Quick-release device carrier

• US 9,785,205 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2015
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Lien, Yao-Chien, Kuan, Yi-Hsin
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Adrian S
• Application Number:
  US14/836,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20170060176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 36167933, 361724-727
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives

Abstract

Quick-release device carriers for computer chassis are described. In some embodiments, a carrier configured to couple and to decouple a device into or from a chassis may include: a front panel having a proximal edge, a distal edge opposite the proximal edge, and a handle nearest the proximal edge, where the proximal edge includes at least one protrusion; and a bracket slideable into the chassis, where the bracket includes a lateral portion and a rear portion, where the distal edge is coupled to the lateral portion via a hinge, where the rear portion includes an opening configured to accommodate an electronic connector between the device and the chassis, where the at least one protrusion is configured to latch onto at least one corresponding groove of a fixed portion of the chassis when the carrier is in a closed position, and where the fixed portion is parallel to the lateral portion.

Claims

1. A carrier configured to couple a device to a chassis and to decouple the device from the chassis, the carrier comprising:

a front panel having a proximal edge, a distal edge opposite the proximal edge, and a handle nearest the proximal edge, wherein the proximal edge includes at least one protrusion parallel to the front panel; and

a bracket slideable into the chassis, wherein the bracket includes a lateral portion and a rear portion, wherein the distal edge of the front panel is coupled to the lateral portion of the bracket via a hinge, wherein the rear portion includes an opening configured to accommodate an electronic connector between the device and the chassis, wherein the at least one protrusion is configured to latch onto at least one corresponding groove of a fixed portion of the carrier when the carrier is in a closed position, wherein the fixed portion is parallel to the lateral portion, and wherein the device and carrier are concurrently removable from the chassis by swiveling the front panel around the hinge so that the at least one protrusion is extracted from the at least one corresponding groove, and pulling the front panel away from the chassis in a direction parallel to the lateral portion to disconnect the electronic connector between the device and the chassis.

2. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the device includes a Hard Disk Drive (HDD).

3. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the device includes a Solid State Drive (SSD).

4. The carrier of claim 1, further comprising:

a light guide coupled to the fixed portion, wherein the at least one protrusion is transparent or translucent such that it allows propagation of light from a light source in a backplane of the chassis to the front panel through the light guide to indicate an operational status of the device.

5. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the at least one protrusion includes two protrusions, and wherein the at least one corresponding groove includes two grooves.

6. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the bracket is L-shaped.

7. A modular chassis, comprising:

a rack having a plurality of blade compartments, each blade compartment configured to receive at least one Information Handling System (IHS); and

an IHS coupled to a given blade compartment, wherein the IHS includes a chassis having a plurality of slots, each slot configured to receive a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or Solid State Drive (SSD) via a carrier, the carrier comprising;

a front panel having a proximal edge, a distal edge opposite the proximal edge, and a handle nearest the proximal edge, wherein the proximal edge includes at least one protrusion parallel to the front panel;

a bracket slideable into the chassis, wherein the bracket includes a lateral portion and a rear portion, wherein the distal edge of the front panel is coupled to the lateral portion of the bracket via a hinge, wherein the rear portion includes an opening configured to accommodate an electronic connector between the HDD or SSD and the chassis, wherein the at least one protrusion is configured to latch onto at least one corresponding groove of a fixed portion of the carrier when the carrier is in a closed position, wherein the fixed portion is parallel to the lateral portion, wherein the carrier is insertable into the chassis with the device disposed in the carrier and with the front panel closed so that the at least one protrusion is settled in the at least one corresponding groove, and wherein the device and carrier are concurrently removable from the chassis by opening the front panel, swiveling the front panel around the hinge so that the at least one protrusion is out from the at least one corresponding groove, and pulling the opened front panel away from the chassis in a direction parallel to the lateral portion to disconnect the electronic connector.

8. The modular chassis of claim 7, wherein the carrier further comprises:

a light guide coupled to the fixed portion or to the lateral portion, wherein the at least one protrusion is transparent or translucent such that it allows propagation of light from a light source in a backplane of the chassis to the front panel through the light guide to indicate an operational status of the HDD or SDD.

9. The modular chassis of claim 7, wherein the at least one protrusion includes two protrusions, and wherein the at least one corresponding groove includes two grooves.

10. The modular chassis of claim 7, wherein the bracket is L-shaped.

11. A method, comprising:

inserting a device carrier into a slot of a chassis, the device carrier comprising;

a front panel having a proximal edge, a distal edge opposite the proximal edge, and a handle nearest the proximal edge, wherein the proximal edge includes at least one protrusion parallel to the front panel;

a bracket slideable into the chassis, wherein the bracket includes a lateral portion and a rear portion, wherein the distal edge of the front panel is coupled to the lateral portion of the bracket via a hinge, wherein the rear portion includes an opening configured to accommodate an electronic connector between a device and the chassis, wherein the at least one protrusion is configured to latch onto at least one corresponding groove of a fixed portion of the carrier when the carrier is in a closed position, wherein the fixed portion is parallel to the lateral portion, wherein the carrier is inserted into the chassis with the device disposed in the carrier and with the front panel closed so that the at least one protrusion is settled in the at least one corresponding groove; and

removing the device and carrier from the chassis concurrently by opening the front panel, swiveling the front panel around the hinge so that the at least one protrusion is out from the at least one corresponding groove, and pulling the opened front panel away from the chassis in a direction parallel to the lateral portion to disconnect the electronic connector.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the device carrier further comprises a light guide coupled to the fixed portion or to the lateral portion, wherein the at least one protrusion is transparent or translucent such that it allows propagation of light from a light source in a backplane of the chassis to the front panel through the light guide to indicate an operational status of the device.