Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Oracle America, Inc.

Sun Microsoft, Inc.

Robert S Antonuccio

James M Carney

Daniel D Gonsalves

William A Izzicupo

Joseph M Spano

Mathew J Palazola

Timothy M Holland

Mark R Pugliese

Joseph J Montagna

Brett C Ong

Timothy W Olesiewicz

Thomas E Stewart

Yvetta D Pols Sandhu

David E Desilets

Lewis B Sheen

James F Testa

William Leslie Dailey

Hassan Siahpolo

Mario N Palmeri, Jr

Jonathan A Colprit

Daniel Albano

Daniel F Hoornaert

Matthew Palazola

Mark Richard Pugliese

Yvetta D Pols

A bracket device for securing a mezzanine board assembly includes a brace including a rigid bar and a plurality of connector portions connected to the bar. Each of the plurality of connector portions has a hole. A plurality of pins each configured to respectively pass through the hole in each of the plurality of connector portions and engage an attachment part of the mezzanine board assembly. The bracket device also includes a plurality of mounting brackets movably attached to the plurality of connector portions, each having a guide configured to engage a holder for the mezzanine board assembly. A method for securing a mezzanine board assembly includes inserting a pin into a hole at a connector portion of a brace and movably attaching a mounting bracket to the connector portion. The pin passes through an opening of the connector portion. The method also includes installing a guide of the mezzanine board assembly to a holder for the mezzanine board assembly, engaging a pin with attachment part of the mezzanine board assembly, and extracting the mezzanine board assembly using a bar of the brace.

Non-positional high-load securing method for mezzanine board assemblies

A mounting assembly includes two side rails that mechanically couple to at least two sides on an exterior of a device, where a given side rail includes one or more circumferential edges that define one or more holes on a surface and into an interior of the given side rail, and the surface is approximately parallel to one of the at least two sides on the exterior of the device. Moreover, the mounting assembly includes mechanical collars that mechanically couple to mechanical couplers that mechanically couple the mounting assembly to a chassis in a computer system, where a given mechanical collar is included in a given hole in the given side rail. Additionally, the mounting assembly includes energy-absorbing material encapsulating the mechanical collars, where the energy-absorbing material is positioned between an outer surface of the given mechanical collar and an inner surface of the given hole.

Mounting assembly for a storage device

A method and apparatus for securing a tray within a computer component rack is disclosed. The tray slidably mounted within the component rack. The tray is anchored to the component rack when in a closed position by at least one fastener. A cover is mounted a front face of the tray. The cover includes within its structure a locking mechanism, which prevents access through an access port to the at least one fastener while in a locked position, and allows access through the access port to the at least one fastener while in an unlocked position.

Rack security mechanism

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

A PC board ejector assembly is provided for disengaging a first PC board from a second PC board in a computer chassis. The PC boards each includes at least one connector for connecting the first PC board to the second PC board. The chassis includes a divider wall. The PC board ejector assembly includes a mounting bracket positioned on at least one of the first and the second PC boards, and a disengagement member coupled to the mounting bracket. The mounting bracket is positioned on the PC board such that movement of the disengagement member engages the member against the divider wall to disengage the PC board connectors from one another and permit removal of at least one of the PC boards. A method for disengaging a PC board including a PC board ejector assembly from a chassis is also provided. The method includes the steps of accessing a PC board including the PC board ejector assembly that is mounted in the chassis, manipulating the disengagement member of the PC board ejector assembly to disengage the PC boards from one another within the chassis, and removing that PC board from the chassis.

PC board ejector assembly and method for use

A disk cage assembly into which multiple disk drives may be removably inserted is formed from two separate frames which are identical in shape and design and include complimentary mating features enabling the frames to be joined to form a symmetrical four-sided structure. The frames are symmetrical about a midpoint and are easily manufactured since all interior surfaces are accessible during the manufacturing process. A surface of the frames defines a plurality of channels into which modular disk drives may be inserted. In one embodiment, the frames are designed to accommodate a mid-panel which is securable within the structure and can be used to increase the number modular disk drives which can be disposed therein. The assembly may be formed from a number of different materials, including structural foam which can be used to help absorb vibrations among the disk drives within the assembly.

Multi part disk cage apparatus

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 cooling assembly for cooling chips is disclosed. The assembly includes a heat sink, a plate member, and a heat pipe. The heat sink is attachable to a first chip. The plate member is attachable to a second chip. The heat pipe is arranged between the heat sink and plate member such that one end of the heat pipe attaches to the heat sink and the other end of the heat pipe attaches to the plate member. A system for cooling chips and method for dissipating heat generated by chips are also disclosed.

Chip cooling management

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 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.

Growing community of inventors

Burlington, MA, United States of America

Robert S Antonuccio