Housing and hinge to enable board movement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9930802-B2
Application number	US-201615223045-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2016
Priority date	Jul 29, 2016
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

An example device in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure includes a housing to guide the device for attachment onto a computing system. A board is mounted in the housing and includes a first connector facing along a first direction. A hinge is to enable at least a portion of the board and the first connector to move along the first direction and engage a second connector for installation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a housing to guide the device for attachment onto a computing system, based on moving the housing relative to the computing system in a first direction, and moving the housing in a second direction substantially non-parallel to the first direction;
a board mounted in the housing, including a first connector disposed on the board facing along the first direction; and
a hinge formed by at least a portion of the board to enable at least a portion of the board and the first connector to move, relative to the housing, along the first direction to clear a second connector when moving the housing along the second direction, and to enable the first connector to engage the second connector for installation based on engagement between the first connector and the second connector along the first direction.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein a first end of the board is fixedly mounted to the housing, and wherein the hinge is to serve as a living hinge and flex to allow movement of a second end of the board along the second direction.

3. The device of claim 2 , further comprising a component keepout region of the board associated with providing the living hinge.

4. The device of claim 2 , further comprising at least one cutout region formed in the living hinge to affect characteristics of the living hinge.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein a first end of the board is pivotally mounted to the housing via the hinge, to allow pivoting movement of the first end, and movement of a second end of the board along the first direction.

6. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a lever having an open position and a closed position, wherein the lever has a toe that, in the open position, is to push against a floor of the housing to move the board and first connector away from the floor and second connector along the first direction, and wherein the toe, in the closed position, is to pull against a latch of the floor to move the board and first connector toward the floor and second connector along the first direction.

7. The device of claim 1 , further comprising at least one spring disposed between a floor of the housing and the board, to apply a bias to the board along the first direction, and to support the board when the first connector is disengaged from the second connector.

8. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a handle mounted to the board to enable the board and first connector to be moved along the first direction.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device is an expander that is installable on a blade of a computing server in place of a top cover for the blade, and wherein the expander is to receive the top cover.

10. A device comprising:
a housing to guide the device for attachment onto a computing system, based on moving the housing relative to the computing system in a first direction, and moving the housing in a second direction substantially non-parallel to the first direction;
a board including a first connector disposed on the board facing along the first direction, wherein a first end of the board is fixedly mounted to the housing; and
a hinge formed by at least a portion of the board that is to flex to allow movement of a second end of the board along the second direction to enable at least a portion of the board and the first connector to move, relative to the housing, along the first direction to clear a second connector when moving the housing along the second direction, and to enable the first connector to engage the second connector for installation based on engagement between the first connector and the second connector along the first direction.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the housing is to interface with a top of a blade of a computing system at an interface to receive a top cover, and a top of the housing is to receive the top cover.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the housing includes a floor, and the second end of the board is secured against the floor in a tool-less manner without the use of fasteners, based on the top cover contacting a component disposed between the board and the top cover, to prevent the component and board from moving away from the floor of the housing.

13. The device of claim 10 , wherein the first connector and the second connector are blade expander interconnects.

14. A method, comprising:
attaching a device, including a housing, onto a computing system, based on moving the housing relative to the computing system in a first direction;
moving based on a hinge formed by at least a portion of a board, relative to the housing along the first direction, at least a portion of the board mounted in the housing and a first connector disposed on the board facing along the first direction, wherein the moving based on the hinge to enable the first connector to clear a second connector of the computing system to allow movement of the housing along a second direction that is substantially non-parallel to the first direction;
moving the housing in the second direction to align the first connector with the second connector; and
moving, relative to the housing, the first connector along the first direction to engage the second connector.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein moving the first connector relative to the housing along the first direction is based on a lever disposed on the board and movable between an open position and a closed position.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Entpr Dev Lp

Inventors

• Roesner Arlen L
• Mayer Dave

Classifications

• G06F1/183

  Internal mounting support structures, e.g. for supporting printed circuit boards · CPC title

• H05K7/1487 Primary

  Blade assemblies, e.g. blade cases or inner arrangements within a blade · CPC title

• G06F1/182

  with special features, e.g. for use in industrial environments; grounding or shielding against radio frequency interference [RFI] or electromagnetical interference [EMI] · CPC title