Electrical connectors – Self aligning contact – Contact mounted in floating nonconductive holder
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-28
2003-07-29
Bradley, P. Austin (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Self aligning contact
Contact mounted in floating nonconductive holder
C439S545000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06599143
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
This invention relates to the interfacing of a disk drive with a computer system. More particularly, an apparatus and method are provided for directly interfacing disk drives having non-standard or varied spacing between their power and signal connectors.
Disk drives are often connected to a host computer system via cables—usually one set of cables or a ribbon cable for a power connection and another set for a signal connection. The installation of multiple disk drives in one computer system may lead to a Gordian knot of cables, thereby making subsequent peripheral installations or removals, or other system maintenance difficult. Further, the tangle of cables may disrupt the flow of air through the computer system (e.g., for cooling). Yet further, cables provide another point of failure in that they may break or become loose.
Thus, it could make operation of a computer system more reliable, maintenance easier and possibly reduce the cost of system manufacture if disk drives could be installed and operated without the use of conventional power and/or signal cables. However, disk drives are often constructed with non-standard power and signal connector layouts, thus making the direct connection of a disk drive to a printed circuit board (PCB) or backplane problematic. In particular, the spacing between a disk drive's power and signal connectors often varies from one drive to another and from one manufacturer to another. Although standards have been promulgated, not all drives are designed in conformance with them.
Some disk drive manufacturers attempt to reduce the number of cables needed to interface a disk drive to a computer system. Resulting drives, particularly SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) and Fibre Channel, employ Single Connector Attachments (SCA) that provide unified power and signal connections. However, many disk drives are manufactured with separate power and signal connectors instead of SCAs. Even an interposer card, which provides an SCA connector for disk drives having separate power and signal connectors, typically requires one or more cables to complete a connection between the disk drive and the interposer card.
Therefore, what is needed is an apparatus and method for directly interfacing a disk drive (having separate power and signal connectors) with a computer system, without the use of conventional power or signal cabling, wherein the apparatus can accommodate disk drives having a range of spacing (e.g., non-standard or variable) between their power and signal connectors.
SUMMARY
In one embodiment of the invention a variably positionable apparatus is provided for directly interfacing a disk drive or other electronic device with a computer system.
A variably positionable apparatus in this embodiment includes a power and/or signal connector having a movable housing containing multiple contacts. The contacts are configured for establishing electrical conductivity with compatible contacts of a disk drive or other electronic device. The housing is movable in at least one dimension, thus allowing the variably positionable apparatus to accommodate devices having a range of spacing between their power and signal connectors.
In this embodiment the contacts of the power or signal connector housing slidably engage conductors that are coupled to a power or signal source of the computer system. The contacts may encircle, clamp onto, slide against, or maintain some other manner of permanent or semi-permanent engagement with the conductors. The conductors have a relatively fixed position in relation to a connector base, printed circuit board (PCB), backplane, motherboard or other computer system module on which the variably positionable power or signal connector is mounted.
The conductors may, in one embodiment, comprise a base portion extending perpendicular to the connector base or PCB, and a leg portion aligned substantially parallel to the base or PCB. Thus, in this embodiment the contacts of the movable connector housing may slide along the leg portions of the conductors to maintain electrical conductivity between the power or signal source of the computer system and the electronic device.
In alternative embodiments, the movable housing may be mounted on a surface of the base, or may be mounted within or through a channel or aperture defined by the base. The base may be a PCB, backplane, motherboard or other means of interconnecting elements of the computer system.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5897386 (1999-04-01), Baxter et al.
patent: 6377471 (2002-04-01), Chong, Jr. et al.
AMP Incorporated,CHAMP .050 Series I Blindmate, Single Connector Attachment(SCA 2)For SCSI Disk Drives, printed on Oct. 5, 2000 from http://connect.amp.com (linked from http://www.commcon.com).
Jeff Apodaca,Drive Docking Connectors Simplify Drive Designs, pp. 2-5, printed Nov. 5, 2000 from http://www.commcon.com/main.
Comm Con Connectors, Inc.Disk Drive Adapters, 2 pages, printed Nov. 5, 2000 from http://www.commcon.com/main/driveadapters.html.
Chong, Jr. Fay
Grouell William L.
Bradley P. Austin
Konrad Raynes & Victor & Mann LLP
Nguyen Phuong
Sun Microsystems Inc.
Victor David W.
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