Incorporation of multiple, 2.5-inch or smaller hard disk drives into a single drive carrier with a single midplane or baseboard connector
AssigneeJabil Circuit, Inc.
InventorsOdie B. Killen, Paul K. Foisy, Robert I. Walker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Carrier for the rack mounting of two or more data storage devices into a chassis. The carrier includes support members along the length of the carrier, to receive and retain the two or more data storage devices. The carrier further includes a single electrical communication connector to provide an electrical communication interface for all of the data storage devices in the carrier, to and from a mating connector on a board of the chassis. The carrier further includes an interposer to adapt electrical signals from the single electrical communication connector into a form that is usable by the data storage devices.
Claims22
A carrier for a plurality of data storage devices, comprising:
- internal support structures sized and shaped to receive vertically and retain a data storage device;
- external support structures sized and shaped to be fittable in a memory slot of a chassis, wherein the memory slot is designed to receive a single data storage device;
- and
- a two-sided electrical communication interface, one side of the electrical communication interface comprising a plurality of internal connectors that removably mate with matching connectors connected to each of the plurality of data storage devices, and an opposing side of the electrical communication interface comprising a single external connector that removably mates with a matching connector on the chassis.
A carrier for a plurality of data storage devices, comprising:
- a first support member sized and shaped to receive vertically and retain a data storage device;
- a second support member sized and shaped to receive and retain a plurality of first support members, the second support member removably fittable in a chassis;
- and
- an electrical communication interface from the chassis to the data storage devices within the plurality of first support members, the electrical communication interface comprising:
- (i) a single external connector that removably mates with a matching connector on the chassis, wherein the single external connector is a Single Connector Attachment (SCA) connector;
- (ii) a plurality of internal connectors removably mating with the data storage devices, wherein the plurality of internal connectors point in an opposite geometric direction as the single external connector;
- and
- (iii) an interposer communicatively connecting all the data storage devices within the plurality of first support members to the single external connector.
A carrier for a plurality of data storage devices, comprising:
- a first support member sized and shaped to receive vertically and retain a data storage device;
- a second support member internally sized and shaped to receive and retain a plurality of first support members, wherein the second support member is externally sized and shaped such that the carrier has an external form factor that is substantially equivalent to an external form factor of a single data storage device with a disk diameter of 2.5 to 3.5 inches;
- and
- an electrical communication interface from the chassis to the data storage devices within the plurality of first support members, the electrical communication interface comprising a single external connector that removably mates with a matching connector on the chassis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.