Patent Application
20110171846
The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to an arresting apparatus for securing latching arms in engagement with a circuit card.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system (IHS). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Circuit cards such as dual inline memory module (DIMM) cards are mounted in sockets provided on circuit boards in IHSs such as laptop or notebook computers. The card is inserted into the socket at an angle with respect to the horizontally disposed circuit boards. When fully seated in the socket, the card is pivoted to a horizontal position on the board and a pair of resilient latching arms are urged outwardly and then resiliently move inwardly toward opposite edges of the circuit card into engagement with those opposite edges of the card. The resilient latching arms are provided to maintain the circuit card secured in its respective socket.
It has been found that in response to a shock event, the latching arms may release from their engagement with the edges of the circuit cards. In response, the circuit card may be released from the socket. Thus, operation of the IHS is interrupted.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved circuit card latching arm arresting apparatus absent the disadvantages discussed above.
According to one embodiment, a circuit card is retained in a socket by a pair of movable arms engaging opposite sides of the card and securing the card in the socket. An arresting member is engaged with a portion of the card and engaged with the opposite sides and each of the movable arms, whereby the movable arms are maintained in engagement with the opposite sides of the card.
For purposes of this disclosure, an IHS may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, entertainment, or other purposes. For example, an IHS may be a personal computer, a PDA, a consumer electronic device, a network server or storage device, a switch router or other network communication device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The IHS may include memory, one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic. Additional components of the IHS may include one or more storage devices, one or more communications ports for communicating with external devices as well as various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display. The IHS may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communications between the various hardware components.
Other resources can also be coupled to the system through the memory I/O hub 104 using a data bus, including an optical drive 114 or other removable-media drive, one or more hard disk drives 116, one or more network interfaces 118, one or more Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports 120, and a super I/O controller 122 to provide access to user input devices 124, etc. The IHS 100 may also include a solid state drive (SSDs) 126 in place of, or in addition to main memory 108, the optical drive 114, and/or a hard disk drive 116. It is understood that any or all of the drive devices 114, 116 and 126 may be located locally with the IHS 100, located remotely from the IHS 100, and/or they may be virtual with respect to the IHS 100. Portions of the system 100 are provided in an IHS chassis 130,
Not all IHSs 100 include each of the components shown in
A portion of chassis 130 is illustrated in
To insert card 134 into the socket 132, card 134 is commonly inserted at an angle to a horizontal plane H defined by the chassis 130. A contact end 136 of card 134 engages socket 132 and is manually urged into the socket 132. In response to the contact end 136 seating in the socket 130,
A pair of movable arms 138,
Insertion of the card 134 between the arms 138, urges the arms 138 outwardly and upon seating of card 134 in socket 132, the arms move to their at-rest position by moving inwardly toward sides 140.
A pair of notches 146 are formed in each side 140 for receiving the tabs 144 as the arms move to their at-rest position as described above, thus allowing the tabs to snap into the notches 146 and assist in retaining the card 134 seated in the socket 132 by resisting movement of the card 134 in a direction away from the socket 132.
In
Following insertion of the card 134 and engagement of the arms 138 including tabs 144 in notches 146, as described above, arresting member 148 is engaged with a portion of the card 134,
Further assembly of the laptop IHS includes a keyboard support (not shown) laid over the chassis 130, and a keyboard (not shown) laid over the keyboard support as is well-known.
Although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described, a wide range of modification, change and substitution is contemplated in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances, some features of the embodiments may be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.
