Case for receiving removable hard disks

• US 6,381,130 B1
• Filed: 08/10/2000
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Guanghsing Industrial Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Guanghsing Industrial Company Limited
• Inventors: Yen, Shou-Sung
• Primary Examiner(s): FEILD, LYNN DIANA
• Application Number:
  US09/635,419
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 361/685, 361/683, 361/724, 361/725, 361/797, 361/796, 361/687, 361/695
• US Class Current: 361/679.33
• 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 case for receiving removable hard disks is disclosed. The case comprises a hard disk array circuit board, a plurality of sliding grooves provided on either side, a plurality of cartridges each disposed between two opposed sliding grooves, a plurality of sliding rails provided on either side being in cooperation with the sliding grooves such that a cartridge may slide between two opposed sliding rails, and a pivotal member provided in the front of the cartridge for inserting a SCSI disk into the cartridge, the cartridge capable of being inserted into the case by sliding the cartridge along the sliding groove, the cartridge and the case being secured together by clinging the pivotal member to the case. Hard disks of the invention are connected in a hard disk array configuration such that it is possible to remove a SCSI disk in a turn-on state of computer system and serially connect more SCSI disks than the prior art.

Claims

1. A device for receiving removable hard disks comprising:

a case threadedly secured to an expansion slot in a housing of a computer system including a plurality of horizontally parallel sliding grooves provided on either side, a plurality of sliding rails horizontally parallel provided on either side, a front opening, a circuit board provided in the rear opposed to the front opening, a plurality of first connectors provided on the inner surface of the circuit board, a second connector and a third connector both provided on the outer surface of the circuit board wherein each of the first connectors is connected to the second connector and the third connector respectively, the second connector is an inlet being connected to the computer system through a hard disk array controller, the third connector is an outlet being serially connected to a plurality of second cases, and a plurality of fans provided on the rear adjacent to the circuit board, each of the fans connected to the circuit board through a power cord such that the fans can be activated by the power supplied by the circuit board;

a plurality of cartridges each for receiving one of the hard disks including a front panel having an opening, an opening in the rear such that the connectors in the rear of the hard disk can be connected to the first connectors, and a slide provided in either side corresponding to the sliding rail, each slide having a U-shaped cross-section such that the cartridge can slide along the sliding rails by means of the slides, the cartridge is inserted into the case from the front opening of the case, or the cartridge is removed from the case in a turn-on state of the computer system; and

a pivotal means pivotably provided on the opening of the front panel including an axle provided in the top and the bottom inner surfaces of the opening of the front panel respectively, two opposed holes provided, each hole corresponding to each axle such that the pivotal means pivots about the opening of the front panel by securing the axles to the holes, an arm provided on one side of the pivotal means adjacent to the case, and a handle provided on the other side of the pivotal means such that the arm engages with the case or disengages from the case by activating the handle.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising an engagement member provided on the front panel opposed to the handle, a fastener, a latch provided on the front panel, an engagement member threadedly secured to the front panel by means of the fastener and the latch, and a latched member provided on the handle being engaged with the engagement member wherein when the arm becomes disengaged from the case, activate the handle to cause the pivotal means to secure to the front panel by engaging the engagement member with the latched member.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising a projection provided on the front panel adjacent to the pivotal means and a claw provided in the pivotal means such that pivot the handle of the pivotal means to disengage the latched member from the engagement member, apply a force on the handle to cause the handle served as force applying point, the holes served as fulcrum, and the contact point of the claw and the projection served as force sustaining point such that the arm disengages from the case, the connectors in the rear of the hard disk disengages from the first connectors, and pull the cartridge such that the cartridge slides on the sliding grooves until the cartridge completely pulls out of the case.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the first connectors is a SCA connector.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the second connector is a SCSI connector.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the third connector is a SCSI connector.