Single piece card retainer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9880593-B2
Application number	US-201615087117-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2016
Priority date	Mar 31, 2016
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

One embodiment provides an apparatus, including: a processor; a housing including a plurality of slots; and a single piece card retainer, comprising: a back surface; a front surface comprising a plurality of independent projections, wherein each of the plurality of independent projections is flexible and aligns with a slot of the plurality of slots; and at least two connection points that connect the single piece card retainer to the housing, where the single piece card retainer rotates about the at least two connection points to open and close with respect to the plurality of slots. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a processor;
a housing including a plurality of slots; and
a single piece card retainer, comprising:
a back surface;
a front surface comprising a plurality of independent projections, wherein each of said plurality of independent projections is flexible and aligns with a slot of the plurality of slots; and
at least two connection points that connect the single piece card retainer to the housing, wherein said single piece card retainer rotates about the at least two connection points to open and secure the single piece card retainer with respect to the plurality of slots, wherein the single piece card retainer is secured using a detent.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a card operatively coupled to the processor and disposed within one of the plurality of slots.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the single piece card retainer comprises a lateral surface having the detent therein.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the lateral surface comprises two lateral surfaces, said two lateral surfaces bookending the plurality of independent projections.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein, in a first, closed position, said back surface of said single piece card retainer lies substantially flush with a lip of said housing.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the detent of the lateral surface accepts a projection of the housing in the first, closed position.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein, in a first, closed position, said plurality of independent projections bias an element within said plurality of slots in a direction away from the back surface.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the element is selected from the group consisting of a card and a card insert.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the card is a graphics card.

10. An apparatus, comprising:
a housing comprising a plurality of card slots; and
a single piece card retainer, comprising:
a back surface;
a front surface comprising a plurality of independent projections, wherein each of said plurality of independent projections is flexible and aligns with a card slot of the plurality of card slots; and
at least two connection points that connect the single piece card retainer to a housing, wherein said single piece card retainer rotates about the at least two connection points to open and secure the single piece card retainer with respect to the plurality of slots, wherein the single piece card retainer is secured using a detent.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the single piece card retainer comprises a lateral surface having the detent therein.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the lateral surface comprises two lateral surfaces, said two lateral surfaces bookending the plurality of independent projections.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein, in a first, closed position, said back surface of said single piece card retainer lies flush with a lip of said housing.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the detent of the lateral surface accepts a projection of the housing in the first, closed position.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein said single piece card retainer is plastic.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of independent projections are curved outwardly from a central portion of the single piece card retainer.

17. An apparatus, comprising:
a processor;
a housing including a plurality of slots;
a card operatively coupled to the processor and disposed within one of the plurality of slots; and
a single piece card retainer, comprising:
a back surface;
a front surface comprising a plurality of independent projections, wherein each of said plurality of independent projections is flexible and aligns with a slot of the plurality of slots; and
at least two connection points that connect the single piece card retainer to the housing, wherein said single piece card retainer rotates about the at least two connection points to open secure the single piece card retainer with respect to the plurality of slots, wherein the single piece card retainer is secured using a detent.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein said single piece card retainer is plastic.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of independent projections flex independently.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the card is a graphics card.

Assignees

• Lenovo Singapore Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Ent Ali Kathryn
• Samper Rodrigo
• Li Shuang
• Jianyang Chen

Classifications

• G06F1/181

  Enclosures (for portable computers G06F1/1613) · CPC title

• G06F1/185 Primary

  Mounting of expansion boards · CPC title

• G06F1/186

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