Easily installable and removable electro-magnetic interference shielding faceplate

• US 6,390,320 B2
• Filed: 04/29/1998
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hurst, Douglas J., Kong, Sung Il, Gant, Brian D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Young, Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): Merek, Joseph C.
• Application Number:
  US09/069,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20010042751A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 220/3.8, 220/241, 220/242, 174/35.R, 174/356.C, 174/66, 174/67, 361/818, 361/816, 248/27.3
• US Class Current: 220/241
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/14 Fastening of cover or lid to box
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0016 having a spring contact
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0073 Shielding materials H05K9/0003 takes precedence

Abstract

A faceplate according to the present invention is shown for covering an opening in a metal electrical equipment frame, such as a network router, which is inexpensive to produce and easy to install and remove. The faceplate is constructed of conductive metal having sufficient temper to obtain spring characteristics from components of the faceplate. A bracing tongue is formed in a first flange on one edge of the faceplate and is structured to engage an edge of the opening in the equipment frame between the bracing tongue and the first flange. A cantilever beam is formed in a second flange on an opposing edge of the faceplate. The cantilever beam is constructed to flex from a bias position upon pressure due to contact against another edge of the opening in the equipment frame. The cantilever beam also includes a notch or ridge that is positioned such that the cantilever beam flexes back towards its bias position when the beam clears the edge of the opening and the notch or ridge engages the edge of the opening between the second flange and the notch or ridge in the cantilever beam. The faceplate includes EMI tongues formed in flanges along the periphery of the faceplate which are constructed to have a bias position which causes the EMI tongues to flex against the edges of the opening and make good electrical contact with a metal equipment frame. The metal is pre-plated so that the faceplate can be formed in a single fabrication process. The faceplate can be easily installed in the opening in the equipment frame and is easily removed using a tool.

Claims

1. A removable faceplate for covering an opening in a computer equipment bay, the faceplate comprising:

a removable metallic planar body having first and second edges, the first and second edges opposing one another;

a first flange extending from the first edge of the planar body along a plane of the planar body and formed from a same piece of metal forming the planar body;

a bracing tongue formed on the first flange and capable of engaging a first edge of the opening;

a second flange extending from the second edge of the planar body along the plane of the planar body and formed from the same piece of metal forming the planar body;

a cantilever beam bent from a portion cut in the second flange having distal and proximal portions, a first end of the proximal portion being bent outward from a portion of the second flange starting from a location offset back from a lateral side of the second flange, the entire proximal portion extending outward from the plane of the planar body capable of inserting completely into the opening, the entire distal portion extending back toward the plane of the planar body but not extending back past the plane of the planar body so that the entire cantilever beam is capable of residing inside the computer equipment bay when the faceplate is fully inserted into the opening, the distal and proximal portions deflectable and then flexible back into a bias position; and

a latching mechanism formed on an end of the distal portion of the cantilever beam which is distal to the planar body, wherein said latching mechanism includes a ridge disposed in the distal portion of said cantilever beam and having a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the plane of the planar body, said cantilever beam capable of wedging against a second edge of the opening and the ridge and said second flange extending along opposite sides of that second edge,

the faceplate capable of being engaged to the first and second edges of the opening by inserting the faceplate into the opening causing the distal portion of the cantilever beam to contact the second edge of the opening deflecting the cantilever beam until the second edge of the opening clears the latching mechanism allowing the cantilever beam to flex back towards the bias position and the entire cantilever beam to reside inside the equipment bay.

2. The faceplate of claim 1 further comprising;

a third flange formed along a third edge of the planar body, the third flange having a plane angled toward the center of the planar body in a first direction; and

a plurality of EMI tongues formed within an opening in the third flange, each one the plurality of EMI tongues extending outward from the plane of the third flange in a second direction opposite to the first direction,

wherein each of said tongues is bent and biased to a position diverging from the third flange and capable of making electrical contact with an edge of the opening and absorbing EMI generated within the opening.

3. The faceplate of claim 1, wherein the bracing tongue further comprises a strip of material cut from the first flange and bent into an L shape, wherein a proximal region of the L shape extends from the first flange and a distal region of the L shape is parallel to the first flange.

4. The faceplate of claim 1, wherein the bracing tongue is capable of engaging a slot in a frame of the equipment bay adjacent the opening.

5. The faceplate of claim 1, wherein the faceplate is constructed using pre-plated metal having an Aim Rockwell 30-T scale hardness level in the range of 62 to 68.

7. The faceplate of claim 1, wherein said cantilever beam has a height of between 0.5 to 0.75 inches.

8. The faceplate of claim 2, wherein said third flange is formed at approximately an 85 degree angle from the body of the faceplate.

6. A metal electrical equipment frame comprising an equipment bay having an opening and a faceplate for covering the opening of the equipment bay, the faceplate comprising:

conductive shielding means including top and bottom ends and lateral sides capable of covering the opening;

electrical conducting means including a plurality of EMI tongues formed from associated top or bottom flanges that extend firm the top and bottom ends of the conductive shielding, respectively, each one of the plurality of EMI tongues extending outward from the associated top or bottom flanges and bent in a position diverging from the associated top or bottom flanges capable of making electrical contact with one of a top or bottom edge of the opening and absorbing EMI generated within the opening;

bracing means extending from a first one of the lateral sides of the shielding means capable of securing the shielding means against a first lateral edge of the opening;

latching means extending from a second one of the lateral sides of the shielding means capable of securing the shielding means against a second lateral edge of the opening,

wherein the latching means ether comprises;

a flange portion formed from a same piece of material that forms the conductive shielding means;

flexing means formed from the same piece of material that forms the flange portion and the conductive shielding means including a first proximal portion bent out of a section of the flange portion extending substantially perpendicular and completely outward away from a planar surface of the conductive shielding means and a distal portion extending substantially perpendicular and inward back toward the planar surface of the conductive shielding means but not extending past the planar surface of the conductive shielding means so that the flexing means never extends across the planar surface of the conductive shielding means; and

a ridge disposed in the distal portion of the flexing means having a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to a planar top surface of the faceplate.

9. A faceplate for covering an opening in an equipment bay, the faceplate comprising:

a metallic planar body having first and second edges, the first and second edges opposing one another,

a first flange formed from a same piece of metal forming the metallic planar body extending from the first edge of the planar body along a plane of the planar body;

a bracing tongue comprising part of the first flange and bent from a location offset back from a side of the first flange and configured to engage a first edge of the opening;

a second flange formed from the same piece of metal forming the metallic planar body and extending from the second edge of the planar body along the plane of the planar body;

a cantilever beam having distal and proximal portions comprising a portion of the second flange, the proximal portion having a fist end bent from a portion of the second flange starting at a location on the second flange offset back from a side edge of the second flange and extending outward away from the plane of the planar body and residing completely on a first side of the planar body and the distal portion extending from a second end of the proximal portion toward the plane of the planar body while remaining entirely on the first side of the planar body, the cantilever beam having a bias position; and

a latching mechanism formed on the distal portion of the cantilever beam and residing completely on a first side of the planar body beam and having a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the plane of the planar body while being spaced apart from the proximal portion and including a notched portion disposed adjacent the distal portion of the cantilever beam, the cantilever beam capable of wedging against a second edge of the opening causing said notched portion to seat over a corner of said second edge.

10. The faceplate of claim 9, wherein said cantilever beam includes a deflection tongue thereon capable of prying the faceplate out of the opening.