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:
Apr. 06, 2004
Filed:
Jun. 25, 2002
Minh H. Nguyen, Katy, TX (US);
Paul E. Westphall, Cypress, TX (US);
Robert J. Hastings, Spring, TX (US);
Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P., Houston, TX (US);
Abstract
An alignment and retention mechanism comprises a hinged upper subassembly rotatably mated with a fixed lower subassembly defining a receptacle into which a component (e.g., a processor and heat sink assembly) is aligned and retained in place. The alignment and retention mechanism aligns and retains the component without the use of tools and loose fasteners and includes various features that prevent an improper attempt at inserting and removing the component into the receptacle. The alignment and retention mechanism can be used in computer systems as well as other types of electrical systems.