Board fastener for securing a data storage device in an information handling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9703331-B1
Application number	US-201615145594-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 3, 2016
Priority date	May 3, 2016
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

A board fastening apparatus includes an anchor and a key connected by a flexible tether. The anchor may include a pedestal and a collar. The pedestal may be configured to engage a free edge of a data storage board. The pedestal may define a channel for receiving a pin from the key. The collar may be configured to engage a via form in a mounting board or other substrate. The fastening device key may include a base, a pin, and a pull tab. The pin may be affixed to a first surface of the base and configured to insert into the channel defined by the pedestal. With the anchor affixed to the mounting board and the storage board's free edge engaged by the pedestal, inserting the pin into the channel places the base partially overlying the storage board to restrain movement of the free edge in the vertical direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A board fastening apparatus, comprising:
an anchor, including:
a pedestal configured to engage an edge of a printed circuit board, wherein the pedestal defines a channel for receiving a pin; and
a collar configured to engage a via in a substrate;

a key, including:
a base;
the pin, affixed to a first surface of the base, for inserting in the channel;
a pull tab comprising a ring attached to a tab body; and
an elbow coupling the tab body to a second surface of the base wherein the elbow includes:
an open position, in which a center line of the pull tab is substantially in line with a central axis of the pin to facilitate removal of the pin from the channel; and
a closed position in which the pull tab ring lies in a low profile plane substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the pin and substantially parallel to the substrate; and

a tether connecting the key to the anchor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the low profile plane lies below an upper surface of the printed circuit board engaged in the pedestal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the anchor includes fins, attached to the pedestal, configured to contact the substrate and apply a lifting force to the pedestal with the collar engaged in the substrate via.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the collar comprises a segmented collar including a plurality of collar segments.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each collar segment terminates includes a termination flange configured to engage a lower surface of the substrate.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the tab body defines an opening and wherein the key includes a tab latch affixed to the first surface of the base, wherein the tab latch is configured to extend through the opening and engage the tab latch to maintain the tab latch in the low profile plane.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pedestal defines an engagement structure and wherein the engagement structure engages an engagement notch defined in the edge of the printed circuit board.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the engagement notch comprises a semicircle of a particular radius.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pedestal includes an upper tier overlying a portion of a lower tier wherein the upper tier defines the engagement structure, and wherein the printed circuit board rests on exposed portions of the lower tier when engaged.

10. A data storage device comprising:
a substrate including a connector;
a solid state drive board including a connector edge configured to connect to the connector and a retention edge;
a board fastening apparatus, comprising:
an anchor, including:
a pedestal configured to engage the retention edge of the solid state driver board, wherein the pedestal defines a channel for receiving a pin; and
a collar configured to engage a via in a substrate;

a key, including:
a base;
the pin, affixed to a first surface of the base, for inserting in the channel;
a pull tab comprising a ring attached to a tab body; and
an elbow coupling the tab body to a second surface of the base wherein the elbow includes:
an open position, in which a center line of the pull tab is substantially in line with a central axis of the pin to facilitate removal of the pin from the channel; and
a closed position in which the pull tab ring lies in a low profile plane substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the pin and substantially parallel to the substrate; and

a tether connecting the key to the anchor.

11. The data storage device of claim 10 , wherein the low profile plane lies below an upper surface of the printed circuit board engaged in the pedestal.

12. The data storage device of claim 10 , wherein the anchor includes fins, attached to the pedestal, configured to contact the substrate and apply a lifting force to the pedestal with the collar engaged in the substrate via.

13. The data storage device of claim 10 , wherein the collar comprises a segmented collar including a plurality of collar segments.

14. The data storage device of claim 10 , wherein each collar segment terminates includes a termination flange configured to engage a lower surface of the substrate.

15. The data storage device of claim 10 , wherein the tab body defines an opening and wherein the key includes a tab latch affixed to the first surface of the base, wherein the tab latch is configured to extend through the opening and engage the tab latch to maintain the tab latch in the low profile plane.

16. An information handling system, comprising:
a central processing unit (CPU);
a data storage device coupled to the CPU, wherein the CPU comprising:
a substrate including a connector;
a solid state drive board including a connector edge configured to connect to the connector and a retention edge;
a board fastening apparatus, comprising:
an anchor, including:
a pedestal configured to engage the retention edge of the solid state driver board, wherein the pedestal defines a channel for receiving a pin; and
a collar configured to engage a via in a substrate;

a key, including:
a base;
the pin, affixed to a first surface of the base, for inserting in the channel;
a pull tab comprising a ring attached to a tab body; and
an elbow coupling the tab body to a second surface of the base wherein the elbow includes:
an open position, in which a center line of the pull tab is substantially in line with a central axis of the pin to facilitate removal of the pin from the channel; and
a closed position in which the pull tab ring lies in a low profile plane lying below an upper surface of the printed circuit board engaged in the pedestal substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the pin and substantially parallel to the substrate; and

a tether connecting the key to the anchor.

17. The data storage device of claim 16 , wherein the anchor includes fins, attached to the pedestal, configured to contact the substrate and apply a lifting force to the pedestal with the collar engaged in the substrate via.

18. The data storage device of claim 16 , wherein the collar comprises a segmented collar including a plurality of collar segments, wherein each collar segment terminates in a termination flange configured to engage a lower surface of the substrate.

19. The data storage device of claim 16 , wherein the tab body defines an opening and wherein the key includes a tab latch affixed to the first surface of the base, wherein the tab latch is configured to extend through the opening and engage the tab latch to maintain the tab latch in the low profile plane.

20. The data storage device of claim 16 , wherein the solid state drive board comprises an M.2-compliant form factor.

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Chien Tung Yu
• Fu Chi Chang

Classifications

• G06F1/187

  Mounting of fixed or removable disk drives · CPC title

• G06F1/185 Primary

  Mounting of expansion boards · CPC title

• G06F13/409

  Mechanical coupling (back panels H05K7/1438) · CPC title

• H05K7/1405

  by clips or resilient members, e.g. hooks · CPC title

• G06F1/186

  Securing of expansion boards in correspondence to slots provided at the computer enclosure · CPC title