Heat exchange – With impeller or conveyor moving exchange material – Mechanical gas pump
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-23
2004-01-06
McKinnon, Terrell (Department: 3743)
Heat exchange
With impeller or conveyor moving exchange material
Mechanical gas pump
C165S080300, C257S727000, C361S697000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06672374
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1) Field of the Invention
The invention herein relates to a heat sink coupling device, specifically a heat sink coupling device utilized to cool and reduce the temperature of a central processing unit in a computer, wherein a cooling fan preassembled to the heat sink dissipation element is installed with total convenience onto a heat dissipation element clip mount.
2) Description of the Prior Art
Computer products of various models and performance have been released on the market by a computer information industry now enjoying prolific development. Of these, the central processing unit (CPU) inside a computer occupies the most important position, with the Intel Pentium 4 chip currently the most widely used CPU. The internal circuit of the said chip is capable of processing speeds from 1 GHz up to 2.2 GHz and given such rapid operating frequencies, since heat is generated because of electrical resistance to flowing current when the CPU is utilized, a heat sink must be installed to maintain the operating temperature of the CPU within a certain range. To prevent damage to the internal circuit of the CPU by excessively high temperatures that renders the entire computer inoperable, the heat sink affixing method shown in
FIG. 1
is utilized for the said CPU chip, wherein the said CPU
10
is contained in an opening
110
at the center of a heat dissipation element clip mount
11
and, furthermore, its lower extent is connected to a circuit board (not shown in the drawings), the pins extending outward along the bottom surface of the CPU
10
inserted into the circuit board and secured therein. The said heat dissipation element clip mount
11
has a rectilinear base plate
111
that is fastened to the circuit board, the opening
110
containing the CPU
10
respectively formed at the center of the base plate
11
heat dissipation element clip mount
111
, a protruding stop
112
disposed at each of the four corners of the base plate
111
and, furthermore, an anchoring hole
113
formed at an appropriate location through each stop
112
. A heat dissipation element
12
is installed at the upper extent of the CPU
10
that is contained in the center of the heat dissipation element clip mount
11
, wherein since the junction surface between the heat dissipation element
12
and the CPU
10
is filled with heat conductive paste or fins such that no gaps are present along the junction surface, heat generated by the CPU
10
is transferred to the heat dissipation element
12
. The said heat dissipation element
12
is typically constructed of aluminum or copper material having optimal heat transferring efficiency and, after the aluminum or copper material are melted into a liquid state within a furnace, it is molded and extruded into the heat dissipation element
12
shown in drawing; since the surface of the heat dissipation element
12
has a plurality of crenulations and ridges, the surface area of heat dissipation is increased and, furthermore, a cooling fan
13
screw fastened onto the upper extent of the said heat dissipation element
12
blows cold air to cool and reduce the temperature of the chip. Two guide slots
120
are formed into the upper end of the heat dissipation element
12
along the two sides of the cooling fan
13
to provide for nesting a latch
14
in each of the guide slots
120
and thereby affixing the heat dissipation element
12
of the cooling fan
13
onto the heat dissipation element clip mount
11
, the structure of the conventional latch
14
, as indicated in
FIG. 2
, is comprised of a retaining plate
140
having a retaining section
140
a
arcuately inset along its center, a latch arm
140
b
contoured at one extremity of the retaining plate
140
, a curved hook
140
c
formed at the bottom end of the latch arm
140
b
, a clevis section
140
d
formed at the other extremity of the retaining plate
140
; and a latch handle
141
, the said clasp handle
141
having a press section
141
a
formed at its upper extremity, a hook
141
c
formed at the bottom extremity of the clasp handle
141
, and a check tab
141
b
punched out into a free-floating state at the center of the clasp handle
141
.
The clasp handle
141
of the said latch
14
is capable of being conjoined to the clevis section
140
d
of each retaining plate
140
to constitute a unitary structural entity, with the clasp handle
141
check tab
141
b
arrested at the bottom of the retaining plate
140
clevis section
140
d
entrance such that the clasp handle
141
conjoined onto the retaining plate
140
cannot be dislodged such that during utilization, the retaining plates
140
are thereby held in the guide slots
120
of the heat dissipation element
12
, with the hooks
140
c
at the bottom extremities of the retaining plate
140
latch arms
140
b
as well as the hooks
141
c
at the bottom extremities of the clasp handles
141
respectively engaged in the anchoring holes
113
in the stops
112
at each of the four corners of the base plate
111
, enabling the heat dissipation element
12
of the cooling fan
13
to be firmly affixed into the heat dissipation element clip mount
11
.
Following numerous tests conducted by the applicant, the said latches
14
utilized to affix the heat dissipation element
12
to the heat dissipation element clip mount
11
were found to have several shortcomings worthy of improvement. For example, since the guide slots
120
of the heat dissipation element
12
in which the said latch
14
retaining plates
140
rest are fabricated by a mechanized cutting process, the heat dissipation element
12
must undergo many mechanical finishing procedures. To position the latch
14
retaining plates
140
in the heat dissipation element
12
guide slots
120
, since the installer must not only visually ascertain whether the retaining plates
140
are correctly placed into guide slots
120
but thereafter also complete two attachment steps to engage the latches
14
into the anchoring holes
113
in the heat dissipation element clip mount
11
stops
112
, this consumes considerable assembly time and, furthermore, the relatively narrow latch
14
retaining plates
140
causes the force affixing the heat dissipation element
12
to become linearly distributed and incapable of even application against every portion of the heat dissipation element
12
, resulting in a less than optimal distribution of exerted force for the attachment of the heat dissipation element
12
to the heat dissipation element clip mount
11
, especially as the contact surface area between the latch
14
retaining plates
140
and the clasp handles
141
are quite small and the stress at the four points of the retaining plate
140
clevis sections
140
d
and the clasp handle
141
check tabs
141
b
from the distribution of the applied force easily leads to the material fatigue and deterioration of the latch
14
components and results in the shortening of usable service life.
In view of the said conventional latches
14
that affix the heat dissipation element
12
onto the heat dissipation element clip mount
11
, their relatively complicated installation process, and their greater labor cost of installation, the applicant conducted research into further improvement based on many years of engagement in the research and development of the relevant products which following continuous experimentation culminated in the successful development of the heat sink coupling device of the invention herein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary objective of the invention herein is to provide a heat sink coupling device in which since the force exerted against a heat dissipation element on a heat dissipation element clip mount is of an evenly distributed state along the surface of the heat dissipation element, usable service life is not shortened due to component material fatigue because force is unequally applied during utilization.
Another objective of the invention herein is to provide a heat sink coupling device in which a selectable installation of a wide range of diff
McKinnon Terrell
Troxell Law Office PLLC
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