# US 12,184,323 B2 · Electronic device, expansion structure for electronic card and assembly method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,184,323 B2 - Document ID: US12184323B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/589,142 - Filed: 2022-01-31 - Published: 2023-08-03 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2022-01-31 - Assignees: Getac Technology Corporation - Applicants: Getac Technology Corporation - Inventors: Kuang-Yeh Chang; Yi-Chia Chiu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12184323B2 ## CPC - H04B 1/3888: Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers - H04B: TRANSMISSION ## Abstract The present invention discloses an expansion structure for an electronic card for installing the electronic card. The expansion structure includes a carrier board, a limiting member and a fixing element. The carrier board carries the electronic card. The limiting member includes a sidewall and a blocking piece extended from the sidewall, the sidewall is formed on one side of the carrier board, and the sidewall, the blocking piece and the carrier board jointly define a sliding channel for accommodating the electronic card. The fixing element fixes the electronic card at the carrier board. Thus, a small-size electronic card can be installed on an installation interface of a large-size electronic card by the expansion structure, achieving the effect of sharing the same installation interface. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An expansion structure for an electronic card, for installing the electronic card, the expansion structure comprising: a carrier board, carrying the electronic card; at least one limiting member, comprising a sidewall and a blocking piece extended from the sidewall, the sidewall formed on one side of the carrier board, and the sidewall, the blocking piece and the carrier board jointly defining a sliding channel for accommodating the electronic card along a sliding direction, wherein the electronic card has an insertion end and a fixing end opposite to each other along the sliding direction, and the at least one limiting member is located closer to the fixing end than the insertion end along the sliding direction; and a fixing element, fixing the fixing end of the electronic card at the carrier board. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The expansion structure according to claim 1, wherein the fixing element is a screw bolt, the carrier board is provided with a locking hole, and the screw bolt passes through the electronic card and is locked at the locking hole. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The expansion structure according to claim 1, wherein the fixing element is an elastic piece, and the elastic piece is disposed at the carrier board and elastically clamps and secures the electronic card. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The expansion structure according to claim 1, wherein the carrier board carries at least one-third of an area of a bottom surface of the electronic card. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The expansion structure according to claim 1, wherein the carrier board is provided with two stopping elements in a protruding manner, the two stopping elements stop at the fixing end of the electronic card, and the two stopping elements are respectively located at two sides of the fixing element. ### Claim 6 An electronic device, for installing an electronic card, the electronic device comprising: a circuit board, provided with a connector slot; and an expansion structure, comprising a carrier board and a fixing element; wherein, the electronic card is disposed at the carrier board and is fixed by the fixing element, a sidewall is formed on a side of the carrier board, a blocking piece is extended inward from the sidewall, the blocking piece and the sidewall jointly define a sliding channel to cover the side of the electronic card along a sliding direction, the electronic card has an insertion end and a fixing end opposite to each other along the sliding direction, the electronic card is fixed by the fixing element at the fixing end, and the expansion structure is disposed at the circuit board and connects the insertion end and the connector slot with each other; wherein in the expansion structure, the sidewall and the blocking piece are located closer to the fixing end than the insertion end along the sliding direction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The electronic device according to claim 6, further comprising: a tightening component; wherein, the circuit board is provided with a connecting column in a protruding manner, the carrier board is provided with a through hole, and the tightening component passes through the through hole and is tightened with the connecting column. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the fixing element is a screw bolt, the carrier board is provided with a locking hole, and the screw bolt passes through the electronic card and is locked at the locking hole. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the fixing element is an elastic piece, and the elastic piece is disposed at the carrier board and elastically clamps and secures the electronic card. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the carrier board carries at least one-third of an area of a bottom surface of the electronic card. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the carrier board is provided with two stopping elements in a protruding manner, the two stopping elements stop at the fixing end of the electronic card, and the two stopping elements are respectively located at two sides of the fixing element. ### Claim 12 An assembly method for assembling an expansion structure for an electronic device, comprising: providing an electronic device, a carrier board, a fixing element and an electronic card; wherein the electronic device is provided with a circuit board, the circuit board is provided with a connector slot, a sidewall is formed on a side of the carrier board, a blocking piece is extended from the sidewall, the carrier board, the sidewall and the blocking piece jointly define a sliding channel along a sliding direction, and the electronic card has an insertion end and a fixing end opposite to each other along the sliding direction; inserting the fixing end of the electronic card into the sliding channel along the sliding direction to install the electronic card at the carrier board; fixing the fixing end of the electronic card on the carrier board by the fixing element to form an expansion structure; and connecting the insertion end and the connector slot with each other to fix the expansion structure on the circuit board, wherein in the expansion structure, the sidewall and the blocking piece are located closer to the fixing end than the insertion end along the sliding direction. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The assembly method according to claim 12, wherein the carrier board is provided with two stopping elements in a protruding manner, and when the fixing end of the electronic card is inserted into the sliding channel, the electronic card is pushed until being stopped and positioned by the stopping elements, and the two stopping elements are respectively located at two sides of the fixing element. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The assembly method according to claim 12, wherein the fixing element is a screw bolt, the carrier board is provided with a locking hole, and the screw bolt passes through the electronic card and is locked at the locking hole. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The assembly method according to claim 12, wherein the fixing element is an elastic piece, and the elastic piece is provided at the carrier board and elastically clamps and secures the electronic card. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The assembly method according to claim 12, further comprising: providing a tightening component; wherein, the circuit board is provided with a connecting column, the carrier board is provided with a through hole, and after the insertion end and the connector slot are connected with each other, the tightening component passes through the through hole and is fixed with the connecting column.