit adapted to receive a charge level signal indicating a charge level of a battery and transmit, in response thereto, a pulsewidth modulated indicator signal to the indicator, a duty cycle of the indicator signal being a function of the charge level, the indicator thereby toggling between the inactive and active states to provide an indication of the charge level. A single indicator having only two states can therefore be employed to indicate multiple grades of battery charge level.

Pulsewidth modulated visual indicator for battery status

A computer device carrier door and bay filler panel combination for sealing a bay in a computer chassis. The door and filler combination includes a door having a mount attached thereto, and a mounting rail for engaging the mount. The rail has an arcuate alignment channel with one open end and an attached rack. The mount includes a pinion gear to rotatably engage the rack as the door is opened and closed and a guide pin which enters the open end of the channel when the door is open and travels within the channel as the door is opened and closed.

Computer device carrier door and bay filler panel combination including

A computer chassis having a port adapted to be configured to receive electrical connectors of differing dimensions therethrough and a method of manufacturing such configurable ports. The computer chassis comprises: (1) a chassis wall having a substantially planar portion, the substantially planar portion having a first port therethrough of first predetermined dimensions, the first predetermined dimensions corresponding to external dimensions of a first electrical connector and (2) a partially-sheared punchout section defined in the substantially planar portion of the chassis wall, the punchout section removably coupled to the chassis wall and having an edge contiguous with the first port, the edge forming a portion of a perimeter of the first port and substantially coplanar with the substantially planar portion of the chassis wall, the punchout section selectably removable to create an aperture through the chassis wall, the first port and the aperture cooperating to form a second port through the chassis wall of second predetermined dimensions, the second predetermined dimensions corresponding to external dimensions of a second electrical connector.

Configurable computer chassis port and method of manufacture therefor

A printed circuit board is mounted on the inner side of a conductively coated plastic computer housing wall using a screwless retention and grounding system molded integrally with the housing wall and including a spaced series of upstanding hook plate portions extendable through a series of elongated slots in the circuit board body and positioned in spaced, facing relationships with corresponding contact tab portions. The board is releasably mounted by pressing it inwardly against the tabs in a manner causing the hook plates to extend through the board slots, and causing the board to depress a resilient latch member formed on the housing wall. The board is then slid along the tabs until the latch pops up and releasably locks the board to the contact tabs with the outer ends of the hook plates overlying the board. Small radiused outer ends of the hook plates bear against the board, along concentrated force areas, and function to press electrically conductive pads on the underside of the board against outer ends of the contact tabs. In molding the facing pairs of hook plates and contact tabs, small openings are formed therebetween in the housing wall. Pairs of opposing ribs on the housing wall form with the hook plate and contact tab pairs tunnels disposed around the housing wall openings and serving to substantially inhibit circuit board EMI/RFI emissions outwardly through the openings so that they need not be plugged or otherwise covered.

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Jerry D Gandre