# US 12,114,462 B2 · Modular card cage accessories > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,114,462 B2 - Document ID: US12114462B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/820,112 - Filed: 2022-08-16 - Published: 2022-12-08 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2019-06-17 - Assignees: National Instruments Corporation - Applicants: National Instruments Corporation - Inventors: Richard G. Baldwin, Jr.; Michael H. Singerman - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12114462B2 ## CPC - H05K 7/20145: {Means for directing air flow, e.g. ducts, deflectors, plenum or guides} - H05K 7/20563: {within sub-racks for removing heat from electronic boards} - H05K 1/141: {One or more single auxiliary printed circuits mounted on a main printed circuit, e.g. modules, adapters (H05K1/142 and H05K1/147 take precedence)} - H05K 5/026: {having standardized interfaces (flash memory cards G06K19/077)} - H05K 1/144: {Stacked arrangements of planar printed circuit boards} - H05K 2201/042: Stacked spaced PCBs; Planar parts of folded flexible circuits having mounted components in between or spaced from each other - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ## Abstract Various types of electronic devices may be mounted in a chassis in order to facilitate interfacing with the devices, containing the devices, provide cooling systems which may remove heat from the electronic devices, etc. Delivering adequate cooling air flow to each electronic device in a chassis may be an important issue for the proper functioning, lifetime, or other characteristics of electronic devices contained in a chassis. Some electronic devices may be particularly challenging to cool due to various design characteristics. Other electronic devices may have other requirements that are not well served by existing chassis designs. For example, some electronic devices may benefit from additional electrical and/or thermal connections. Embodiments presented herein describe a novel design for a modular card cage accessory that may be configured to modify air flow and/or to meet particular requirements of an electronic device in a chassis, among various possibilities. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A modular card cage accessory, comprising: a mounting feature for installation in a first slot of a card cage of a chassis; an integrated card guide for installation of an associated electronic module in the first slot, wherein the modular card cage accessory provides a first electrical connection for the associated electronic module via a backplane of the chassis; and a component to provide a second electrical connection for the associated electronic module to a second electronic module in a second slot of the card cage of the chassis, wherein the second electrical connection is a direct connection and does not use the backplane of the chassis. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The modular card cage accessory of claim 1, wherein the modular card cage accessory further comprises electromagnetic shielding for the associated electronic module. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The modular card cage accessory of claim 1, wherein the modular card cage accessory has a first shape prior to installation of the associated electronic module and a second shape after the installation of the associated electronic module, wherein the second shape is different than the first shape. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The modular card cage accessory of claim 1, wherein the second electrical connection includes a data connection with a higher data rate than the first electrical connection. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The modular card cage accessory of claim 1, wherein the associated electronic module is a nonstandard module, wherein the integrated card guide allows for installation of the nonstandard module. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The modular card cage accessory of claim 1, wherein the modular card cage accessory further includes a sensor, wherein the second electrical connection includes a connection of the sensor to the second electronic module. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The modular card cage accessory of claim 1, wherein the modular card cage accessory is further configured to direct air flow to cool the associated electronic module. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The modular card cage accessory of claim 1, wherein the second electrical connection includes a data connection with a lower latency than the first electrical connection. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The modular card cage accessory of claim 1, wherein the second electrical connection supports signal requirements of the associated electronic module in excess of those supported by the first electrical connection. ### Claim 10 A system, comprising: a chassis comprising a card cage, the card cage comprising: at least a first slot and a second slot; and a backplane; and a modular card cage accessory comprising: a mounting feature for installation in the first slot of the card cage of the chassis; an integrated card guide for installation of an associated electronic module in the first slot, wherein the modular card cage accessory provides a first electrical connection for the associated electronic module via the backplane of the chassis; and a component to provide a second electrical connection for the associated electronic module to a second electronic module in the second slot of the card cage of the chassis, wherein the second electrical connection is a direct connection and does not use the backplane of the chassis. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the modular card cage accessory further comprises electromagnetic shielding for the associated electronic module. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the modular card cage accessory has a first shape prior to installation of the associated electronic module and a second shape after the installation of the associated electronic module, wherein the second shape is different than the first shape. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the second electrical connection includes a data connection with a higher data rate than the first electrical connection. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the associated electronic module is a nonstandard module, wherein the integrated card guide allows for installation of the nonstandard module. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the modular card cage accessory further includes a sensor, wherein the second electrical connection includes a connection of the sensor to the second electronic module. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the modular card cage accessory is further configured to direct air flow to cool the associated electronic module. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the second electrical connection includes a data connection with a lower latency than the first electrical connection. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the second electrical connection supports signal requirements of the associated electronic module in excess of those supported by the first electrical connection. ### Claim 19 A method, comprising: installing a modular card cage accessory in a first slot of a card cage of a chassis using a mounting feature of the modular card cage accessory, wherein the modular card cage accessory comprises: an integrated card guide for installation of an associated electronic module in the first slot, wherein the modular card cage accessory provides a first electrical connection for the associated electronic module via a backplane of the chassis; and a component to provide a second electrical connection for the associated electronic module to a second electronic module in a second slot of the card cage of the chassis, wherein the second electrical connection is a direct connection and does not use the backplane of the chassis. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the modular card cage accessory is further configured to direct air flow to cool the associated electronic module.