Open-ended screwless positioning module of access apparatus

• US 10,595,443 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2018
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chenbro Micom Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Chenbro Micom Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Chang, Yuan-Cheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Rockshana D
• Application Number:
  US16/108,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20190069446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/124 of the single recording/reproducing device, e.g. disk drive, onto a chassis
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/128 of the plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. disk drives, onto a chassis
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/18 Construction of rack or frame
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20736 within cabinets for removing heat from server blades

Abstract

An open-ended screwless positioning module of an access apparatus includes an external frame body and an operation handle pivotally connected to the external frame body. The external frame body has a base, two arms, positioning bumps, an installing portion, an unlocking switch and a pivot portion. The arms extend downwards from the base in which a holding space for receiving the access apparatus is defined by the base and the arms. The positioning bumps are integrally formed on the arms for engaging with securing holes of the access apparatus. The installing portion is disposed on an upper surface of the base, the unlocking switch is movably assembled on the installing portion, and the pivot portion is disposed to a main body of the operation handle.

Claims

1. An open-ended screwless positioning module of an access apparatus, comprising an external frame body and an operation handle pivotally connected to the external frame body, wherein the external frame body has a base, two arms, positioning bumps, an installing portion, an unlocking switch and a pivot portion,

wherein the installing portion is in a concave shape, and is formed with a hollow hole thereon, and an elastic member is provided between the base and the unlocking switch to be received within the hollow hole for returning the unlocking switch automatically, the base is monolithically formed of a plastic material, two arms respectively extend downwards from two sides of the base in which a holding space used to receive the access apparatus therein is defined by the base and the two arms, and a negative angle smaller than a perpendicular angle is included between the base and the two arms arranged to approach towards the holding space, so that the two arms are used to clamp two sides of the access apparatus, the positioning bumps are integrally formed on inner wall surfaces of the two arms for engaging with securing holes of the access apparatus which correspond to the positioning bumps, the installing portion is disposed on an upper surface of the base, the unlocking switch is movably assembled on the installing portion, and the pivot portion is disposed on one of the two sides of the base adjacent to one of the two arms;

and

the operation handle comprises a main body, a stuck portion and a position-limited portion, the main body is pivotally connected to the pivot portion at one end of the main body, and the stuck portion extends outwardly from a bottom of one side wall of the main body, and the position-limited portion is disposed on the other end of the main body and enables the unlocking switch to be opened and shut to collectively move the stuck portion into one of an unlocking state and a locking state, the external frame body comprises an overhanging elastic body and a through hole, the overhanging elastic body is monolithically formed on the base between the installing portion and the pivot portion, and obliquely extends towards one of the two arms upwardly, the through hole is formed on an area of the upper surface of the base surrounding the overhang elastic body for providing the operation handle to be elastically deformed when the operation handle is pressed downward,

after the access apparatus installed on the external frame body is mounted in an internal of a chassis, the operation handle is able to be rotated downwardly to move the position-limited portion to be locked by the unlocking switch, and to move the stuck portion from a first position of the unlocking state to a second position of the locking state to be stuck on the chassis.

2. The open-ended screwless positioning module of the access apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base is provided with a first positioning post at an inner surface of the hollow hole of the installing portion, and

the unlocking switch comprises a pushing member, the pushing member is provided with a pressed portion at one side of the pushing member, wherein when the operation handle is rotated to move the position-limited portion to push the pressed portion, and the position-limited portion is then located under the pressed portion, the position-limited portion is locked by the pushing member,

wherein the pushing member is provided with two engaging portions and a second positioning post, the two engaging portions are oppositely arranged at a bottom surface of the pushing member for engaging with the inner surface of the hollow hole, and the second positioning post is disposed on the pushing member opposite to the pressed portion, and extended into the hollow hole, wherein two opposite ends of the elastic member which is elastically deformed are respectively connected to the first positioning post and the second positioning post.

3. The open-ended screwless positioning module of the access apparatus of claim 2, wherein the base is formed with a stopper wall at one side of the inner surface of the hollow hole of the installing portion, the first positioning post is transversally extended and located on the other side of the inner surface of the hollow hole of the installing portion,

the pushing member is provided with two suspended arms and an abutting plate, the two suspended arms are oppositely arranged at one side of the pushing member, and the pressed portion is located in a gap formed between the two suspended arms, and the two engaging portions are respectively disposed on the two suspended arms, and the abutting plate is located at the bottom surface of the pushing member, and downwardly extends into the hollow hole, and the second positioning post is located on the abutting plate.

4. The open-ended screwless positioning module of the access apparatus of claim 2, wherein a thickness of the base is less than 4.8 mm, and the pushing member covers a surface of the installing portion surrounding the hollow hole, and the pushing member is not higher than the upper surface of the base.

5. The open-ended screwless positioning module of the access apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pivot portion comprises a shaft passage, a shaft rod and a protruding block, the shaft passage is penetrated transversally through the base, and the shaft rod inserts into the shaft passage, the protruding block is disposed on an outer surface of the base,

the operation handle further comprises two shaft holes and a positioning opening, the two shaft holes are formed oppositely on two side walls of the main body, and the two shaft holes are inserted through by the shaft rod, and the positioning opening is formed on a surface of the main body so that the positioning opening is able to be engaged with the protruding block when the operation handle is rotated to the unlocking state.

6. The open-ended screwless positioning module of the access apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the two arms of the external frame body comprises a right-angled vertical section and an obliquely extending section, the right-angled vertical section extends downwardly from each of the two sides of the base, and the obliquely extending section is connected to the right-angled vertical section and inclined downwardly towards a direction being away from the base so that the width of an opening formed at a bottom of the holding space is getting narrowed, and the obliquely extending section is arranged to approach the holding space to form the negative angle included between the base and the two arms.

7. The open-ended screwless positioning module of the access apparatus of claim 1, wherein the external frame body is provided with at least one rib and a guiding slope surface, the at least one rib is formed on a peripheral surface of one of the positioning bumps located at a bottom of one of the two arms, and the guiding slope surface is formed on the at least one rib adjacent to one end of the positioning bump.

8. The open-ended screwless positioning module of the access apparatus of claim 1, further comprising two grounding elastic pieces, each of the grounding elastic pieces is formed with an elastic protrusion portion and a contact portion located above the elastic protrusion portion, and each of the grounding elastic pieces is made of metal material;

and

each of the two arms is provided with an insertion hole, and each of the grounding elastic pieces is further mounted in one of the insertion holes, and each of the elastic protrusion portions is exposed outwards from an outer surface of each of the two arms, each of the contact portions is extended into the holding space through one of the insertion holes.

9. The open-ended screwless positioning module of the access apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of the two arms is formed with a fastening groove and a flange, the fastening groove is located under the insertion hole, and is communicated with the insertion hole, the flange is located at an inner surface of the fastening groove and extends downwardly,

wherein each of the grounding elastic pieces is formed with a bonding portion located under the elastic protrusion portion and inserting into the fastening groove, and the bonding portion has a button being fastened on the flange.