Bracket assembly for expansion card
AssigneeAivres Systems Inc.
InventorHeng LU
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bracket assembly for installing and disconnecting an expansion card to an expansion socket slot in a computer system is arranged as a mechanical linkage for the transfer and conversion of motion forces to facilitate operation. The bracket assembly includes a card beam attached along an upper card edge, an eccentric rotor connected to the first beam end, and a lever handle pivotally attached to a second beam end. A sliding link connects the eccentric rotor and lever handle so that pivoting the lever handle rotates the eccentric rotor.
Claims20
A bracket assembly for connecting an expansion card to an expansion board in a computer chassis comprising:
- a card beam elongated in a longitudinal direction between a first beam end and a second beam end, the card beam adapted to attach to an upper edge of the expansion card;
- a sliding link coextending with the card beam in the longitudinal direction between a first link end and a second link end;
- an eccentric rotor rotationally connected to the first beam end and connected to the first link end to rotate the eccentric rotor;
- and
- a lever handle pivotally connected to the second beam end and connect to the second link end to linearly translate the sliding link.
A method of installing an expansion card to an expansion board in a computer chassis comprising:
- attaching a bracket assembly to an upper card edge of an expansion card such that a card beam of the bracket assembly extends longitudinally between a forward card edge and a rearward card edge of the expansion card;
- aligning a lower card edge of the expansion card with an expansion socket slot on the expansion board;
- aligning a fluid port on the expansion card with a manifold port associated with a fluid supply manifold in the computer chassis;
- lowering the lower card edge vertically into the expansion socket slot by rotating an eccentric rotor connected to the bracket assembly with respect to a fixed support structure of the computer chassis;
- and
- forcibly connecting the fluid port to the manifold port by pivoting a lever handle pivotally connected to the card beam to engage a camming structure with a camming catch fixed in relation to the fluid supply manifold.
A computer system comprising:
- an expansion board comprising an expansion socket slot and located in a horizontal plane aligned in a computer chassis;
- a fluid supply manifold located in the horizontal plane and having one or more manifold port oriented in a vertical direction orthogonal to the horizontal plane;
- an expansion card assembly comprising:
- an expansion card having an upper card edge orientable in a longitudinal direction parallel to the horizontal plane, a lower card edge insertable in the expansion socket slot, and one or more fluid ports orientable in the vertical direction;
- and
- a bracket assembly comprising:
- a card beam extending horizontally between a first beam end and a second beam end and attached along the upper card edge;
- a sliding link coextending with the card beam;
- an eccentric rotor rotatably connected to first beam end and connected to the sliding link to rotate the eccentric rotor with respect to fixed support structure of the computer chassis;
- and
- a lever handle pivotally connected to the second beam end and connected to sliding link for movement with respect to the card beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.