Television recorder having a removeable hard disk drive

• US 6,925,246 B1
• Filed: 07/05/2000
• Issued: 08/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Buffalo Patents, LLC
• Original Assignee: Steinbeck Cannery LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Behl, Sunny
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Application Number:
  US09/610,053
• Time in Patent Office: 1,854 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/124, 386/125, 386/126, 386/45, 386/1, 386/27, 386/33, 386/109, 386/111, 386/112, 386/40, 386/82, 386/92, 386/105, 386/106, 361/685, 361/725
• US Class Current: 386/358
• 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: G11B 33/142 by air cooling
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/012 Recording on, or reproducing or erasing from, magnetic disks G11B17/00, G11B19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/64 Constructional details of receivers, e.g. cabinets or dust covers furniture aspects of television cabinets A47B81/06

Abstract

A television recorder defines a recessed memory storage device bay and a rack mounted in the storage device bay. The recorder includes a carrier for removeably locking a hard disk drive into the rack. The television recorder connects with television and television broadcast source for simultaneously recording television programming and replaying recorded programming. The carrier engages the rack to removably insert the hard disk drive into the television recorder.

Claims

1. A television recorder system having a removable hard disk drive, comprising:

a television recorder being connectable with a television and television broadcast source for recording television programming, the television recorder having a memory storage device bay,

a rack mounted in the memory storage device bay; and

a carrier for holding a hard disk drive, wherein the carrier removeably engages the rack to insert the carrier into the television recorder and to electronically couple the hard disk drive with the television recorder;

wherein the rack has lateral sides, the hard disk drive is mounted in the carrier, the carrier has lateral rails that slidably mate with the lateral sides of the rack, at least one lateral rail of the carrier defines an opening, and wherein the carrier includes a fan adapted to to blow air through the opening of the carrier and cool the hard disk drive.

2. A television recorder system having a removable hard disk drive, comprising:

a television recorder being connectable with a television and television broadcast source for recording television programming, the television recorder having a memory storage device bay;

a rack mounted in the memory storage device bay; and

a carrier for holding a hard disk drive, the carrier removeably engages the rack to insert the carrier into the television recorder and to electronically couple the hard disk drive with the television recorder;

wherein a hard disk drive mounts in the carrier, the carrier includes a top cover, a tray, a face and a vent, the top cover covers the tray to enclose the hard disk drive, the face defines the vent to enable air to enter the carrier, and the carrier includes a fan mounted on the face to blow air through the vent.

3. A television recorder system having a removable hard disk drive, comprising:

a television recorder connectable with a television and television broadcast source for recording television programming, the television recorder having a memory storage device bay;

a rack mounted in the memory storage device bay, the rack having a first lateral rail, a second lateral rail and a backplane with a data connector, wherein the backplane attaches to the lateral rails;

a carrier for holding a hard disk drive, wherein the carrier has a face with a vent, a first lateral side and a second lateral side, wherein the first lateral side of the carrier has a periphery defining an opening and the lateral sides of the carrier slidably engage the lateral rails of the rack to insert the carrier into the television recorder and electronically couple the carrier and the rack;

a hard disk drive mounted in the carrier;

wherein the first and second lateral sides of the carrier slidably engage the first and second lateral rails, respectively, to insert the carrier into the rack;

wherein the tray has a top cover with vents for bringing air into the carrier to cool the hard disk drive; and

wherein the system further comprises a fan mounted on the first lateral rail of the rack to blow air through the opening of the carrier.

4. A television recorder system having a removable hard disk drive, comprising:

a television recorder connectable with a television and television broadcast source for recording television programming, the television recorder having a memory storage device bay;

a rack mounted in the memory storage device bay, the rack having a first lateral rail, a second lateral rail and a backplane with a data connector, the backplane attaches to the lateral rails;

a carrier for holding a hard disk drive, the carrier has a face with a vent, a first lateral side and a second lateral side, the first lateral side of the carrier has a periphery defining an opening, the lateral sides of the carrier slidably engage the lateral rails of the rack to insert the carrier into the television recorder and electronically couple the carrier and the rack;

a hard disk drive mounted in the carrier;

the first and second lateral sides of the carrier slidably engage the first and second lateral rails, respectively, to insert the carrier into the rack;

the tray has a top cover with vents for bringing air into the carrier to cool the hard disk drive; and

a fan mounted on the first lateral side of the carrier.

5. A television recorder system having a removable hard disk drive, comprising;

a television recorder connectable with a television and television broadcast source for recording television programming, the television recorder having a memory storage device bay;

a rack mounted in the memory storage device bay, the rack having a first lateral rail, a second lateral rail and a backplane with a data connector, the backplane with a data connector, the backplane attaches to the lateral rails;

a carrier for holding a hard disk drive, the carrier has a face with a vent, a first lateral side and a second lateral side, the first lateral side of the carrier has a periphery defining an opening, the lateral sides of the carrier slidably engage the lateral rails of the rack to insert the carrier into the television recorder and electronically couple the carrier and the rack;

a hard disk drive mounted in the carrier;

the first and second lateral sides of the carrier slidably engage the first and second lateral rails, respectively, to insert the carrier into the rack; and

the tray has a top cover with vents for bringing air into the carrier to cool the hard disk drive;

wherein the face has a vent for bringing air into the carrier; and

wherein the face has fans for blowing air into the carrier, the carrier fans cooperate with the rack fan to cool the hard drive.

6. A television recorder system having a removable hard disk drive, comprising:

a television monitor;

a television recorder connected with the television monitor and with a television broadcast source for recording television programming, the television recorder having a memory storage device bay;

a rack mounted in the memory storage device bay, the rack having lateral rails and a backplane with a data connector, the backplane attaches to the lateral rails;

a carrier for holding a hard disk drive, the carrier having lateral sides and a backplane with a data connector, the lateral sides of the carrier slidably engage the lateral rails of the rack to insert the carrier into the television recorder and electronically couple the carrier and the rack;

wherein a hard disk drive mounts in the carrier and at least one lateral rail of the carrier defines an opening, the carrier includes a fan mounted the one lateral rail to blow air through the opening of the carrier and cool the hard disk drive.

7. A television recorder system having a removable hard disk drive, comprising:

a television monitor;

a television recorder connected with the television monitor and with a television broadcast source for recording, television programming, the television recorder having a memory storage device bay;

a rack mounted in the memory storage device bay the rack having lateral rails and a backplane with a data connector, the backplane attaches to the lateral rails;

a carrier for holding a hard disk drive, the carrier having lateral sides and a backplane with a data connector, the lateral sides of the carrier slidably engage the lateral rails of the rack to insert the carrier into the television recorder and electronically couple the carrier and the rack;

wherein a hard disk drive mounts in the carrier, the carrier includes a top cover, a tray, a face and a vent, the top cover covers the tray to enclose the hard disk drive, the face defines the vent to enable air to enter the carrier, and the carrier includes a fan mounted on the face to blow air through the vent.

8. A television recorder system comprising:

a television recorder being connectable with a television and television broadcast source for recording television programming, the television recorder having a disk drive storage bay;

a carrier; and

a hard disk drive in the carrier,

wherein the carrier is capable of being removeably insertable in the disk drive storage bay in the television recorder, and wherein the carrier and the hard disk drive are capable of being completely removed from the television recorder.

9. The television recorder system of claim 8 further comprising a rack disposed between the carrier and the television recorder.

10. The television recorder system of claim 8 wherein the television recorder is a digital video recorder.

13. The television recorder system of claim 8 wherein the hard disk drive bay is at the front of television recorder, and wherein the carrier and the hard disk drive are insertable into and completely removable from the disk drive bay at the front of the television recorder.

14. The television recorder system of claim 8 wherein the disk drive bay is form at least in part by a housing of the television recorder.

11. The television recorder system of 8 further comprising a rack disposed between the carrier and the television recorder, wherein the carrier slides into the rack.

12. The television recorder system of 8 further comprising a rack disposed between the carrier and the television recorder, wherein the carrier slides into the rack, and wherein the television recorder is a digital video recorder.