Back to results
US 6,147,871 AGranted
Low profile computer assembly using paired back-to-back peripheral card connectors that support different bus form factors and are mounted on a riser card
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsJohn R. DeWitt, Jay Henry Neer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A low profile riser card assembly for a computer system is provided by incorporating two uniaxial back to back peripheral connectors. The peripheral card connectors extend outwardly along a single axis from opposing sides of a riser card. The riser card is attached to a riser card connector mounted on the circuit board and is held in a perpendicular to the axis and in an upright position with respect to the circuit board. In the assembly of the present single invention, the uniaxial back to back peripheral card connectors are retained on the riser card in a parallel orientation with respect to the riser card connector to produce a low profile computer assembly.
Claims12
A low profile computer assembly, comprising:
- a circuit board having opposing major surfaces, wherein at least one of said major surfaces includes electrical circuitry disposed thereon;
- a riser card connector mounted on one of said circuit board major surfaces and being electrically connected to said electrical circuitry;
- a riser card having opposing first and second sides, said riser card attached to said riser card connector and held substantially perpendicular to said circuit board, wherein said riser card includes riser card traces disposed on at least one of said opposing sides of said riser card for electrically coupling to said electrical circuitry of said circuit board through said riser card connector;
- a first edge-card peripheral card connector mounted on said first side of said riser card, said first peripheral card connector extending substantially perpendicularly outward from said first side such that said connector is held substantially parallel with respect to said circuit board major surfaces, wherein said first edge-card peripheral card connector includes edge-card peripheral card contacts electrically coupled to some of said riser card traces, wherein said first edge-card peripheral card connector supports a first bus form factor for a first peripheral bus conforming to a first bus protocol specification;
- and
- a second edge-card peripheral card connector mounted on said second, opposite side of said riser card such that said first and second peripheral card connectors are mounted directly opposed from one another on said first and said second sides of said riser card, whereby said first and second peripheral card connectors are held substantially parallel with respect to said circuit board major surfaces along a single axis, wherein said second edge-card peripheral card connector includes edge-card peripheral card contacts electrically coupled to some of said riser card traces, and wherein said second edge-card peripheral card connector supports a second bus form factor for a second peripheral bus conforming to a second bus protocol specification.
3 more elements
A low profile computer assembly, comprising:
- a circuit board having opposing major surfaces for disposing electrical circuitry on at least one of said major surfaces, and a riser card connector placed on at least one of said circuit board major surfaces and being electrically connected to said electrical circuitry;
- a riser card having opposing sides, said riser card attached to said riser card connector and held substantially perpendicular to said circuit board, wherein said riser card includes riser card traces disposed on at least one of said opposing sides of said riser card for electrically coupling to said electrical circuitry of said circuit board through said card connector;
- and
- first and second peripheral card connectors integrated into a single solid piece, each of said peripheral card connectors extending outwardly from a respective side of said riser card, wherein said first and second peripheral card connectors extend outwardly along a single axis which runs substantially perpendicular to said riser card and substantially in parallel to said circuit board major surfaces, said peripheral card connectors including peripheral card contacts electrically coupled to some of said riser card traces;
- and
- wherein said riser card has an opening formed therein to allow said first and second peripheral card connectors to be positioned in substantial symmetry with respect to said riser card.
3 more elements
A low profile computer assembly, comprising:
- a circuit board having opposing major surfaces for disposing electrical circuitry on at least one of said major surfaces, and a riser card connector placed on at least one of said circuit board major surfaces and being electrically connected to said electrical circuitry;
- a riser card having opposing sides, said riser card attached to said riser card connector and held substantially perpendicular to said circuit board, wherein said riser card includes riser card traces disposed on at least one of said opposing sides of said riser card for electrically coupling to said electrical circuitry of said circuit board through said card connector;
- and
- first and second edge-card peripheral card connectors mounted back-to-back with respect to each other, each of said edge-card peripheral card connectors extending outwardly from a respective side of said riser card, wherein said first and second edge-card peripheral card connectors extend outwardly along a single axis which runs substantially perpendicular to said riser card and substantially in parallel to said circuit board major surfaces, said edge-card peripheral card connectors including peripheral card contacts electrically coupled to some of said riser card traces;
- and
- wherein said first edge-card peripheral card connector supports a first bus form factor for a first peripheral bus conforming to a first bus protocol specification, wherein said second edge-card peripheral card connector supports a second bus form factor for a second peripheral bus conforming to a second bus protocol specification, wherein said first and second bus form factors are different, and wherein said first and second bus protocol specifications are different.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.