# US 8,787,012 B2 · Hard drive retention mechanism > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,787,012 B2 - Document ID: US8787012B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/029,457 - Filed: 2011-02-17 - Published: 2012-08-23 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2011-02-17 - Assignees: Facebook, Inc. - Applicants: Amir Meir Michael; Steven J. Furuta; Michael Wittig - Inventors: Amir Meir Michael; Steven J. Furuta; Michael Wittig - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8787012B2 ## CPC - H05K 7/1487: {Blade assemblies, e.g. blade cases or inner arrangements within a blade} - G06F 1/187: Mounting of fixed or removable disk drives - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract An efficient and quick mechanism provides for retention and removal of hard drives on a computer chassis. A hard drive is placed in a hard drive housing, which includes one or more pins on the outside of the housing and a opening on a side of the housing. The pins on the hard drive housing align with and fit inside slots located on the chassis. The chassis also includes a spring plunger that inserts into the opening of the hard drive housing. The insertion of the spring plunger into the opening of the hard drive housing secures the housing to the chassis. The pins can be uncoupled from the slots and the spring plunger can be released from the opening to quickly remove the hard drive housing from the chassis. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: a chassis for retaining components of a computing system, including a hard disk drive; a hard disk drive housing configured to encase one or more hard disk drives, wherein the housing has a pair of pins located on the exterior of the housing and at least one opening; a pair of tabs fixed to the chassis, each tab including a slot that is configured to receive a pin of the pair of pins of the housing, the slot in each tab including a slit-like opening for allowing expansion of the slot to fit a diameter of one of the pins to provide an interference fit between the slot and the pin; and a member resiliently fixed to the chassis, wherein the member is configured to fit within the at least one opening of the housing and capable of deforming to be removed from the at least one opening of the housing, wherein the tabs and the member are located on the chassis so that the pins of the housing can be aligned with and coupled to the slots of the tabs while the member is aligned with and coupled to the at least one opening in the housing to secure the housing to the chassis. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the pins create an interference fit when inserted into the slots. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the diameter of slots is not larger than the diameter of the pins. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the pins are located on opposite sides of the housing. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the member comprises a spring plunger that is arranged to move against a spring force to remove the spring plunger from the at least one opening of the housing. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the spring plunger is insertable into the at least one opening of the housing to secure the housing to the chassis. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the pin and the at least one opening are located on a same side of the housing. ### Claim 8 A system comprising: a chassis for receiving a data storage device; a housing for the data storage device, wherein the housing has at least one protruding portion located on the exterior of the housing and an opening in the housing; at least one receiving portion on the chassis, wherein the at least one receiving portion aligns with the at least one protruding portion, wherein the at least one protruding portion can be coupled with the at least one receiving portion to secure the housing to the chassis, wherein one of the receiving portions is a tab fixed to the chassis having a slot with a slit-like opening for allowing expansion of the slot to fit a diameter of one of the protruding portions to provide an interference fit between the receiving portion and the protruding portion; and a member resiliently fixed to the chassis, wherein the member can be aligned and coupled with the opening in the housing when the at least one protruding portion is coupled with the at least one receiving portion. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one receiving portion is configured to apply compression to the at least one protruding portion when inserted into the receiving portion. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, further comprising multiple protruding portions on the housing. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, further comprising multiple receiving portions located on the chassis for receiving the multiple protruding portions. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one protruding portion comprises a pin and the at least one receiving portion comprises a slot. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the member comprises a spring apparatus that can be inserted into the opening of the housing to secure the housing to the chassis. ### Claim 14 The system of claim13, wherein the spring apparatus can be removed from the opening of the housing to remove the housing from the chassis. ### Claim 15 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one protruding portion can be removed from the at least one receiving portion to remove the housing from the chassis. ### Claim 16 A system comprising: a chassis for retaining a hard disk drive; a housing for the hard disk drive, wherein the housing comprises a plurality of pins and an opening on one or more sides of the housing; a plurality of slots having diameters not larger than the diameters of the plurality of pins, the slots on the chassis for receiving the plurality of pins, wherein the plurality of slots couple with the plurality of pins, at least one of the slots including a slit-like opening for allowing expansion of the slot to fit a diameter of one of the pins to provide an interference fit between the slot and the pin; and a spring plunger on the chassis, wherein the spring plunger inserts into the opening, wherein the coupling of the plurality of pins with the plurality of slots and the insertion of the spring plunger into the opening secures the housing to the chassis. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein uncoupling of the plurality of pins from the plurality of slots allows removal of the housing from the chassis. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein removal of the spring plunger from the opening allows release of the housing from the chassis. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the member comprises a resilient member. ### Claim 20 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the member comprises a resilient member capable of deforming to be uncoupled from the opening. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the member resiliently fixed to the tab is further configured to remain fixed to the tab during removal from the at least one opening of the housing. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the slot in each tab has an opening positioned on a side of the tab facing the member resiliently fixed to the chassis, the opening on each tab positioned to receive a horizontal entry of the pin into the slot. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the resilient fixture of the member resiliently fixed to the tab is configured such that the member is capable of being pulled out from the opening in the tab to allow for insertion or removal of the hard disk drive housing and is capable of being released to snap back into the opening based on movement of an internal spring.