Hard drive carrier that locks in a shipping position

• US 9,437,250 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2014
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Mundt, Kevin W., Terry, Jared
• Primary Examiner(s): Norris, Jeremy C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Azam, Muhammed
• Application Number:
  US14/169,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20150223364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/121 the apparatus comprising a single recording/reproducing device
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/123 Mounting arrangements of constructional parts onto a chassis
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/124 of the single recording/reproducing device, e.g. disk drive, onto a chassis
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/125 the apparatus comprising a plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. modular arrangements, arrays of disc drives
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/127 Mounting arrangements of constructional parts onto a chassis
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/128 of the plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. disk drives, onto a chassis

Abstract

A hard drive carrier includes a frame to receive a hard drive. The frame includes a front and a side, and a handle connects to the front. The hard drive carrier engages with a hard drive bay to hold the hard drive carrier in the hard drive bay at a first insertion depth when the handle is in a closed position. The first insertion depth is selected to prevent a hard drive connector from engaging with an enclosure connector on a backplane of the hard drive bay. The hard drive carrier further engages with the hard drive bay to hold the hard drive carrier at a second insertion depth when the handle is in the closed position. The second insertion depth is selected to engage the hard drive connector with the enclosure connector.

Claims

1. A hard drive carrier comprising:

a frame to receive a hard drive, the frame including a front and a side; and

a handle connected to the front;

the hard drive carrier being configured to;

engage with a hard drive bay of a system enclosure to hold the hard drive carrier in the hard drive bay at a first insertion depth when the handle is in a closed position, the first insertion depth being configured to prevent a hard drive connector of the hard drive from engaging with an enclosure connector on a backplane of the hard drive bay;

engage with the hard drive bay to hold the hard drive carrier in the hard drive bay at a second insertion depth when the handle is in the closed position, the second insertion depth being configured to engage the hard drive connector with the enclosure connector; and

transition the hard drive carrier from the first insertion depth to the second insertion depth by moving the handle from the closed position to an open position, and then moving the handle back to the closed position.

3. The hard drive carrier of claim 1, wherein:

the frame further includes a frame latch connected to the side, the frame latch being configured to engage with a retention mechanism of the hard drive bay to hold the hard drive carrier in the hard drive bay at the first insertion depth; and

the handle further includes a handle latch, the handle latch being configured to engage with the retention mechanism of the hard drive bay to hold the hard drive carrier in the hard drive bay at the second insertion depth.

4. The hard drive carrier of claim 3, wherein the frame latch is configured to automatically snap fit to the retention mechanism when the hard drive carrier is inserted in to the hard drive bay to the first insertion depth when the handle is in the closed position.

5. The hard drive carrier of claim 3, wherein the handle latch is further configured to engage with a front surface of the hard drive bay at the first insertion depth to prevent the hard drive carrier from being inserted in to the hard drive bay beyond the first insertion depth when the handle is in the closed position.

6. The hard drive carrier of claim 3, wherein the first insertion depth is at a depth where the handle latch does not come into physical contact with a front surface of the hard drive bay when the handle is in the closed position.

7. The hard drive carrier of claim 3, wherein the handle is further configured to engage with the frame latch, when the handle is in an open position, to disengage the frame latch from the retention mechanism and allow the hard drive carrier to be moved to the second insertion depth.

8. The hard drive carrier of claim 3, wherein the handle is further configured to disengage the hard drive connector from the enclosure connector and disengage the handle latch from the retention mechanism, when the handle is in an open position, to allow the hard drive carrier to be removed from the hard drive bay.

9. The hard drive carrier of claim 3, further comprising a ramp leading up to the retention mechanism, the ramp to allow the frame latch to operate independent of the handle and the handle latch.

10. The hard drive carrier of claim 3, wherein the frame latch is one of a sheet metal spring clip, a plunger, and a sliding pin.

11. The hard drive carrier of claim 1, wherein the enclosure connector is one of a surface mount connector and a through-hole connector.

12. The hard drive carrier of claim 1, wherein the first insertion depth is less than the second insertion depth.

13. The hard drive carrier of claim 1, wherein the handle further includes a handle latch configured to:

engage with a first retention mechanism of the hard drive bay to hold the hard drive carrier in the hard drive bay at the first insertion depth when the handle is in the closed position; and

engage with a second retention mechanism of the hard drive bay to hold the hard drive carrier in the hard drive bay at the second insertion depth when the handle is in the closed position.

2. A hard drive enclosure comprising:

a first retention mechanism and a second retention mechanism;

a backplane including an enclosure connector on the backplane; and

the hard drive enclosure being configured to receive a hard drive carrier, the hard drive carrier comprising;

a frame to receive a hard drive, the frame including a front; and

a handle connected to the front, the handle including a handle latch;

the first retention mechanism being configured to engage with the handle latch of the hard drive carrier to hold the hard drive carrier in the hard drive enclosure at a first insertion depth when the handle is in a closed position, the first insertion depth being selected to prevent a hard drive connector of the hard drive from engaging with the enclosure connector; and

the second retention mechanism being configured to engage with the handle latch to hold the hard drive carrier in the hard drive enclosure at a second insertion depth when the handle is in the closed position, the second insertion depth being selected to engage the hard drive connector with the enclosure connector.

14. A hard drive bay comprising:

a backplane;

a hard drive enclosure including an enclosure connector on the backplane; and

a hard drive carrier including;

a frame to receive a hard drive, the frame including a front and a side; and

a handle connected to the front;

wherein the hard drive carrier;

engages with the hard drive enclosure to hold the hard drive carrier in the hard drive enclosure at a first insertion depth when the handle is in a closed position, the first insertion depth preventing a hard drive connector of the hard drive from engaging with the enclosure connector;

engages with the hard drive enclosure to hold the hard drive carrier in the hard drive enclosure at a second insertion depth when the handle is in the closed position, the second insertion depth engaging the hard drive connector with the enclosure connector; and

transitions from the first insertion depth to the second insertion depth by moving the handle from the closed position to an open position, and then moving the handle back to the closed position.

15. The hard drive bay of claim 14, wherein:

the frame further includes a frame latch connected to the side, the frame latch configured to engage with a retention mechanism of the hard drive enclosure to hold the hard drive carrier in the hard drive enclosure at the first insertion depth; and

the handle further includes a handle latch, the handle latch configured to engage with the retention mechanism of the hard drive enclosure to hold the hard drive carrier in the hard drive enclosure at the second insertion depth.

16. The hard drive bay of claim 15, further comprising:

a ramp leading up to the retention mechanism, the ramp to allow the frame latch to operate independent of the handle and the handle latch.

17. The hard drive bay of claim 15, wherein

the frame latch is configured to automatically snap fit to the retention mechanism when the hard drive carrier is inserted in to the hard drive enclosure to the first insertion depth when the handle is in the closed position.

18. The hard drive bay of claim 15, wherein

the handle latch is further configured to engage with a front surface of the hard drive enclosure at the first insertion depth to prevent the hard drive carrier from being inserted in to the hard drive enclosure beyond the first insertion depth when the handle is in the closed position.