QUICK-RELEASE DEVICE CARRIER

• US 20170060176A1
• Filed: 08/26/2015
• Published: 03/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Kuan, Yi-Hsin, Lien, Yao-Chien
• Granted Patent: US 9,785,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives

Abstract

Quick-release device carriers for computer chassis are described. In some embodiments, a carrier configured to couple and to decouple a device into or from a chassis may include: a front panel having a proximal edge, a distal edge opposite the proximal edge, and a handle nearest the proximal edge, where the proximal edge includes at least one protrusion; and a bracket slideable into the chassis, where the bracket includes a lateral portion and a rear portion, where the distal edge is coupled to the lateral portion via a hinge, where the rear portion includes an opening configured to accommodate an electronic connector between the device and the chassis, where the at least one protrusion is configured to latch onto at least one corresponding groove of a fixed portion of the chassis when the carrier is in a closed position, and where the fixed portion is parallel to the lateral portion.

Claims

1. A carrier configured to couple a device to a chassis and to decouple the device into or from the chassis, the carrier comprising:

a front panel having a proximal edge, a distal edge opposite the proximal edge, and a handle nearest the proximal edge, wherein the proximal edge includes at least one protrusion;

a bracket slideable into the chassis, wherein the bracket includes a lateral portion and a rear portion, wherein the distal edge is coupled to the lateral portion via a hinge, wherein the rear portion includes an opening configured to accommodate an electronic connector between the device and the chassis, wherein the at least one protrusion is configured to latch onto at least one corresponding groove of a fixed portion of the carrier when the carrier is in a closed position, and wherein the fixed portion is parallel to the lateral portion; and

a light guide coupled to the fixed portion, wherein the at least one protrusion is transparent or translucent such that it allows propagation of light from a light source in a backplane of the chassis to the front panel through the light guide to indicate an operational status of the device.

2. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the device includes a Hard Disk Drive (HDD).

3. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the device includes a Solid State Drive (SSD).

4. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the handle allows opening of the carrier by swiveling the front panel around the hinged edge to remove the at least one protrusion from the at least one groove.

5. The carrier of claim 2, wherein the front panel allows the device to be removed from the chassis by pulling the bracket outward from the chassis to disconnect an electronic connector of the device from a backplane of the chassis.

6. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the at least one protrusion includes two protrusions, and wherein the at least one corresponding groove includes two grooves.

7. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the bracket is L-shaped.

8. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

10. A modular chassis, comprising:

a rack having a plurality of blade compartments, each blade compartment configured to receive at least one Information Handling System (IHS); and

an IHS coupled to a given blade compartment, wherein the IHS includes a chassis having a plurality of slots, each slot configured to receive a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or Solid State Drive (SSD) via a carrier, the carrier comprising;

a front panel having a proximal edge, a distal edge opposite the proximal edge, and a handle nearest the proximal edge, wherein the proximal edge includes at least one protrusion;

a bracket slideable into the chassis, wherein the bracket includes a lateral portion and a rear portion, wherein the distal edge is coupled to the lateral portion via a hinge, wherein the rear portion includes an opening configured to accommodate an electronic connector between the HDD or SSD and the chassis, wherein the at least one protrusion is configured to latch onto at least one corresponding groove of a fixed portion of the carrier when the carrier is in a closed position, and wherein the fixed portion is parallel to the lateral portion; and

a light guide coupled to the fixed portion or to the lateral portion, wherein the at least one protrusion is transparent or translucent such that it allows propagation of light from a light source in a backplane of the chassis to the front panel through the light guide to indicate an operational status of the HDD or SDD.

11. The modular chassis of claim 10, wherein the handle allows opening of the carrier by swiveling the front panel around the hinged edge to remove the at least one protrusion from the at least one groove.

12. The modular chassis of claim 11, wherein the front panel allows the HDD or SDD to be removed from the chassis by pulling the bracket outward from the chassis to disconnect an electronic connector of the HDD or SDD from a backplane of the chassis.

13. The modular chassis of claim 10, wherein the at least one protrusion includes two protrusions, and wherein the at least one corresponding groove includes two grooves.

14. The modular chassis of claim 10, wherein the bracket is L-shaped.

15. (canceled)

16. A method, comprising:

inserting a device carrier into a slot of a chassis, the device carrier comprising;

a front panel having a proximal edge, a distal edge opposite the proximal edge, and a handle nearest the proximal edge, wherein the proximal edge includes at least one protrusion;

a bracket slideable into the chassis, wherein the bracket includes a lateral portion and a rear portion, wherein the distal edge is coupled to the lateral portion via a hinge, wherein the rear portion includes an opening configured to accommodate an electronic connector between a device and the chassis, wherein the at least one protrusion is configured to latch onto at least one corresponding groove of a fixed portion of the carrier when the carrier is in a closed position, and wherein the fixed portion is parallel to the lateral portion; and

a light guide coupled to the fixed portion or to the lateral portion, wherein the at least one protrusion is transparent or translucent such that it allows propagation of light from a light source in a backplane of the chassis to the front panel through the light guide to indicate an operational status of the device; and

inserting the device into the device carrier until the electronic connector couples the device to a backplane of the chassis.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising closing the carrier by swiveling the front panel around the hinged edge using the handle to latch the at least one protrusion into the at least one groove.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising opening the carrier by swiveling the front panel around the hinged edge using the handle to remove the at least one protrusion from the at least one groove.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising removing the device from the chassis by pulling the handle outward from the chassis to disconnect an electronic connector of the device from the backplane.

20. (canceled)