Heat exchange – With retainer for removable article – Electrical component
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-01
2001-03-27
Lazarus, Ira S. (Department: 3743)
Heat exchange
With retainer for removable article
Electrical component
C165S104330, C165S121000, C361S697000, C361S718000, C174S016300, C257S713000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06206087
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to heat sink fans for cooling heat generating devices, and more particularly pertains to heat sink fans for cooling semiconductor devices such as microprocessors.
A heat sink fan for cooling a heat generating device such as a semiconductor device is disclosed in, for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,013. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,013, the conventional heat sink fan includes a heat sink that is to be mounted on a heat generating device and a housing that is to be detachably coupled to the heat sink. A fan attached to the housing forcibly cools the heat sink by air flow generated by the fan.
FIG. 10
illustrates an example of a conventional heat sink fan. In general, in order to facilitate engagement of a housing
302
with a heat sink
304
as well as to facilitate coupling of the housing
302
with the heat sink
304
, a heat sink fan
300
for cooling a semiconductor device such as a microprocessor is configured such that the housing
302
can be attached to and detached from the heat sink
304
with the housing
302
being rotated relative to the heat sink
304
about an axis extending vertically. In addition, the housing
302
and the heat sink
304
are provided with first and second interlocking means
306
a
and
306
b
for detachably retaining the housing
302
and the heat sink
304
relatively at position. The first interlocking means
306
a
comprises, for example, a combination of a flange
307
and a pawl
308
that disengageably engages the flange
307
and that can move relative to the flange
307
. For example, the flange
307
is provided on the housing
302
, and the pawl
308
on the heat sink
304
, respectively. Furthermore, the second interlocking means
306
b
comprises a combination of a projection
310
and a depression
312
which disengageably engage each other. For example, the projection
310
is provided on the housing
302
, and the depression
312
on the heat sink
304
, respectively.
In such a conventional heat sink fan
300
, when the housing
302
is turned in a predetermined direction relative to the heat sink
304
with the flange
307
of the first interlocking means
306
a
engaging the pawl
308
, the projection
310
of the second interlocking means
306
b
is brought into engagement with the depression
312
to detachably couple the housing
302
with the heat sink
304
. When the housing
302
is turned in the opposite direction from the coupled position, relative to the heat sink
304
, the projection
310
of the second interlocking means
306
b
disengages from the depression
312
, followed by disengagement of the flange
307
of the first interlocking means
306
a
from the pawl
308
, so that the housing
302
is separated from the heat sink
304
.
However, as the engagement structure as mentioned above is constructed such that the housing and the heat sink are relatively rotated, it can be applied to a case where a heat generating device is square in shape, whereas it is not suited to a case, by for example, when such a heat generating device is rectangular, (the housing and the heat sink will also be rectangular correspondingly). Consequently, it is desired to have an engagement structure that is applicable irrespective of the geometry or shape of a heat generating device.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,013 discloses a heat sink fan in which the housing and the heat sink are to be coupled with each other with the housing being moved to the heat sink in the direction perpendicular to the plate of the heat sink. However, this heat sink fan has a complex structure for disengageably engaging the heat sink with the housing.
Still furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,998 discloses a heat sink fan having a coupling structure that disengageably engages each other without rotating the housing relative to the heat sink. In this type of heat sink fan, however, the geometry and detaching structure of the heat sink and the housing are also complicate. Such a complicate structure will be a factor of increasing costs of molds and correspondingly raising production costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a heat sink fan of which heat sink and housing are detachable from each other with a simple structure.
It is also another object of the present invention to provide a heat sink fan that can reliably couple the heat sink with the housing together by simple operation.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a heat sink and a housing with a detachable coupling structure that can be applied irrespective of the geometry of a heat generating device.
It is still further object of the present invention to provide a heat sink fan that can be detachably assembled with a simple structure wherein the heat sink and the housing is coupled with each other without being turned relatively.
The heat sink fan of the present invention is provided with a heat sink that is to be directly mounted on the heat generating device to absorb and disperse the heat generated by the heat generating device, and a housing that is detachably engaged to the heat sink and equipped with a fan, which in turn creates air flow to forcibly cool the heat sink. The housing has a top wall portion and a pair of side wall portions extending vartically downwardly from both sides of this top wall portion, the side wall portions being disposed at both sides of the heat sink and provided with an engaging element at which tip an engaging projection is formed. The housing may be detachably coupled with the heat sink the engaging projection being permitted to engage a retaining means formed on a circuit board on which the heat sink or the heat generating device is mounted.
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5335722 (1994-08-01), Wu
patent: 5495392 (1996-02-01), Shen
patent: 5522700 (1996-06-01), Hong
patent: 5615998 (1997-04-01), Kodama et al.
patent: 5701951 (1997-12-01), Jean
patent: 6109340 (2000-08-01), Nakase et al.
Nakase Mitsunobu
Umeda Fumihiro
Lazarus Ira S.
McCormick Paulding & Huber LLP
McKinnon Terrell
Nidec Corporation
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