Supports – Brackets – Specially mounted or attached
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-04
2001-08-07
King, Anita M. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Brackets
Specially mounted or attached
C361S725000, C248S694000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06270046
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for mounting a switching power supply in a computer system, and particularly to a bracket pivotably mounting and fixing a switching power supply in a computer chassis of a computer system.
2. The Related Art
Computer systems, such as personal computers and computer servers, use switching power supplies to transform the voltage value of local electrical power to an operational voltage. For instance, local electrical power generally is an alternating current with a voltage value between 100 and 250 Volts. The electrical power used in a computer system is a direct current with a voltage usually under 12 Volts. Therefore, the local electrical power can not be directly used in the computer system. A switching power supply transforms the local electrical power and provides the computer system with a proper operational voltage.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, a conventional personal computer enclosure
10
has a rear panel
12
forming an opening
14
in an upper portion thereof for mounting a switching power supply
16
. An electrical socket
18
and venting holes
20
of the switching power supply
16
are exposed to an exterior of the enclosure
10
. During assembly of a computer system, technicians must maintain the switching power supply
16
on a stage
24
with one hand and use the other hand to operate a tool to screw the switching power supply
16
to the enclosure
10
. This complex job requires complete concentration of a trained technician and impedes production speed.
In addition, the switching power supply distributes electrical power to sub systems of the computer requiring different voltage levels, such as a CD-ROM drive, a floppy disk drive, a hard disk drive and a fan. Thus, electrical wires and cables connecting the sub systems to the switch power supply become easily entangled. When a computer system requires upgrading, repair or maintenance the entangled cables and wires hinder access to the motherboard.
As computers develop, computer size is decreasing. Some small tower-shaped computers position the switching power supply proximate a side portion of the enclosure thereof for reducing the volume of the computer. Therefore, the switching power supply faces the motherboard. The switching power supply becomes more of an obstacle within the computer system than the entangled cables and wires and completely blocks access to the motherboard.
To overcome the above-mentioned problems, an improved enclosure is required to provide a more convenient structure for mounting a switching power supply.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for easily mounting a switching power supply to a computer supply.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer enclosure having a pivotally attached bracket for mounting a switching power supply to facilitate computer system repair, maintenance and upgrade.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a computer enclosure having a pivotally attached bracket for facilitating the mounting of a switching power supply to the enclosure and expediting assembly of the computer system.
The present invention discloses an apparatus for mounting a switching power supply to a computer system. The computer system includes a chassis which is formed by assembling front, rear and bottom panels together. The apparatus includes a drive cage bridging between the front and rear panels and forming a pair of hooks, a bracket including a hinge portion and a supporting portion adapted to support the switching power supply. The hinge portion of the bracket is slidably engaged with the hooks for fixing the switching power supply to the rear panel of the chassis.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5032952 (1991-07-01), Cooke et al.
patent: 5172305 (1992-12-01), DeWilde
patent: 5777848 (1998-07-01), McAnally et al.
patent: 5992955 (1999-11-01), Yang
Fu Shao-Ming
Liu Alvin
Liu Yu-Tai
Chung Wei Te
Hon Hai - Precision Ind. Co., Ltd.
King Anita M.
Sy Holly N.
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