Compact portable data storage device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11099618-B1
Application number	US-202016773608-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 27, 2020
Priority date	Jan 27, 2020
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

A portable data storage device includes at least one component that generates heat, an enclosure wall made of a first material and having a thermal conductivity and an exterior layer. The enclosure wall surrounds the at least one computer component and includes outer and inner boundaries. The exterior layer is made of a second material and has a thermal conductivity that is less than the thermal conductivity of the first material. The exterior layer is covers the outer boundary of the enclosure wall and includes an outer surface and an inner boundary. The outer boundary of the enclosure wall interfaces with the inner boundary of the exterior layer so that the outer surface of the exterior layer is in direct contact with the environment and the outer boundary of the enclosure wall is not. Heat is transferred to the environment at the outer surface of the exterior layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A portable data storage device comprising:
at least one internal heat source;
a top case comprising:
an interior layer made of a first material and including an outer boundary, an inner boundary and a rim that connects the outer boundary to the inner boundary;
a coating layer made of a second material, wherein a portion of the coating layer covers the outer boundary of the interior layer of the top case and the rim of the interior layer of the top case;
wherein the portion of the coating layer of the top case that covers the rim includes at least one protruding rib that extends about a periphery of the top case;

a bottom case comprising:
an interior layer made of the first material and including an outer boundary, an inner boundary and a rim that connects the outer boundary of the bottom case to the inner boundary of the bottom case;
a coating layer made of the second material, wherein the coating layer covers the outer boundary of the interior layer of the bottom case;

wherein the second material has a thermal conductivity that is less than a thermal conductivity of the first material and wherein the heat energy from the internal heat sources is transferred to an ambient environment at outer surfaces of the coating layers of the bottom case and the top case; and
wherein the at least one protruding rib that extends about the periphery of the top case directly engages with the rim of the interior layer of the bottom case to provide a water-tight seal between the top case and the bottom case.

2. The portable data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the first material comprises metal.

3. The portable data storage device of claim 2 , wherein the first material comprises aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

4. The portable data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the second material comprises rubber.

5. The portable data storage device of claim 4 , wherein the second material comprises liquid silicone rubber (LSR).

6. The portable data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the outer boundary of the interior layer of the top case and the outer boundary of the interior layer of the bottom case are convex.

7. The portable data storage device of claim 1 , wherein the interior layers of the top case and the bottom case comprise thicknesses and the coating layers of the top case and the bottom case comprise thicknesses, wherein the thicknesses of the coating layers are less than the thicknesses of the interior layers.

8. A method of assembling a portable storage device, the method comprising:
providing a top case comprising:
an interior layer made of a first material and including an outer boundary, an inner boundary and a peripheral rim that connects the outer boundary to the inner boundary;
a coating layer made of a second material, wherein the coating layer covers the outer boundary and the peripheral rim of the interior layer of the top case and therefore a periphery of the top case;

providing a bottom case comprising:
an interior layer made of the first material and including an outer boundary, an inner boundary and a rim that connects the outer boundary of the bottom case to the inner boundary of the bottom case;
a coating layer made of the second material, wherein the coating layer covers the outer boundary of the interior layer of the bottom case;

snap-fitting the top case to the bottom case; and
sealing the top case to the bottom case with the coating layer of the top case, wherein the coating layer of the top case extends around an entirety of the periphery of the top case and directly engages with the peripheral rim of the interior layer of the bottom case to form at least a water resistant seal between the top case and the bottom case.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein providing the top case further comprises providing at least one protruding rib that is formed from the portion of the coating layer of the top case that covers the portion of the rim of the interior layer of the top case and extends about the periphery of the top case.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein sealing the top case to the bottom case comprises engaging the peripheral rim of the interior layer of the bottom case with the at least one protruding rib of the coating layer.

11. A portable storage device comprising:
a top case including an interior layer made of a first material and including an outer boundary, an inner boundary and a peripheral rim that connects the outer boundary to the inner boundary and a coating layer made of a second material, wherein the coating layer of the top case covers the outer boundary and the peripheral rim of the interior layer of the top case;
a bottom case including an interior layer made of the first material and including an outer boundary, an inner boundary and a peripheral rim that connects the outer boundary of the bottom case to the inner boundary of the bottom case and a coating layer made of the second material, wherein the coating layer of the bottom case covers the outer boundary of the interior layer of the bottom case; and
a plurality of snap features that snap-fit the top case to the bottom case;
wherein the coating layer of the top case seals the bottom case to the top case using the force applied by the plurality of snap features, wherein the coating layer of the top case extends around an entirety of a periphery of the top case and directly engages with the peripheral rim of the interior layer of the bottom case to form at least a water resistant seal between the top case and the bottom case.

12. The portable data storage device of claim 11 , wherein the first material comprises metal.

13. The portable data storage device of claim 12 , wherein the first material comprises aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

14. The portable data storage device of claim 11 , wherein the second material comprises rubber.

15. The portable data storage device of claim 14 , wherein the second material comprises liquid silicone rubber (LSR).

16. The portable data storage device of claim 11 , wherein the interior layers of the top case and the bottom case each comprise a first thickness and the coating layers of the top case and the bottom case each comprise a second thickness, wherein the second thickness of the coating layers is less than the first thickness of the interior layers.

Assignees

• Seagate Technology Llc

Inventors

• Morgan Michael
• Tsai Ming-Hsueh

Classifications

• G11B33/025 Primary

  Portable cases · CPC title

• G06F1/203 Primary

  for portable computers, e.g. for laptops · CPC title

• G06F1/1656

  Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories (mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203) · CPC title

• H05K7/2039

  characterised by the heat transfer by conduction from the heat generating element to a dissipating body (arrangements for increasing/decreasing heat-transfer, e.g. fins details, F28F13/00) · CPC title