Rackmount for computer and mass storage enclosure

• US 5,505,533 A
• Filed: 06/24/1994
• Issued: 04/09/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dot Hill Systems Corporation (Seagate Technology Holdings Plc)
• Original Assignee: Artecon Co.
• Inventors: Kammersqard, Dana W., Colson, Angus R. Jr., Cook, Steven B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SANDY, ROBERT JOHN
• Application Number:
  US08/265,208
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 312/107, 312/111, 312/257.1, 312/236, 312/323.3, 361/683, 361/687, 361/725, 361/730
• US Class Current: 312/236
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/26 Special adaptations of handles A45C13/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2095/022 Pivotable handles with two sockets
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 95/02 Handles similar handles for doors in general E05B1/0015
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/18 Packaging or power distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/183 Internal mounting support structures, e.g. for printed circuit boards, internal connecting means for buses G06F13/409
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/123 Mounting arrangements of constructional parts onto a chassis

Abstract

A chassis for encapsulating a standard desk-top mounted electronic computer for juxtaposed mating with computer accessories in a EIA-configured rack including a base plate defined by spaced-apart side walls and spaced-apart front and rear walls, the walls extending upward therefrom to a common contiguous upper edge enclosed by a top plate to create of EIA-sized enclosure, a support plate bounded by the walls and located intermediate between the base plate and the top plate to divide the enclosure into a lower bay and a separate upper bay, the upper bay of a size and shape to encapsulate the computer therein and the lower bay of a size to receive a power supply for the computer and other accessories for interfacing with the computer, a ram air cooling device in the air thereinto for cooling the accessories and power supply and for providing a separate stream of cooling air from the lower bay to the upper bay to cool the computer encapsulated therein and provide additional air for use by the computer'"'"'s internal cooling system, rails mounted on the side walls for supporting the frame in the rack, and handles mounted on the side walls for lifting the frame.

Claims

1. A rack for encapsulating a standard desk-top mounted, air-cooled electronic computer for juxtaposed mating with computer accessories in an EIA-configuration comprising:

a) a base plate defined by spaced-apart side walls and spaced-apart front and rear walls, said walls extending upward therefrom to a common contiguous upper edge enclosed by a top plate to create an EIA-sized enclosure;

b) a support plate bounded by said walls and located intermediate said base plate and said top plate to divide said enclosure into a lower bay and a separate upper bay, said upper bay of a size and shape to encapsulate the computer therein and said lower bay of a size to receive a power supply and other accessories for interfacing with the computer;

c) ram air cooling means located in said lower bay for providing a first stream of cooling air for cooling the accessories and power supply in said lower bay and then for passing upward, inside said rack, into said upper bay to provide additional cooling for the computer encapsulated therein in addition to the cooling that is being done by its own internal cooling system;

d) rails mounted on said side walls for supporting said rack; and

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e) handles mounted on said side walls for lifting said rack.

2. The rack of claim 1 wherein said base plate, said side walls and said front and rear walls form a rectangular enclosure.

3. The rack of claim 1 wherein said base plate, said support plate, said side walls and said front and rear walls form a square periphery.

4. The rack of claim 1 further including partitions in said lower bay for isolating the flow of cooling air, drawn thereinto by said ram air cooling fan means, to specific pathways to provide efficient cooling to the power supply and accessories located therein.

5. The rack of claim 1 wherein said side walls have formed therein a plurality of slotted apertures above said support plate for matching with apertures formed in the side walls of the computer to allow the passage of more cooling air therethrough.

6. The rack of claim 1 wherein said support plate is positioned below said upper wall edge a distance sufficient to allow the computer to fit wholly within said upper bay and below said upper wall edge.

7. The rack of claim 1 further including SCSI connectors located in said rear wall.

8. The rack of claim 1 further including a fascia door for closing over said front wall, said door including:

a) a door frame comprising spaced-apart, elongated top and bottom brackets and spaced-apart, shorter side brackets assembled together and attached about the perimeter of said front wall;

b) a door panel defined by spaced-apart, elongated top and bottom edges and shorter, spaced-apart side edges, and of a size and shape to fit closely within said side brackets and adjacent said top and bottom brackets over said front wall;

c) a pair of pins extending between said door panel side edges and said side brackets to allow said door panel to pivot between a closed position adjacent said front wall and an open position apart therefrom.

9. The fascia door of claim 8 further including a panel within said door frame having mounted thereon a switch to turn the computer on and off.

10. The fascia door of claim 8 further including lock and release means interfitted said door panel and said door frame for fastening said door panel against said front wall.

11. The fascia door of claim 10 further including pivotable tabs mounted on said door panel and arranged to move into and out of reception with complimentary slots formed in said door frame.

12. The fascia door of claim 11 wherein said pivotable tabs are lockable and unlockable.

13. The fascia door of claim 8 further including slots formed in said side brackets allowing said fascia door panel to be pulled free of said front wall.

14. The rack of claim 1 wherein said handles are self-capturing articulating chest-type handles, each comprising:

a) a handle bar of terminal length containing a hand-grasping portion;

b) a pair of legs extending downward from the terminal ends of said handle bar;

c) a pair of links, defined by spaced-apart, first and second ends, pivotally attached at said first ends to the terminal ends of said legs, outboard thereof, to allow said handle to be swung thereabout;

d) a bracket for mounting against a vertical surface including a pair of mutually spaced-apart ears extending outward therefrom;

e) first means for pivotally interconnecting said second link ends to said ears and including an extended element located inboard from said connection interior said links; and

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f) second means formed in said handle bar for fastenable receipt therein of said extended element when said handle is swung downward from a carrying position and rotated about said links into overlapping arrangement therewith and said legs and links swung further downward against the vertical surface.

15. The rack of claim 1 wherein said handles are self-capturing articulating chest-type handles, comprising:

a) a handle bar of terminal length, containing a hand-grasping portion centrally thereof, where both are straight and axially aligned;

b) a pair of straight legs extending downward from the terminal ends of said handle bar;

c) a pair of links, defined by spaced-apart, first and second ends, of a length when folded into overlapping arrangement with said legs, are the same length as said legs, pivotally attached at said first ends to the terminal ends of said legs, outboard thereof, to allow said handle to be swung thereabout;

d) a pair of sub-brackets, arranged in mutual, spaced-apart position for mounting against a vertical surface, including a pair of mutually spaced-apart ears extending outward therefrom, and further including a side wall formed on each sub-bracket and extending outward and downward from said ears to cover said link in its folded configuration;

e) first means for pivotally interconnecting said second link ends to said ears and including an extended element located inboard from said connection interior said links wherein said extended element is rounded; and

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f) second means formed in said handle bar for fastenable receipt therein of said extended element when said handle is swung downward from a carrying position and rotated about said links into overlapping arrangement therewith and said legs and links swung further downward against the vertical surface, and said cavity means includes a rounded cavity of the size and shape of said element and further including a lip, formed on said handle adjacent said cavity means, extending over the top of said cavity means to aid in the capture of said handle in its closed configuration.

16. The rack of claim 1 further including a mass storage enclosure for attachment to said rack front wall, said enclosure including:

a) mutually spaced-apart top and bottom walls, side walls and front and rear walls that define an enclosed housing of a size and shape to fit into said EIA configured rack;

b) means formed in said housing side and rear walls to electronically and physically mate said enclosure with said front wall of said rack;

c) a plurality of separate bays formed in said housing for receipt therein of separate mass storage units;

d) a separate entrance formed in said front wall of said housing for each said bay throughwhich said mass storage unit may be passed;

e) a door pivotally mounted over each entrance and biased in closed position over each empty bay, moveable to an open position upon passage therethrough of a mass storage drive unit into said bay;

f) ram air means in said housing, including intake fan and exhaust fan means for passing large amounts of cooling air throughout said housing and the drive units in said bays; and

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g) a plurality of open channels formed on the inside surfaces of said housing walls to distribute cooling air over the outer surfaces of each drive unit inserted therein.

17. The storage enclosure of claim 16 further including brackets and rails operably mounted on said housing side walls for supporting said housing in said rack.

18. The storage enclosure of claim 16 further including handles mounted on said housing side walls for lifting said housing.

19. The storage enclosure of claim 16 wherein said means formed in said housing side and rear walls to electronically and physically mate said enclosure with said front wall of said rack include at least one short cable for connection to another mateable SCSI interface connector and brackets interconnectable with said side walls of said housing and said rails to operably support said enclosure therein.

20. The rack of claim 16 further including:

a) a cooling air passageway defined by an air inlet opening in said side wall of said lower bay and an air outlet opening in said front wall of said lower bay;

b) said air outlet arranged to mate with said ram air intake fans in said housing; and

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c) air directional barriers formed in said channels to divide the air flow over each mass storage device inserted therein.

21. The rack of claim 20 further including a plurality of intake fans and a plurality of exhaust fans, wherein said plurality of intake fans exceeds said plurality of exhaust fans to generate a positive air pressure inside said enclosure.

22. The rack of claim 16 further including a lateral detent formed in each said bay door forming a cooling air channel across a surface of a mass storage unit inserted therein when swung away from said bar door entranceway and against an interior surface of a wall of said housing.

23. A mass storage enclosure including:

a) mutually spaced-apart top and bottom walls, side walls, and front and rear walls that define an enclosed housing;

b) a plurality of separate bays formed in said housing for receipt therein of separate mass storage units;

c) a separate entrance formed in said front wall of said housing for each said bay throughwhich said mass storage unit may be passed;

d) a door pivotally mounted over each said entrance and biased in closed position over each empty bay, moveable to an open position upon insertion of a mass storage drive unit into said bay;

e) ram air means in said housing, including intake fan and exhaust fan means for passing large amounts of cooling air throughout said housing; and

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f) a plurality of channels formed on the inside surfaces of said housing walls to distribute the cooling air over the outer surfaces of each drive unit inserted therein.

24. The storage enclosure of claim 23 further including handles mounted on said side walls for lifting said housing.

25. The storage enclosure of claim 24 further including:

a) a cooling air passageway defined by an air inlet opening in said side wall of said lower bay and an air outlet opening in said front wall of said lower bay;

b) said air outlet arranged to mate with said ram air intake fans in said housing; and

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c) air directional barriers formed in said channels to divide the surfaces of each mass storage device inserted therein.

26. The storage enclosure of claim 23 further including a plurality of intake fans and a plurality of exhaust fans, wherein the plurality of intake fans exceeds the plurality of exhaust fans to generate a positive air pressure inside said enclosure.

27. The storage enclosure of claim 23 further including a lateral detent formed in each said bay door for forming part of a cooling air channel across a surface of a mass storage unit inserted therein when swung away from said door entrance and against an interior surface of a wall of said housing.

28. The storage enclosure of claim 23 further including a fascia door for closing over said front wall, said door including:

a) a door frame comprising spaced-apart, elongated top and bottom brackets and spaced-apart, shorter side brackets assembled together and attached about the perimeter of said front wall;

b) a door panel defined by spaced-apart, elongated top and bottom edges and shorter, spaced-apart side edges, and of a size and shape to fit closely within said side brackets and adjacent said top and bottom brackets over said front wall;

c) a pair of pins extending between said door panel side edges and said side brackets to allow said door panel to pivot between a closed position adjacent said front wall and an open position apart therefrom.

29. The storage enclosure of claim 23 further including a panel within said door frame and having mounted thereon an off-on computer power switch.

30. The storage enclosure of claim 28 further including lock and release means interfitted said door panel and said door frame for fastening said door panel against said front wall.

31. The storage enclosure of claim 30 further including pivotable tabs mounted on said door panel and arranged to move into and out of reception with complimentary slots formed in said door frame.

32. The storage enclosure of claim 31 wherein said pivotable tabs are lockable and unlockable.

33. The storage enclosure of claim 28 further including L-shaped slots formed in said side brackets allowing said fascia door panel to be pulled free of said front wall.