PROTECTION APPARATUS AND METHODS

• US 20080264610A1
• Filed: 07/14/2008
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Anthony E.B. Goodfellow, David Lee Hanan, Kathleen Elizabeth Macneil, Thomas Dixon Hanan
• Original Assignee: Anthony E.B. Goodfellow, David Lee Hanan, Kathleen Elizabeth Macneil, Thomas Dixon Hanan
• Inventors: Hanan, Thomas Dixon, MacNeil, Kathleen Elizabeth, Hanan, David Lee, Goodfellow, Anthony E. B.
• Application Number:
  US12/172,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20080264610A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/104.19
• CPC Class Codes: E05G 1/024 Wall or panel structure
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0209 Thermal insulation, e.g. for fire protection or for fire containment or for high temperature environments
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0213 Venting apertures; Constructional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/13 Hollow or container type article [e.g., tube, vase, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/2631 Coating or impregnation provides heat or fire protection

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for providing environmental protection to electronic systems, particularly data storage systems, in order to permit such systems to survive severe environmental changes such as those that occur during a fire.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a container including a cavity, the container including a first fiber based material loaded with a second material which endothermically decomposes above a pre-determined temperature T degrees Celsius where T is greater than 150 and less than 500.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an electronic device within the cavity.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein T is greater than 200 and less than 400.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first material is loaded with at least 0.1 percent by weight of carbon.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first material is loaded with at least five percent by weight of the second material, and the second material consists essentially of Mg(OH)₂ and/or Ca(OH)₂.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the second material has an enthalpy of decomposition between 250 Cal/g and 400 Cal/g.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the first material is also loaded with at least 0.1 percent by weight of carbon.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fiber based material is an alumina-silica ceramic fiber based material.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first material is bio-soluble.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first material is vacuum formable.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the distance between a point on an exterior surface of the container and a point on a surface of the cavity that is nearest to the point on the exterior surface is less than W inches for any point on at least thirty percent of the exterior surface, where W is 3.5.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 where W is between 1.5 and 3.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the container comprises at least two pieces compressed against each other within a second container.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a thermal mass within the cavity in fluid communication with a thermal mass outside of the container.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising:

a working fluid flowing between the thermal mass within the cavity and the thermal mass outside of the container; and

at least two flow paths passing through the container, the at least two flow paths providing a route for the working fluid to flow into the cavity, and providing a route for the working fluid to flow out of the cavity.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein:

the thermal mass inside the cavity comprises a plate having a plurality of flow paths within it; and

the working fluid flows into, through, and back out of the plurality of plate flow paths.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the plate is part of an enclosure within the cavity.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein open areas within the enclosure are filled with a dry gas that contains less than 0.5% gaseous water by volume.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the thermal mass outside the container is actively cooled.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the thermal mass outside the container is actively cooled by at least one Peltier cooler sandwiched between a heat-sink and the thermal mass outside the container.