Compute chassis having a lid that secures and removes air baffles

• US 9,696,769 B1
• Filed: 12/31/2015
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Global Technologies International Ltd. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte., Ltd. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hamilton, Jeffrey R., Staley, Mark J., Tang, Jimmy X., Voytko, Troy S., Wong, Jack P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nicholson, III, Leslie A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wright, Kimberly S
• Application Number:
  US14/985,840
• Publication Number:
  US 20170192469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 1/00 Devices for securing together, or preventing relative movement between, constructional elements or machine parts
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 2200/83 Use of a magnetic material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/181 Enclosures for portable computers G06F1/1613
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0013 assembled by resilient members
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0221 Locks; Latches
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/03 Covers
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20127 Natural convection
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20145 Means for directing air flow, e.g. ducts, deflectors, plenum or guides

Abstract

A chassis includes a base, a lid, and air baffles disposed within the base. The lid slidably engages opposing base side walls and slides between secured and unsecured positions. In one embodiment, a mechanical latch attaches to the lid and has a spring-biased latch arm for selectively locking the lid to the base and a latch hook for selectively locking the air baffle to the lid, wherein depressing the mechanical latch releases the lid from the base and physically separating the lid from the base causes the latch hook to secure the air baffle for removing the air baffle along with the lid. In another embodiment, a first magnet is attached to the lid and a second magnet is attached to the air baffle, wherein sliding the lid to the unsecured position aligns the first and second magnets and magnetically couples the air baffle to the lid.

Claims

1. A chassis, comprising:

a base having a bottom wall, a first base side wall and a second base side wall opposite the first base side wall;

a lid having a top wall, a first lid side wall and a second lid side wall, wherein the lid is supported by the first and second opposing base side walls with the first lid side wall slidably engaging an outer surface of the first opposing base side wall and the second lid side wall slidably engaging an outer surface of the second base side wall;

an air baffle disposed within the base;

a mechanical latch attached to an inside surface of the top wall of the lid, wherein the mechanical latch is spring biased in a direction away from the base, wherein the mechanical latch includes a latch arm for selectively locking the lid to the base and a latch hook for selectively locking the air baffle to the lid, wherein depressing the mechanical latch releases the lid from the base and wherein physically separating the lid from the base causes the latch hook to secure the air baffle such that the air baffle is removed from the base along with the lid.

2. The chassis of claim 1, further comprising:

a first latch slot formed in the first base side wall having a vertical slot portion that extends away from a distal edge of the first base side wall and a second horizontal slot portion that extends in a first direction generally parallel to the bottom wall;

a second latch slot formed in the second base side wall having a vertical slot portion that extends away from a distal edge of the second base side wall and a second horizontal slot portion that extends in a first direction generally parallel to the bottom wall;

a first guide member inwardly directed from the first lid side wall; and

a second guide member inwardly directed from the second lid side wall, wherein the first and second guide members are positioned to be received in the latch slots of the first and second base side walls with the first and second lid side walls slidably engaging an outer surface of the first and second based side walls.

3. The chassis of claim 2, wherein sliding the lid in the first direction with the first and second lid side walls slidably engaging an outer surface of the first and second based side walls causes insertion of the latch arm into the horizontal slot portion of the latch slot of the first base side wall such that the latch arm catches on a hook in the second slot portion to lock the lid in a closed position.

4. The chassis of claim 3, wherein manually depressing the mechanical latch toward the base both releases the latch arm from the hook and causes the latch hook to align with the air baffle, and wherein sliding the lid in a second direction opposite the first direction with the mechanical latch depressed causes the hook arm to engage the air baffle.

5. The chassis of claim 4, wherein the latch hook extends in the second direction and the air baffle includes a mating hook extending in the first direction.

6. The chassis of claim 2, wherein the latch arm has a slanted upper surface that allows the latch arm to slide past the hook without depressing the mechanical latch as the lid is slid in the first direction.

7. The chassis of claim 1, further comprising:

an additional latch slot in each base side wall and an additional guide member inwardly directed from each lid side wall, wherein the additional guide members are positioned to be received in one of the additional latch slots with the first and second lid side walls slidably engaging an outer surface of the first and second based side walls.

8. The chassis of claim 1, wherein positioning the lid for reattachment to the base repositions the air baffles within the base.

9. The chassis of claim 1, wherein a plurality of magnets are attached to the lid and a plurality of magnets are attached to the air baffle, wherein sliding the lid to the unsecured position aligns the plurality of magnets attached to the lid with the plurality of magnets attached to the air baffle, and wherein sliding the lid to the secured position offsets the plurality of magnets attached to the lid from the plurality of magnets attached to the air baffle so that the air baffle is not magnetically coupled to the lid.

10. A chassis, comprising:

a base having a bottom wall, a first base side wall and a second base side wall opposite the first base side wall;

a lid supportable by the first and second opposing base side walls, wherein the lid is selectively secured to the base by sliding the lid along the first and second base side walls between a secured position and an unsecured position;

an air baffle disposed within the base;

a first magnet attached to the lid;

a second magnet attached to the air baffle, wherein sliding the lid to the unsecured position aligns the first and second magnets and magnetically couples the air baffle to the lid so that separating the lid from the base causes removal of the air baffle from the base along with the lid, and wherein sliding the lid to the secured position offsets the first and second magnets so that the air baffle is not magnetically coupled to the lid.

11. The chassis of claim 10, further comprising:

a mechanical latch for selectively locking the lid to the base in response to sliding the lid to the secured position, wherein depressing the mechanical latch releases the lid from the base so that the lid may be slid to the unsecured position.

12. The chassis of claim 10, further comprising:

a first latch slot formed in the first base side wall having a vertical slot portion that extends away from a distal edge of the first base side wall and a second horizontal slot portion that extends in a first direction generally parallel to the bottom wall;

a second latch slot formed in the second base side wall having a vertical slot portion that extends away from a distal edge of the second base side wall and a second horizontal slot portion that extends in a first direction generally parallel to the bottom wall;

a first guide member inwardly directed from the first lid side wall; and

a second guide member inwardly directed from the second lid side wall, wherein the first and second guide members are positioned to be received in the latch slots of the first and second base side walls with the first and second lid side walls slidably engaging an outer surface of the first and second based side walls.