# US 10,482,051 B2 · Data storage device carrier system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,482,051 B2 - Document ID: US10482051B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/928,698 - Filed: 2015-10-30 - Published: 2016-02-25 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2009-04-30 - Assignees: Dell Products L.P. - Applicants: Dell Products L.P. - Inventors: Chi-Chang Fu; Kuo Ching Huang; Feng-Cheng Su; Jason Alan Yelinek - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10482051B2 ## CPC - G06F 13/4068: {Electrical coupling} - G06F 13/12: using hardware independent of the central processor, e.g. channel or peripheral processor - G06F 13/409: {Mechanical coupling (back panels H05K7/1438)} - G06F 13/4282: {on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus (on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247)} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A data storage device carrier system includes a carrier configured to support one or more data storage devices, a backplane, including one or more coupling connector devices configured to electrically couple with a motherboard, and an interposer board operable to couple a plurality of the data storage devices supported by the carrier with the backplane. In an embodiment, the one or more coupling connector devices are operable to transfer communication signals and electrical power. The interposer board is operable to provide the electrical power from a single port on the backplane to each of the plurality of the data storage devices. The interposer board is also operable to pass communication signals between a primary port on the backplane to a first one of the plurality of the data storage devices, and to pass communication signals between a secondary port on the backplane to a second one of the plurality of the data storage devices. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An information handling system (IHS), comprising: a plurality of first devices that are each a first type of device; a backplane including a backplane second device connector that is configured to couple to a second device that is different than the plurality of first devices and that is the first type of device; and an interposer board including an interposer second device connector that is coupled to the backplane second device connector, and including a plurality of interposer first device connectors that are each coupled to one of the plurality of first devices, wherein the interposer board transmits power and communications between the interposer second device connector and each of the plurality of interposer first device connectors. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The IHS of claim 1, wherein the interposer second device connector includes at least one first connector portion that transmits communications to the plurality of interposer first device connectors, and includes a second connector portion that transmits power to the plurality of interposer first device connectors. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The IHS of claim 1, wherein the interposer second device connector includes a primary communication connector portion that transmits communications to a first interposer first device connector of the plurality of interposer first device connectors, and includes a secondary communication connector portion that transmits communications to a second interposer first device connector of the plurality of interposer first device connectors. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The IHS of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first devices are a plurality of first data storage devices, and wherein the second device is a second data storage device that is different than the plurality of first data storage devices. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The IHS of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of first devices are a different size than the second device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The IHS of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of first devices utilize a different device protocol than the second device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The IHS of claim 1, further comprising: a carrier supporting the plurality of first devices, wherein the carrier is configured to support the plurality of first devices. ### Claim 8 A device coupling system, comprising: an interposer board; a first interposer connector that is located on the interposer board and that is configured to directly connect to a system connector, wherein the system connector is also configured to directly connect to a first device that is a first type of device; a plurality of second interposer connectors that are located on the interposer board and that are each configured to directly connect to a respective second device that is the first type of device but that is different than the first device; and circuitry that is provided in the interposer board and that is configured to transmit power and communications between the first interposer connector and each of the plurality of second interposer connectors. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The device coupling system of claim 8, wherein the first interposer connector includes at least one first connector portion that is configured to transmit communications to the plurality of second interposer connectors, and includes a second connector portion that is configured to transmit power to the plurality of second interposer connectors. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The device coupling system of claim 8, wherein the first interposer connector includes a primary communication connector portion that is configured to transmit communications to a first of the plurality of second interposer connectors, and includes a secondary communication connector portion that is configured to transmit communications to a second of the plurality of second interposer connectors. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The device coupling system of claim 8, wherein the first device is a first data storage device, and wherein each of the plurality of second devices is a second data storage device that is different than the first data storage device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The device coupling system of claim 8, wherein the first device is a different size than each of the plurality of second devices. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The device coupling system of claim 8, wherein the first device utilizes a different device protocol than each of the plurality of second devices. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The device coupling system of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of second devices include solid state drives (SSDs). ### Claim 15 A method for coupling devices to a system, comprising: connecting an interposer first device connector on an interposer board to a system first device connector on a system, wherein the system first device connector is configured to connect to a first device that is a first type of device; connecting a respective second device, which is different than the first device and is the first type of device, to each of a plurality of interposer second device connectors on the interposer board; and transmitting power and communications, received from the system through the system first device connector, through the interposer board between the interposer first device connector and each of the plurality of interposer second device connectors, and to each respective second device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: transmitting the communications using at least one first connector portion of the interposer first device connector to the plurality of interposer second device connectors; and transmitting the power using a second connector portion of the interposer first device connector to the plurality of interposer second device connectors. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: transmitting the communications using a primary communication connector portion of the interposer first device connector to a first of the plurality of interposer second device connectors; and transmitting the communications using a secondary communication connector portion of the interposer first device connector to a second of the plurality of interposer second device connectors. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the first device is a first data storage device, and wherein each of the respective second devices are second data storage devices that are different than the first data storage device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the first device is a different size than the respective second devices. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the first device utilizes a different device protocol than the respective second devices.