Patent ID: 9750135
Date: 2017-08-29
CPC Classifications: H05K

Claim:
1. A system compatible for use with an Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture (ATCA) comprising: a chassis comprising: a first plurality of slots for receiving ATCA circuit boards; a second plurality of slots for receiving circuit boards; and a midplane having a front surface and a back surface, the midplane extending between the first plurality of slots and the second plurality of slots, the midplane having a first plurality of connectors affixed to the front surface and having a second plurality of connectors affixed to the back surface, each connector of the first and second plurality of connectors arranged to accept a circuit board and used for data transport, wherein the midplane forms an interconnection scheme such that one of the first plurality of slots is directly and operatively connected to one of the second plurality of slots, such that the first plurality of connectors and the second plurality of connectors access the midplane in a same substantially vertical column, and wherein the one of the first plurality of slots and the one of the second plurality of slots extend in opposite directions from their respective connections on the midplane, wherein the midplane is used for data transport between connectors of the second plurality of connectors and for data transport between a connector of the first plurality of connectors and a connector of the second plurality of connectors when, of the ATCA circuit boards and the circuit boards received by the first and second plurality of slots, only at least a portion of the circuit boards received by the second plurality of slots include a switch fabric that is coupled to the midplane, and wherein the first plurality of connectors comprises two first connectors and wherein the second plurality of connectors comprises three second connectors, the two first connectors and three second connectors are configured to use a substantially similar portion of the midplane as a standard ATCA configuration.