Hewlett-Packard Company

John P Hoppal

Arlen Lee Roesner

Guy R Wagner

Ronald Paul Dean

David William Mayer

Rex Seader

Donna E Ott

Dennis L Floyd

A printed circuit board and bulkhead assembly with I/O connectors that may be slidingly mated with a rear panel bulkhead frame of a computer chassis without removing the rear panel and without having to remove any mounting hardware. The I/O connectors are attached to the bulkhead assembly in such a manner that the I/O connectors clear the rear panel bulkhead frame when the bulkhead assembly is being slidingly mated with the rear panel bulkhead frame. The I/O connectors extend through the rear panel bulkhead frame once the bulkhead assembly is mated with the rear panel bulkhead frame. When fully installed, the bulkhead assembly and the rear panel bulkhead frame create a barrier against EMI/RFI radiation emissions escaping the computer chassis.

Apparatus for electro-magnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency

A configuration based cooling fan speed controller for use with computers and other heat intensive electronic devices. Methods of using and manufacturing the controller are also disclosed. The cooling fan speed controller generally comprises a EEPROM coupled with firmware controls. If the controller is set in manual mode, a speed input by the computer's manufacturer or service provider is used to set the starting speeds of a device's cooling fans. If the controller is set in auto mode, the device's configuration is detected, and cooling fan start speeds are retrieved from a fan speed table stored in the EEPROM. Once the lowest operating speeds for a device's cooling fans have been selected, the speeds of the device's cooling fans are ramped up or down in response to the temperature sensed by an ambient air temperature sensor. The invention holds audible fan noise to a minimum. The invention also gives a manufacturer the ability to write an appropriate fan speed table into a controller's EEPROM at any stage in the manufacturing process. A single fan type may therefore be placed in a variety of electronic devices, and programmed for a variety of uses.

Configuration based cooling fan speed control

An apparatus securing at least first and second generally flat, rectangular I/O expansion boards in seated electrical connection with a mother board mounted in a computer card cage, wherein each expansion board has opposite first and second longitudinal edge portions and opposite first and second lateral edge portions and an electrical connector portion provided at the first lateral edge portion and wherein the electrical connector portion of each expansion board is matingly seated in an associated electrical connection portion of the mother board, and wherein the distance between the first and second lateral edge portions of the first expansion board is different from the distance between the first and second lateral edge portions of the second expansion board comprising a bracket assembly fixedly mounted with respect to said card cage and having a first surface portion disposed next adjacent to said second lateral edge portion of said first expansion board and a second surface portion disposed next adjacent to said second lateral edge portion of said second expansion board.

Computer I/O expansion board securing apparatus and method

A molded, expanded polypropylene mass storage mounting scheme that snugly nests a disk mechanism between a bottom part of the mounting scheme housing and a top part of the mounting scheme housing. The mass storage device mounting scheme housing has holes or depressions that are formed to snugly correspond to protruding details in the bottom cover of a computer or workstation assembly enclosure. The mounting holes and protruding details permit the mass storage mounting scheme to be smaller than the entire inside of the computer assembly and still be held securely against horizontal and rotational movement. The top and bottom covers of the computer compressively secures the mass storage device mounting scheme against vertical movement.

Mass storage device mounting scheme

A modular tray assembly for computer mass storage devices such as disk and tape drives. The assembly can be inserted through an opening in the back of a computer without requiring removal of a main computer housing cover. Power is automatically connected when the tray assembly is fully inserted into the computer. Control and data signals are connected via an external cable. Mass storage devices with removable media are accessible through an opening in the front of the computer.

Removable mass storage module for computer systems

A modular adapter assembly for installing circuit boards in a computer system. The adapter assembly, with an attached industry standard circuit board meeting ISA, EISA, or MicroChannel specifications, can be inserted into a computer system through an opening in the back of the computer. The adapter assembly permits insertion and removal of circuit boards without requiring removal of a major computer housing cover and without requiring removal of attached signal cables.

Growing community of inventors

Fort Collins, CO, United States of America

John P Hoppal