Retaining frame for components of a personal computer

• US 5,224,024 A
• Filed: 02/03/1992
• Issued: 06/29/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Inventors: Tu, Wen-tsai, Chen, Chyi-song
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phillips, Michael W.
• Application Number:
  US07/829,760
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 364/708, 360/137, 361/380, 361/390, 361/391, 361/392, 361/395, 361/399, 361/429
• US Class Current: 361/831
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/184 Mounting of motherboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/188 Mounting of power supply units

Abstract

A retaining frame for components of a personal computer comprises a horizontal portion, with a first section and a second section connected together; and a vertical portion attached substantially perpendicular to the first and second sections. The first section is adapted to secure a disk drive holder, and has at least one leg extending downward to support the retaining frame. The second section is adapted to secure a power supply, and has at least one leg extending downward to support the retaining frame. The vertical portion comprises a speaker seat and a ventilation fan seat at a central location near the first section, and speaker securing rib and fan securing device, respectively, for fastening a speaker and a ventilation fan. The retaining frame with a disk drive holder, power supply, speaker and the ventilation fan mounted thereon is disposed on the lower portion of a computer case, and secured inside the case by a vertical force exerted on the retaining frame by an upper portion of the computer case.

Claims

1. A retaining frame for a computer having a lower case portion, a front piece, an upper case portion, a power supply with a first switch, a control panel with a second switch, a motherboard, a disk drive holder, a speaker and a ventilation fan;

said retaining frame comprising;

a horizontal portion having a first section and a second section, said first and second sections being attached together;

a disk drive holder securing means disposed on said first section for securing the disk drive holder;

a power supply securing means disposed on said second section for securing the power supply;

first and second legs attached to the first and second sections, respectively, said first and second legs extending downward to support the retaining frame at a height which causes the disk drive holder and the power supply, when mounted on the retaining frame, to contact the upper case portion to further secure the disk drive holder and the power supply to the retaining frame;

a vertical portion attached substantially perpendicular to said first and second sections, said vertical portion having a speaker seat and a fan seat proximate said first section;

a speaker securing means disposed on said vertical portion for securing the speaker;

a fan securing means disposed on said vertical portion for securing the fan; and

a fan securing means dispose don said vertical portion for securing the fan; and

a fastening means disposed on a side of said vertical portion facing away from said first and second sections for engaging a circuit card connected to the motherboard expansion slot.

2. The retaining frame of claim 1, wherein a first opening is defined between said first section and said second section, said first opening adapted to pass cables.

3. The retaining frame of claim 1, further comprising a pair of wedged plates disposed on said first section to guide the disk drive holder into a mounted position on said first section.

4. The retaining frame of claim 1, wherein said fastening means for engaging a circuit card connected to the motherboard expansion slot comprises an inverted U-shaped fastener, adapted to engage the circuit card.

5. The retaining frame of claim 1, further comprising a supporting member disposed on an edge of said first section bordering said second section, and extending downward therefrom to engage the lower case portion to provide further support for said retaining frame.

6. The retaining frame of claim 1, further comprising a power switching link for mechanically coupling the first and second switches.

7. The retaining frame of claim 6, wherein said vertical portion further comprises a pair of vertical slats with a supporting slot disposed in the vertical slats, said supporting receiving slot partially said power switching link.

8. A retaining frame for a computer having a lower case portion, a front piece defining a slot, an upper case portion, a control panel, a motherboard, a power supply defining a pawl opening on the exterior of the power supply, a disk drive holder having a plurality of disk drive holder lugs each lug defining a hole, a speaker having a collar portion and a ventilation fan having apertures for receiving pegs;

said retaining frame comprising;

a horizontal portion having a first section and a second section, said first and second sections being attached together;

a disk drive holder securing means disposed on said first section for securing the disk drive holder;

a power supply securing means disposed on said second section for securing the power supply;

a first and second legs attached to the first and second sections, respectively, said first and second legs extending downward to support the retaining frame at a height which causes the disk drive holder and the power supply, when mounted on the retaining frame, to contact the upper case portion to further secure the disk drive holder and the power supply to the retaining frame;

a vertical portion attached substantially perpendicular to the first and second sections, said vertical portion having a speaker seat and a fan seat proximate said first section;

a speaker securing means disposed on said vertical portion for securing the speaker;

a fan securing means disposed on said vertical portion for securing the fan; and

a fastening means disposed on said vertical portion and extending away from the first and second sections for engaging a circuit card connected to the motherboard expansion slot.

9. The retaining frame of claim 8, wherein said disk drive holder securing means comprises a plurality of guiding posts disposed on said first section, said guiding posts to be respectively in the plurality of disk drive holder lug holes.

10. The retaining frame of claim 8, wherein said power supply securing means comprises a plurality of pawls, each of said pawls being fixed on an end of a pawl support, said pawl support extending upward from said second section, each of said pawls being a wedged structure sized to snap into the corresponding pawl opening located on the exterior of the power supply.

11. The retaining frame of claim 8, wherein said speaker seat is a hole in said vertical portion, and said speaker securing means comprises a pair of ribs disposed inside said hole, each of said ribs having a resilient middle portion opposing each other and having an expandable portion to receive and pinch the collar portion of the speaker.

12. The retaining frame of claim 8, wherein said fan seat is a hole in said vertical portion and said fan securing means comprises a pair of snap-on grippers disposed around said hole for securing said ventilation fan.

13. The retaining frame of claim 12, wherein said fan securing means further comprises a plurality of allocating pegs to be received in respective apertures of the ventilation fan.

14. The retaining frame of claim 8, wherein said vertical portion further comprises a member formed adjacent the speaker seat, and extending in the direction of the front piece, said member having a slot thereunder to engage with the slot disposed in the front piece.