Mass storage device mounting scheme

• US 5,687,059 A
• Filed: 11/06/1996
• Issued: 11/11/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hoppal, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FEILD, LYNN DIANA
• Application Number:
  US08/746,050
• Time in Patent Office: 370 Days
• Field of Search: 361/683, 361/685, 361/724, 361/725, 360/137 D, 206/305, 206/320, 206/328, 248/560, 248/632, 248/634, 248/636, 248/672, 248/674
• US Class Current: 361/679.31
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/02 Cabinets; Cases; Stands; Disposition of apparatus therein or thereon
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/128 of the plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. disk drives, onto a chassis

Abstract

A molded, expanded polypropylene mass storage mounting scheme that snugly nests a disk mechanism between a bottom part of the mounting scheme housing and a top part of the mounting scheme housing. The mass storage device mounting scheme housing has holes or depressions that are formed to snugly correspond to protruding details in the bottom cover of a computer or workstation assembly enclosure. The mounting holes and protruding details permit the mass storage mounting scheme to be smaller than the entire inside of the computer assembly and still be held securely against horizontal and rotational movement. The top and bottom covers of the computer compressively secures the mass storage device mounting scheme against vertical movement.

Claims

1. A mass storage device mounting scheme comprising:

an electronic chassis with at least one protruding detail on a bottom surface of said electronic chassis, said at least one protruding detail being substantially permanently attached to said electronic chassis;

at least one storage device bracket bottom with at least one hole that matingly corresponds with said at least one substantially permanent protruding detail, said at least one storage device bracket bottom being mounted in said electronic chassis such that said at least one hole of said at least one storage device bracket bottom is mated with said at least one protruding detail of said electronic chassis, such that said at least one storage device bracket bottom is held in place relative to one plane of travel by said at least one substantially permanent protruding detail;

at least one storage device snugly mounted in said at least one storage device bracket bottom;

at least one storage device bracket cover snugly mounted over said at least one storage device; and

an electronic chassis cover mounted to said electronic chassis such that said electronic chassis cover secures said at least one storage device against movement in a direction perpendicular to said one plane.

2. The mass storage device mounting scheme according to claim 1 wherein said at least one storage device bracket bottom and said at least one storage device bracket cover are made of expanded polypropylene.

3. The mass storage device mounting scheme according to claim 1 wherein said at least one storage device bracket bottom and said at least one storage device bracket cover snugly fit the outer contours of said at least one storage device.

4. The mass storage device mounting scheme according to claim 1 further comprising a clamp for securing said at least one storage device bracket cover to said electronic chassis.

5. The mass storage device according to claim 1 wherein said at least one storage device bracket cover has at least one hole and said electronic chassis cover has at least one substantially permanent protruding detail that matingly corresponds with said at least one hole of said at least one storage device bracket cover such that when said electronic chassis cover is mounted to said electronic chassis, said at least one storage device is further secured against movement in said one plane.

6. A mass storage device mounting scheme comprising:

an electronic chassis;

at least one storage device bracket bottom, said at least one storage device bracket bottom being mounted in said electronic chassis without any additional mounting hardware other than that which are substantially permanent features of said electronic chassis and said at least one storage device bracket bottom, said storage device bracket bottom being mounted in said electronic chassis in such a manner that said storage device bracket bottom is secured against movement in one plane of travel;

at least one storage device snugly mounted in said at least one storage device bracket bottom, said at least one storage device mounted in said at least one storage device bracket bottom without any additional mounting hardware;

at least one storage device bracket cover snugly mounted over said at least one storage device, said at least one storage device bracket cover mounted over said at least one storage device without any additional mounting hardware; and

an electronic chassis cover mounted to said electronic chassis such that said electronic chassis cover secures said at least one storage device against movement in a direction substantially perpendicular to said one plane.

7. The mass storage device mounting scheme according to claim 6 wherein said at least one storage device bracket bottom and said at least one storage device bracket cover are made of expanded polypropylene.

8. The mass storage device mounting scheme according to claim 6 wherein said at least one storage device bracket bottom and said at least one storage device bracket cover snugly fit the outer contours of said at least one storage device.

9. The mass storage device mounting scheme according to claim 6 further comprising a clamp for securing said at least one storage device bracket cover to said electronic chassis.

10. The mass storage device according to claim 6 wherein said at least one storage device bracket cover has at least one hole and said electronic chassis cover has at least one substantially permanent protruding detail that matingly corresponds with said at least one hole of said at least one storage device bracket cover such that when said electronic chassis cover is mounted to said electronic chassis, said at least one storage device is further secured against movement in said one plane.

11. A mass storage device mounting scheme comprising:

an electronic chassis with at least one protruding detail on a bottom surface of said electronic chassis;

at least one storage device bracket bottom with at least one hole that matingly corresponds with said at least one protruding detail, said at least one storage device bracket bottom being mounted in said electronic chassis such that said at least one hole of said at least one storage device bracket bottom is mated with said at least one protruding detail of said electronic chassis, said at least one storage device bracket bottom does not completely fill said electronic chassis;

at least one storage device bracket cover shaped in such a manner as to be snugly mounted over at least one storage device mounted in said at least one storage device bracket bottom, said at least one storage device bracket cover does not completely fill said electronic chassis; and

an electronic chassis cover mounted to said electronic chassis such that said electronic chassis cover secures said at least one storage device against upward movement.

12. The mass storage device mounting scheme according to claim 11 wherein said at least one storage device bracket bottom and said at least one storage device bracket cover are made of expanded polypropylene.

13. The mass storage device mounting scheme according to claim 11 wherein said at least one storage device bracket bottom and said at least one storage device bracket cover are designed to snugly fit the outer contours of said at least one storage device.

14. The mass storage device mounting scheme according to claim 11 further comprising a clamp for securing said at least one storage device bracket cover to said electronic chassis.

15. The mass storage device according to claim 11 wherein said at least one storage device bracket cover has at least one hole and said electronic chassis cover has at least one substantially permanent protruding detail that matingly corresponds with said at least one hole of said at least one storage device bracket cover such that when said electronic chassis cover is mounted to said electronic chassis, said at least one storage device is further secured against movement in said one plane.

16. A method of mounting a mass storage device in an electronic chassis, said method comprising the following steps:

(a) mating a storage device bracket bottom having at least one hole with said electronic chassis having at least one substantially permanent protruding detail that corresponds to said at least one hole in said storage device bracket bottom such that said at least one substantially permanent protruding detail is mated to said at least one hole, said storage device bracket bottom being mated with said electronic chassis without any additional mounting hardware;

b) mounting at least one storage device in said storage device bracket bottom without any additional mounting hardware;

(c) mating a storage device bracket cover to said at least one storage device and said storage device bracket bottom without any additional mounting hardware such that said storage device bracket bottom and said storage device bracket cover snugly conform to outer contours of said at least one storage device; and

(d) securing an electronic chassis cover to said electronic chassis such that said electronic chassis cover secures said at least one storage device against upward movement.

17. The method of claim 16 comprising an additional step of securing said storage device bracket cover to said electronic chassis with a clamp.

18. A method of replacing a mass storage device in an electronic chassis, said method comprising the following steps:

(a) removing an electronic chassis cover from said electronic chassis;

(b) removing a storage device bracket cover without removing any mounting hardware other than said storage device bracket cover itself from a mug mated position with at least one storage device and a storage device bracket bottom;

(c) removing said at least one storage device from a snug mated position in said storage device bracket bottom without removing any mounting hardware;

(d) mounting at least one new storage device in said storage device bracket bottom without any mounting hardware other than the snug fit between the storage device and the storage device bracket bottom, said storage device bracket bottom being mounted in said electronic chassis by means of substantially permanent features of said electronic chassis and said storage device bottom without any additional mounting hardware;

(e) mating a storage device bracket cover to said at least one new storage device and said storage device bracket bottom such that said storage device bracket bottom and said storage device bracket cover snugly conform to outer contours of said at least one new storage device, said storage device bracket cover being mated to said at least one new storage device and said storage device bracket bottom without any additional mounting hardware; and

(f) securing said electronic chassis cover to said electronic chassis such that said electronic chassis cover secures said at least one new storage device against upward movement.