Drive tray

• US 9,330,730 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2010
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Makley, Albert V., Martin-Otto, William F., Pamley, Marc R., Farrow, Timothy S.
• Primary Examiner(s): McAllister, Steven B
• Assistant Examiner(s): COTOV, JOHATHAN J
• Application Number:
  US12/729,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20110234064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,233 Days
• Field of Search: 454/184, 361/679.33, 361/679.37
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/08 Insulation or absorption of undesired vibrations or sounds
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/124 of the single recording/reproducing device, e.g. disk drive, onto a chassis
• 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

Abstract

An exemplary drive tray includes parallel side members; at least one end member connected to the parallel side members where the members collectively form a resilient, substantially rectangular frame for receipt of a drive body; and a pair of parallel side walls extending in a direction normal to a plane defined by the frame where the pair of parallel side walls include engagement features to engage opposing sides of a drive body. Various other apparatuses, systems, methods, etc., are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An assembly comprising:

a drive body; and

a drive tray component that receives the drive body and that comprises

a resilient, rectangular frame that defines an open x,z-plane therein and that comprises opposing end members connected to opposing side members without a cross-member bridge, the frame dimensioned for receipt of the drive body in a y direction orthogonal to the open x,z-plane from above or below the open x,z-plane, the drive body having a drive body height dimension wherein the resilient, rectangular frame comprises an upper edge, a lower edge and a frame height dimension defined between the upper edge and the lower edge and wherein the frame height dimension is less than the drive body height dimension; and

a pair of parallel side walls that extend from the opposing side members of the frame wherein each of the parallel side walls comprises at least one engagement feature that engages the drive body and a rail edge.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the engagement features comprise at least one tool-less engagement feature.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein the tool-less engagement features comprise dampers configured to damp transmission of vibration energy.

4. An assembly comprising:

a drive body that comprises an aft side, a fore side, lateral sides, a top side, a bottom side and a drive height dimension defined between the top side and the bottom side;

a drive tray component that receives the drive body and that comprises

a resilient, rectangular frame that defines an open x,z-plane therein and that comprises opposing end members connected opposing side members without a cross-member bridge, the frame dimensioned for receipt of the drive body in a y direction orthogonal to the open x,z-plane from above or below the open x,z-plane wherein the frame comprises an upper edge, a lower edge and a frame height dimension defined between the upper edge and the lower edge wherein the upper edge is positioned proximate to the top side of the drive body and the lower edge is positioned intermediate the top side and the bottom side of the drive body, and

a pair of parallel side walls that extend from the opposing side members of the frame wherein each of the parallel side walls comprises at least one engagement feature that engages the drive body and a rail edge.

5. The assembly of claim 4 further comprising a second rectangular drive body and a second drive tray wherein the second drive body is received by the second drive tray.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the drive bodies, as received by the drive trays, are arranged in a stack wherein the stack comprises an air flow channel between adjacent drive bodies, the air flow channel being unimpeded by the frames of the drive trays.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein one of the rectangular drive bodies comprises a length and a width wherein the product of the length and the width approximates a heat transfer surface area for the drive body and wherein the heat transfer surface defines a boundary of the air flow channel.

8. The assembly of claim 6 further comprising an air mover configured to draw air into the air flow channel.

9. The assembly of claim 8 further comprising a housing to house the stack and the air mover.

10. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the housing comprises two or more drive bays configured for receipt of the drive bodies, as received by the drive trays.

11. The assembly of claim 4 wherein the drive tray further comprises one or more finger grips.

12. The assembly of claim 4 further comprising a housing that comprises a plurality of drive bays wherein the rail edge of each of the parallel side walls of the drive tray engages the housing to position the drive tray in one of the plurality of drive bays.

13. A method comprising:

providing a housing that comprises adjacent drive bays, each drive bay holding a rectangular drive body disposed intermediate a top side and a bottom side in a resilient, rectangular frame of a slidably removable drive tray wherein the frame defines an open x,z-plane therein and comprises opposing end members connected to opposing side members without a cross-member bridge, the frame dimensioned for receipt of the drive body in a y direction orthogonal to the open x,z-plane from above or below the open x,z-plane wherein the frame comprises an upper edge, a lower edge and a frame height dimension defined between the upper edge and the lower edge wherein the upper edge is positioned proximate to the top side of the drive body and the lower edge is positioned intermediate the top side and the bottom side of the drive body and wherein the slidably removable drive tray comprises a pair of parallel side walls that extend from the opposing side members of the frame wherein each of the parallel side walls comprises at least one engagement feature that engages the drive body and a rail edge; and

drawing air into the housing wherein the air flows in channels defined by and between adjacent drive bodies, the channels unimpeded by the drive trays to enhance removal of heat from the drive bodies.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising sensing a temperature and drawing air responsive to the sensing.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the sensing comprises sensing temperature in at least one of the air flow channels.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein each drive body comprises a length and a width wherein the product of the length and the width approximates a heat transfer surface area for the drive body.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein each of the channels is defined in part by a heat transfer surface of a respective one of the drive bodies.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the drawing air comprises expelling air from the housing.