# US 2017/0257966 A1 · High-Pressure Card Locks For Maximizing Heat Transfer From Electronics Cards To Card Cages > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0257966 A1 - Document ID: US20170257966A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/165,685 - Filed: 2016-05-26 - Published: 2017-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2016-03-02 - Assignees: Creare Inc. - Applicants: Creare LLC - Inventors: Jay C. Rozzi; Thomas M. Conboy; Nicholas T. Kattamis; Christopher B. Munro; John W. Osborne - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170257966A1 ## CPC - H05K 7/1424: {Card cages} - H05K 7/1404: {by edge clamping, e.g. wedges} - H05K 7/2039: {characterised by the heat transfer by conduction from the heat generating element to a dissipating body (arrangements for increasing/decreasing heat-transfer, e.g. fins details, F28F13/00)} - H05K 7/20545: {Natural convection of gaseous coolant; Heat transfer by conduction from electronic boards} - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ## Abstract Card locks for securing electronics card in card slots within cages and designed and configured to allow each card lock to impart high uniform pressure between an electronics card and the corresponding card slot to maximize heat transfer from the electronics card to the card cage to efficiently sink heat generated onboard the electronics card. In some embodiments, a high-pressure card lock of the present disclosure has a pair of low-angle wedges and a locking mechanism that effectively pushes one of the wedges along the other wedge to put the high-pressure card lock into its locked, high-pressure-exerting state. In other embodiments, a high-pressure card lock of the present disclosure has a pair of low-angle wedges and a locking mechanism that effectively draws one of the wedges along the other wedge to put the high-pressure card lock into its locked, high-pressure-exerting state. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A card lock for locking an electronics card into a card cage, the card lock comprising: a first wedge that tapers in thickness from a first end to a second end; a second wedge that tapers in thickness from a third end to a fourth end, wherein the second wedge is located so that the third end is located proximate to the force-resisting member; and a locking mechanism that includes: a fixed portion fixedly secured to the first wedge at the second end of the first wedge; and a pusher engaged with each of the fixed portion and the second wedge, the pusher designed and configured to act against the fixed portion so as to push the second wedge along the first wedge. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A card lock according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second wedges has a taper of less than 5°. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A card lock according to claim 2, wherein the taper is in a range of 1° to 3°. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A card lock according to claim 1, wherein the first wedge includes a first inclined face and the second wedge includes a second inclined face designed and configured to sliding engage the first inclined face, the card lock further comprising a retainer extending between the first and second inclined faces and designed and configured to inhibit relative lateral movement between the first end of the first wedge and the fourth end of the second wedge. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A card lock according to claim 1, wherein the first wedge includes a first inclined face and the second wedge includes a second inclined face designed and configured to engage the first inclined face in sliding at a frictional interface, each of the first and second inclined faces configured to provide the frictional interface with a friction coefficient of 0.15 or less. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A card lock according to claim 5, wherein the first wedge includes a first inclined face and the second wedge includes a second inclined face designed and configured to engage the first inclined face in sliding at a frictional interface, each of the first and second inclined faces configured to provide the frictional interface with a friction coefficient of 0.1 or less. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) A card lock according to claim 5, wherein the first wedge includes a first inclined face and the second wedge includes a second inclined face designed and configured to engage the first inclined face in sliding at a frictional interface, at least one of the first and second inclined faces including a low-friction coating at the frictional interface. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A card lock according to claim 1, wherein: the first wedge includes a first inclined face and the second wedge includes a second inclined face designed and configured to slidingly engage the first inclined face at a frictional interface having a coefficient of friction; each of the first and second wedges has a taper; and the coefficient of friction and the taper contribute to the card lock having a force multiplier in a range from about 2 to about 7 as between a compressive force applied by the pusher to the second wedge and a compressive force applied by the first and second wedges to a card-lock channel of an electronics card cage. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A card lock according to claim 8, wherein the force multiplier is at least 3. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) A card lock according to claim 8, wherein the force multiplier is at least 4. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) A card lock according to claim 8, wherein the force multiplier is at least 5. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) A card lock according to claim 8, wherein the force multiplier is at least 6. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) A card lock according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second wedges is substantially solid. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) A card lock according to claim 13, wherein each of the first and second wedges is made of a material having a thermal conductivity of less than 200 W/mK. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) A card lock according to claim 14, wherein the thermal conductivity is less than 100 W/mK. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) A card lock according to claim 15, wherein the thermal conductivity is less than 25 W/mK. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) An assembly, comprising: a chassis having at least one card slot having a thermally conductive sidewall; an electronics card having a length, the electronics card engaged in the at least one card slot so as to be in contact with the thermally conductive sidewall along the length of the electronics card; and a card lock according to claim 1, wherein the card lock is engaged in the at least one card slot so as to force the electronics card into firm contact with the thermally conductive sidewall so that pressure of the electronics card against the thermally conductive sidewall is at least 85 psi (0.59 MPa) along substantially the entire length of the portion of the card lock in contact with the electronics card. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) An assembly according to claim 17, wherein the pressure is at least 350 psi (2.41 MPa). ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) An assembly according to claim 18, wherein the engagement of the card lock with the electronics card has a pressure uniformity of at least 0.8. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) An assembly according to claim 18, wherein the engagement of the card lock with the electronics card has a pressure uniformity of at least 0.9. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) An assembly according to claim 17, wherein the pressure is at least 1000 psi (6.90 MPa). ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) An assembly according to claim 21, wherein the engagement of the card lock with the electronics card has a pressure uniformity of at least 0.7. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) An assembly according to claim 21, wherein the engagement of the card lock with the electronics card has a pressure uniformity of at least 0.8. ### Claim 24 (depends on 17) An assembly according to claim 17, wherein the pressure is at least 1400 psi (9.65 MPa). ### Claim 25 (depends on 21) An assembly according to claim 21, wherein the engagement of the card lock with the electronics card has a pressure uniformity of at least 0.5. ### Claim 26 (depends on 21) An assembly according to claim 21, wherein the engagement of the card lock with the electronics card has a pressure uniformity of at least 0.65.