Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Assembling or joining
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-23
2001-08-21
Hughes, S. Thomas (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Assembling or joining
C029S452000, C029S453000, C029S525010, C361S740000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06276041
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention is directed toward an apparatus for coupling together computer components in the assembly of computers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Computers have several separate components including floppy disk drives, hard disk drives, CD-ROM drives, printed circuit boards (PCBs), and many other components. The components are typically manufactured separately from the computer housing or chassis, and then they are mounted in the computer chassis during final assembly. The chassis may be a floor mounted “tower” unit or a desk-mounted unit. In either case, the chassis may have a slot positioned to receive some components (e.g., a disk drive or CD-ROM drive), or the chassis may have a connector to receive other components (e.g., PCBs). Several components may be coupled to the chassis with a bracket. When the component is a disk drive or a CD-ROM drive, the slot in the chassis receives the bracket to couple the component to the chassis. When the component is a PCB, the bracket may be secured to the chassis using fasteners.
One conventional method for installing a plurality of PCBs in a computer chassis involves attaching a mounting bracket to each PCB and then individually connecting each bracket to the chassis with a threaded fastener. Each threaded fastener passes through an aperture in the bracket and is threaded into a threaded hole in the chassis to clamp the bracket to the chassis and restrict relative motion between the PCB and the chassis. Such a method may be employed by a manufacturer of custom computers to produce computers having various numbers of PCBs.
One drawback with the foregoing approach is that it may be time consuming to individually thread each fastener into its corresponding threaded hole. A further disadvantage is that the fasteners may fall into the spaces between neighboring PCBs and may be difficult to retrieve without damaging the PCBs or removing the PCBs from the chassis. Yet a further disadvantage of the foregoing approach is that a tool, such as a screwdriver or wrench required to install each fastener, may slip and damage the PCB or other components during installation. These drawbacks of individually threading each fastener into a corresponding hole are especially problematic for custom computer manufacturers that manually assemble each computer to order because each computer may have different types of components. As such, individually threading each fastener into each hole requires a significant amount of time that impacts the number of computers that can be assembled.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed toward methods for coupling a first computer to one or more second computer components. In one embodiment, the method comprises fastening a first portion of an engaging member to the first computer component, inserting a protrusion of a second portion of the engaging member into a first aperture in the first computer component and into a second aperture in the second computer component, and restricting motion of the second computer component relative to the first computer component. For example, the method may include clamping the second computer component between the first computer component and the engaging member, and engaging the protrusion with the first and second computer components. Alternatively, the protrusion may be eliminated.
In one embodiment, the engaging member may include a threaded fastener and the step of fastening a first portion of the engaging member may include threading a threaded fastener into an aperture of the first component. In another embodiment, the engaging member may include a fastener comprising a column having at least one movable flap. The step of fastening the engaging member may accordingly comprise moving the flap toward the column to insert the fastener through an aperture in the first component, and moving the flap away from the column to engage the flap with a surface of the first component.
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Hong John C.
Hughes S. Thomas
Micro)n Technology, Inc.
Perkins Coie LLP
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