Personal computer component support structure

• US 5,269,598 A
• Filed: 10/08/1992
• Issued: 12/14/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Enlight Corporation
• Original Assignee: Enlight Corporation
• Inventors: Liu, Morgan C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eley, Timothy V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHAN
• Application Number:
  US07/958,557
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• Field of Search: 312/223.2, 361/391, 361/390, 361/380, 361/427, 361/428, 361/429
• US Class Current: 312/223.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/183 Internal mounting support structures, e.g. for printed circuit boards, internal connecting means for buses G06F13/409

Abstract

A personal computer component support structure comprises a base casing having a front plate and a back plate with a main frame secured therebetween. The main frame comprises a front portion defining therein a two-staged interior space for respectively receiving therein a 51/4" floppy disk drive and a 31/2" floppy disk drive and a rear portion defining therein a second interior space for receiving therein at least one hard disk drive. An I/O port retaining plate and an interface seat are mounted on the back plate. A holder member for supporting a ventilation fan and a speaker is secured on an inside surface of the front plate of the base casing. A cover casing is slidably mounted on the base casing with a front panel disengagably attached to the cover casing and the base casing to define a housing of the computer.

Claims

1. A personal computer component support structure comprising:

a base casing comprising a front plate and a back plate with a bottom plate connecting therebetween;

a main frame mounted between said front plate and back plate of the base casing, said main frame having a front portion defining therein an upper level interior space and a lower level interior space for respectively receiving therein a floppy disk drive and a rear portion defining therein a third interior space for receiving therein at least one hard disk drive, said third interior space comprising a plurality of holding pieces projecting from a surface thereof and a resilient securing piece substantially located close to a front edge thereof and at the same level of said surface;

an input/output port retaining plate disposed on an interior surface of said back plate with a bottom edge thereof secured on said bottom plate;

an interface seat secured on said back plate with a lower side secured on and supported by a top edge of said input/output port retaining plate and an upper side contacting and supporting said main frame;

a holder member, which is secured on an inside surface of said front plate, comprising on a first side thereof a speaker holder which has a pair of retaining pieces for holding a speaker and a fan holder which has a pair of flat legs, each of which has a pair of hooks extending along a longitudinal direction and a rib formed on an inside surface thereof;

a cover casing slidably mounted on said base casing; and

a front panel disengagably mounted on said cover casing and said base casing.

2. The personal computer component support structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said main frame has in a front side of opposite side walls thereof two laterally-extended flat hook members which respectively hook and rest on a strip inward extension of said front plate of the base casing and wherein said main frame also has in the front side thereof two forward-extended flat hook-like members to hook and rest on corresponding notches formed on said front plate, a resilient paw member being formed between said forward-extended hook members to engage with a recessed portion formed on said front plate.

3. The personal computer component support structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said main frame comprises a pair of cruciform posts, each of which depends from a bottom of the rear portion thereof and has a conical end portion to penetrate into holes formed on said interface seat.

4. The personal computer component support structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said main frame further comprises a plurality of interface board retaining tabs disposed on one of the side walls in an equally-spaced way.

5. The personal computer component support structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said input/output port retaining plate comprises a plurality of outward-inclined tabs formed on both the top edge and the bottom edge thereof, the top edge outward-inclined tabs being inserted into recesses formed on the lower side of said interface seat and the bottom edge outward-inclined tabs being inserted into and engaged by recesses formed on said bottom plate of the base casing.

6. The personal computer component support structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said interface seat comprises a rectangular basin-like structure having a first and a second extension portions respectively formed on opposite lateral sides thereof, said second extension portion comprising a perpendicular flange formed thereon, a pair of lugs respectively formed on said first and second extension portions and extending toward each other to be supported and engaged by guiding plates attached on said back plate, a lower end of each of said extension portions penetrating a passage defined between said back plate and strip members mounted thereon with the perpendicular flange of said second extension portion abutting against a strip formed on a side extension of said back plate.

7. The personal computer component support structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the retaining pieces of said speaker holder comprises a semi-circle arc member with at least a rib formed on an inside surface thereof.

8. The personal computer component support structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said holder member has on a surface of each of said flat legs a resilient plate extending horizontally with a raised portion thereon.

9. The personal computer component support structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said holder member has at least a cruciform guiding rod corresponding to a hole pre-formed on a ventilation fan which is to be held on said fan holder.

10. The personal computer component support structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said holder member comprises a perpendicular circumferential flange and a raised boss formed on each of segments of said circumferential flange which defines opposite side walls of said fan holder.

12. The personal computer component support structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cover casing has on a rear side thereof two inward-bent flanges with guiding poles formed on an inside surface of said inward-bent flanges to be inserted into corresponding holes formed on said back plate of the base casing to hold said cover casing in position, said cover casing having two opposite side plates on each of which a recessed portion is formed to be engaged by a pawl formed on a securing tab which is mounted on a lateral edge of said front plate of the base casing.

13. The personal computer component support structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said front panel comprises a top side with a plurality of catch members mounted thereon to engage with a plurality of first slots formed on said front plate of the base casing and a bottom side with two grooves formed thereon, each of said two grooves having a catch plate extending generally toward said front plate of the base casing to engage with second slots formed on said front plate.

11. The personal computer component support structure as claimed in claim wherein said holder member comprises at least a pair of guiding blocks disposed on a second side thereof with a guiding slot formed in-between.