Hot-pluggable disk drive carrier assembly with no loose parts

• US 6,088,221 A
• Filed: 06/15/1998
• Issued: 07/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Bolognia, David F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, TUNG M
• Application Number:
  US09/097,324
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 361/685, 361/683, 312/223.2
• US Class Current: 361/679.37
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/184 Mounting of motherboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/126 Arrangements for providing electrical connections, e.g. connectors, cables, switches
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/128 of the plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. disk drives, onto a chassis

Abstract

A carrier assembly is provided for supporting a hot-pluggable hard disk drive and is slidably and removably insertable into a sheet metal cage structure to operatively mount the disk drive therein and releasably mate an SCA connector on the drive to a corresponding electrical backplane connector within the cage. The carrier assembly includes a base wall upon which a pair of upstanding side wall structures are captively retained for pivotal movement toward and away from opposite side edge portions of the base wall. Each of the pivotal side wall structures captively retains a pair of mounting screws. With the side wall structures in their outwardly pivoted orientations, the disk drive is placed atop the base wall, the side wall structures are pivoted inwardly against corresponding opposite side walls of the disk drive, and the mounting screws are tightened into aligned threaded openings in the opposing disk drive side walls. To remove the disk drive, the mounting screws are unscrewed from the disk drive, the carrier side wall structures are swung outwardly from the disk drive, and the disk drive is lifted off the base wall. Due to the captive retention of the carrier side wall structures and mounting screws, no assembly and disassembly of the carrier is required, and it has no loose parts that can be misplaced, damaged or incorrectly installed.

Claims

1. Carrier apparatus operative to support an electronic device and being removably insertable therewith into a housing structure to a supported operating position therein, said carrier apparatus comprising:

first and second interconnected wall structures positionable adjacent first and second portions of the device, at least one of said first and second wall structures being movable toward and away from the other one of said first and second wall structures; and

fastening structures captively retained on said first and second wall structures and being removably engageable with the first and second portions of the device.

2. The carrier apparatus of claim 1 wherein said carrier apparatus is devoid of loose parts.

3. The carrier apparatus of claim 1 wherein said carrier apparatus is configured to support a hot-pluggable electronic device.

4. The carrier apparatus of claim 1 wherein said fastening structures are threaded fastening members.

5. The carrier apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second wall structures are captively interconnected to one another.

6. The carrier apparatus of claim 3 wherein said carrier apparatus is configured to support a hot-pluggable hard disk drive.

7. The carrier apparatus of claim 5 wherein:

said carrier apparatus further comprises a base wall, and

said first and second wall structures are opposite side wall portions of said carrier apparatus and are supported on said base wall for movement relative thereto toward and away from one another.

8. The carrier apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

said base wall has opposite side edge portions, and

said first and second wall structures are supported on said base wall for movement relative thereto toward and away from said opposite side edge portions.

9. The carrier apparatus of claim 8 wherein said first and second wall structures have first end portions pivotally supported on said base wall.

10. The carrier apparatus of claim 9 wherein said first and second wall structures have second end portions captively connected to said base wall in a manner permitting only a limited movement of said second end portions toward and away from one another relative to said base wall.

11. Electronic apparatus comprising:

a carrier structure removably insertable into a housing structure to a supported operating position therein and including;

a first wall structure, a second wall structure interconnected to said first wall structure and being movable toward and away therefrom respectively to holding and release positions, and

fastening structures captively retained on said first and second wall structures; and

an electronic device supported on said carrier structure and having first and second portions respectively positioned adjacent said first and second wall structures with said second wall structure being in said holding position and said fastening structures removably engaging said first and second portions of said electronic device.

12. The electronic apparatus of claim 11 wherein said carrier structure is devoid of loose parts.

13. The electronic apparatus of claim 11 wherein said electronic device is a hot-pluggable device.

14. The electronic apparatus of claim 11 wherein said fastening structures are threaded fastening members removably secured to said first and second portions of said electronic device.

15. The electronic apparatus of claim 11 wherein said first and second wall structures are captively interconnected to one another.

16. The electronic apparatus of claim 11 further comprising:

a housing structure into which said carrier structure may be operatively inserted, and

cooperatively engageable portions on said carrier structure and said housing structure for operatively and removably supporting said carrier structure within said housing structure.

17. The electronic apparatus of claim 13 wherein:

the housing structure has a first electrical connector therein, and

said hot-pluggable device is a hot-pluggable hard disk drive having a second electrical connector disposed thereon for mating connection with the first electrical connector in response to the operative insertion of said carrier structure into the housing structure.

18. The electronic apparatus of claim 15 wherein:

said carrier structure further includes a base wall, and

said first and second wall structures are opposite side wall portions of said carrier structure and are supported on said base wall for movement relative thereto toward and away from one another, said electronic device being positioned between said first and second wall structures.

19. The electronic apparatus of claim 16 wherein said cooperatively engageable portions include:

opposite side flange projections on said carrier structure, and

opposite side rail structures carried on said housing structure and configured to slidably receive said opposite side flange projections.

20. The electronic apparatus of claim 18 wherein:

said base wall has opposite side edge portions, and said first and second wall structures are supported on said base wall for movement relative thereto toward and away from said opposite side edge portions.

21. The electronic apparatus of claim 20 wherein said first and second wall structures have first end portions pivotally supported on said base wall.

22. The electronic apparatus of claim 21 wherein said first and second wall structures have second end portions captives connected to said base wall in a manner permitting only a limited movement of said second end portions toward and away from one another relative to said base wall.

23. A hot-pluggable hard disk drive carrier assembly removably insertable into a housing structure to a supported operating position therein, said carrier assembly comprising:

a base wall having a side upon which a hot-pluggable hard disk drive may be placed, said base wall further having a front end portion, a rear end portion spaced apart from said front end portion, and a pair of opposite side edge portions extending between said front and rear end portions;

first and second side wall portions extending generally along said opposite side edge portions and having front end portions captives connected to said front end portion of said base wall in a manner permitting said first and second side wall portions to be pivoted relative to said base wall toward and away from one another, and rear end portions positioned adjacent said rear end portion of said base wall; and

fastening members captively retained on said first and second side wall portions and being removably securable to a hot-pluggable disk drive placed on said side Of said base wall between said first and second side wall portions.

24. The carrier assembly of claim 23 wherein said rear end portions of said first and second wall structures are captively connected to said base wall in a manner permitting only a limited movement of said rear end portions toward and away from one another relative to said base wall.

25. Electronic apparatus comprising a no loose parts carrier assembly operative to support a pluggable electronic device and being removably insertable therewith into a housing structure to a supported operating position therein, said carrier assembly including:

first and second captives interconnected wall structures positionable adjacent first and second portions of the device, at least one of said first and second captively interconnected wall structures being movable toward and away from the other one of said first and second captively interconnected wall structures; and

fastening means, captively retained on said first and second captively interconnected wall structures, for releasably securing said first and second captively interconnected wall structures to the first and second portions of the device.

26. The electronic apparatus of claim 25 further comprising a pluggable electronic device supported by said carrier assembly and removably secured to said first and second captives interconnected wall structures by said fastening means.

27. The electronic apparatus of claim 26 wherein said pluggable electronic device is a hot-pluggable hard disk drive.

28. A computer system comprising a CPU unit having a microprocessor and a data storage section operative to store data retrievable by said microprocessor, said data storage section including:

a support housing;

a data storage device; and

a carrier structure operative to support said data storage device and being removably insertable therewith into said housing structure to a supported operating position therein, said carrier structure including;

first and second interconnected wall structures positionable adjacent first and second portions of said data storage device, at least one of said first and second wall structures being movable toward and away from the other one of said first and second wall structures, and

fastening structures captively retained on said first and second wall structures and being removably engageable with said first and second portions of said data storage device.

29. The computer system of claim 28 wherein said carrier structure is devoid of loose parts.

30. The computer system of claim 28 wherein said data storage device is a disk drive.

31. The computer system of claim 28 wherein said fastening structures are threaded fastening members.

32. The computer system of claim 28 wherein said data storage device is operatively supported by said carrier structure, with said fastening structures being releasably secured to said first and second portions of said data storage device.

33. The computer system of claim 28 wherein said first and second wall structures are captively interconnected to one another.

34. The computer system of claim 30 wherein:

said support housing has a first electrical connector therein, and

said disk drive is a hot-pluggable disk drive having a second electrical disposed thereon for mating connection with said first electrical connector in response to operative insertion of said carrier structure into said support housing.

35. The computer system of claim 32 wherein said carrier structure is operatively disposed within said support housing.

36. The computer system of claim 33 wherein:

said carrier structure further comprises a base wall, and

said first and second wall structures are opposite side wall portions of said carrier structure and are supported on said base wall for movement relative thereto toward and away from one another.

37. The computer system of claim 36 wherein:

said base wall has opposite side edge portions, and

said first and second wall structures are supported on said base wall for movement relative thereto toward and away from said opposite side edge portions.

38. The computer system of claim 37 wherein said first and second wall structures have first end portions pivotally supported on said base wall.

39. The computer system of claim 38 wherein said first and second wall structures have second end portions captively connected to said base wall in a manner permitting only a limited movement of said second end portions toward and away from one another relative to said base wall.

40. A computer system comprising a CPU unit having a microprocessor and a data storage section operative to store data retrievable by said microprocessor, said data storage section including:

a support housing;

a data storage device; and

a carrier assembly operative to support said data storage device and being removably insertable therewith into said support housing to a supported operating position therein, said carrier assembly including;

first and second captively interconnected wall structures positionable adjacent first and second portions of said data storage device, at least one of said first and second captively interconnected wall structures being movable toward and away from the other one of said first and second captively interconnected wall structures, and

fastening means, captively retained on said first and second captively interconnected wall structures, for releasably securing said first and second captively interconnected wall structures to said first and second portions of said data storage device.

41. The computer system of claim 40 wherein said data storage device is a hot-pluggable hard disk drive.

42. The computer system of claim 40 wherein:

said support housing has a first electrical connector therein, and

said data storage device is operatively supported by said carrier assembly and has a second electrical connector positioned to be mated with said first electrical connector in response to operative insertion of said carrier assembly into said support housing.

43. The computer system of claim 40 wherein said carrier assembly is devoid of loose parts.

44. The computer system of claim 42 wherein said second electrical connector is an SCA connector.

45. The computer system of claim 42 wherein said carrier assembly is operatively positioned within said support housing.

46. Carrier apparatus operative to support an electronic device and being removably insertable therewith into a housing structure to a supported operating position therein, said carrier apparatus comprising:

first and second interconnected wall structures positionable adjacent first and second portions of the device, at least one of said first and second wall structures being movable toward and away from the other one of said first and second wall structures; and

fastening apparatus associated with said first and second wall structures and being removably engageable with the first and second portions of the device to releasably hold the device on said carrier apparatus for movement therewith.

47. The carrier apparatus of claim 46 wherein:

said carrier apparatus is configured to support a hot-pluggable electronic device.

48. The carrier apparatus of claim 47 wherein said carrier apparatus is configured to support a hot-pluggable hard disk drive.