Mass storage cradle device

• US 20060050477A1
• Filed: 09/09/2004
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bill Kwong, Victor Chuan-Chen Wu
• Original Assignee: Bill Kwong, Victor Chuan-Chen Wu
• Inventors: Kwong, Bill, Wu, Victor Chuan-Chen
• Granted Patent: US 7,428,742 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/184 Mounting of motherboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives

Abstract

A mass storage cradle device that enables different types of storage devices to be conveniently added or removed from a computer or equipment without disassembling and reassembling the computer or equipment which comprising: a cradle portion that can be secured to a drive bay of the computer or equipment, which comprises openings; an enclosure portion that can slide in and out of the cradle portion for containing the storage devices and providing connection of the electrical signals of the storage devices; and a bridge portion that can be positioned inside the enclosure portion and comprises a first interface as well as a second interface, wherein, the first interface is different to the second interface, either in signals type or physical connecting type.

Claims

1. A mass storage cradle device that enables different types of storage devices to be conveniently added or removed from a computer or equipment without disassembling and reassembling the computer or equipment, which comprising:

a cradle portion that can be secured to a drive bay of the computer or equipment;

an enclosure portion that can slide in and out of said cradle portion, having a hollow space for containing said storage devices and providing connection of the electrical signals of said storage devices; and

a bridge portion that can be positioned inside said enclosure portion and can translate a first interface into a second interface, and said first interface is different to said second interface either in signals type or physical connecting type.

2. The mass storage cradle device according to claim 1, wherein said cradle portion with outside dimension equal the inside dimension of said drive bay is mounted permanently inside a 5¼

″

drive bay.

3. The Mass storage cradle device according to claim 1, wherein said bridge portion further comprises:

a PCB that can be positioned inside said enclosure portion for conveying the following elements;

an ASIC board that can be removably mounted on said PCB for translating said first interface of said storage device and said second interface therebetween;

a connector that can be mounted on said PCB and coupled to said ASIC board for coupling said storage device to said ASIC board; and

a male gold finger that can be formed on top and bottom surface of said PCB and coupled to said ASIC board for coupling to said cradle portion.

4. The Mass storage cradle device according to claim 3, wherein said connector is a SATA, IDE, SCSI, USB, Firewire or USIB interface connector.

5. The Mass storage cradle device according to claim 3, wherein said male gold finger further comprises IDE, SATA, SCSI, USB, Firewire or USIB signals.

6. The Mass storage cradle device according to claim 1, wherein said cradle portion further comprises an opening and a plurality of sector-shaped openings.

7. The Mass storage cradle device according to claim 6, wherein said cradle portion further comprises:

a PCB that can be fastened around said opening by screws for conveying the following elements;

a slot that can be mounted on said PCB for directly coupling to said male gold finger of said bridge portion;

a male IDE connector that can be mounted on back surface of said PCB for coupling to an IDE interface on the motherboard of a computer or the control board of a equipment; and

a fan, positioned beside said PCB for swapping the heat generated inside said enclosure portion via said plurality of sector-shaped openings.

8. The mass storage cradle device according to claim 1, wherein said enclosure portion has outside dimensions equal the inside dimensions of said cradle portion.

9. The mass storage cradle device according to claim 1, wherein said first interface is a SATA, IDE, SCSI, USB, Firewire or USIB interface, preferably.

10. The mass storage cradle device according to claim 1, wherein said second interface is a SATA, IDE, SCSI, USB, Firewire or USIB interface, preferably.

11. The mass storage cradle device according to claim 3, wherein said ASIC board further comprises an ASIC chip, a printed circuit board and a socket, wherein, said ASIC chip can be mounted on the top surface of said printed circuit board and said socket can be mounted on the bottom surface of said printed circuit board so that said ASIC board can be removably coupled to said printed circuit board of said bridge portion to execute translating according to different requirement.

12. The mass storage cradle device according to claim 6, wherein said slot further comprises IDE, SATA, SCSI, USB, Firewire or USIB signals corresponding to said male gold finger.