Claims
- 1. An enclosure having an interior for holding an electronic device, the electronic device having an electric connector and a device wall with a guide rail, said enclosure comprising:
- a sheet metal bottom having a front edge, a back edge, and side edges;
- spaced apart opposing sidewalls at the side edges of the bottom and extending laterally away therefrom;
- a backplane at the back edge of the bottom, the backplane extending between the sidewalls and laterally away from the bottom, the backplane having an interior surface facing the front edge of the bottom;
- an electric connector on the interior surface of the backplane between the sidewalls; and
- a bottom shelf covering the interior surface of the bottom, the bottom shelf being manufactured of an insulating material, the shelf having a flat continuous interior facing surface with a bottom groove extending from the front edge to the back edge, so that as an electronic device is placed in the enclosure, the bottom groove cooperates with the guide rail on the electronic device wall to slide the electronic device along the bottom shelf from the front edge to the back edge so that the electric connector on the electronic device mates with the electric connector on the interior surface of the backplane.
- 2. The enclosure of claim 1 wherein the bottom groove forms a rib having an apex extending toward the bottom.
- 3. The enclosure of claim 2 wherein the enclosure is for holding an electronic device with a device wall manufactured of the insulating material.
- 4. The enclosure of claim 1 wherein the enclosure is for holding an electronic device having a device wall with a guide rail and an opposing device wall with a guide rail, the enclosure further comprising:
- a sheet metal top having a front edge, a back edge, and side edges, the backplane between the bottom and top at the back edge of the bottom and the back edge of the top, the backplane extending between the sidewalls; and
- a top shelf covering the interior surface of the top, the top shelf being manufactured of the insulating material, the top shelf having a flat continuous interior facing surface with a top groove extending from the front edge to the back edge, so that as an electronic device is placed in the enclosure, the top groove on the opposing device wall to slide the electronic device along the top shelf from the front edge to the back edge so that the electric connector on the electronic device mates with the electric connector on the interior surface of the backplane.
- 5. The enclosure of claim 4 wherein the bottom groove formed in the bottom shelf forms a rib having an apex extending toward the bottom, and wherein the top groove formed in the top shelf forms a rib having an apex extending toward the top.
- 6. The enclosure of claim 5 wherein the enclosure is for holding an electronic device having a device wall with a guide rail and an opposing device wall with a guide rail, the device wall and opposing device wall being manufactured of the insulating material.
- 7. An enclosure having an interior for holding an electronic device, the electronic device having an electric connector and opposing device walls each with a guide rail, said enclosure comprising:
- a sheet metal bottom having a front edge, a back edge, and side edges;
- a sheet metal top having a front edge, a back edge, and side edges;
- spaced apart opposing sidewalls at the side edges of the bottom and extending laterally away from the bottom and toward the side edges of the top;
- a backplane at the back edge of the bottom and the back edge of the top, the backplane between the bottom and top and extending the distance between the sidewalls, the backplane having an interior surface facing the front edge of the bottom and the front edge of the top;
- an electric connector on the interior surface of the backplane;
- a bottom shelf covering the interior surface of the bottom, the bottom shelf being manufactured of the insulating material, the bottom shelf having a flat continuous interior facing surface with a bottom groove extending from the front edge of the bottom to the back edge of the bottom; and
- a top shelf covering the interior surface of the top, the top shelf being manufactured of insulating the material, the top shelf having a flat continuous interior facing surface with a top groove extending from the front edge of the top to the back edge of the top, so that as an electronic device is placed in the enclosure, the bottom groove and top groove cooperate with the guide rails on the opposing device walls to slide the electronic device along the bottom shelf and top shelf respectively from the bottom front edge and top front edge to the bottom back edge and top back edge so that the electric connector on the electronic device mates with the electric connector on the interior surface of the backplane.
- 8. The enclosure of claim 7 wherein the bottom groove forms a rib having an apex extending toward the bottom, and wherein the top groove forms a rib having an apex extending toward the top.
- 9. The enclosure of claim 8 wherein the enclosure is for holding an electronic device having opposing device walls manufactured of the insulating material.
- 10. An enclosure having an interior for holding a plurality of electronic devices, each of the electronic devices having an electric connector and opposing device walls each with a guide rail, the device walls being manufactured of an insulating material, the enclosure comprising:
- a sheet metal bottom having a front edge, a back edge, and side edges;
- a sheet metal top having a front edge, a back edge, and side edges;
- spaced apart opposing sidewalls at the side edges of the bottom and extending laterally away from the bottom and toward the side edges of the top;
- a backplane at the back edge of the bottom and the back edge of the top, the backplane between the bottom and top and extending between the sidewalls, the backplane having an interior surface facing the front edge of the bottom and the front edge of the top;
- electric connectors on the interior surface of the backplane;
- a bottom shelf covering the interior surface of the bottom, the bottom shelf being manufactured of an insulating material, the bottom shelf having a flat continuous interior facing surface with spaced apart grooves extending from the front edge of the bottom to the back edge of the bottom; and
- a top shelf covering the interior surface of the top, the top shelf being manufactured of the insulating material, the top shelf having a flat continuous interior facing surface with spaced apart grooves extending from the front edge of the top to the back edge of the top, so that as electronic devices are placed in the enclosure, each groove on the bottom shelf and top shelf cooperates with a corresponding guide rail on the opposing device walls of one of the electronic devices to slide the electronic device along the bottom shelf and top shelf respectively from the bottom front edge and top front edge to the bottom back edge and top back edge so that the electric connector on the electronic device mates with one of the electric connectors on the interior surface of the backplane.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/420,922, filed Apr. 12, 1995 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0 438 013 A2 |
Jul 1991 |
EPX |
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
420922 |
Apr 1995 |
|