Component retention mechanism
First Claim
1. A computer apparatus, comprising:
- a plurality of socket connectors coupled to a circuit board, wherein each of said plurality of socket connectors is adapted to mate with a computer add-in card;
a locking component comprising a retention bar positioned proximate to said plurality of socket connectors, said locking component having a first locked position wherein the retention bar is disposed at least partially within a plurality of notches located in a plurality of computer add-in cards and a second unlocked position that simultaneously unlocks each of the plurality of computer add-in cards inserted into said plurality of socket connectors by removing the retention bar from the plurality of notches; and
a release mechanism adapted to facilitate the locking of said locking component in the first locked position and to facilitate the release of said locking component to the second unlocked position.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A component retention mechanism facilitates improved installation, retention and removal of hardware components (e.g., PCI cards) on a personal computer. The retention mechanism includes a locking component, support member, and release mechanism coupled to each other. The locking component can be a steel bar or other stiff item positioned proximate to multiple socket connectors on a circuit board. The locking component moves between unlocked and locked positions that mechanically and simultaneously unlock or lock in place multiple add-in cards inserted into the socket connectors. The support member moves and thereby facilitates movement of the locking component between locked and unlocked positions. The release mechanism facilitates movement of the support member and is actuated when a force is exerted by a user thereto. An associated slider housing coupled to the release mechanism and support member includes a fan, support shelves and a door that provides additional support to oversized PCI cards.
15 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer apparatus, comprising:
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a plurality of socket connectors coupled to a circuit board, wherein each of said plurality of socket connectors is adapted to mate with a computer add-in card; a locking component comprising a retention bar positioned proximate to said plurality of socket connectors, said locking component having a first locked position wherein the retention bar is disposed at least partially within a plurality of notches located in a plurality of computer add-in cards and a second unlocked position that simultaneously unlocks each of the plurality of computer add-in cards inserted into said plurality of socket connectors by removing the retention bar from the plurality of notches; and a release mechanism adapted to facilitate the locking of said locking component in the first locked position and to facilitate the release of said locking component to the second unlocked position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A personal computing device, comprising:
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an outer housing adapted to contain one or more internal operational components therein; a plurality of internal operational components located within said outer housing and adapted to provide processing for a user thereof; a processor located within said outer housing and in communication with at least one of said plurality of internal operational components; a plurality of socket connectors coupled to a circuit board located within said outer housing, wherein each of said plurality of socket connectors is adapted to mate with a computer add-in card to facilitate communications between said computer add-in card and said processor; and a locking component comprising a retention bar positioned proximate to said plurality of socket connectors, said locking component having a first locked position wherein the retention bar is disposed at least partially within a plurality of notches located in a plurality of computer add-in cards and a second unlocked position that simultaneously unlocks each of the plurality of computer add-in cards inserted into said plurality of socket connectors by removing the retention bar from the plurality of notches. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of increasing modularity for a computing device, comprising:
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coupling a plurality of socket connectors to a circuit board at the computing device, wherein each of the plurality of socket connectors is adapted to mate with a computer add-in card; positioning a retention bar proximate to the plurality of socket connectors such that the locking component includes a locked position wherein the retention bar is disposed at least partially within a plurality of notches located in a plurality of computer add-in cards and an unlocked position that simultaneously unlocks each of the computer add-in cards inserted into the plurality of socket connectors by removing the retention bar from the plurality of notches; and providing a release mechanism that facilitates locking of the retention bar in the locked position and that facilitates release of the retention bar to the unlocked position. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification