Rack mount panel fastener with interchangeable thread size

#Not applicable.

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention generally relates to rack mounted computer systems and more particularly to an improved panel fastener system which allows screw thread size to be changed rapidly without tools.

#For a detailed description of embodiments of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings.

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an equipment rack with several computer servers mounted in the rack and one being installed;

#FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a panel fastener system in one embodiment of the present invention;

#Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular system components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, companies may refer to a component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name, but not function. In the discussion herein and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . ”. Also, the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to mean either an indirect or direct connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection, or through an indirect connection via other devices and connections.

#Referring now to FIG. 1, a typical rack mounting system for computer servers is illustrated. A mounting rack 10 is a generally rectangular metal housing for providing mechanical support for a number of servers 12, 14 and 16. The front surface 18 of the rack 10 includes two vertical rails 20 having a plurality of threaded holes 22 for attaching equipment such as the servers 12, 14, 16. The holes are normally spaced vertically apart by 1.75 inch which is the standard unit of server height usually referred to as one “U”. Servers are normally made in thicknesses which are multiples of this unit, e.g., 1U, 2U, 3U, etc. The holes are sized and threaded for one of the standard screw thread configurations such as English standard 10-32, i.e., screw size 10 with 32 threads per inch. Between the rails 20 is an opening 24 for receiving components such as servers 12, 14, 16. Mounting racks are typically identified by their nominal width dimension. For example, a nineteen inch rack accepts components having a front panel maximum width dimension of nineteen inches and has an opening width of about 17.5 inches for the actual chassis of the component, e.g., server 16.

#In FIG. 1, server 16 is illustrated as partly installed into rack 10. It has a front panel 26 which is wider than its chassis 28. For example the front panel 26 may be nineteen inches wide and the chassis 28 may be 17.5 inches wide. The extra width of the front panel 26 forms two flanges or ears 30 for mechanically coupling the server 16 to the rack 10. A thumbscrew 32 is coupled to each ear 30. When server 16 is placed into final position within rack 10, the thumbscrews 32 mate with respective holes 22 and may be manually turned to removably hold the server 16 in place.