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:
Aug. 04, 1998
Filed:
May. 12, 1997
Douglas A Dodson, Carlsbad, CA (US);
Other;
Abstract
A cooling device for an electronic component, such as a computer processor, generally comprises a heat sink and a plurality of fans. The fans are redundant in that sufficient cooling is supplied should one fan fail. The fans are independently powered and are inspectable and independently replaceable in situ without un-powering the other fan or the processor. The heat sink includes a base plate having a bottom for surface contact with the processor, a front row of fins projecting upward from the front of the base plate and a rear row of fins projecting upward from the rear of the base plate. A plurality of fans are mounted substantially within a cavity between fan rows. Each fan blows a flow of air such that the flow impinges on the base plate. A central channel between the front and rear fin rows provides a path for air such that should one fan fail, the other fans still being operable for generating a flow of air that impinges on the top surface beneath the failed fan for cooling the top surface beneath the failed fan.