Cable management system for a computer

• US 5,957,556 A
• Filed: 09/23/1996
• Issued: 09/28/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Silicon Graphics Incorporated (Graphics Properties Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Huang, Johnny, Singer, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Jose V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HANSEN, JAMES ORVILLE
• Application Number:
  US08/717,988
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 312/223.2, 312/223.6, 312/257.1, 312/265.1, 312/198, 312/223.1, 108/50.02, 211/26, 211/184, 211/189, 211/191, 361/724, 361/730, 439/930, 439/948, 439/497, 439/499
• US Class Current: 312/223.6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/181 Enclosures for portable computers G06F1/1613
• 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 13/409 Mechanical coupling back panels H05K7/1438
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/20 Bus-bar or other wiring layouts, e.g. in cubicles, in switchyards installations of bus-bars H02G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/00 Installations of electric cables or lines or protective tubing therefor in or on buildings, equivalent structures or vehicles installations of bus-bars H02G5/00; overhead installations H02G7/00; installations in or on the ground H02G9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/04 Protective tubing or conduits, e.g. cable ladders or cable troughs
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/0418 Covers or lids; Their fastenings

Abstract

A computer system includes seveal computing areas which are connected to one another by a number of cables. The cables are necessary to carry information from one computing area to another computing area. The cables can be thought of as the information highway between computing areas. The computer system has a first housing which has a frame. The frame includes an elongated hollow corner post that has an opening along the length of the corner post. The hollow portion of the corner post is used as a cable run.

The corner post further comprising an exterior surface having a key way therein. A number of cable guides, each having a key that fits within the key way of said elongated corner post, is attached to the corner post. Each cable guide has a two ends. One of said ends is positioned near the opening in the corner post and the other end of said cable guide is positioned near a computing area when the cable guide is positioned within the key way. A cable for interconnecting computing areas within the first housing passes over a cable guide, through the opening in the corner post, into the hollow portion of the corner post, down or up the corner post and out of the opening in the corner post and over another cable guide.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a plurality of computing areas;

a plurality of cables connecting the computing areas so that information can be moved from one computing area to another computing area;

a first housing for the computer system, said first housing including a corner post having an elongated hollow portion and an opening therein along the length of the corner post to allow access to the hollow portion of the corner post, said elongated hollow corner post further comprising a surface having a key way therein; and

a plurality of cable guides, each cable guide having a key that fits within the key way of said elongated corner post, each cable guide having a two ends, one of said ends positioned near the opening in the corner post and the other end of said cable guide is positioned near a computing area when the key of said cable guide is positioned within the key way, wherein a cable for interconnecting computing areas within the first housing passes over a cable guide, through the opening in the corner post, into the hollow portion of the corner post, out of the opening in the corner post and over another cable guide.

2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the cable guide has a rounded shape between the two ends.

3. The computer system of claim 2 wherein said plurality of cables have minimum specified bending radii associated therewith and wherein rounded shape of the cable guide has a radius greater than the minimum specified bending radius of the cable.

4. The computer system of claim 3 wherein the cable guide has a helical shape.

5. The computer system of claim 3 wherein the corner post further comprises a barb positioned along the opening in the corner post, said computer system further comprising a flap having a portion which receives said barb to attach said flap along the opening in the corner post.

6. The computer system of claim 3 wherein the corner post further comprises:

a first barb positioned along one side of the opening in the corner post;

a second barb positioned along the other side of the opening in the corner post;

a first flap having a portion which receives said first barb to attach said flap along the one side of the opening in the corner post; and

a second flap having a portion which receives said second barb to attach said flap along the other side of the opening in the corner post.

7. The computer system of claim 2 wherein the cable guide attached to the corner post, the surface of the corner post includes a key way therein, said cable guide further including a mechanism for engaging said key way so that the end of the cable guide near the computing area is positioned near a portion of connecter within the computing area.

8. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the cable guide further includes a clip which attaches between each edge of the cable guide to retain the cable as it passes over the cable guide.

9. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the cable guide further includes a lip on each edge for retaining the cable as it passes over the cable guide.

10. The computer system of claim 6 wherein the cable guide further includes a clip which attaches between each lip of the cable guide to retain the cable as it passes over the cable guide.

11. Thc computer system of claim 1 wherein elongated hollow corner post further comprises a flap attached along the opening therein along the length of the corner post.

12. The computer system of claim 1 further comprising:

a second housing for the computer system, said second housing including an elongated hollow corner post having an opening therein along the length of the corner post to allow access to the hollow portion of the corner post, said elongated hollow corner post further comprising a key way therein, said second housing also including a computing area; and

a cable carrying structure shaped like a comb, said cable carrying structure further including a set of blades which divide the cable carrying structure into a plurality of cable carrying compartments, wherein a cable interconnecting a computing area of said first housing and a computing area of said second housing also passing through a cable carrying compartment of said cable carrying structure.

13. The computer system of claim 12 wherein the cable carrying structure has a curved wall portion.

14. The computer system of claim 13 wherein the cable carrying structure further includes a cover, said cover covering the blades of the cable carrying structure.

15. The computer system of claim 12 wherein the cable carrying structure has a wall portion having a sinusoidal shape, said wall portion traversing the blades of the cable carrying structure.

16. A component for managing cables in a computer system so that the cables are not subjected to a bend radius less than a specified bend radius, said component comprising:

a rounded surface having a pair of outside edges, said rounded surface for carrying cables, said rounded surface dimensioned so that the cables bend at a radius less than a specified minimum bend radius, wherein the rounded surface is helically shaped so as to move the cable passing over the helically shaped surface horizontally and vertically; and

a cable clip which attaches to said component and passes over said rounded surface and a cable of a computer system.

17. The component for managing cables in a computer system of claim 16 further comprising a flat surface which includes an attachment mechanism for attaching the component to the computer.