CA2193076A1 - An improved hard-disk drive tray assembly - Google Patents
An improved hard-disk drive tray assemblyInfo
- Publication number
- CA2193076A1 CA2193076A1 CA002193076A CA2193076A CA2193076A1 CA 2193076 A1 CA2193076 A1 CA 2193076A1 CA 002193076 A CA002193076 A CA 002193076A CA 2193076 A CA2193076 A CA 2193076A CA 2193076 A1 CA2193076 A1 CA 2193076A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- tray
- tray assembly
- bezel
- disk drive
- hard
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B33/00—Constructional parts, details or accessories not provided for in the other groups of this subclass
- G11B33/12—Disposition of constructional parts in the apparatus, e.g. of power supply, of modules
- G11B33/125—Disposition of constructional parts in the apparatus, e.g. of power supply, of modules the apparatus comprising a plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. modular arrangements, arrays of disc drives
- G11B33/127—Mounting arrangements of constructional parts onto a chassis
- G11B33/128—Mounting arrangements of constructional parts onto a chassis of the plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. disk drives, onto a chassis
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
- G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
- G06F1/18—Packaging or power distribution
- G06F1/183—Internal mounting support structures, e.g. for printed circuit boards, internal connecting means
- G06F1/184—Mounting of motherboards
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
- G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
- G06F1/18—Packaging or power distribution
- G06F1/183—Internal mounting support structures, e.g. for printed circuit boards, internal connecting means
- G06F1/187—Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B33/00—Constructional parts, details or accessories not provided for in the other groups of this subclass
- G11B33/10—Indicating arrangements; Warning arrangements
Abstract
A hard disk drive tray assembly includes an adapter (20), a tray (10), and a bezel (30). The adapter and tray are designed with slots (28a, 28b) and protrusions (18a, 18b) such that the adapter can be secured to the tray without the use of tools, screws, or nuts. The bezel pivots horizontally about the tray and includes at least one incorporated insertor/extractor lever thereby allowing the user to insert and extract the hard disk drive tray assembly using just one hand. The bezel has a built-in handle (44) which allows a user to securely grasp onto the hard disk drive tray assembly during transportation from one location to another. Furthermore, the bezel includes a transluscent or transparent LED display window (38) for providing an external means of visually monitoring the LED status indication light which is integral to the hard disk drive.
Description
wog6100s38 2 1 9 3 0 7 6 r~n rlal PESCRIPTION
~n Im~roved Hard-Disk Prive Trav Assembly Field of the Invention This invention relates to removable hard-di8k drives, and more sp~r;f;~11y to an improved hard-disk drive tray assembly.
~ackaround of the Invention Although more and more de6ktop and portable computer systems are o_fering removable hard-disk drives as an option, removable hard-disk drives are more commonly available on computer network file servers Removable hard-disk drives provide a quick and simple way of adding, removing, or r~plpc;ng a hard-disk drive in a computer system. For example, to increase the amount of hard-disk space available on the file server, one can either add another removable hard-disk drive to an empty l~ hard-disk drive slot, or replace a smaller hard-disk drive with a larger hard-disk drive. This process typically takes only a few seconds.
With a standard hard-disk drive, one has to open up a computer chassis by removing a computer chassis cover, and then attach a new hard-disk drive via cables and screws to an available hard-disk drive slot If r~pl~;ng a smaller hard-disk drive, one would have to detach the cables and dismount the smaller hard-disk drive before replacing it with a larger hard-disk drive in a similar manner While not a very difficult process, it can still take a few minutes to complete depending upon the location and configuration of the computer system However, the real benefits of a removable hard-disk drive come with the convenience of adding, removing, or replacing a hard-disk drive on an as-needed basis, rather than the benefit derived from a few minutes of saved time WO 96/OOg38 ~ ~.I~ I '~ I 1. 1 every time the amount of hard-diak space needs to be increased on the computer system.
By allowing for the quick and simple removal and installation of a hard-disk drive, it becomes practical for a company to remove and secure sensitive data to protect it when no one is around. Furthermore, removable hard-disk drives allow a person to transport large amounts of data from one computer system to another in a matter of seconds, rather than the time consuming process of down-loading data to the other ~computer system via cableconnection.
When a hard-disk drive malfnnn~;nn~, a properly functioning hard-disk drive can be "hot swapped" with the defective hard-disk drive in a matter of seconds, without having to power down the computer system. With a standard hard-disk drive, it is advisable to power down the comput-er system before opening up the computer chassis to remove the defective hard-disk drive.
A removable hard-disk drive is typically mounted onto 2C a tray assembly, which acts as an interface between a standard configuration third party hard-disk drive and a proprietary or custom designed computer ~~nnfsnturer~s chassis slot, which is a slot designed for receiving a hard-disk drive and hard-disk drive tray assembly.
A typical hard-disk drive tray assembly comprises a tray, an adapter, and may further include either pull handles or inserter/extractor.levers which can be attached to the tray or incorporated into a front panel, also known as a bezel.
The adapter comprises a pair of cables for connection to the hard-disk drive, and a cnnnPctnr~for insertion into the hard-disk drive nnnnPn~nr interface in the computer system. The adapter screws onto the tray, and a standard third party hard-disk drive is mounted to the tray as well. The cables from the adapter are connected to the hard-disk drive. The hard-disk drive, adapter, and tray can be inserted into, and extracted from, the computer ~ ~096~0938 2 1 9 3 0 7 6 r~ sl chassis slot through the use of one or more pull handles or inserter/extractor levers attached to the tray, as discussed in greater detail below In another prior art ~hn~i-- L, a pair of insert-er/extractor levers are incorporated into a front panelwhich is pivotally attached to the tray in a vertical plane, like a pivoting car garage door on a house.
In order to properly insert a removable hard-disk drive into the computer cha5sis slot, the connector of the adapter must be firmly inEerted into the corrr~prln~1nri hard-disk drive rnnnrctrr interface in the computer system, and the proper extraction rer~uires the removal of the rr/nrPrt~r from the hard-disk drive con~ector inter-face. To ensure that the cnnnrctrr of the adapter is properly inserted into the hard-disk drive connector interface, the inserter/extractor lever provides a latch-and-pull rx-h~n;rm that latches onto a latch bar, and then pulls the connector, along with the rest of the hard-disk drive tray assembly, into the hard-disk drive connector interface via a pivoting leverage action about the latch bar such that when the lever reaches a closed position, the connector has been properly and firmly inserted into the hard-disk drive connector interface.
Extracting the hard-disk drive is the same as inser-tion, but in reverse. The inserter/extractor lever isrotated to an open position. In doing so, the lever, which is latched onto the latch bar, will engage in an opposite pivoting leverage action which will push on the latch bar so as to push away from the ~ ~rr chassis slot thereby extracting the connector from the hard-disk drive connector ~ntPrf~r~.
The typical prior art embodiment of a hard-disk drive tray assernbly, as described above, ha~ some drawbacks in its operation.
First, most removable hard-disk drives with insert-er/extractor levers have two levers which usually reriuire two hand8 to operate the two levers simultaneously in W096/00938 P~~
' 21 93076 order to insert or extract the hard-disk drive. The lever i8 in the open position when the hard-disk drive tray assembly is inserted into the computer chassis slot up to the point where the ~nnn~ctnr'has reached the hard-disk drive connector interface but has not yet been _irmly inserted into the hard-di6k drive ~nn~~tor interface.
The lever is pivoted into the closed position in order to latch and pull the connector, along with the re~t of the hard-disk drive tray assembly, into the computer chassis slot such that the c~nn~ct~r is firmly inserted into the hard-disk drive connector interface.
If only one hand were used to insert the hard-disk drive tray assembly, one lever would remain opened while the other lever was being closed, or vice versa, and this would cause one end of the~tray assembly to be further inserted or extracted than the other end. This uneven insertion causes the hard-disk drive tray assembly to twist slightly within the computer chassis slot such that the other lever will lock-up and be more difficult to move. In an embodiment with two levers, the hard-disk drive tray assembly should be inserted or extracted in an even manner.
In other words, the two levers should both be pivoted into the open or closed position at the same time. That way, both ends of the hard-disk drive tray assembly will move into or out of the computer chassis slot at the same time, thereby avoiding any twisting motion~which ~could cause one end to lock up. ~owever, pivoting both levers on such an : '-'; t at the same time is difficult for a person to do with just one hand. Thus, such an emh~;m~nt typically requires a two-handed insertion or extraction.
Furthermore, some prior art implPm~nt~t;ons of the inserter/extractor levers have a locking feature so that the lever cannot be pivoted to the open position unless the lever is nnlnrkP~ first. This method makes it even more ~;ff;~l-1t to insert or remove a hard-disk drive tray assembly using just one hand. In ~;t;~n, such a design . . : ~ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ w096l00938 2 1 93076 ~I/U~
is not intuitive to a new user, and it is posaible that a new or nnf~m;l;~r user of the computer system will attempt to pull the levers out into the open position without unlocking the levers. If the person thinks that the 5 levers are stuck and pu115 hard enough, the levers could break before actually releasing.
Second, once the adapter cnnn~rtnr of the hard-di~k drive tray assembly is extracted from the hard-disk drive c~nn~ctnr interface, there i8 no structure for a person to lO securely grasp onto when transporting the hard-disk drive tray assembly. For example, the levers that are used to extract the hard-disk drive tray assembly are too small to grasp onto, yet the hard-disk drive mounted to the tray is too bulky to grasp securely. This lack of a structure to 15 provide secure h~n~l;ng of =the hard-disk drive tray assembly increases the possibility of accidentally drop-ping the hard-disk drive tray assembly during transporta-tion from one location to another.
Third, the prior art uses a front panel or bezel that 20 operates on a vertical hinge in a pivoting manner similar to a car garage door on a house. The problem with this vertically pivoting design is th~at it is difficult to insert and extract this hard-disk drive tray assembly with just one hand, since grasping onto the vertically pivoting 25 bezel will cause the hard-disk drive mounted onto the tray to swing down. To insert this embodiment also requires two hands. One hand is required to hold onto the bezel.
The other hand must pivot the hard-disk drive and tray upward so that the hard-disk drive tray assembly can be 30 inserted into the computer chassis slot.
Furth~ , with both inserter/extractor levers in~L~-ated into the bezel on the upper pivoting edge, a twisting problem could occur in that uneven forces would be applied to the upper and lower portions of the hard-35 disk drive tray assembly, thereby causing the improper insertion of the rnnn~ctnr into the hard-disk drive slot.
Fourth, in certain prior art impl -~ti~n~, addi-tional wires are used to connect the hard-disk drive to LED status indicator lights which are mounted on the exterior of the computer chaGsis Guch that an LED statuG
indication light would be visible to a computer user.
However, this additional wiring adds manufacturing time and cost to the hard-diGk drive tray aGGembly.
Furthermore, the custom integration of the additional wiring with externally mounted LED lightG makes auch an implementation of the hard-disk drive tray asGembly proprietary to the computer manufacturer. This limits the options available to the end-user in~that the end-user cannot go out and purchase a Gtandard hard-disk drive at the best market price and inGtall it onto the hard-disk drive tray asGembly. InGtead, the end-uGer will have to order the hard-disk drive mounted onto the hard-diGk drive tray aGsembly from the computer manufacturer Other ~ ; r t ~ which do not provide the additional wiring provide the computer~user no viGual indication as to the status of the hard-diGk drive. The uGer has to remove the front cover or the main cover of the computer chaGGiG in order to Gee the hard-diGk drive ~ED lights which are integral to the hard-diGk drive unit itself.
Finally, in the prior art, the adapter is attached to the tray by inserting screwG into holeG on the adapter and tray, and then tig~t~ninS these Gcrews to Gecure the adapter to the tray. This small Gtep adds time and cost to the manufacturing procesG due to the necessary use of a tool and the necessary use of screws and/or nuts.
Therefore, a better solution iG needed to provide an improved hard-diGk drive tray asGembly that provideG
~oluti~n~ to the above m~nt; ~n~d drawbackG which exist in the hard-disk drive tray aGsemblieG of the prior art.
Summarv of the Invention The improved hard-diGk drive tray aGGembly of the present invention attempts to provide GolutionG to the .
~ WO 96~00938 2 1 9 3 0 7 6 PCT/US95/07731 drawbacks that exist in the prior art hard-disk drive tray as~
The hard-disk drive tray assembly of the present invention comprises an adapter; a tray and a bezel. The hard-disk drive tray assembly implements a cleverly designed bezel which serves multiple purposes. The tray and adapter are also designed to ~v~ drawbacks which exist in the prior art.
First, the bezel of the improved hard-diak drive tray assembly of the present invention enables single-handed operation, which provides additional convenience over an ~ which requires two hands for the insertion and extraction of the hard-disk drive tray assembly.
A pair of ;n~r~r/extractor levers are incorporated into the bezel design at the upper and lower ends of the pivoting edge of the bezel. .Since the bezel has the inserter/extractor levers incorporated into the bezel design itsel$, pivoting the bezel into the open or closed position will pivot both the upper and lower levers into the open or closed position at the same time. This will prevent the uneven insertion or extraction of the hard-disk drive tray assembly, thereby mitigating the problems associated with the twisting of the hard-disk drive tray assembly in the computer chassis slot. In addltion, the design of the bezel suggests an intuitive method of operation to a new or nnf~m;l;~r user since the bezel is designed with the _ront surface having a recess and handle which suggests the proper placement of the hand on the bezel.
Second, the bezel is ~;gn~ to provide a structure for allowing a user to securely grasp onto the hard-disk drive tray assembly when transporting it from one location to another. A bezel iront aurface has a recess which provides a place for one or more fingers to be placed, and the recess defines a handle along the edge of the bezel opposite the pivoting edge. By curling the fingers placed in the recess around the handle, and wrapping the thu~b W096/00938 ~ b~, / /~1 2193076 . ~
around the outer edge of the handle, the uBer iB able to securely grasp onto the hard-disk drive tray assembly.
This structural de~ign reduces the possibility of mishan-dling or dropping the hard-disk drive tray assembly during transportation from one location to another.
Third, the bezel is designed to pivot horizontally about either the left edge or the right edge in a manner similar to the motion of a driver's seat car door or a passenger's seat car door respectively. In a preferred embodiment, the bezel rotates or pivots in a horizontal direction about the right edge, like the passenger~s seat car door, since this configuration i~ preferable for the ma~ority of people who are right-handed Fur~h~ ~, in this hori7~n~11y pivoting configura-tion, grasping the bezel handle will not cause the hard-disk drive and tray to swing down since the pivoting plane is horizontal and not vertical. The tray will remain in a position which allows for the hard-disk drive tray assembly to be properly inserted into the computer chassis slot. ~nlike the vertically pivoting bezel of the prior art, the hor;z~nt~lly pivoti~g configuration of the present invention enables the user to insert and extract the hard-disk drive tray assembly with the use of just one hand.
Fourth, many of the various third party hard-disk drive manufacturers provide hard-disk drives with ~ED
status indication lights that are integral to the hard-disk drive unit itself. Therefore, the improved hard-disk drive tray assembly of the present invention takes advan-tage of that feature and, rather than connecting addition-al wires from the hard-disk drive unit to ~ r~lly mounted LED status indication lights as in the prior art, the present invention provides a translucent or transpar-ent window on the bezel in a location whereby a computer user will be able to externally view the ~ED status indicator lights integral to the hard=disk drive unit itself without any additional wiring, and without having .
~ w096/00938 2 1 9 3 ~ 7 6 rc"~ //Jl to open up the computer chassis. This feature provides - the u6er with the benefits of an LED status indicator light, yet also provides the=manufacturer with lower costs.
Moreover, this feature also provides end-users with the additional benefit of increased flexibility in choos-ing their hard-disk drive.supplier. By designing the hard-disk drive tray assembly for a particular computer system, the end user of that particular computer system can easily purchase any standard third party ~~nn~tllrer hard-disk drive and mount it to the tray of the present invention and install the hard=disk drive tray assembly into the computer system. The end-user does not have to rely on the computer manufacturer as the sole source of additional hard-disk drives which come custom wired to ~t~rn~l LED status indicator lights.
Finally, the tray and the adapter of the present invention are designed to eliminate the time consuming and costly process of attaching the adapter to the tray via tools, screws, and/or nuts. The tray has been designed with a pair of tabs and a pair of protrusions, and the adapter has been designed with a pair of corresponding slots for receiving the protrusions. Rather than requir-ing the use of tools, screws, and/or nuts, the adapter can be anapped securely to the tray without the use of any tools or extra parts in a matter of seconds, -thereby reducing the time and cost of such assembly.
As a tray attachment edge of the adapter is inserted toward the tabs on the tray, the protrusions cause the adapter to be raised o~i the surface of the tray. When the tray att~ ~nt edge of the adapter reaches the tabs, the slots in the adapter will be positioned over the protrusions such that the protrusions will snap through the slots and abut against the slot such that the adapter cannot be removed from the tray without raising the adapter slots above the protrusion which requires a ~ignificant amount of effort.
w096/0~938 ~ 2 1 9 3 0 7 6 ~ "~ ~
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hard-disk drive tray assembly.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved hard-disk drive tray assembly that allows a user to insert and extract the hard-disk drive tray assembly using just one hand.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide an improved hard-disk drive tray assembly that provides a structure which allows for a user to grasp securely onto the hard-disk drive tray assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved hard-disk drive tray assembly that provides a hor; 7rnt~1 ly pivoting bezel which enables the use oi just one hand to insert and extract the hard-disk drive tray assembly.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved hard-disk drive tray assembly that allows for the att~rhm~nt of the adapter to the tray without the use of tools, screws, or nuts.
Further objects and advantages o~ the present inven-tion will become apparent from a r~nc; ~ration of the drawings and ensuing description.~
~rief Descri~tion of the Drawinqs _ _ FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art ; _'ir~nt of a hard-disk drive tray assembly with a hard-disk drive mounted to the tray.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of a hard-disk drive trPy assembly.
FIG. 3 is a perspective yiew of a preferred: ' Q~
of a hard-disk drive tray assembly bezel.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the preferred embodi-ment of the hard-disk drive with a hard-disk drive mounted to the tray. One hard-disk drive tray assembly with hard-disk drive is shown fully inserted into a computer chassis slot, and another hard-disk drive tray assembly with hard-~ w096l00938 2 1 9 3 0 7 6 r~
disk drive- is shown partially extracted from another computer chassis slot.
A Prior Art Device FIG 1 illustrates a typical prior art ~ '-'; t of a hard-disk drive tray assembly. A hard-disk drive 2 is mounted to a tray 3. The tray has a first inserter/extractor lever 4a and a second inserter/extractor lever 4b attached to the tray 3. The hard-disk drive 2 comprises an integral hard-disk drive LED light 8. The hard-disk drive tray assembly is shown being latched onto a latch bar 6 by the levers 4a and 4b.
An adapter, which iB typically an element of a hard-disk drive tray as3embly, i8 not shown in this illustration.
Descri~tion of the Prefer~ed Embodiment FIG. 2 illustrates a preferred emh~i of an improved hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 ~ ~;ng a tray 10, an adapter 20, and a bezel 30 The tray 10 comprises a plurality of hard-disk drive~mounting holes 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d for mounting a hard-disk drive 2 to the tray 10, and a plurality of grounding edges 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d, for grounding the tray 10 to a computer chassis (not shown). The tray 10 further comprises a pair of tabs 16a and 16b, and a pair of protrusions 18a and 18b, for securely receiving the adapter 20 as previously discussed.
The tray has a pair of tray pivot holes 15a and 15b for pivotally attaching the bezel 30 ~o the tray 20.
The adapter 20 comprises a first cable 22 and a second cable 24 for r~nn~r8irn to the hard=disk drive 2. A first edge of the adapter 20 comprises a r~nn~rto~ 26, and the opposite edge provides a tray at~srl ~ edge 27. The adapter 20 further comprises a pair of slots 28a and 28b for receiving and abutting against the protrusions 18a and 18b when the adapter 20 is properly secured to the tray 10 in the proper manner. ~ ~
W096io0938 PCTNS95/0773l ' 2193076 The bezel 30, as better shown in EIG. 3, comprises a front surface 31, a first incorporated inserter/extractor lever 32, a second incorporated inserter/extractor lever 34, a first detent 40, and a second detent 42. The front surface 31 has a recess 36 for allowing the pl~c~ ~ of one or more fingers. The recess 36 and the edge of the front surface 31 opposite the pivoting edge defines a handle 44. The front surface 31 ~urther comprises a translucent or transparent LED display window 38 for 10 ~ rn~l ly displaying to a user the status of the hard-disk drive 2 through the use of the integral hard-disk drive LED light 8_ The upper and lower portions of the pivoting edge of the bezel 30 comprise a pair of bezel pivot joints 46a and 46b i-or pivotally attaching the bezel 30 to the tray pivot holes 15a and 15b via a pair of pivot pins 48a and 48b.
Some of the benefits offered by the hard-disk drive tray assembly of the present invention even before it is inserted into ~ computer system are discussed first, with a discussion of the operation following. First, the tray 10 and adapter 20 are adopted to save time and money during the assembly process. Second, the hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 allows an end-user to purchase a standard hard-disk drive 2 and mount the hard-disk drive 2 onto the improved hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 for use with their computer system.
In a preferred coniiguration, a computer --nnfa~ rer provides the end-user with one or more improved hard-disk drive tray assemblies 1 comprising the tray 10, the 3C adapter 20, and the bezel 30.
The hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 is usually proprietary or custom designed to fit into a latch bar 7 (as shown in FIG. 4) configuration specific to the computer chassis (not shown) being built by the computer manufacturer.
The tray 10 and adapter~20 are designed to save the computer manufacturer time and money during the assembly ~W096/00938 21 93076 P_lru~
process. As described earlier, the tray 10 has a pair of tabs 16a and 16b, and a pair of protrusions 18a and 18b.
The adapter 20 has a pair of corre3ponding slots 28a and 28b for receiving the protrusions 18a and 18b.
The tabs 16a and 16b are designed to exert a downward force on the adapter 20 toward the tray 10 when the tray att~t' ~ edge 27 of the adapter 20 is being inserted into the tabs 16a and 16~. The protrusions 18a and 18b protrude from the surface of the tray 10, thereby exerting an upward force on the adapter 20 away from the surface of the tray 10.
When the tray attachment edge 27 is fully inserted into the tabs 16a and 16b, the slots 28a and 28b in the adapter 20 will line up over the protrusions 18a and 18b of the tray 10 such that the protrusions 18a and 18b will snap through the slots 28a and 28b. Since the tabs 18a and 18b are exerting a downward force on the adapter 20, the adapter can not be pulled out of the tabs 18a and 18b in a horizontal direction due to the protrusions 18a and 18b which act as abutments agairst the slots 28a and 28b.
Thus, the adapter 20 can only be removed by lifting the adapter 20 slots 28a and 28b high enough off of the tray 20 so as to clear the protrusions 18a and 18b, despite having the tray attachment edge 27 still inserted into the tabs 16a and 16b.
In addition to the adapter 20 being snapped securely onto the tray 10, the bezel 30 is pivotally connected to the tray 10 in a horizontal configuration by inserting the bezel pivot pins 48a and 48b through the corresponding bezel pivot joints 46a and 46b and the tray pivot holes 15a and 15b.
Once the hard-disk drive tray assembly l is assembled as such, the improved hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 is ready for shipment either as an individual item or with the computer system. The hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 can be shipped with a hard-disk drive 2 pre-mounted to the W096/00938 2 1 9 3 0 7 6 P ~
hard-disk drive tray assembly 1, or it can be shipped without a hard-disk drive 2 If the hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 is shipped without a hard-disk drive 2, the end-user has the ireedom to shop the best price ~or the hard-disk drive 2, since any standard hard-disk drive 2 can be easily mounted to the hard=disk drive tray assembly 1 in the following manner. The hard-disk driv~ 2 is mounted to the tray 10 via the hard-disk drive mounting holes 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d. The first cable 22 and the second cable 24 are r~nn~cte~ to their corregponding slots (not shown) located on the hard-disk dri~e 2.
O~eration of the Xard-Disk Drive Trav AssemblY
In FIG. 4, a perspective view is shown of one hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 properly inserted into acomputer chassis slot (the c~pllt~r chassis slot is merely a space wherein a hard-disk drive can be properly inserted, and thus no structural element shown in FIG. 4 is labeled as the computer chassis slot). and of another hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 being extracted irom its corresponding computer chassis slot.
To insert the hard-disk drive tray assembly 1, with or without the hard-disk drive 2 installed, the user securely grasps the bezel 30 handle 44 by inserting one or more fingers into the recess 36 a~nd curlirg the ~ingers around the handle 44, and grasping the outer edge of the handle 44 with the thumb. The hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 is then positioned into the proper insertion position with one hand, and the rnnn~rt~r 26 portion of the adapter 20 is the first part of the hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 to be inserted into the= computer chassis slot ~or receiving the hard-disk drive tray assembly 1.
The hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 i8 slid all the way i~to the computer chassis slot along a computer chassis slot rail (not shown) until the connector 2~:comes into contact with the hard-disk drive connector interface W096/00938 2 1 9 3 0 7 6 r (not shown) at which time the snug fitting hard-disk drive connector interface provides a resistance to the further progress of the connector 26. When the hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 reaches this position within the ~ tPr chassis slot, the first and second levers 32 and 34 of the bezel 30 are pivoted from an open~po8ition to a closed position. In the open position, with the connector 26 in contact with the c~nnPctn~ slot 54, the levers 32 and 34 are in a position to latch onto the latch bar 7 wherein the pivoting of the bezel 30 to the closed position will move the first and second incorporated inserter/extractor levers 32 and 34 into the closed position simultaneously.
The levers 32 and 34 then provide a latch and pull pivoting leverage action which pu118 the hard-diak drive tray aaaembly 1 further into the computer chaaaia alot such that the connector 26 is firmly inserted into the hard-disk drive connector interface.
Once properly inserted, the status of the hard-disk drive 2 can be visually monitored externally by viewing the integral hard-disk drive ~ED light 8 through the translucent or transparent B~D display window 33 located on the front surface 31 of the bezel 30.
To extract the hard-disk drive tray assembly 1, with or without a hard-disk drive 2 inatalled, the reverse steps are taken. By pulling on the handle 44 of the bezel 30, the levers 32 and 34 are pivoted back to the open position wherein the levers 32 and 34 provide a reverae latch and pull pivoting leverage action that pushes against the latch bar 7 80 as to extract the ~nnnpctnr 26 from the hard-disk drive cnnnPctor interface, thereby allowing for the easy removal of the hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 from the computer chassis slot.
Once the hard-disk drive tray asbembly 1 is removed from the computer chassis slot, the hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 can be safely tranaported by grasping onto the bezel 30 handle 44.
W096/00938 PCT~S9S/07731 21 93076 ~1 While the above description ~nnt~;n~ many specificities, these should ~ot be construed as limitation~ on the scope of the invention, but rather a~
an exempl;f;r~t;nn of one preferred ' ,~; t thereof-Many other variations are possible.
For example, variations can be incorporated into a hard-disk drive_ tray assembly so as to implement the inventive _eatures of the ~resent invention into another configuration of a hard-disk drive tray assembly that will work on another computer ~~nnf~tllrer's proprietary or custom designed latch bars and computer chassis slots.
Furthermore, it should be noted that while the above : ~ '; t describes a tray assembly for a hard-disk drive, the basic concept can be applied =to various computer components which can be inserted and extracted in a simple manner by designing a tray assembly to accommodate such computer component.
~n Im~roved Hard-Disk Prive Trav Assembly Field of the Invention This invention relates to removable hard-di8k drives, and more sp~r;f;~11y to an improved hard-disk drive tray assembly.
~ackaround of the Invention Although more and more de6ktop and portable computer systems are o_fering removable hard-disk drives as an option, removable hard-disk drives are more commonly available on computer network file servers Removable hard-disk drives provide a quick and simple way of adding, removing, or r~plpc;ng a hard-disk drive in a computer system. For example, to increase the amount of hard-disk space available on the file server, one can either add another removable hard-disk drive to an empty l~ hard-disk drive slot, or replace a smaller hard-disk drive with a larger hard-disk drive. This process typically takes only a few seconds.
With a standard hard-disk drive, one has to open up a computer chassis by removing a computer chassis cover, and then attach a new hard-disk drive via cables and screws to an available hard-disk drive slot If r~pl~;ng a smaller hard-disk drive, one would have to detach the cables and dismount the smaller hard-disk drive before replacing it with a larger hard-disk drive in a similar manner While not a very difficult process, it can still take a few minutes to complete depending upon the location and configuration of the computer system However, the real benefits of a removable hard-disk drive come with the convenience of adding, removing, or replacing a hard-disk drive on an as-needed basis, rather than the benefit derived from a few minutes of saved time WO 96/OOg38 ~ ~.I~ I '~ I 1. 1 every time the amount of hard-diak space needs to be increased on the computer system.
By allowing for the quick and simple removal and installation of a hard-disk drive, it becomes practical for a company to remove and secure sensitive data to protect it when no one is around. Furthermore, removable hard-disk drives allow a person to transport large amounts of data from one computer system to another in a matter of seconds, rather than the time consuming process of down-loading data to the other ~computer system via cableconnection.
When a hard-disk drive malfnnn~;nn~, a properly functioning hard-disk drive can be "hot swapped" with the defective hard-disk drive in a matter of seconds, without having to power down the computer system. With a standard hard-disk drive, it is advisable to power down the comput-er system before opening up the computer chassis to remove the defective hard-disk drive.
A removable hard-disk drive is typically mounted onto 2C a tray assembly, which acts as an interface between a standard configuration third party hard-disk drive and a proprietary or custom designed computer ~~nnfsnturer~s chassis slot, which is a slot designed for receiving a hard-disk drive and hard-disk drive tray assembly.
A typical hard-disk drive tray assembly comprises a tray, an adapter, and may further include either pull handles or inserter/extractor.levers which can be attached to the tray or incorporated into a front panel, also known as a bezel.
The adapter comprises a pair of cables for connection to the hard-disk drive, and a cnnnPctnr~for insertion into the hard-disk drive nnnnPn~nr interface in the computer system. The adapter screws onto the tray, and a standard third party hard-disk drive is mounted to the tray as well. The cables from the adapter are connected to the hard-disk drive. The hard-disk drive, adapter, and tray can be inserted into, and extracted from, the computer ~ ~096~0938 2 1 9 3 0 7 6 r~ sl chassis slot through the use of one or more pull handles or inserter/extractor levers attached to the tray, as discussed in greater detail below In another prior art ~hn~i-- L, a pair of insert-er/extractor levers are incorporated into a front panelwhich is pivotally attached to the tray in a vertical plane, like a pivoting car garage door on a house.
In order to properly insert a removable hard-disk drive into the computer cha5sis slot, the connector of the adapter must be firmly inEerted into the corrr~prln~1nri hard-disk drive rnnnrctrr interface in the computer system, and the proper extraction rer~uires the removal of the rr/nrPrt~r from the hard-disk drive con~ector inter-face. To ensure that the cnnnrctrr of the adapter is properly inserted into the hard-disk drive connector interface, the inserter/extractor lever provides a latch-and-pull rx-h~n;rm that latches onto a latch bar, and then pulls the connector, along with the rest of the hard-disk drive tray assembly, into the hard-disk drive connector interface via a pivoting leverage action about the latch bar such that when the lever reaches a closed position, the connector has been properly and firmly inserted into the hard-disk drive connector interface.
Extracting the hard-disk drive is the same as inser-tion, but in reverse. The inserter/extractor lever isrotated to an open position. In doing so, the lever, which is latched onto the latch bar, will engage in an opposite pivoting leverage action which will push on the latch bar so as to push away from the ~ ~rr chassis slot thereby extracting the connector from the hard-disk drive connector ~ntPrf~r~.
The typical prior art embodiment of a hard-disk drive tray assernbly, as described above, ha~ some drawbacks in its operation.
First, most removable hard-disk drives with insert-er/extractor levers have two levers which usually reriuire two hand8 to operate the two levers simultaneously in W096/00938 P~~
' 21 93076 order to insert or extract the hard-disk drive. The lever i8 in the open position when the hard-disk drive tray assembly is inserted into the computer chassis slot up to the point where the ~nnn~ctnr'has reached the hard-disk drive connector interface but has not yet been _irmly inserted into the hard-di6k drive ~nn~~tor interface.
The lever is pivoted into the closed position in order to latch and pull the connector, along with the re~t of the hard-disk drive tray assembly, into the computer chassis slot such that the c~nn~ct~r is firmly inserted into the hard-disk drive connector interface.
If only one hand were used to insert the hard-disk drive tray assembly, one lever would remain opened while the other lever was being closed, or vice versa, and this would cause one end of the~tray assembly to be further inserted or extracted than the other end. This uneven insertion causes the hard-disk drive tray assembly to twist slightly within the computer chassis slot such that the other lever will lock-up and be more difficult to move. In an embodiment with two levers, the hard-disk drive tray assembly should be inserted or extracted in an even manner.
In other words, the two levers should both be pivoted into the open or closed position at the same time. That way, both ends of the hard-disk drive tray assembly will move into or out of the computer chassis slot at the same time, thereby avoiding any twisting motion~which ~could cause one end to lock up. ~owever, pivoting both levers on such an : '-'; t at the same time is difficult for a person to do with just one hand. Thus, such an emh~;m~nt typically requires a two-handed insertion or extraction.
Furthermore, some prior art implPm~nt~t;ons of the inserter/extractor levers have a locking feature so that the lever cannot be pivoted to the open position unless the lever is nnlnrkP~ first. This method makes it even more ~;ff;~l-1t to insert or remove a hard-disk drive tray assembly using just one hand. In ~;t;~n, such a design . . : ~ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ w096l00938 2 1 93076 ~I/U~
is not intuitive to a new user, and it is posaible that a new or nnf~m;l;~r user of the computer system will attempt to pull the levers out into the open position without unlocking the levers. If the person thinks that the 5 levers are stuck and pu115 hard enough, the levers could break before actually releasing.
Second, once the adapter cnnn~rtnr of the hard-di~k drive tray assembly is extracted from the hard-disk drive c~nn~ctnr interface, there i8 no structure for a person to lO securely grasp onto when transporting the hard-disk drive tray assembly. For example, the levers that are used to extract the hard-disk drive tray assembly are too small to grasp onto, yet the hard-disk drive mounted to the tray is too bulky to grasp securely. This lack of a structure to 15 provide secure h~n~l;ng of =the hard-disk drive tray assembly increases the possibility of accidentally drop-ping the hard-disk drive tray assembly during transporta-tion from one location to another.
Third, the prior art uses a front panel or bezel that 20 operates on a vertical hinge in a pivoting manner similar to a car garage door on a house. The problem with this vertically pivoting design is th~at it is difficult to insert and extract this hard-disk drive tray assembly with just one hand, since grasping onto the vertically pivoting 25 bezel will cause the hard-disk drive mounted onto the tray to swing down. To insert this embodiment also requires two hands. One hand is required to hold onto the bezel.
The other hand must pivot the hard-disk drive and tray upward so that the hard-disk drive tray assembly can be 30 inserted into the computer chassis slot.
Furth~ , with both inserter/extractor levers in~L~-ated into the bezel on the upper pivoting edge, a twisting problem could occur in that uneven forces would be applied to the upper and lower portions of the hard-35 disk drive tray assembly, thereby causing the improper insertion of the rnnn~ctnr into the hard-disk drive slot.
Fourth, in certain prior art impl -~ti~n~, addi-tional wires are used to connect the hard-disk drive to LED status indicator lights which are mounted on the exterior of the computer chaGsis Guch that an LED statuG
indication light would be visible to a computer user.
However, this additional wiring adds manufacturing time and cost to the hard-diGk drive tray aGGembly.
Furthermore, the custom integration of the additional wiring with externally mounted LED lightG makes auch an implementation of the hard-disk drive tray asGembly proprietary to the computer manufacturer. This limits the options available to the end-user in~that the end-user cannot go out and purchase a Gtandard hard-disk drive at the best market price and inGtall it onto the hard-disk drive tray asGembly. InGtead, the end-uGer will have to order the hard-disk drive mounted onto the hard-diGk drive tray aGsembly from the computer manufacturer Other ~ ; r t ~ which do not provide the additional wiring provide the computer~user no viGual indication as to the status of the hard-diGk drive. The uGer has to remove the front cover or the main cover of the computer chaGGiG in order to Gee the hard-diGk drive ~ED lights which are integral to the hard-diGk drive unit itself.
Finally, in the prior art, the adapter is attached to the tray by inserting screwG into holeG on the adapter and tray, and then tig~t~ninS these Gcrews to Gecure the adapter to the tray. This small Gtep adds time and cost to the manufacturing procesG due to the necessary use of a tool and the necessary use of screws and/or nuts.
Therefore, a better solution iG needed to provide an improved hard-diGk drive tray asGembly that provideG
~oluti~n~ to the above m~nt; ~n~d drawbackG which exist in the hard-disk drive tray aGsemblieG of the prior art.
Summarv of the Invention The improved hard-diGk drive tray aGGembly of the present invention attempts to provide GolutionG to the .
~ WO 96~00938 2 1 9 3 0 7 6 PCT/US95/07731 drawbacks that exist in the prior art hard-disk drive tray as~
The hard-disk drive tray assembly of the present invention comprises an adapter; a tray and a bezel. The hard-disk drive tray assembly implements a cleverly designed bezel which serves multiple purposes. The tray and adapter are also designed to ~v~ drawbacks which exist in the prior art.
First, the bezel of the improved hard-diak drive tray assembly of the present invention enables single-handed operation, which provides additional convenience over an ~ which requires two hands for the insertion and extraction of the hard-disk drive tray assembly.
A pair of ;n~r~r/extractor levers are incorporated into the bezel design at the upper and lower ends of the pivoting edge of the bezel. .Since the bezel has the inserter/extractor levers incorporated into the bezel design itsel$, pivoting the bezel into the open or closed position will pivot both the upper and lower levers into the open or closed position at the same time. This will prevent the uneven insertion or extraction of the hard-disk drive tray assembly, thereby mitigating the problems associated with the twisting of the hard-disk drive tray assembly in the computer chassis slot. In addltion, the design of the bezel suggests an intuitive method of operation to a new or nnf~m;l;~r user since the bezel is designed with the _ront surface having a recess and handle which suggests the proper placement of the hand on the bezel.
Second, the bezel is ~;gn~ to provide a structure for allowing a user to securely grasp onto the hard-disk drive tray assembly when transporting it from one location to another. A bezel iront aurface has a recess which provides a place for one or more fingers to be placed, and the recess defines a handle along the edge of the bezel opposite the pivoting edge. By curling the fingers placed in the recess around the handle, and wrapping the thu~b W096/00938 ~ b~, / /~1 2193076 . ~
around the outer edge of the handle, the uBer iB able to securely grasp onto the hard-disk drive tray assembly.
This structural de~ign reduces the possibility of mishan-dling or dropping the hard-disk drive tray assembly during transportation from one location to another.
Third, the bezel is designed to pivot horizontally about either the left edge or the right edge in a manner similar to the motion of a driver's seat car door or a passenger's seat car door respectively. In a preferred embodiment, the bezel rotates or pivots in a horizontal direction about the right edge, like the passenger~s seat car door, since this configuration i~ preferable for the ma~ority of people who are right-handed Fur~h~ ~, in this hori7~n~11y pivoting configura-tion, grasping the bezel handle will not cause the hard-disk drive and tray to swing down since the pivoting plane is horizontal and not vertical. The tray will remain in a position which allows for the hard-disk drive tray assembly to be properly inserted into the computer chassis slot. ~nlike the vertically pivoting bezel of the prior art, the hor;z~nt~lly pivoti~g configuration of the present invention enables the user to insert and extract the hard-disk drive tray assembly with the use of just one hand.
Fourth, many of the various third party hard-disk drive manufacturers provide hard-disk drives with ~ED
status indication lights that are integral to the hard-disk drive unit itself. Therefore, the improved hard-disk drive tray assembly of the present invention takes advan-tage of that feature and, rather than connecting addition-al wires from the hard-disk drive unit to ~ r~lly mounted LED status indication lights as in the prior art, the present invention provides a translucent or transpar-ent window on the bezel in a location whereby a computer user will be able to externally view the ~ED status indicator lights integral to the hard=disk drive unit itself without any additional wiring, and without having .
~ w096/00938 2 1 9 3 ~ 7 6 rc"~ //Jl to open up the computer chassis. This feature provides - the u6er with the benefits of an LED status indicator light, yet also provides the=manufacturer with lower costs.
Moreover, this feature also provides end-users with the additional benefit of increased flexibility in choos-ing their hard-disk drive.supplier. By designing the hard-disk drive tray assembly for a particular computer system, the end user of that particular computer system can easily purchase any standard third party ~~nn~tllrer hard-disk drive and mount it to the tray of the present invention and install the hard=disk drive tray assembly into the computer system. The end-user does not have to rely on the computer manufacturer as the sole source of additional hard-disk drives which come custom wired to ~t~rn~l LED status indicator lights.
Finally, the tray and the adapter of the present invention are designed to eliminate the time consuming and costly process of attaching the adapter to the tray via tools, screws, and/or nuts. The tray has been designed with a pair of tabs and a pair of protrusions, and the adapter has been designed with a pair of corresponding slots for receiving the protrusions. Rather than requir-ing the use of tools, screws, and/or nuts, the adapter can be anapped securely to the tray without the use of any tools or extra parts in a matter of seconds, -thereby reducing the time and cost of such assembly.
As a tray attachment edge of the adapter is inserted toward the tabs on the tray, the protrusions cause the adapter to be raised o~i the surface of the tray. When the tray att~ ~nt edge of the adapter reaches the tabs, the slots in the adapter will be positioned over the protrusions such that the protrusions will snap through the slots and abut against the slot such that the adapter cannot be removed from the tray without raising the adapter slots above the protrusion which requires a ~ignificant amount of effort.
w096/0~938 ~ 2 1 9 3 0 7 6 ~ "~ ~
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hard-disk drive tray assembly.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved hard-disk drive tray assembly that allows a user to insert and extract the hard-disk drive tray assembly using just one hand.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide an improved hard-disk drive tray assembly that provides a structure which allows for a user to grasp securely onto the hard-disk drive tray assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved hard-disk drive tray assembly that provides a hor; 7rnt~1 ly pivoting bezel which enables the use oi just one hand to insert and extract the hard-disk drive tray assembly.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved hard-disk drive tray assembly that allows for the att~rhm~nt of the adapter to the tray without the use of tools, screws, or nuts.
Further objects and advantages o~ the present inven-tion will become apparent from a r~nc; ~ration of the drawings and ensuing description.~
~rief Descri~tion of the Drawinqs _ _ FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art ; _'ir~nt of a hard-disk drive tray assembly with a hard-disk drive mounted to the tray.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of a hard-disk drive trPy assembly.
FIG. 3 is a perspective yiew of a preferred: ' Q~
of a hard-disk drive tray assembly bezel.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the preferred embodi-ment of the hard-disk drive with a hard-disk drive mounted to the tray. One hard-disk drive tray assembly with hard-disk drive is shown fully inserted into a computer chassis slot, and another hard-disk drive tray assembly with hard-~ w096l00938 2 1 9 3 0 7 6 r~
disk drive- is shown partially extracted from another computer chassis slot.
A Prior Art Device FIG 1 illustrates a typical prior art ~ '-'; t of a hard-disk drive tray assembly. A hard-disk drive 2 is mounted to a tray 3. The tray has a first inserter/extractor lever 4a and a second inserter/extractor lever 4b attached to the tray 3. The hard-disk drive 2 comprises an integral hard-disk drive LED light 8. The hard-disk drive tray assembly is shown being latched onto a latch bar 6 by the levers 4a and 4b.
An adapter, which iB typically an element of a hard-disk drive tray as3embly, i8 not shown in this illustration.
Descri~tion of the Prefer~ed Embodiment FIG. 2 illustrates a preferred emh~i of an improved hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 ~ ~;ng a tray 10, an adapter 20, and a bezel 30 The tray 10 comprises a plurality of hard-disk drive~mounting holes 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d for mounting a hard-disk drive 2 to the tray 10, and a plurality of grounding edges 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d, for grounding the tray 10 to a computer chassis (not shown). The tray 10 further comprises a pair of tabs 16a and 16b, and a pair of protrusions 18a and 18b, for securely receiving the adapter 20 as previously discussed.
The tray has a pair of tray pivot holes 15a and 15b for pivotally attaching the bezel 30 ~o the tray 20.
The adapter 20 comprises a first cable 22 and a second cable 24 for r~nn~r8irn to the hard=disk drive 2. A first edge of the adapter 20 comprises a r~nn~rto~ 26, and the opposite edge provides a tray at~srl ~ edge 27. The adapter 20 further comprises a pair of slots 28a and 28b for receiving and abutting against the protrusions 18a and 18b when the adapter 20 is properly secured to the tray 10 in the proper manner. ~ ~
W096io0938 PCTNS95/0773l ' 2193076 The bezel 30, as better shown in EIG. 3, comprises a front surface 31, a first incorporated inserter/extractor lever 32, a second incorporated inserter/extractor lever 34, a first detent 40, and a second detent 42. The front surface 31 has a recess 36 for allowing the pl~c~ ~ of one or more fingers. The recess 36 and the edge of the front surface 31 opposite the pivoting edge defines a handle 44. The front surface 31 ~urther comprises a translucent or transparent LED display window 38 for 10 ~ rn~l ly displaying to a user the status of the hard-disk drive 2 through the use of the integral hard-disk drive LED light 8_ The upper and lower portions of the pivoting edge of the bezel 30 comprise a pair of bezel pivot joints 46a and 46b i-or pivotally attaching the bezel 30 to the tray pivot holes 15a and 15b via a pair of pivot pins 48a and 48b.
Some of the benefits offered by the hard-disk drive tray assembly of the present invention even before it is inserted into ~ computer system are discussed first, with a discussion of the operation following. First, the tray 10 and adapter 20 are adopted to save time and money during the assembly process. Second, the hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 allows an end-user to purchase a standard hard-disk drive 2 and mount the hard-disk drive 2 onto the improved hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 for use with their computer system.
In a preferred coniiguration, a computer --nnfa~ rer provides the end-user with one or more improved hard-disk drive tray assemblies 1 comprising the tray 10, the 3C adapter 20, and the bezel 30.
The hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 is usually proprietary or custom designed to fit into a latch bar 7 (as shown in FIG. 4) configuration specific to the computer chassis (not shown) being built by the computer manufacturer.
The tray 10 and adapter~20 are designed to save the computer manufacturer time and money during the assembly ~W096/00938 21 93076 P_lru~
process. As described earlier, the tray 10 has a pair of tabs 16a and 16b, and a pair of protrusions 18a and 18b.
The adapter 20 has a pair of corre3ponding slots 28a and 28b for receiving the protrusions 18a and 18b.
The tabs 16a and 16b are designed to exert a downward force on the adapter 20 toward the tray 10 when the tray att~t' ~ edge 27 of the adapter 20 is being inserted into the tabs 16a and 16~. The protrusions 18a and 18b protrude from the surface of the tray 10, thereby exerting an upward force on the adapter 20 away from the surface of the tray 10.
When the tray attachment edge 27 is fully inserted into the tabs 16a and 16b, the slots 28a and 28b in the adapter 20 will line up over the protrusions 18a and 18b of the tray 10 such that the protrusions 18a and 18b will snap through the slots 28a and 28b. Since the tabs 18a and 18b are exerting a downward force on the adapter 20, the adapter can not be pulled out of the tabs 18a and 18b in a horizontal direction due to the protrusions 18a and 18b which act as abutments agairst the slots 28a and 28b.
Thus, the adapter 20 can only be removed by lifting the adapter 20 slots 28a and 28b high enough off of the tray 20 so as to clear the protrusions 18a and 18b, despite having the tray attachment edge 27 still inserted into the tabs 16a and 16b.
In addition to the adapter 20 being snapped securely onto the tray 10, the bezel 30 is pivotally connected to the tray 10 in a horizontal configuration by inserting the bezel pivot pins 48a and 48b through the corresponding bezel pivot joints 46a and 46b and the tray pivot holes 15a and 15b.
Once the hard-disk drive tray assembly l is assembled as such, the improved hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 is ready for shipment either as an individual item or with the computer system. The hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 can be shipped with a hard-disk drive 2 pre-mounted to the W096/00938 2 1 9 3 0 7 6 P ~
hard-disk drive tray assembly 1, or it can be shipped without a hard-disk drive 2 If the hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 is shipped without a hard-disk drive 2, the end-user has the ireedom to shop the best price ~or the hard-disk drive 2, since any standard hard-disk drive 2 can be easily mounted to the hard=disk drive tray assembly 1 in the following manner. The hard-disk driv~ 2 is mounted to the tray 10 via the hard-disk drive mounting holes 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d. The first cable 22 and the second cable 24 are r~nn~cte~ to their corregponding slots (not shown) located on the hard-disk dri~e 2.
O~eration of the Xard-Disk Drive Trav AssemblY
In FIG. 4, a perspective view is shown of one hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 properly inserted into acomputer chassis slot (the c~pllt~r chassis slot is merely a space wherein a hard-disk drive can be properly inserted, and thus no structural element shown in FIG. 4 is labeled as the computer chassis slot). and of another hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 being extracted irom its corresponding computer chassis slot.
To insert the hard-disk drive tray assembly 1, with or without the hard-disk drive 2 installed, the user securely grasps the bezel 30 handle 44 by inserting one or more fingers into the recess 36 a~nd curlirg the ~ingers around the handle 44, and grasping the outer edge of the handle 44 with the thumb. The hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 is then positioned into the proper insertion position with one hand, and the rnnn~rt~r 26 portion of the adapter 20 is the first part of the hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 to be inserted into the= computer chassis slot ~or receiving the hard-disk drive tray assembly 1.
The hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 i8 slid all the way i~to the computer chassis slot along a computer chassis slot rail (not shown) until the connector 2~:comes into contact with the hard-disk drive connector interface W096/00938 2 1 9 3 0 7 6 r (not shown) at which time the snug fitting hard-disk drive connector interface provides a resistance to the further progress of the connector 26. When the hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 reaches this position within the ~ tPr chassis slot, the first and second levers 32 and 34 of the bezel 30 are pivoted from an open~po8ition to a closed position. In the open position, with the connector 26 in contact with the c~nnPctn~ slot 54, the levers 32 and 34 are in a position to latch onto the latch bar 7 wherein the pivoting of the bezel 30 to the closed position will move the first and second incorporated inserter/extractor levers 32 and 34 into the closed position simultaneously.
The levers 32 and 34 then provide a latch and pull pivoting leverage action which pu118 the hard-diak drive tray aaaembly 1 further into the computer chaaaia alot such that the connector 26 is firmly inserted into the hard-disk drive connector interface.
Once properly inserted, the status of the hard-disk drive 2 can be visually monitored externally by viewing the integral hard-disk drive ~ED light 8 through the translucent or transparent B~D display window 33 located on the front surface 31 of the bezel 30.
To extract the hard-disk drive tray assembly 1, with or without a hard-disk drive 2 inatalled, the reverse steps are taken. By pulling on the handle 44 of the bezel 30, the levers 32 and 34 are pivoted back to the open position wherein the levers 32 and 34 provide a reverae latch and pull pivoting leverage action that pushes against the latch bar 7 80 as to extract the ~nnnpctnr 26 from the hard-disk drive cnnnPctor interface, thereby allowing for the easy removal of the hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 from the computer chassis slot.
Once the hard-disk drive tray asbembly 1 is removed from the computer chassis slot, the hard-disk drive tray assembly 1 can be safely tranaported by grasping onto the bezel 30 handle 44.
W096/00938 PCT~S9S/07731 21 93076 ~1 While the above description ~nnt~;n~ many specificities, these should ~ot be construed as limitation~ on the scope of the invention, but rather a~
an exempl;f;r~t;nn of one preferred ' ,~; t thereof-Many other variations are possible.
For example, variations can be incorporated into a hard-disk drive_ tray assembly so as to implement the inventive _eatures of the ~resent invention into another configuration of a hard-disk drive tray assembly that will work on another computer ~~nnf~tllrer's proprietary or custom designed latch bars and computer chassis slots.
Furthermore, it should be noted that while the above : ~ '; t describes a tray assembly for a hard-disk drive, the basic concept can be applied =to various computer components which can be inserted and extracted in a simple manner by designing a tray assembly to accommodate such computer component.
Claims
Claims 9. A tray assembly comprising an adapter, a tray, and a bezel, the adapter and the tray comprising cooperating elements for securing said adapter to said tray by hand, the bezel attached to the tray to enable pivoting of said bezel around a line lying in a vertical plane, the bezel comprising a pair of inserter/extractor levers for providing a latch and pull action to facilitate even insertion of the tray assembly without the tray assembly twisting, and for providing a release and push action to facilitate even extraction of the tray assembly without the tray assembly twisting.
10. The tray assembly of Claim 9 wherein the pair of inserter/extractor levers comprise a first inserter/extractor lever situated proximate an upper portion of a pivoting edge of said bezel and a second inserter/extractor lever situated proximate a lower portion of the pivoting edge of said bezel.
11. The tray assembly of Claim 9 wherein the bezel further comprises a handle enabling secure handling of said tray assembly during transportation.
12. The tray assembly of Claim 9 wherein the bezel further comprises a window through which may be viewed an LED light integral to a hard-disk drive which is attached to the tray assembly.
13. A bezel for a tray assembly comprising a pivot edge pivotally connectable to a tray enabling pivoting of the bezel around a line lying in a vertical plane, and a pair of inserter/extractor levers situated proximate the pivot edge for providing a latch and pull action to facilitate even insertion of the tray assembly without the tray assembly twisting, and for providing a release and push action to facilitate even extraction of the tray assembly without the tray assembly twisting.
14. The bezel of Claim 13 wherein the pair of inserter/extractor levers comprise a first inserter/extractor lever situated proximate an upper portion of the pivoting edge of said bezel and a second inserter/extractor lever situated proximate a lower portion of the pivoting edge of said bezel.
15. The bezel of Claim 13 further comprising a window through which may be viewed an LED light integral to a component which is attached to the tray assembly.
16. The bezel of Claim 13 further comprising a front surface having a recess thereon to enable insertion of one or more finger therein, and an edge which, in conjunction with the recess, provides a handle to enable secure handling of said tray assembly.
17. A tray assembly comprising an adapter, a tray, and a bezel, the adapter and the tray comprising cooperating elements for securing said adapter to said tray by hand, the bezel comprising a pivot edge pivotally connectable to the tray enabling pivoting of the bezel around a line lying in a vertical plane, and a first inserter/extractor lever situated proximate an upper portion of the pivot edge and a second inserter/extractor lever situated proximate a lower portion of the pivot edge, the inserter/extractor levers for providing a latch and pull action to facilitate even insertion of the tray assembly without the tray assembly twisting, and for providing a release and push action to facilitate even extraction of the tray assembly without the tray assembly twisting, and the bezel further comprising a front surface having a recess thereon to enable insertion of one or more finger therein, and an edge which, in conjunction with the recess, provides a handle to enable secure handling of said tray assembly, and a window through which may be viewed an LED light integral to a component which is attached to the tray assembly.
10. The tray assembly of Claim 9 wherein the pair of inserter/extractor levers comprise a first inserter/extractor lever situated proximate an upper portion of a pivoting edge of said bezel and a second inserter/extractor lever situated proximate a lower portion of the pivoting edge of said bezel.
11. The tray assembly of Claim 9 wherein the bezel further comprises a handle enabling secure handling of said tray assembly during transportation.
12. The tray assembly of Claim 9 wherein the bezel further comprises a window through which may be viewed an LED light integral to a hard-disk drive which is attached to the tray assembly.
13. A bezel for a tray assembly comprising a pivot edge pivotally connectable to a tray enabling pivoting of the bezel around a line lying in a vertical plane, and a pair of inserter/extractor levers situated proximate the pivot edge for providing a latch and pull action to facilitate even insertion of the tray assembly without the tray assembly twisting, and for providing a release and push action to facilitate even extraction of the tray assembly without the tray assembly twisting.
14. The bezel of Claim 13 wherein the pair of inserter/extractor levers comprise a first inserter/extractor lever situated proximate an upper portion of the pivoting edge of said bezel and a second inserter/extractor lever situated proximate a lower portion of the pivoting edge of said bezel.
15. The bezel of Claim 13 further comprising a window through which may be viewed an LED light integral to a component which is attached to the tray assembly.
16. The bezel of Claim 13 further comprising a front surface having a recess thereon to enable insertion of one or more finger therein, and an edge which, in conjunction with the recess, provides a handle to enable secure handling of said tray assembly.
17. A tray assembly comprising an adapter, a tray, and a bezel, the adapter and the tray comprising cooperating elements for securing said adapter to said tray by hand, the bezel comprising a pivot edge pivotally connectable to the tray enabling pivoting of the bezel around a line lying in a vertical plane, and a first inserter/extractor lever situated proximate an upper portion of the pivot edge and a second inserter/extractor lever situated proximate a lower portion of the pivot edge, the inserter/extractor levers for providing a latch and pull action to facilitate even insertion of the tray assembly without the tray assembly twisting, and for providing a release and push action to facilitate even extraction of the tray assembly without the tray assembly twisting, and the bezel further comprising a front surface having a recess thereon to enable insertion of one or more finger therein, and an edge which, in conjunction with the recess, provides a handle to enable secure handling of said tray assembly, and a window through which may be viewed an LED light integral to a component which is attached to the tray assembly.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US08/268,010 | 1994-06-28 | ||
| US08/268,010 US5557499A (en) | 1994-06-28 | 1994-06-28 | Hard-disk drive tray assembly with pivotally rotatable front bezel |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2193076A1 true CA2193076A1 (en) | 1996-01-11 |
Family
ID=23021089
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002193076A Abandoned CA2193076A1 (en) | 1994-06-28 | 1995-06-15 | An improved hard-disk drive tray assembly |
Country Status (4)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US5557499A (en) |
| AU (1) | AU2864795A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2193076A1 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1996000938A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (96)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KR0125586Y1 (en) * | 1995-11-16 | 1998-09-15 | 김광호 | Drive kit loading structure |
| DE19603092C1 (en) | 1996-01-29 | 1997-04-30 | Siemens Nixdorf Inf Syst | Disc drive insert especially for 'hot-replace' function |
| KR100261754B1 (en) * | 1996-04-03 | 2000-07-15 | 윤종용 | Computer having protection for apparatus |
| US5805420A (en) * | 1996-04-09 | 1998-09-08 | Scitex Digital Video, Inc. | Mounting assembly for removable installation of electronic components into a housing |
| US5790373A (en) * | 1996-09-13 | 1998-08-04 | Silicon Graphics, Inc. | Disk drive loading mechanism |
| KR100433510B1 (en) * | 1996-10-28 | 2004-07-16 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Compter having tool for fixing auxiliary storage to main body |
| JP2924829B2 (en) * | 1996-11-11 | 1999-07-26 | 日本電気株式会社 | Multi-stage electronic component module |
| US6088222A (en) * | 1996-11-14 | 2000-07-11 | Dell Usa, L.P. | Computer peripheral chassis frame structure having a split lance for location, electrical grounding, and load bearing of chassis carriers |
| US5694290A (en) * | 1996-11-21 | 1997-12-02 | Chang; Cheng-Chun | Replaceable hard disk drive box structure |
| US5831821A (en) * | 1997-01-24 | 1998-11-03 | Dell Computer Corporation | Computer having an expansion card cage assembly |
| US5765933A (en) * | 1997-02-13 | 1998-06-16 | Kingston Technology Company | Cam assisted ejection handle for a removable drive carrier |
| DE19718173C2 (en) * | 1997-04-29 | 1999-03-18 | Siemens Nixdorf Inf Syst | Device for protecting a computer system against unauthorized pulling of a hardware component |
| US5963422A (en) * | 1997-06-30 | 1999-10-05 | Lsi Logic Corporation | Systems and methods for releaseably securing an article within a computer system |
| WO1999006902A1 (en) * | 1997-07-31 | 1999-02-11 | Fujitsu Limited | Shock mount for hard disk drive in a portable computer |
| US6067225A (en) * | 1997-08-04 | 2000-05-23 | Sun Microsystems, Inc. | Disk drive bracket |
| US6094342A (en) * | 1997-11-03 | 2000-07-25 | Seagate Technology, Inc. | Disk drive jacket |
| JP4105309B2 (en) | 1997-11-06 | 2008-06-25 | 富士通株式会社 | Electronic device and mounting mechanism |
| US6064568A (en) * | 1998-01-27 | 2000-05-16 | Dell Usa, L.P. | Computer system with peripheral device carrier |
| US6272010B1 (en) * | 1998-01-27 | 2001-08-07 | Dell Usa, L.P. | Peripheral device mounting apparatus |
| US6261111B1 (en) * | 1998-02-12 | 2001-07-17 | Ergo Mechanical Systems, Incorporated | True rack-and-panel construction with self-locking connectors |
| GB2335799B (en) * | 1998-03-27 | 2002-04-03 | Ibm | Electro-magnetic compatibility (EMC) shield |
| US6125031A (en) * | 1998-05-22 | 2000-09-26 | Compaq Computer Corporation | Plastic computer housing/access door apparatus with integrally molded dual function hinge assembly |
| US6209842B1 (en) | 1998-05-27 | 2001-04-03 | International Business Machines Corporation | Laminated damping device for a carrier |
| US6157540A (en) * | 1998-07-27 | 2000-12-05 | Dell Usa, L.P. | Screwless front loading hard drive bracket |
| NL1009875C2 (en) * | 1998-08-14 | 2000-04-26 | Wen Kao Wu | Carriage for fitting disk drive into computer allows rapid access to change drive and has provision for cooling fan |
| DE29816380U1 (en) * | 1998-09-11 | 1999-02-25 | Chang Cheng Chun | Slot for a hard drive |
| US6134115A (en) * | 1999-04-13 | 2000-10-17 | Dell Usa, L.P. | Apparatus for securing a removable component in a computer system |
| TW430235U (en) * | 1999-05-17 | 2001-04-11 | Delta Electronics Inc | Device for fixing electrical modules |
| US6252514B1 (en) * | 1999-06-07 | 2001-06-26 | Convergent Technologies, Inc. | Hot-swap assembly for computers |
| US6885550B1 (en) | 1999-08-26 | 2005-04-26 | Axxion Group Corporation | Screw less clip mounted computer drive |
| US6304439B1 (en) | 1999-08-30 | 2001-10-16 | Connex, Total Technologies, Inc. | Disk drive sled insertion and removal system |
| US6492908B1 (en) * | 1999-10-06 | 2002-12-10 | Delta Electronics, Inc. | Light indication showing functional status or operational condition through light-transmissible enclosure case |
| US6299266B1 (en) | 1999-10-12 | 2001-10-09 | Hewlett-Packard Company | Mounting arrangement for computer and other units |
| US6619766B1 (en) | 1999-10-12 | 2003-09-16 | Gateway, Inc. | Device mounting and retention assembly |
| US6293636B1 (en) | 1999-12-30 | 2001-09-25 | Gateway, Inc. | Device retention assembly |
| TW456752U (en) * | 2000-01-04 | 2001-09-21 | Asustek Comp Inc | Supporting device for electronic equipment application |
| US6774808B1 (en) * | 2000-05-17 | 2004-08-10 | Dell Products L.P. | Electromechanical lock for components |
| US6456489B1 (en) | 2000-05-25 | 2002-09-24 | Gateway, Inc. | Device retention apparatus |
| US6570770B1 (en) * | 2000-06-05 | 2003-05-27 | Power-One, Inc. | Handle integrating mechanical functions with electronic status indicators and adjustment feature |
| US6485119B1 (en) | 2000-08-11 | 2002-11-26 | Gateway, Inc. | Quick removal accent panels on the computer case |
| US6556432B2 (en) * | 2000-12-28 | 2003-04-29 | Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd. | Drive bracket having a pivotable fastener |
| US6614651B2 (en) * | 2001-01-17 | 2003-09-02 | Sun Microsystems, Inc. | Server bezel |
| US6525933B2 (en) | 2001-01-31 | 2003-02-25 | Hewlett-Packard Company | Computer peripheral mounting bracket |
| US6728187B2 (en) * | 2001-06-07 | 2004-04-27 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Light pipe assembly for an optical drive |
| US6816448B2 (en) * | 2001-06-07 | 2004-11-09 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Door assembly for an optical drive |
| US6473300B1 (en) * | 2001-06-27 | 2002-10-29 | Sun Microsystems, Inc. | Light conduit for a storage device carrier assembly |
| US6608750B2 (en) | 2001-06-27 | 2003-08-19 | Sun Microsystems, Inc. | Handle-mounted light conduit for a storage device carrier |
| US6565167B1 (en) * | 2001-07-06 | 2003-05-20 | Apple Computer, Inc. | Removable computer core with retractable handle mechanism |
| EP1282347A1 (en) * | 2001-08-03 | 2003-02-05 | Hewlett-Packard Company, A Delaware Corporation | A housing for a computer sub-assembly comprising a keeper and a support member |
| JP3692062B2 (en) * | 2001-09-20 | 2005-09-07 | 株式会社東芝 | Information processing device with front cover |
| US6648149B2 (en) * | 2002-02-28 | 2003-11-18 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Rack latch assembly |
| US7599176B1 (en) * | 2002-04-08 | 2009-10-06 | Network Appliance, Inc. | Apparatus for providing visual indication of engagement of a drive received within a drive cage |
| DE10217309A1 (en) * | 2002-04-18 | 2003-11-06 | Kastriot Merlaku | Computer drive front cover plate is motor-operated with a long spindle meshing with the drive cover to automatically open or close the drive cover when the computer is switched on or off, thereby increasing security |
| JP3670630B2 (en) * | 2002-07-16 | 2005-07-13 | 富士通株式会社 | Electronic device unit attaching / detaching mechanism and disk array device |
| US6587342B1 (en) * | 2002-07-23 | 2003-07-01 | Inventec Corporation | Snap coupling cooling fan module |
| JP4246979B2 (en) * | 2002-09-05 | 2009-04-02 | 株式会社日立製作所 | Device management system |
| US6891720B2 (en) * | 2003-02-28 | 2005-05-10 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Access for a computer housing |
| TWM241767U (en) * | 2003-03-31 | 2004-08-21 | Cheng-Yu Huang | Plug-in hard disk drive for PC |
| EP1634287A1 (en) * | 2003-06-05 | 2006-03-15 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. | Recording device with loading means status indication and method for recording using the loading means status |
| KR100512741B1 (en) * | 2003-07-04 | 2005-09-07 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Hard disk supporting apparatus and computer having the same |
| US7379303B2 (en) * | 2003-10-22 | 2008-05-27 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Computing device module |
| US7949814B2 (en) * | 2004-05-22 | 2011-05-24 | Kam Fu Chan | Swapping “fixed system” hard disk |
| US7280352B2 (en) * | 2004-06-07 | 2007-10-09 | Sun Microsystems, Inc. | Drive carrier |
| US8045326B1 (en) | 2004-07-01 | 2011-10-25 | Oracle America Inc. | Hard disk drive bracket |
| US7251145B1 (en) | 2004-08-18 | 2007-07-31 | Sun Microsystems, Inc. | Inject/eject mechanism for circuit boards |
| US7245499B2 (en) * | 2004-09-30 | 2007-07-17 | Intel Corporation | Insertion and ejection mechanisms for modular boards and cards |
| US7180755B1 (en) | 2004-12-20 | 2007-02-20 | Sun Microsystems, Inc. | Board interlock ejection system |
| US7264490B1 (en) | 2005-05-16 | 2007-09-04 | Sun Microsystems, Inc. | Electronic equipment module with latching injector/ejector |
| CN2831339Y (en) * | 2005-09-02 | 2006-10-25 | 鸿富锦精密工业（深圳）有限公司 | Data memory fixer |
| US7558075B2 (en) * | 2006-03-27 | 2009-07-07 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Accessing an interior of an electronic system |
| US8111514B2 (en) * | 2006-04-21 | 2012-02-07 | Maxvision Corporation | Removable hard drive module for a computer with improved thermal performance |
| US7542295B2 (en) * | 2006-04-21 | 2009-06-02 | Maxvision Corporation | Removable hard drive module for a computer |
| CN101515470B (en) * | 2008-02-21 | 2011-06-22 | 鸿富锦精密工业（深圳）有限公司 | Device for fixing hard disk |
| US8256737B2 (en) * | 2008-03-14 | 2012-09-04 | Southco, Inc. | Leverage device and system using same |
| WO2010050948A1 (en) * | 2008-10-30 | 2010-05-06 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Hard-disk drive insertion |
| CN101790295B (en) * | 2010-03-18 | 2012-07-04 | 华为技术有限公司 | Splitting board and electronic device |
| DE112010005957B4 (en) * | 2010-10-22 | 2018-03-15 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Computer system and handle module |
| TWI462025B (en) * | 2011-11-30 | 2014-11-21 | Wistron Corp | Card reader having movable card insertion mechanism and electronic device |
| CN103376848A (en) * | 2012-04-20 | 2013-10-30 | 鸿富锦精密工业（深圳）有限公司 | Storage fixing device |
| TW201416838A (en) * | 2012-10-29 | 2014-05-01 | Hon Hai Prec Ind Co Ltd | Container data center |
| TWI517146B (en) * | 2013-07-11 | 2016-01-11 | 廣達電腦股份有限公司 | Fixing bracket |
| US9269400B2 (en) | 2013-09-14 | 2016-02-23 | Seagate Technology Llc | Apparatus for locking a component drawer into a chassis |
| US9886069B2 (en) | 2014-02-06 | 2018-02-06 | Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development Lp | Disk drive module |
| US9632545B2 (en) * | 2014-03-29 | 2017-04-25 | Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. | Drive tray |
| TWI513398B (en) | 2014-08-05 | 2015-12-11 | Quanta Comp Inc | Carrying device and server |
| US9785205B2 (en) * | 2015-08-26 | 2017-10-10 | Dell Products, L.P. | Quick-release device carrier |
| TWI566668B (en) * | 2015-12-28 | 2017-01-11 | 鴻海精密工業股份有限公司 | Fixing device |
| US9743547B1 (en) | 2016-04-19 | 2017-08-22 | Western Digital Technologies, Inc. | Switchable mechanical constraint for electrical connector with compliant mounting |
| US9861011B1 (en) | 2016-06-22 | 2018-01-02 | HGST Netherlands B.V. | Stackable sleds for storing electronic devices |
| CN106647966B (en) * | 2016-12-02 | 2019-09-17 | 英业达科技有限公司 | Server |
| TWI629583B (en) * | 2016-12-14 | 2018-07-11 | 英業達股份有限公司 | Server |
| US20190364681A1 (en) * | 2018-05-22 | 2019-11-28 | Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corp. | Panel door for a network enclosure box |
| US11171450B2 (en) * | 2019-07-12 | 2021-11-09 | International Business Machines Corporation | Method and apparatus for the alignment and locking of removable elements with a connector |
| CN112162600B (en) * | 2020-09-18 | 2022-04-26 | 苏州浪潮智能科技有限公司 | Hard disk bracket, case and server of tool-free plug-in hard disk |
| CN114791866A (en) * | 2021-01-26 | 2022-07-26 | 戴尔产品有限公司 | Status indicator for a drive bay controlling a drive bay enclosure of a storage system |
| WO2023039364A1 (en) | 2021-09-08 | 2023-03-16 | Swiss Vault | Cartridge module alignment and mounting system, apparatus and method |
Family Cites Families (12)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US2514246A (en) * | 1947-09-30 | 1950-07-04 | Rca Corp | Radio chassis of the plug-in type |
| US4742608A (en) * | 1982-04-19 | 1988-05-10 | General Electric Company | Method of retaining molded case circuit breakers |
| US4550362A (en) * | 1982-11-22 | 1985-10-29 | Gte Automatic Electric Inc. | Board positioning arrangement |
| US4858070A (en) * | 1987-04-24 | 1989-08-15 | Racal Data Communications Inc. | Modular expandable housing arrangement for electronic apparatus |
| FR2620873B1 (en) * | 1987-09-18 | 1990-01-26 | Telemecanique Electrique | MEMORY CARTRIDGE FOR ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT PROVIDED WITH SUCH CARTRIDGES |
| US4896777A (en) * | 1988-04-06 | 1990-01-30 | Digital Equipment Corporation | Lock and shock mounted device for computer disk drive |
| US4941841A (en) * | 1988-06-09 | 1990-07-17 | Darden Julius C | Adapter and a removable slide-in cartridge for an information storage system |
| US5003431A (en) * | 1989-12-18 | 1991-03-26 | Unisys Corporation | Insertion, extraction, and clamping apparatus for electrical modules |
| US4979909A (en) * | 1989-12-18 | 1990-12-25 | Hewlett-Packard Company | Release apparatus for computer mass storage devices |
| US5187643A (en) * | 1992-02-04 | 1993-02-16 | Shou Tsai I | Computer mounting structure for a detachable hard disk drive |
| US5229919A (en) * | 1992-08-20 | 1993-07-20 | Chen Pao Chin | Hard disk drive case with electrical switch and dust guard for receiving a hard disk drive |
| US5277615A (en) * | 1992-09-24 | 1994-01-11 | Compaq Computer Corporation | Apparatus for removably supporting a plurality of hot plug-connected hard disk drives |
-
1994
- 1994-06-28 US US08/268,010 patent/US5557499A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1995
- 1995-06-15 WO PCT/US1995/007731 patent/WO1996000938A1/en active Application Filing
- 1995-06-15 AU AU28647/95A patent/AU2864795A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1995-06-15 CA CA002193076A patent/CA2193076A1/en not_active Abandoned
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| AU2864795A (en) | 1996-01-25 |
| WO1996000938A1 (en) | 1996-01-11 |
| US5557499A (en) | 1996-09-17 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| CA2193076A1 (en) | An improved hard-disk drive tray assembly | |
| US5808871A (en) | Modular computer tower assembly | |
| US6754074B2 (en) | Multipurpose server handle | |
| US6862172B2 (en) | Hinged mounting for multiple storage drives | |
| US5748442A (en) | Personal computer and chassis having interchangeable trim plates for horizontal model and tower model configuration, one trim plate having a larger periphery for use as a base plate | |
| US5435737A (en) | Removable memory modules | |
| US5896273A (en) | Modular computer chassis interchangeable between stand alone and rack mounted states | |
| WO1994022125A2 (en) | Information display rail system | |
| US20030209361A1 (en) | Cable retention apparatus | |
| US6203076B1 (en) | Fold-down handle device | |
| CN108288476A (en) | The tool-free hard disk bearing mechanism of tight type and computing device | |
| US20030019822A1 (en) | Modularized structure for industrial rack | |
| US20040190266A1 (en) | Carrier for a peripheral device rack | |
| US20040092144A1 (en) | Power supply for an electrical appliance | |
| EP3617838B1 (en) | Computer component holding apparatus | |
| Cisco | Installing a Cisco 12012 | |
| Cisco | Installing a Cisco 12012 | |
| Cisco | Cisco 7000 and Cisco 7507 Rack-Mount Kit Installation Instructions | |
| Cisco | Installing the Cisco 7204 | |
| Cisco | Installing the Cisco 7204 | |
| Cisco | Installing the Cisco 7204 | |
| Cisco | Installing the Cisco 7204 | |
| Cisco | Installing the Cisco 7206 | |
| Cisco | Installing the Cisco 7206 | |
| Cisco | Installing the Cisco 7206 |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Dead |