Rack for memory storage devices

• US 20010001529A1
• Filed: 12/27/2000
• Published: 05/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServStor Technologies, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Chris Erwin, Sunny Behl
• Inventors: Behl, Sunny, Erwin, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 6,565,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 312/223.1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 25/043 using rotating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/128 of the plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. disk drives, onto a chassis
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/142 by air cooling
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/148 Reducing friction, adhesion, drag
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20718 Forced ventilation of a gaseous coolant in closed loop H05K7/20754

Abstract

A docking adapter for reliably inserting and removing a memory storage device from a memory storage device bay includes a rack and a removable carrier. The rack has a pair of lateral rails for holding the carrier. The carrier slidably engages the rails to enable the carrier to slide into the rack. The carrier is adapted for holding a hard disk drive. The carrier has a face with cooling fans, a cantilever mounted on the face for engaging the rack and a cover with a cam. The cover is hinged to the face. The cover rotates from a closed position where the cover parallels the face to an open position where the cover opens, pressing the cam against the cantilever against the rack to smoothly extract the carrier from the rack.

Claims

1. A memory storage device docking adapter, comprising:

a carrier for holding a hard disk drive, the carrier has a face;

a rack having two lateral rails, the carrier slidably engages the rails to enable the carrier to slide into the rack;

a cantilever mounted on the face for engaging the rack; and

a cover with a cam, the cover is hinged to the face, the cover rotates from a closed position where the cover parallels the face to an open position where the cam presses the cantilever against the rack.

2. A docking adapter as set forth in

claim 1

, wherein the cantilever has a contoured end, a fulcrum region, and a fixed end, the fixed end is fixed to the face, the fulcrum region aligns for contact with the cam, the contoured end engages one rail of the rack.

3. A docking adapter as set forth in

claim 2

, wherein the face has a center, the fixed end attaches to the center of the face.

4. A carrier and rack assembly as set forth in

claim 1

, wherein the face includes at least one fan to blow air through the docking adapter.

5. A docking adapter as set forth in

claim 4

, wherein the cantilever is bifurcated having two legs, the cantilever defines an opening between the legs to facilitate airflow through the fan.

6. A docking adapter as set forth in

claim 1

, wherein the cantilever is resilient and bends in response to the cam to dampen shock associated with insertion and removal of the carrier from the rack.

7. A docking adapter as set forth in

claim 1

, wherein the cantilever has a contoured end having a lateral face and an posterior face, the lateral face presses against one rail to laterally align the carrier with respect to the lateral rails of the rack, the posterior face presses axially against the rail when the cover opens.

8. A docking adapter as set forth in

claim 1

, wherein the rack includes a lock with a rotating cylinder and a locking arm attached to one lateral rail, the cylinder rotates the locking arm into contact with the cover to lock the cover in the closed position.

9. A docking adapter as set forth in

claim 8

, wherein the locking arm contacts the face of the carrier thereby holding the carrier in the rack by contacting both the face of the carrier and the cover.

10. A memory storage device docking adapter, comprising:

a carrier for holding a hard disk drive, the carrier has a face;

a sheet metal rack having a back plane for holding a connector, and two lateral rails, the carrier slidably engages the rails to enable the carrier to slide into the rack;

the rails are each fabricated from a single piece of metal, each rail includes integrated tabs that attach the rails to the backplane;

a cantilever mounted on the face for engaging the rack;

a cover with a cam, the cover is hinged to the face, the cover rotates from a closed position where the cover parallels the face to an open position where the cam presses the cantilever against the rack.

11. A docking adapter as set forth in

claim 10

, wherein the cantilever has a contoured end, a fulcrum region, and a fixed end, the fixed end is fixed to the face, the fulcrum region aligns for contact with the cam, the contoured end engages one rail of the rack.

12. A docking adapter as set forth in

claim 11

, wherein the face has a center, the fixed end attaches to the center of the face.

13. A docking adapter as set forth in

claim 10

, wherein the face includes at least one fan to blow air through the docking adapter.

14. A docking adapter as set forth in

claim 13

, wherein the cantilever is bifurcated having two legs, the cantilever defines an opening between the legs to facilitate airflow through the fan.

15. A docking adapter as set forth in

claim 10

, wherein the cantilever is resilient and bends in response to the cam to dampen shock associated with insertion and removal of the carrier from the rack.

16. A docking adapter as set forth in

claim 10

, wherein the cantilever has a contoured end having a lateral face and an posterior face, the lateral face presses against one rail to laterally align the carrier with respect to the lateral rails of the rack, the posterior face presses axially against the rail when the cover opens.

17. A docking adapter as set forth in

claim 10

, wherein the rack includes a lock with a rotating cylinder and a locking arm attached to one lateral rail, the cylinder rotates the locking arm into contact with the cover to lock the cover in the closed position.

18. A docking adapter as set forth in

claim 17

, wherein the locking arm contacts the face of the carrier thereby holding the carrier in the rack by contacting both the face of the carrier and the cover.

19. A rack for removeably holding a memory storage device, comprising:

a back plane having a connector for coupling with a memory storage device carrier;

a pair of lateral rails extending from the backplane to align a memory storage device carrier with the connector, the lateral rails have an inner sides; and

a slide bearing fixed to the inner sides, the slide bearing has a smooth bearing surface for sliding the hard drive along the rails.

20. A rack as set forth in

claim 19

, wherein the lateral rails each include a groove formed on the inner sides for receiving the slide bearing.

21. A rack as set forth in

claim 19

, wherein the lateral rails each include a groove formed on the inner sides for receiving the slide bearing, the slide bearing has “

T”

shaped extension that inserts into the groove to hold the slide bearing with respect to the lateral rails.

22. A rack as set forth in

claim 19

, wherein the lateral rails are fabricated from sheet metal and the slide bearing is fabricated from nylon.

23. A rack as set forth in

claim 19

, wherein the lateral rails are fabricated from sheet metal and the slide bearing is fabricated from a lubricous polymer.