Computer chassis having a size-adjustable, TEM-shielded circuit board support plate structure therein

• US 5,661,640 A
• Filed: 01/05/1996
• Issued: 08/26/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dell USA LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell USA LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Randall Terry, Mills, Richard Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dinkins, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US08/584,862
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 361/683, 361/726, 361/727, 361/736, 361/740, 361/748, 361/752, 361/759, 361/788, 361/796, 361/800, 361/801, 361/802, 361/816, 361/818, 361/756, 174/35 GC, 174/35 MS, 174/35 TS, 174/50, 174/52.1, 174/51
• US Class Current: 361/801
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/182 with special features, e.g. for use in industrial environments; grounding or shielding against radio frequency interference [RFI] or electromagnetical interference [EMI]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0049 being metallic containers

Abstract

A computer chassis has a cotton side wall upon which a two-section support plate structure is mounted. Each of the two support plate sections has, along a side edge periphery thereof, an upturned TEM shielding lip portion. The plate sections are supportingly securable to the underside of a printed circuit board, such as the computer motherboard, and are slidably adjustable relative to the underlying bottom chassis side wall to selectively adjust the overall size of the support plate structure so that different sizes of printed circuit boards may be alternatively secured thereto while maintaining proper spacing between the TEM shielding lip portions and adjacent side edge portions of the supported circuit board.

Claims

1. Computer apparatus comprising:

a computer chassis having a wall with an inner side; and

an adjustable, transverse electromagnetic mode-shielding circuit board mounting plate structure including;

a first base wall secured to said inner side of said computer chassis wall in a parallel relationship therewith and being supportingly attachable to a first underside portion of a printed circuit board, said first base wall having a transverse first peripheral edge lip laterally projecting away from said computer chassis wall and having an end portion longitudinally projecting parallel to said computer chassis wall and outwardly beyond the balance of said first base wall, and

a second base wall secured to said inner side of said computer chassis wall in a parallel relationship therewith for movement relative thereto in a direction parallel to the length of said first peripheral edge lip between first and second positions, said second base wall having a transverse second peripheral edge lip laterally projecting away from said computer chassis wall and having an end portion longitudinally extending transversely to said end portion of said first peripheral edge lip and outwardly beyond the balance of said second base wall, said end portions of said first and second peripheral edge lips being transversely and releasably interconnectable with one another with said second base wall in each of said first and second positions thereof.

2. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said second base wall is slidably supported on said inner side of said computer chassis wall for movement relative thereto between said first and second positions, and

said computer apparatus further comprises cooperating portions formed on said computer chassis wall and said second base wall and operative to captively retain said second base wall on said inner side of said computer chassis wall.

3. The computer apparatus of claim 2 wherein said cooperating portions include:

an elongated slot formed on one of said second base wall and said computer chassis wall, and a tab formed in the other of said second base wall and said computer base wall and captively received in said slot for movement along its length.

4. The computer apparatus of claim 3 wherein:

said cooperating portions are raised, slidably nested embossment portions of said computer chassis wall and said second base wall.

5. The computer apparatus of claim 4 wherein:

said tab is formed on said embossment portion of said second base wall, and

said slot is formed on said embossment portion of said computer chassis wall.

6. The computer apparatus of claim 4 further comprising:

a series of holes formed in said embossment portion of said computer chassis wall and mutually spaced apart in a direction parallel to said first peripheral edge lip, and

a hole formed in said embossment portion of said second base wall and being alignable with a selected one of said series of holes formed in said embossment portion of said computer chassis wall to permit a locking screw to be passed through said second base wall embossment portion hole and threaded into said selected one of said series of holes to thereby releasably lock said embossment portions of said computer chassis wall and said second base wall together.

7. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said first and second base walls have spaced apart, transversely projecting hook portions formed thereon and configured to be lockingly received in corresponding openings formed in the printed circuit board.

8. The computer apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

said first and second base walls further having spaced apart, transversely projecting tab portion formed thereon and configured to underlie and supportingly engage corresponding underside portions of the printed circuit board.

9. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said computer chassis and said first and second base walls are of a sheet metal construction.

10. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said computer chassis is of a generally rectangular configuration and has a corner portion on which a pair of transverse contiguous side walls of said chassis project upwardly from said inner side of said computer chassis wall, and

said first and second base walls are disposed within said corner portion, with said first and second peripheral edge lips forming with said transverse contiguous side walls a generally rectangular transverse electromagnetic mode-shielding barrier within which the printed circuit board may be operatively disposed.

11. The computer apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said end portion of said first peripheral edge lip has a longitudinally spaced series of transverse slots formed therein and extending inwardly through a side edge thereof, and

said end portion of said second peripheral edge lip has a transverse slot formed therein and extending inwardly through a side edge thereof facing in an opposite direction than said side edge of said end portion of said first peripheral edge lip,

said end portions of said first and second peripheral edge lips being transversely and releasably interlocked with said transverse slot in said end portion of said second peripheral edge lip receiving a section of said end portion of said first peripheral edge lip, and one of said series of slots in said end portion of said first peripheral edge lip receiving a section of said end portion of said second peripheral edge lip.

12. Computer apparatus comprising:

a computer chassis having a bottom wall with an inner side; and

an adjustable, transverse electromagnetic mode-shielding circuit board mounting plate structure including;

a first section having a first base wall attachable to a first underside portion of a printed circuit board, and a first peripheral edge lip laterally extending transversely to said first base wall and having an end portion longitudinally extending outwardly from the balance of said first base wall in a direction generally parallel thereto,

a second section having a second base wall attachable to a second underside portion of the printed circuit board, and a second peripheral edge lip laterally extending transversely to said second base wall and having an end portion longitudinally extending outwardly from the balance of said second base wall in a direction generally parallel thereto,

first mounting means for mounting said first base wall on said inner side of said bottom chassis wall, in a parallel relationship therewith, for sliding movement relative thereto in opposite directions transverse to the length of said first peripheral edge lip, and for releasably locking said first base wall to said bottom chassis wall in a selectively variable adjusted position thereon,

second mounting means for mounting said second base wall on said inner side of said bottom chassis wall, in a parallel relationship therewith and with said second peripheral edge lip extending transversely across said first peripheral edge lip, for sliding movement relative to said bottom chassis wall in opposite directions transverse to the length of said first peripheral edge lip, and for releasably locking said first base wall to said bottom chassis wall in a selectively variable adjusted position thereon, and

cooperating interlocking means on said first and second peripheral edge lips for releasably holding them together in a transversely crossed relationship.

13. The computer apparatus of claim 12 wherein:

said first mounting means include slidingly nested upwardly projecting lower and upper first embossments respectively formed on said chassis bottom wall and said first base wall and being elongated in a direction transverse to the length of said first peripheral edge lip, and

said second mounting means include slidingly nested upwardly projecting lower and upper second embossments respectively formed on said chassis bottom wall and said second base wall and being elongated in a direction transverse to the length of said second peripheral edge lip.

14. The computer apparatus of claim 13 wherein:

said first and second mounting means further include tabs formed on said upper first and second embossments, and longitudinally extending slots formed on said lower first and second embossments, said tabs being captively retained in said slots for sliding movement along their lengths.

15. The computer apparatus of claim 13 wherein:

said first and second mounting means further include longitudinally spaced series of holes formed in said lower first and second embossments, and holes formed in said upper first and second embossments and alignable with selectively variable underlying holes in said series thereof to permit screws to be extended through and fastened into aligned hole pairs to thereby releasably lock said first and second sections in selectively variable adjusted positions along said chassis bottom wall.

16. The computer apparatus of claim 12 wherein said interlocking means include:

longitudinally spaced series of transverse slots formed in oppositely facing side edge portions of said end portions of said first and second peripheral edge lips and permitting said end portions to be crossingly interlocked at aligned pairs of said slots thereon.

17. The computer apparatus of claim 12 wherein:

said computer chassis and said mounting plate structure are of sheet metal constructions.

18. The computer apparatus of claim 12 wherein:

said first and second base walls have spaced apart, upwardly projecting hook portions formed thereon and configured to be lockingly received in corresponding openings formed in the printed circuit board.

19. The computer apparatus of claim 18 wherein:

said first and second base walls further have spaced apart, upwardly projecting tab portions formed thereon and configured to underlie and supportingly engage corresponding underside portions of the printed circuit board.

20. The computer apparatus of claim 12 wherein:

said computer chassis is of a generally rectangular configuration and has a corner portion on which a pair of transverse contiguous side walls of said chassis project upwardly from said inner side of said bottom wall, and

said first and second base walls are disposed within said corner portion, with said first and second peripheral edge lips forming with said transverse contiguous side walls a generally rectangular transverse electromagnetic mode--shielding barrier within which the printed circuit board may be operatively disposed.