Universal receptacles for interchangeably receiving different removable computer drive carriers

• US 6,882,525 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2003
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CRU Acquisitions Group LLC (CRU Acquisitions Group)
• Original Assignee: Storcase Technology Incorporated (Kingston Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Tang, Choon-Tak, Paul, Dieter G.
• Primary Examiner(s): DUONG, HUNG V
• Application Number:
  US10/375,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20040169996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 361/685, 361/687, 361/688, 361/694, 361/695, 361/690, 361/715, 361725-727, 3122231-2232, 439/928.1
• US Class Current: 361/679.37
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/18 Packaging or power distribution
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1454 Alignment mechanisms; Drawout cases

Abstract

A universal receiving frame to be mounted in a drive bay of a chassis or storage enclosure that is interfaced with a host computer. The universal receiving frame is capable of interchangeably receiving different removable computer drive carriers having respective remote computer drives that are configured for parallel and serial operation. A printed circuit board is mounted on the back wall of the universal receiving frame in which an incoming removable drive carrier is slidably received. A suitable (e.g. a Serial ATA) interface and a serial-to-parallel bridge are located on the printed circuit board of the frame, whereby different removable carriers, regardless of drive configuration, can communicate with the chassis by way of the same receiving frame. In an alternate embodiment, which eliminates the universal receiving frame, the removable carriers are connected to one side of a backplane within the chassis and pull-out peripheral circuit boards are connected to the opposite side. A serial-to-parallel bridge is mounted on each of the removable carriers and a serial-to-serial or serial-to-parallel converter is mounted on each of the peripheral circuit boards.

Claims

1. A universal receiving frame to be located within an enclosure that is interfaced with a computer, said receiving frame receiving a removable carrier within which is connected a computer drive to store computer information, and said receiving frame adapted to interchangeably receive different removable carriers having different computer drives that are respectively connected for series and parallel operation with other computer drives in said enclosure, said universal receiving frame communicating with a serial-to-parallel bridge circuit adapted to convert the output of a parallel connected computer drive to a serial output, and said serial-to-parallel bridge circuit communicating with an interface for enabling the outputs of both serial and parallel connected computer drives to be supplied to the computer.

2. The universal receiving frame recited in claim 1, wherein said interface is selected from a group of interfaces consisting of Serial ATA, parallel ATA, SCSI and Serial Attached SCSI.

3. The universal receiving frame recited in claim 1, wherein said receiving frame includes a back wall, a pair of side walls, and a front for receiving different removable carriers therewithin, said serial-to-parallel bridge circuit and said interface being located at the back wall of said receiving frame.

4. The universal receiving frame recited in claim 1, wherein said serial-to-parallel bridge circuit is mounted on each of said parallel connected removable carriers to be interchangeably received by said receiving frame.

5. The universal receiving frame recited in claim 3, wherein said receiving frame also includes a printed circuit board mounted on said back wall thereof, said serial-to-parallel bridge circuit and said interface being located on said printed circuit board at said back wall.

6. The universal receiving frame recited in claim 5, wherein said serial-to-parallel bridge circuit is an integrated circuit chip that is electrically connected to said printed circuit board at the back wall of said receiving frame.

7. The universal receiving frame recited in claim 5, wherein said receiving frame also includes a multi-pin backplane connector located at said back wall and electrically connected to the printed circuit board, said multi-pin backplane connector at said back wall being sized and positioned to be mated to the backplane interface connector of the removable carrier received by said receiving frame.

8. A universal receiving frame to be located within an enclosure that is interfaced with a computer, said receiving frame receiving a removable carrier having either a serial or a parallel connected computer drive to store computer information, said receiving frame having a back wall, a pair of side walls, a front for receiving the removable carrier therewithin, a printed circuit board mounted on said back wall, a serial-to-parallel bridge circuit, and an interface communicating with said serial-to-parallel bridge circuit, said serial-to-parallel bridge circuit electrically connected to the printed circuit board at said back wall and automatically converting the output of a parallel connected computer drive to a serial output, and said interface electrically connected to the printed circuit board at said backwall for enabling the outputs of both serial and parallel connected computer drives to be supplied to the computer, whereby said receiving frame is adapted to interchangeably receive within said enclosure different removable carriers having respective computer drives that are connected for serial and parallel operation.

9. A universal receiving frame to be located within an enclosure that is interfaced with a computer, said receiving frame receiving a removable carrier having either a serial or a parallel connected computer drive to store computer information, a serial-to-parallel bridge circuit mounted on said removable carrier, and an interface mounted on said receiving frame and communicating with said serial-to-parallel bridge circuit, said serial-to-parallel bridge circuit automatically converting the output of a parallel connected computer drive to a serial output, and said interface enabling the outputs of both serial and parallel connected computer drives to be supplied to the computer, whereby said receiving frame is adapted to interchangeably receive within said enclosure different removable carriers having respective computer drives that are connected for serial and parallel operation.

10. In combination:

an enclosure to be interfaced with a computer;

a backplane located within said enclosure;

at least one removable carrier having either a serial or a parallel connected computer drive to store computer information, said removable carrier detachably connected at one side of said backplane;

at least one removable circuit board detachably connected to the opposite side of said backplane to be interconnected with the computer drive of said removable carrier;

a serial-to-parallel bridge to convert the output of a parallel connected computer drive to a serial output; and

one of a serial-to-serial or a serial-to-parallel converter communicating with said serial-to-parallel bridge for enabling both serial and parallel connected computer drives to communicate with the computer;

whereby said backplane is adapted to be interchangeably connected within said enclosure to different removable carriers having respective computer drives that are connected for serial and parallel operation.

11. The combination recited in claim 10, wherein said serial-to-parallel bridge is mounted on said removable carrier.

12. The combination recited in claim 10, wherein said converter is mounted on said removable circuit board.

13. The combination recited in claim 10, wherein said converter is selected from a group of converters consisting of SCSI-to-serial, iSCSI-to-serial, and fiber channel-to-serial.