RECEIVING FRAME HAVING REMOVABLE COMPUTER DRIVE CARRIER AND LOCK

• US 20070188989A1
• Filed: 02/13/2006
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Choon-Tak Tang, Dieter Paul
• Original Assignee: Choon-Tak Tang, Dieter Paul
• Inventors: Tang, Choon-Tak, Paul, Dieter
• Granted Patent: US 7,251,132 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.330
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives

Abstract

A computer drive carrier to be removably received within a receiving frame so that a computer drive transported by the carrier can be interfaced with a host computer. A handle is pivotally connected to the computer drive carrier and adapted to be rotated between a closed position when the carrier is received within the receiving frame and an open position when it is desirable to remove the carrier and its drive from the receiving frame to be replaced by a different carrier. A key controlled lock is mounted on the receiving frame and includes a locking pawl that is rotatable from an unlocked position, at which to permit the handle to be rotated from the closed position to the open position so that the computer drive carrier can be removed from its receiving frame, to a locked position, at which to prevent the handle from being rotated to the open position so that the computer drive carrier is locked in place in the receiving frame. A microcontroller is located on the receiving frame and responsive to when a SAS computer drive has been inserted within a SATA receiving frame so as to initiate a LED warning signal to indicate a potential overheating condition. The microcontroller also prevents a manual shutdown of the computer drive when the drive carrier is locked within its receiving frame.

Claims

1. A combination, comprising:

a receiving frame to be interfaced with a computer;

a computer drive carrier for transporting a computer drive on which computer data is stored, said computer drive carrier being removably received within said receiving frame to enable the computer drive thereof to communicate with the computer,

said computer drive carrier having a handle that is movable between open and closed positions, said handle being moved to the closed position after said computer drive carrier is received by said receiving frame, and said handle being moved to the open position when said computer drive carrier is to be removed from said receiving frame; and

a lock by which to prevent said handle from moving from the closed position to the open position to thereby prevent a removal of said computer drive carrier from said receiving frame.

2. The combination recited in claim 1, wherein said handle has a first end pivotally connected to said computer drive carrier and an opposite free end rotatable between said closed and said open positions.

3. The combination recited in claim 1, wherein said handle has a handle release projecting therefrom and said computer drive carrier has a spring-loaded catch, said handle release being moved into and captured by said spring-loaded catch when said handle is moved from the open position to the closed position, said handle release being moved against and ejected from said spring-loaded catch in response to a pushing force applied to said handle by which to cause said handle and said handle release thereof to move together in a direction towards said spring-loaded catch.

4. The combination recited in claim 3, wherein said lock includes a locking pawl movable between an unlocked position, at which to permit said handle and said handle release thereof to move together in the direction towards said spring-loaded catch in response to the pushing force applied to said handle, and a locked position, at which to block said handle and said handle release from moving in the direction towards said spring-loaded catch, whereby to prevent said handle from moving to the open position from the closed position.

5. The combination recited in claim 4, wherein said lock is operated by a key, said key being rotated in said lock to cause a corresponding movement of said locking pawl between the unlocked position and the locked position.

6. The combination recited in claim 4, wherein said receiving frame has at least one hollow side along which said computer drive carrier is moved when said carrier is received by or removed from said receiving frame, said lock being attached to said hollow side and said locking pawl being movable between said unlocked position located inwardly of said hollow side and said locked position projecting outwardly from said hollow side at which to block said handle and said handle release.

7. The combination recited in claim 6, wherein the locking pawl of said lock projects outwardly from the hollow side of said receiving frame to contact said handle when said locking pawl is moved to the locked position at which to block said handle and said handle release thereof from moving together in the direction towards said spring-loaded catch, whereby to prevent said handle release from being moved against and ejected from said spring-loaded catch so that said handle cannot move to the open position from the closed position.

8. The combination recited in claim 7, wherein a first end of said handle extends towards said spring-loaded catch, the locking pawl of said lock moving to the locked position at a location between said first end and said spring-loaded catch to create a stop and thereby block said handle and said handle release from moving together in the direction towards said spring-loaded catch to prevent said handle from moving to the open position from the closed position.

9. The combination recited in claim 4, further comprising a microcontroller responsive to whether the locking pawl of said lock is in the locked or unlocked position and whether said computer drive carrier is received by or removed from said receiving frame, said microcontroller controlling the supply of power to the computer drive transported by said computer drive carrier when said computer drive carrier is received by said receiving frame and said locking pawl is in the locked position.

10. The combination recited in claim 1, further comprising a microcontroller and

wherein the computer drive transported by said computer drive carrier is one of a SAS or a SATA drive and said receiving frame is one of a SAS or a SATA frame,

said microcontroller being responsive to and generating a warning signal when the carrier of a SAS drive is received within a SATA receiving frame.

11. A combination, comprising:

a receiving frame to be interfaced with a computer;

a computer drive carrier for transporting a computer drive on which computer data is stored, said computer drive carrier being removably received within said receiving frame to enable the computer drive thereof to communicate with the computer,

the computer drive of said computer drive carrier being one of a SAS or a SATA drive and said receiving frame being one of a SAS or a SATA frame; and

a microcontroller being responsive to and generating a warning signal when the carrier of a SAS drive is received within a SATA receiving frame.

12. The combination recited in claim 11, wherein the warning signal generated by said microcontroller is a visual warning signal.

13. The combination recited in claim 11, further comprising a lock having a locked position at which to prevent a removal of said computer drive carrier from said receiving frame and an unlocked position at which to permit the removal of said computer drive carrier from said receiving frame, said microcontroller being responsive to whether said lock is in the locked position or the unlocked position so as to cause the computer drive transported by said computer drive carrier to power up simultaneously with the computer if said computer drive carrier is located in said receiving frame when the computer is initially powered on and said lock is in the locked position.

14. The combination recited in claim 13, further comprising a manually operated power switch connected to said microcontroller, said power switch being operated so that the computer drive transported by said computer drive carrier receives power in the event that said computer drive carrier was not located in said receiving frame when the computer was powered on.

15. The combination recited in claim 14, wherein said microcontroller is adapted to temporarily disable said manually operated power switch when said lock is in the locked position and said computer drive is receiving power.

16. The combination recited in claim 11, wherein said microcontroller is adapted to prevent a SAS drive from powering up in the event that the computer drive carrier of said SAS drive is received within a SATA receiving frame.

17. The combination recited in claim 11, wherein said microcontroller is also responsive to the computer drive carrier of a SATA computer drive being received within a SAS or a SATA receiving frame and the computer drive carrier of a SAS computer drive being received within a SAS receiving frame for generating a first drive indicator signal when said SAS or SATA drive is powered up and ready to communicate with the computer and a second drive indicator signal when said SAS or SATA drive is powered down and ready to be removed from said SAS or SATA receiving frame.

18. The combination recited in claim 11, further comprising a fan located at said receiving frame to cool the SAS or SATA computer drive transported by said computer drive carrier, said microcontroller being responsive to a failure of said fan by generating a fan failure indicator signal.

19. The combination recited in claim 11, wherein said microcontroller is responsive to a failure of the computer drive transported by said computer drive carrier to receive power by generating a power failure signal.