The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 24, 1998
Filed:
Sep. 15, 1995
William M Becker, San Carlos, CA (US);
Sung H Kim, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Apple Computer, Inc., Cupertino, CA (US);
Abstract
A gear-driven docking apparatus for removable mass-storage drives comprises a guide rail, mounted inside a computer chassis, and a drive carrier, bearing a mass-storage drive. The drive carrier includes an alignment groove for slidingly receiving the guide rail and a gear train for engaging a rack profile formed at the proximal end of the guide rail, The rack profile and the gear train incorporate a mechanism that provides gear-and-rack synchronization under all operating conditions. Data and power connectors of the mass-storage drive are terminated to a printed circuit board that is movably attached to the drive carrier. The circuit board merges the separate power and data connectors into a single docking connector having registration pins.