Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-08
2001-10-23
Thompson, Gregory (Department: 2835)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C165S080300, C165S185000, C174S016300, C257S719000, C361S710000, C361S719000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06307747
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to electronic apparatus and, in a preferred embodiment thereof, more particularly relates to apparatus for dissipating operating heat from electronic components such as computer processors.
2. Description of Related Art
As personal computers continue to be provided with greater operating power and higher clock speeds, it becomes more critical to provide for adequate operating heat dissipation from various of their high operating heat-generating components such as their processors. A common technique for dissipating processor heat is to forcibly place a finned metal heat sink structure in thermal contact with the die portion of the processor, to receive operating heat therefrom, and then create a forced flow of cooling air across the heat sink structure to remove received processor operating heat therefrom.
As conventionally carried out, the placement of the heat sink against the processor die typically requires the use of a tool. For example, a screwdriver is needed when the heat sink is threadingly connected to a support structure upon which the processor is mounted. Alternatively, specially designed barbed plastic pins have been used to hold the heat sink in forcible contact with the processor die. This securement technique requires the use of a special tool to force the plastic pins into aligned openings in the heat sink and the underlying processor support structure.
This currently required use of tools to operatively connect a heat sink to its associated computer processor is oftentimes a tedious, inconvenient task, and undesirably adds to the overall time and cost of fabricating a personal computer. Moreover, if the heat sink-to-processor connection operation is not carefully carried out, uneven and/or excessive contact forces may be imposed on the processor die by the overlying heat sink structure. If this occurs, the die may be damaged or the necessary operating heat transfer from the processor die to the heat sink may be undesirably lessened.
As can readily be seen from the foregoing, a need exists for improved apparatus for operatively connecting a heat sink structure to a heat generating electronic component such as a computer processor. It is to this need that the present invention is directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In carrying out principles of the present invention, in accordance with a preferred embodiment thereof, specially designed electronic apparatus is provided which is representatively a computer processor module/heat sink assembly. The electronic apparatus representatively comprises a heat sink structure, a support structure, and a heat-generating electronic component, representatively a computer processor, carried on the support structure.
According to a key aspect of the invention, a clamping structure is provided and is operative, without the use of a tool of any sort, to draw the heat sink structure and the support structure toward one another, in a clamping direction, in a manner (1) resiliently pressing the electronic component against the heat sink structure and (2) releasably interconnecting the heat sink structure and the support structure.
The clamping apparatus includes a spaced plurality of projections defined on one of the heat sink and support structures and extending outwardly therefrom in the clamping direction, and a clamping member releasably engageable with the projections and movable along the other one of the heat sink and support structures, in a direction transverse to the clamping direction, to responsively draw the heat sink and support structures toward one another in the clamping direction.
In a preferred embodiment of the clamping apparatus, the spaced plurality of projections are retaining pins secured to one of the heat sink and support structures and extending outwardly through holes in the other of the heat sink and support structures, with outer ends of the retaining pins projecting outwardly beyond the other of the heat sink and support structures. The spring clip member has a plurality of slots disposed therein and configured to slidably receive and captively retain the outer end portions of the retaining pins. Outwardly offset sections of the spring clip member, through which the slots extend, are inwardly deformed by the outer pin ends to maintain the resilient clamping force between the heat-generating electronic component and the heat sink.
The spring clip member is operatively installable on the outer pin ends by inserting the outer pin ends into laterally enlarged end portions of the spring clip slots, and then sliding the spring clip member transversely to the clamping direction to releasably lock the spring clip member in place on the assembly. To remove the spring clip member, and permit the heat sink and support structures to be separated from one another, the spring clip member is simply slid in an opposite direction transverse to the clamping direction, to position the outer pin ends at the laterally enlarged slot ends and permit the removal of the outer pin ends from the spring clip member slots.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5287249 (1994-02-01), Chen
patent: 5477916 (1995-12-01), Lin
patent: 5493475 (1996-02-01), Lin
patent: 5621244 (1997-04-01), Lin
patent: 5856910 (1999-01-01), Yurchenco et al.
patent: 5982622 (1999-11-01), Chiou
patent: 6008990 (1999-12-01), Liu
patent: 6046905 (2000-04-01), Nelson et al.
patent: 6101091 (2000-08-01), Baik
patent: 6141220 (2000-10-01), Lin
Farnsworth Arthur K.
Felcman Francis A.
Hall Donald J.
Compaq Computer Corporation
Thompson Gregory
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