Circuit board mounting assembly and method

• US 6,233,152 B1
• Filed: 08/09/2000
• Issued: 05/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Feldmeyer, Mark, Abbott, Ryan, Baik, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEA EDMONDS, LISA S
• Application Number:
  US09/634,222
• Time in Patent Office: 279 Days
• Field of Search: 361/683, 361/686, 361/724-727, 312/223--22, 294/34, 29/11, 295/05
• US Class Current: 361/725
• 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

Abstract

An electronic system, such as a computer, having a housing with a door opening into an interior of the housing. An insertion mechanism is mounted on the door and includes a handle provided on an exterior side of the door and a driver portion provided on an interior side. The driver portion includes a rotatable latch driver attached to the handle and a rotatable latch follower engaging the latch driver through a set of gears. A movable mount is slideably mounted onto the door and a circuit board assembly is mounted onto the movable mount. After the door of the housing is closed, rotation of the handle causes rotation of the latch driver, which, in turn, causes rotation of the latch follower. The latch driver and follower engage the movable mount such that their rotation causes forward movement of the movable mount and the circuit board assembly. This forward movement causes an edge connector provided along a forward edge of the circuit board assembly to mate with a connection socket provided in an interior portion of the housing.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

a case, the case including a door; and

,

electronic circuitry housed within the case, the electronic circuitry comprising;

a first circuit board mounted on the door, the first circuit board having a first connector, and

additional circuitry mounted within the case, the additional circuitry having a second connector that is mechanically and electrically connectable to the first connector;

wherein when the door is in an open position the first connector is mechanically and electrically disconnected from the second connector; and

,

wherein when the door is in a closed position the first connector is mechanically and electrically connectable to the second connector.

2. A computing system as in claim 1 wherein the first connector is an edge connector and wherein the second connector is a connection socket configured to receive the edge connector.

3. A computing system as in claim 1 wherein the first circuit board is mounted on the door by a movable mounting device, the movable mount being able to move the first circuit board back and forth when the door is in the closed position, so that:

when the door is in the closed position and the movable mount moves the circuit board into an engaged position, the first connector is mechanically and electrically connected to the second connector; and

,

when the door is in the closed position and the movable mount moves the circuit board into a disengaged position, the first connector is mechanically and electrically disconnected from the second connector.

4. A computing system as in claim 1 wherein the movable mounting device includes a handle accessible to a user when the door is in the closed position, the handle allowing the user to control the movable mount to move the circuit board back and forth from the engaged position to the disengaged position.

5. A computing system as in claim 1 wherein the first circuit board serves as a base board for processor bays and memory modules.

6. A computing system as in claim 1 wherein the additional circuitry includes a power supply, a mid-plane circuit board for providing input/output connections.

7. A computing system as in claim 1 wherein pivot brackets attached to the door allow the door to swing to the open position and to the closed position.

8. A method for facilitating access to electronic circuitry housed in a case, comprising the following steps:

(a) mounting a first circuit board on a door of the case, the first circuit board having a first connector, and

(b) mounting additional circuitry within the case, the additional circuitry having a second connector that is mechanically and electrically connectable to the first connector; and

,

(c) aligning the first and the second connector so that when the door is in an open position the first connector is mechanically and electrically disconnected from the second connector, and when the door is in a closed position the first connector is mechanically and electrically connectable to the second connector.

9. A method as in claim 8 wherein in step (a) the first connector is an edge connector and wherein in step (b) the second connector is a connection socket configured to receive the edge connector.

10. A method as in claim 8 wherein step (a) includes the following substep:

(a.1) mounting the first circuit board using a movable mounting device, the movable mount being able to move the first circuit board back and forth when the door is in the closed position, so that when the door is in the closed position and the movable mount moves the circuit board into an engaged position, the first connector is mechanically and electrically connected to the second connector, and, when the door is in the closed position and the movable mount moves the circuit board into a disengaged position, the first connector is mechanically and electrically disconnected from the second connector.

11. A method as in claim 10 wherein substep (a.1) comprises including a handle in the movable mounting device, the handle being accessible to a user when the door is in the closed position, the handle allowing the user to control the movable mount to move the circuit board back and forth from the engaged position to the disengaged position.

12. A method as in claim 8 wherein in step (a) the first circuit board serves as a base board for processor bays and memory modules.

13. A method as in claim 8 wherein in step (b) the additional circuitry includes a power supply, a mid-plane circuit board for providing input/output connections.

14. A method as in claim 8 additionally comprising the following step:

attaching pivot brackets to the door to allow the door to swing to the open position and to the closed position.

15. Housing for electronic circuitry comprising:

a door onto which a first circuit board is mounted, the first circuit board having a first connector; and

,

an enclosure to which the door is attached, additional circuitry being mounted within the enclosure, the additional circuitry having a second connector that is mechanically and electrically connectable to the first connector;

wherein when the door is in an open position the first connector is mechanically and electrically disconnected from the second connector; and

,

wherein when the door is in a closed position the first connector is mechanically and electrically connectable to the second connector.

16. Housing as in claim 15 wherein the first connector is an edge connector and wherein the second connector is a connection socket configured to receive the edge connector.

17. Housing as in claim 15 wherein the first circuit board is mounted on the door by a movable mounting device, the movable mount being able to move the first circuit board back and forth when the door is in the closed position, so that:

when the door is in the closed position and the movable mount moves the circuit board into an engaged position, the first connector is mechanically and electrically connected to the second connector; and

,

when the door is in the closed position and the movable mount moves the circuit board into a disengaged position, the first connector is mechanically and electrically disconnected from the second connector.

18. Housing as in claim 17 wherein the movable mounting device includes a handle accessible to a user when the door is in the closed position, the handle allowing the user to control the movable mount to move the circuit board back and forth from the engaged position to the disengaged position.

19. Housing as in claim 15 wherein the first circuit board serves as a base board for processor bays and memory modules.

20. Housing as in claim 15 wherein the additional circuitry includes a power supply, a mid-plane circuit board for providing input/output connections.