Hot-pluggable disk drive carrier assembly with no loose parts

Abstract

A carrier assembly is provided for supporting a hot-pluggable hard disk drive and is slidably and removably insertable into a sheet metal cage structure to operatively mount the disk drive therein and releasably mate an SCA connector on the drive to a corresponding electrical backplane connector within the cage. The carrier assembly includes a base wall upon which a pair of upstanding side wall structures are captively retained for pivotal movement toward and away from opposite side edge portions of the base wall. Each of the pivotal side wall structures captively retains a pair of mounting screws. With the side wall structures in their outwardly pivoted orientations, the disk drive is placed atop the base wall, the side wall structures are pivoted inwardly against corresponding opposite side walls of the disk drive, and the mounting screws are tightened into aligned threaded openings in the opposing disk drive side walls. To remove the disk drive, the mounting screws are unscrewed from the disk drive, the carrier side wall structures are swung outwardly from the disk drive, and the disk drive is lifted off the base wall. Due to the captive retention of the carrier side wall structures and mounting screws, no assembly and disassembly of the carrier is required, and it has no loose parts that can be misplaced, damaged or incorrectly installed.