International Business Machines Corporation

Max John Christopher Koschmeder

Don Alan Gilliland

Michael Scott Good

Matthew Allen Butterbaugh

Cary Huettner

Raymond Floyd Babcock

Gary Allen Thompson

Kevin R Qualters

William Michael Monson

Brian Joseph Stanczyk

Jerry Richard Rasmussen

Wesley H Bachman

Todd Douglas Green

A grounding spring for electromagnetic interference (EMI) suppression is interposed between a heat sink and a printed circuit board (PCB). The grounding spring comprises a conductive material having an opening formed at its base through which the heat sink makes thermal contact with an electronic module mounted on the PCB. The base makes electrical contact with a peripheral surface of the heat sink, and multiple-jointed spring fingers extend from the base to make electrical contact with conductive pads on the PCB. During compression, the movement of each spring finger's tip is substantially limited to the z-axis. Accordingly, the final installed location of the tip can be precisely controlled even when the grounding spring must accommodate a wide variety of installed heights of the heat sink relative to the PCB. Preferably, the spring fingers terminate with a concave tip that is less susceptible to sliding off the conductive pads.

Grounding a heat sink in thermal contact with an electronic component using a grounding spring having multiple-jointed spring fingers

Method for grounding a heat sink in thermal contact with an electronic component using a grounding spring having multiple-jointed spring fingers

Method and apparatus for grounding a heat sink in thermal contact with an electronic component using a grounding spring having multiple-jointed spring fingers

A novel conductive gasket including an internal contact-enhancing strip provides improved contact performance in electromagnetic interference prevention and other applications. A metal mesh or conductive plastic covers a substantially rigid internal strip that includes protrusions that either bend or penetrate the gasket cover in order to enhance contact with another conductive surface. The cover may include holes aligned with the protrusions so that the protrusions pass through the holes when the gasket is compressed, or the protrusions may penetrate a mesh or plastic cover. An internal foam piece may be provided behind the internal strip to restore the shape of the when compressive force is removed and a second internal foam piece may be provided between the strip and the cover for maintaining the shape of the gasket. The protrusions on the internal strip may range from needle-shaped protrusions for puncturing a coating to relatively smooth bumps for bending the surface of the cover when the gasket is compressed.

Conductive gasket including internal contact-enhancing strip

An enclosure arrangement includes a chassis, and a central electronics complex. The central electronics complex has a cage removably positioned within the chassis. The cage has an open top providing access into the interior of the cage. The central electronics complex also includes a backplane arranged in a horizontal position, and forming a floor of the cage. The backplane has at least one card slot on a surface thereof. The central electronics complex further includes at least one circuit board disposed in the interior of the cage and being removably received by the card slot. The circuit board is arranged in a vertical position so that a gravitational force helps retain the circuit board in the card slot. The cage is removably positioned within the chassis. At least one rail connects the cage to the chassis. The cage is disposed on the rail, and is guidable into the chassis using the rail.

Enhanced enclosure arrangement for a computer

A lever and latching arrangement having a pair of camming surfaces disposed on one end thereof is attached to one end of a tailstock member of an electronic memory book or central electronic complex book of a computer. This lever arrangement, as rotated about a pivot axis, engages one of the camming surfaces with a portion of the computer frame; the mechanical advantage of the lever system overcomes the large forces required to connect or disconnect the electronic book from the computer connectors. The pivot axis is positioned between the side rail of the book and the computer frame and between the tailstock and the connectors of the book to afford a low profile relative to the tailstock, permitting a more efficient use of available volumetric space within the computer. On the end of the lever distal from the pivot axis, the lever supports a latch which is insertable into a latch-retaining opening in the tailstock of the book, providing the capability to latch the lever in the installed position while not requiring any additional height of the lever structure.

Low profile/high leverage electronic computer book latching system

Growing community of inventors

Oronoco, MN, United States of America

Max John Christopher Koschmeder