Small form factor disk drive carrier

• US 7,088,579 B1
• Filed: 11/13/2003
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Storage Technology Corp (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Konshak, Michael V.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, YEAN HSI
• Application Number:
  US10/712,540
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: 361/685
• US Class Current: 361/679.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/184 Mounting of motherboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives

Abstract

A multiple disk drive storage apparatus that receives a plurality of removable disk drive modules. The removable disk drive modules comprise a disk drive and a carrier body. The carrier body is molded in one piece and may have a latch, an ejection spring, a light pipe, and a cavity for receiving the disk drive. The disk drive is retained in the cavity with a snap-fit connection.

Claims

1. A combination of a multiple disk drive storage apparatus and a plurality of removable disk drive modules, the disk drive storage apparatus includes a housing having an opening in a front side that is further divided into a plurality of slots and a motherboard disposed within the housing, each of the disk drive modules is received in one of the slots of the housing, wherein each of the disk drive modules comprises:

a disk drive having a first connector that is received by a second connector of the motherboard when the disk drive module is placed in the slot;

a carrier body with a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion being disposed in the opening in the front side of the housing and the rear portion being disposed within the housing when the disk drive module is placed in one of the slots, a latch integrally formed on the carrier body that engages the housing and is accessible from the front side of the housing, the carrier body having an integrally formed ejection spring that engages a member disposed within the housing; and

wherein the disk drive module may be removed by disengaging the latch from the housing, the ejection spring exerting a biasing force on the member disconnecting the first connector from the second connector and urging the disk drive module out of the housing through the opening in the front side of the housing.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the disk drive is a small form factor disk drive.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the ejection spring is disposed proximate the rear portion of the carrier body.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the member is a portion of the motherboard.

5. The combination of claim 1, wherein the carrier body further comprises a front wall that spans at least a portion of the opening in the front side of the housing, wherein the front wall restricts the flow of air through the opening and seals the multiple disk drive storage apparatus for air flow retention.

6. The combination of claim 1, wherein the carrier body further comprises a side wall having a surface for receiving an informational overlay.

7. The combination of claim 1, wherein the carrier body further comprises:

a light pipe integrally formed on the carrier body, the light pipe extending from the rear portion of the carrier body to the front portion of the carrier body;

the motherboard having at least one status light,

the light pipe being aligned with the status light; and

wherein the light pipe transmits light from the status light to the front portion of the carrier body when the disk drive module is placed in the slot.

8. The combination of claim 1 wherein the carrier is molded in one piece.

9. The combination of claim 1 wherein the carrier is molded from a polycarbonate polymer.

10. The combination of claim 1 further comprising a power source for supplying power to the multiple disk drive storage apparatus, wherein the power source is disposed in a modified carrier and is removable from the housing in the same manner as one of the disk drive modules.

11. A disk drive module that is received in a multiple disk drive storage apparatus, the disk drive module comprising:

a disk drive;

a carrier body having an open sided cavity defined by the carrier body, the disk drive being secured within the cavity, the carrier body having an integrally formed ejection spring that exerts a biasing force relative to the multiple disk drive storage apparatus for disconnecting the disk drive from the multiple disk drive storage apparatus; and

wherein the carrier and the disk drive have first and second cooperating surface features that create a snap-fit to retain the disk drive in the cavity.

12. The disk drive module of claim 11, the disk drive has an outer case, and wherein the first surface feature is at least one recess formed in the outer case, the carrier body providing the second surface feature, wherein the second surface feature is at least one protrusion;

and wherein each one of the protrusions is received in one of the recesses.

13. The disk drive module of claim 12, wherein the recess is a threaded hole.

14. The disk drive module of claim 11, wherein the carrier body flexes as the protrusion is inserted into the recess and as the protrusion is removed from the recess.