Computer system having color-coded printed circuit boards and corresponding slats

• US 5,661,631 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 08/26/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Foundry Networks Incorporated (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The Panda Project, Inc.
• Inventors: Crane, Stanford W. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Michael W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FEILD, LYNN DIANA
• Application Number:
  US08/487,104
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• Field of Search: 361/683, 361/684, 361/686, 361/679, 361/736, 361/741, 361/742, 361/784, 361/792, 361/796, 361/797, 361/801, 361/802, 439/488, 439/489, 439/491, 209/580, 364/708.1
• US Class Current: 361/679.6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/184 Mounting of motherboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/185 Mounting of expansion boards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/186 Securing of expansion boards in correspondence to slots provided at the computer enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0266 Marks, test patterns or identification means
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/14 Structural association of two or more printed circuits providing electric connection to or between printed circuits H05K1/11, H01R12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1455 Coding for prevention of wrong insertion

Abstract

A computer system includes a computer cabinet, a plurality of printed circuit boards housed within the computer cabinet, a processor secured to at least one of the printed circuit boards, a power supply cabinet remote from the computer cabinet, a power supply housed within the power supply cabinet and a signal interconnect unit, coupled to the computer cabinet and the power supply cabinet, for providing an electrical path between the computer cabinet and the power supply cabinet. The printed circuit boards and the slots into which they are inserted have corresponding color code labels. The purpose of this is to clearly identify the location of the slot which corresponds to the printed circuit board of the same color.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a computer cabinet;

a card cage located within the computer cabinet and having a plurality of slots;

a plurality of printed circuit boards removably secured to the slots of the card cage, respectively, each of the printed circuit boards being marked with at least one indicator identifying a color uniquely associated with that printed circuit board; and

a color code information label, secured within the computer system in visual proximity with respect to the slots of the card cage when one or more of the printed circuit boards is secured to corresponding slots of the card cage, for identifying a one-to-one correspondence between the slots of the card cage and the colors associated with the printed circuit boards to facilitate securement of each printed circuit board associated with a given color to the one of the slots corresponding to that color.

2. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein each of the printed circuit boards is a different color, and the different colors of the printed circuit boards serve as the indicators for the printed circuit boards, respectively.

3. The computer system according to claim 2, wherein the indicator for each printed circuit board comprises text spelling out the color uniquely associated with that printed circuit board.

4. A computer system comprising:

a computer cabinet;

a card cage located within the computer cabinet and having a plurality of slots;

a plurality of printed circuit boards removably secured to the slots of the card cage, respectively, each of the printed circuit boards being marked with at least one indicator identifying a color uniquely associated with that printed circuit board and each of the printed circuit boards being marked with a graphic symbol uniquely associated with that printed circuit board to ensure suitable replacement of the printed circuit board; and

color code means identifying a one-to-one correspondence between the slots of the card cage and the colors associated with the printed circuit boards to facilitate securement of each printed circuit board associated with a given color to the one of the slots corresponding to that color.

5. The computer system according to claim 4, wherein each of the printed circuit boards is marked with a graphic symbol and the graphic symbols serve as identifiers for the printed circuit boards, respectively.

6. The computer system according to claim 5, wherein the identifier for each printed circuit board identifies the manufacturer of that printed circuit board.

7. The computer system according to claim 5, wherein the identifier for each printed circuit board identifies the version of that printed circuit board.

8. A computer system comprising:

a computer cabinet;

a card cage located within the computer cabinet, said card cage including a system backplane and a plurality of slots for receiving printed circuit boards;

a plurality of printed circuit boards removably inserted into the slots of the card cage, respectively, and pluggably connected to the system backplane, each of the primed circuit boards being marked with at least one indicator identifying a color uniquely associated with that printed circuit board; and

a color code information label, affixed within the computer system in visual proximity with respect to the slots of the card cage, for identifying a one-to-one correspondence between the slots of the card cage and the colors associated with the printed circuit boards to facilitate securement of each primed circuit board associated with a given color to the one of the slots corresponding to that color.

9. The computer system according to claim 8, wherein the color code information label is secured within the computer system in visual proximity with respect to the slots of the card cage when one or more of the printed circuit boards is secured to corresponding slots of the card cage.

10. The computer system according to claim 9, wherein a first one of said plurality of printed circuit boards is a microprocessor board, a second one of said plurality of primed circuit boards is a memory board, and a third one of said printed circuit boards is a peripheral controller board.