Supports: cabinet structure – Knockdown or setup type – Skeletal frame
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-24
2003-02-25
Hansen, James O. (Department: 3637)
Supports: cabinet structure
Knockdown or setup type
Skeletal frame
C312S223100, C211S026000, C248S289110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06523918
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Server system racks are provided for housing equipment, such as network servers, telephone switches, power supplies, and the like. Various components have been rigidly secured to the server system racks by use of fasteners. One type of such components which are secured to the server system racks are cable management arms for securing cables between the rack frames of the server system racks and equipment drawers which move relative to the server system rack frames. The cable management arms are secured to the server system racks such that linkages of the cable management arm are pivotally secured to the server system rack frames to allow the linkages of the cable management arm to fold and unfold as the equipment drawers are moved into and out of the server system racks. Cable management arms have been secured to the rack frames using threaded fasteners, which have included bolts and screws that require hand tools to secure the various components to the server system racks. Components can be assembled to server system racks much more quickly and efficiently without using fasteners that require hand tools.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A pivot mounting bracket is provided for mounting a cable management arm to a rack fame of a server system rack. The pivot mounting bracket mounts directly to a rack frame of a server system rack. Preferably, the rack frame is of the type having connected members in which are formed mounting apertures which are spaced apart in a regular pattern that runs the length of the connected members of the rack frame. The regular pattern of the apertures in rack frame preferably has different spacings between various ones of the apertures, in a repeating pattern. The pivot mounting bracket includes a bracket plate, a pivot member and a clasp member which are pivotally mounted to a pin member. The pin member provides a hinge pin which defines a hinge means that is common to the bracket plate, the pivot member and the clasp member. A thumb screw secures the pivot member and the clasp member together to clamp against opposite sides of a portion of the rack frame, with the bracket plate pivotally mounted to the pivot member and the clasp member by the hinge means. The bracket plate and the clasp member have tab portions which are formed into hinge loops for fitting around of the periphery of the pin member to pivotally secure the bracket plate and the clasp member to the pin member. The tab portions forming the hinge loops extend from singular ends of respective ones of the bracket plate and the clasp member. The pivot member has two mounting tabs that extend on opposite ends of a main body portion of the pivot member to define two lugs or mounting ears. The two mounting ears have respective apertures which are spaced apart and face one another for receiving the pin member. Two fasteners pivotally secure the pin member within the respective apertures of the mounting ears of the pivot member, with the hinge loops of the clasp member and the bracket plate fitting around the pin member and captured between the mounting ears of the pivot member.
Two clinch nuts are fixedly secured to in a main body of the clasp member. The two clinch nuts each have a threaded hole, and are secured to the clasp member in a spaced apart alignment to define two spaced apart, threaded holes in the clasp member. The clasp member further has two locating tabs which are spaced apart and extend at right angles to a plane of the main body of a clasp member. The two locating tabs are spaced apart for fitting into respective ones of two spaced apart mounting apertures of the server system rack frame to locate the pivot mounting bracket relative to the rack frame. At least one intermediate mounting aperture of the rack frame is disposed between the respective mounting apertures which receive the two locating tabs. The spacing between the clinch nuts is narrower than the spacing between the two locating tabs of the clasp member. The clinch nuts are positioned relative to the two locating tabs, such that one of the regularly spaced, intermediate mounting apertures in the rack frame will align with at least one of the threaded holes in the clinch nuts when either end of the clasp member is located in an upwards position relative to the other end of the clasp member. Whether the pivot mounting bracket is mounted in a right-hand position, to a right side of the server system rack, or in a left-hand position, to the left side of the server system rack, at least one of the threaded holes in the two clinch nuts will be aligned with one of the intermediate, regularly spaced mounting apertures in the rack frame when the two locating tabs of the clasp member are disposed in the two spaced apart mounting apertures.
A slot is formed in the pivot member for receiving the thumb screw, which is preferably captured within the slot. The slot in the pivot mounting bracket is located such that the captive thumb screw may be moved in the slot for selectively aligning with either one of the two clinch nuts, for passing a threaded end of the captive thumb screw through the intermediate mounting aperture and into the threaded hole of the respective one of the clinch nuts that is registered with the intermediate mounting aperture. The thumb screw is then threadingly engaged with the clinch nut. The slot in the pivot mounting bracket allows the thumb screw to move between two positions, a first position for registering with the threaded hole in a first one of the two clinch nuts and a second position for registering with the threaded hole in the other of the two clinch nuts, such that the pivot mounting bracket may be used in either a right-hand mounting position or a left-hand mounting position with respect to the rack frame of the server system rack.
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Central Industrial Supply Company, Inc.
Chauza & Handley, L.L.P.
Handley Mark W.
Hansen James O.
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