Expansion card retention apparatus

A retention apparatus assembly comprising:

• a plurality of expansion cards each comprising a slot cover;
• a panel, a bent plate being formed from the panel, a plurality of expansion slots being defined in the panel and receiving the slot covers of the expansion cards respectively, an entry slot defined in the panel adjacent the bent plate;
• a retention bracket slidably attached to the panel, the retention bracket comprising a first plate slidable along the panel in a direction parallel to the expansion slots between a locked position and an unlocked position, and a second plate, and a plurality of retention tabs arranged on the retention bracket corresponding to the expansion cards;
• and
• fastening means;
• whereby when the retention bracket is located at the locked position the second plate of the retention bracket and the bent plate of the panel sandwich the slot covers of the expansion cards therebetween, the retention tabs hold the slot covers in place, and the fastening means fixedly attaches the retention bracket to the panel, and when the retention bracket is located at the unlocked position the second plate and the retention tabs are moved away from the slot covers.

A retention apparatus assembly comprising:

• at least one expansion card with a corresponding slot cover thereon;
• a panel of a computer enclosure defining a plurality of elongated expansion slots extending along a horizontal direction in said panel and in a front-to-back direction, perpendicular to said horizontal direction, through the panel, an entry slot extending along a lengthwise direction perpendicular to both said horizontal direction and said front-to-back direction in said panel and also through said panel in said front-to-back direction, said entry slot located beside said expansion slots;
• an outward support plate integrally extending perpendicularly along one edge of the entry slot in said front-to-back direction adjacent to said expansion slots;
• and
• a bracket having an L-shaped cross-sectional configuration thereof and including first and second plates perpendicular to each other, said first plate dimensioned to be large enough to cover the entry slot and said second plate dimensioned to be large enough to be sufficiently seated upon the support plate while be small enough to be allowed to extend through said entry slot;
• means formed on both said bracket and said panel to restrictively guide movement of the bracket relative to the panel along the horizontal direction;
• wherein
• said bracket approaches the panel at an outer position relatively far from the expansion slots and moves toward the panel in the front-to-back direction from an inner side of the panel with the second plate extending through the entry slot, and successively moves in the horizontal direction toward the expansion slots under restrictive guidance by said means until reaches an inner position where the second plate cooperates with the support plate to sandwich the slot cover therebetween.