Device mounting and retention assembly

• US 7,021,729 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2003
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mansueto, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): HANSEN, JAMES ORVILLE
• Application Number:
  US10/347,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20030222555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 312/223.1, 312/223.2, 312/330.1, 312/333, 312/334.1, 312/334.7, 361/684, 361/685, 361/807
• US Class Current: 312/223.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/184 Mounting of motherboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1411 for securing or extracting box-type drawers

Abstract

A device mounting and retention mechanism is disclosed, comprising a guide disposed on a device so that the guide is capable of slidably moving along a guide channel so that a retention mechanism may engage the guide thereby providing a restraining force and ground for the device. A device retention assembly is also disclosed, comprising a guide mounted on a device so that the guide is capable of slidably moving along a guide channel disposed on a housing so that the retention mechanism is capable of flexibly engaging the guide, thereby providing a restraining force. A device mounting assembly is also disclosed, comprising a first guide mounted on a device and a second guide mounted on a device wherein a guide channel is formed so as to selectively accept the first guide and exclude the second guide.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a disk drive device;

a housing with an interior for receiving the disk drive device; and

a device mounting assembly for removably mounting the disk drive device on the housing, comprising;

a first guide mounted on the disk drive device;

a second guide mounted on the disk drive device;

a first guide channel disposed on a first side wall of the housing in communication with the interior of the housing; and

,

a second guide channel disposed on a second side wall of the housing in communication with the interior of the housing, said second guide channel being located on the second side wall of the housing in a substantially opposed orientation to the first guide channel on the first side wall of the housing;

wherein the first guide channel is formed so as to selectively accept the first guide and exclude the second guide;

wherein the second guide channel is formed so as to selectively accept the second guide and exclude the first guide.

2. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the first guide and second guide are formed as an integral part of the disk drive device.

3. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the first guide channel is formed in a complementary shape of the first guide.

4. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the first guide channel is formed in a complementary size of the first guide.

5. The system as described in claim 4, wherein the first guide channel is formed in a complementary width of the first guide.

6. The system as described in claim 4, wherein the first guide channel is formed in a complementary height of the first guide.

7. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the housing is configured to be capable of at least substantially containing the disk drive device.

8. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the first and second guides each have a protrusion length defined by a distance that each of the first and second guides protrudes from the disk drive device, and each of the first and second guide channels has a depth in a respective one of the side walls, and

wherein the depth of the first guide channel is less than the protrusion length of the first guide to space the disk drive device from the housing, and the depth of the second channel guide is less than the protrusion length of the second guide to space the first device from the housing.

9. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the first guide has a first end surface with a first end configuration, wherein a first base surface of the first guide channel has a first face configuration, the first end configuration and the first face configuration being complementary to permit substantially snug abutment of the first end surface against the first base surface;

and

wherein the second guide has a second end surface with a second end configuration, wherein a second base surface of the second guide channel has a second face configuration, the second end configuration and the second face configuration being complementary to permit substantially snug abutment of the second end surface against the second base surface.

10. The system as described in claim 9, wherein the first end configuration of the first end surface of the first guide is incapable of snugly abutting the second face configuration of the second base surface of the second guide channel, and the second end configuration of the second end surface of the second guide is incapable of snugly abutting the first face configuration of the first base surface of the first guide channel.

11. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the disk drive device comprises a hard disk drive device.

12. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a cage positioned in a personal computer.

13. A system, comprising:

a disk drive device;

a housing with an interior for receiving the disk drive device; and

a device mounting assembly for removably mounting the disk drive device on the housing, comprising;

a first guide means for guiding the disk drive device, the first guide means being formed as an integral part of the disk drive device;

a second guide means for guiding the disk drive device, the second guide means being formed as an integral part of the disk drive device;

a first receiving means for receiving one or more guide means, the first receiving means being disposed on a first side wall of the housing in communication with the interior of the housing;

a second receiving means for receiving one or more guide means, the second receiving means being disposed on a second side wall of the housing in communication with the interior of the housing, said second guide channel being located on the second side wall of the housing in a substantially opposed orientation to the first guide channel on the first side wall of the housing;

wherein the first receiving means is formed so as to selectively accept the first guide means and exclude the second guide means;

wherein the second receiving means is formed so as to selectively accept the second guide means and exclude the first guide means.

14. The device mounting assembly as described in claim 13, wherein the first guide means and second guide means are disposed on the disk drive device.

15. The system as described in claim 13, wherein the first receiving means is formed in a complementary shape of the first guide means so as to selectively accept the first guide means and exclude the second guide means.

16. The system as described in claim 13, wherein the first receiving means is formed in a complementary size of the first guide means so as to selectively accept the first guide and exclude the second guide.

17. The system as described in claim 16, wherein the first receiving means is formed in a complementary width of the first guide means so as to selectively accept the first guide means and exclude the second guide means.

18. The system as described in claim 16, wherein the first receiving means is formed in a complementary height of the first guide means so as to selectively accept the first guide means and exclude the second guide means.