Abstract:
In general, in one aspect, the disclosure describes an apparatus that includes a connector mountable to a circuit board and a bracket attached to the connectors. The connector includes at least one port at least one retractable raised portion formed it at least one side of the connector adjacent to a side having a port opening. The bracket includes a front face for abutting against the side of the connector having the port opening and includes a first opening to provide access to the port. The bracket includes at least one side adjacent the front face that has at least one second opening in alignment with the at least one retractable raised portion so as to enable the retractable raised portion to enter the second opening and secure the bracket to the connector.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
   Computing systems contain many boards, interconnects and/or cards (hereinafter simply referred to as “boards”) within an environment (e.g., computer housing, chassis). The systems may include a main board (e.g., server board, mother board, backplane) having other boards connected thereto. The main boards may be capable of receiving multiple different types of other boards (e.g., network interface boards, graphics boards) and the other boards may be capable of being added or removed from the system, possibly while the system is operational without affecting the operation of the overall system (hot swap). The other boards may be perpendicular to the main board if the other boards connect to connectors on the main board. Alternatively, a riser board may be connected perpendicular to the main board and the other boards may connect perpendicular to the riser board and thus be parallel to the main board. The environment may have an opening (or openings) that enable the other boards to be removed therefrom or inserted therein (swapped). The other boards may include a bracket that is connected to the board and holds the board within the environment. The bracket may be used to remove the board from the environment. 
   The size of the other boards within the system may be based on, among other things, the size of the environment, available room within the environment, openings in the environment for which the connectors or indicators are accessible or with which the boards are swapped, the types of connectors and the location of the connectors on the main board, and the type of computing system. Boards (e.g., network interface, boards) may come in different sizes depending on some subset of the parameters noted above. For example, boards may come in standard sizes and smaller (low profile) sizes for more compact environments. Different standards may apply that define the size and other parameters associated with the other boards depending on the type of computing system and the type of environment. 
   The other boards may have connectors or indicators that are accessible to outside the environment. The connectors may enable the computing system to connect to peripheral (e.g., printers, monitors) via, for example serial ports, parallel ports, or USB connectors. The connectors may enable the computing system to communicate with other devices (e.g., networks, LAN, Internet) via, for example, RJ-45 connectors, RJ-11 connectors or coaxial cable connectors. The size of the board, the computing environment, and any standards that apply thereto may affect the number of connectors that can be located on the board for connections external to the environment. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The features and advantages of the various embodiments will become apparent from the following detailed description in which: 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of an example computing system, according to one embodiment; 
       FIGS. 2A–B  illustrate an example add-on board and bracket that may be used in a computing environment, according to one embodiment; 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a front exploded view of an example connector and bracket for mounting to a board, according to one embodiment; 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a rear exploded view of an example connector and bracket for mounting to a board, according to one embodiment; 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a front perspective view of an example connector mounted to a board, according to one embodiment; 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a front perspective view of an example connector and bracket mounted to a board, according to one embodiment; and 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a rear perspective view of an example connector and bracket mounted to a board, according to one embodiment. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of an example computing system  100 . The system  100  includes a main board  110  having at least one connector  120  for holding additional (add-on) boards. The system  100  resides within a housing (only back wall illustrated). The housing may include a grate  130  for securing the add-on boards to the housing. The grate  130  may include rails  140  for supporting the add-on boards and connecting the add-on boards to the housing and openings  150  for enabling the add-on boards to be accessed external to the housing. The add-on boards may include connectors or indicators that can be accessed external to the housing. 
   As illustrated, the main board  110  is placed horizontally on the bottom of the environment. The add-on boards are not illustrated in  FIG. 1  to simplify the figure, but could be mounted to a connector  120  and extend vertically from the main board  110  and extend toward the back of the housing where it is supported and possibly connected to the rails  140 . Any connectors or indicators on the edge of the add-on board may be accessible through the openings  150 . 
   Alternatively, a riser card may be mounted to the main board  110  and extend vertically therefrom, and the add-on cards may be mounted to the riser card and extend horizontally therefrom so as to be substantially parallel to the main board  110 . For this embodiment the rails  140  and openings  150  in the grate  130  would have to extend horizontally. 
   The main board is not limited to being placed horizontally within the environment with the add-on boards being placed above the main board (either vertically or horizontally using a riser card). For example, if the main board was a backplane in a router or switch it may be mounted vertically on the back end of a rack and the add-on boards would extend either vertically or horizontally therefrom (depending upon the configuration of the connectors on the board). 
     FIGS. 2A–B  illustrates an example add-on board  200  and bracket  230  that may be used in a computing environment. The board  200  may include a connector  210  for connecting to the main board (e.g.,  110  of  FIG. 1 ). The connector  210  may be formed in an edge of the board  200  so that it can connect to a connector (e.g.,  120 ) on the main board. Alternatively, a connector may be mounted to the board  200  and extend from an edge of the board  200 . As illustrated, the connector  210  is on a lower edge of the board  200  but is in no way limited thereto. Rather the connectors could extend from any edge. For example, for the router/switch noted above the connector may be on the back edge of the board so that it could be used to connect the board into the backplane when the board is inserted in the rack. 
   The connector  210  extends from the edge of the board  200  so that the connector can be inserted into the connector on the main board without the edge of the board interfering. When the add-on board  200  is connected to the main board the lower edge of add-on board  200  will be above the main board by a certain amount so as not to interfere with the main board. A front portion  220  of the board may have an extended lower edge as well. The front portion  200  is where connectors or other indicators are located and are accessible external to the environment that the boards are located. 
   The bracket  250  may be used for connecting the board  200  to the housing (e.g., grate  130 ). The bracket  250  may include a lower edge  260  and a faceplate  260  extending perpendicular to the board  200 . The lower edge  260  may include holes (not illustrated) that are in alignment with holes  225  in the front portion  220  of the board  200  to secure the bracket  250  to the board  200  with, for example, screws  265 . The holes  225  may be in the upper and lower corners so that the bracket  250  is secured to the board  200  at both ends. The faceplate  270  may include an opening  275  so that any connectors or indicators on the board  200  are visible outside the housing. The faceplate  270  may include a first tab  280  extending perpendicular to the faceplate  250  on one edge and a second tab  285  extending past the board  200  on the other edge. 
   The number of connectors (or ports within a connector) that can be utilized on a board  200  may be controlled by, among other things, the size and type of board  200  and the size of the opening  275 . These parameters may be controlled by standards related to boards, chassis&#39; and/or systems, or the specifications for the particular system. 
   For certain boards (e.g., network interface boards) the number of ports within a connector may be a power of two (e.g., 2, 4, 8). Therefore, if a board is just to small to fit a particular number of ports the number of ports on the board may be reduced in half (e.g., from 4 to 2). 
   By way of example, the board  200  and the bracket  250  illustrated in  FIG. 2  are PCI Express low profile compliant, the physical parameters of which are governed by the PCI Express Card Electromechanical Specification, Revision 1.0a, published Apr. 15, 2003 (hereinafter referred to as “the PCIe specification”). The physical parameters illustrated for the board  200  and the bracket  250  effect the type of connectors and number of ports capable of being placed on the board. 
   For example, a PCIe low profile bracket has an opening  275  of 2.147 inches (plus or minus tolerances) so that any connector could not be any longer than that. The PCIe low profile bracket includes a chassis keepout area of 0.2 inches associated with each edge of the board. The keepout area associated with the upper edge means that a connector could not utilize that portion of the board. If mounting holes  225  are used on either the upper or lower edges there is a keepout area  230  defined therearound so that a connector could not utilize this area. The front portion of the board  220  includes a tab  235  extending 0.325 inches past the lower edge of the board, however the tab is only 0.591 inches in width thus limiting the width of a connecter that could use this area as the connector can not extend into the gap  240  formed behind the tab  235 . 
     FIGS. 3–7  illustrate different views of a board  300  having an example connector  400  and bracket  500  mounted thereto. Use of the connector  400  and the bracket  500  can increase the number of ports capable of being mounted on the board  300  and accessible outside of the computing environment.  FIGS. 3–7  illustrate a PCI Express low profile compliant board having a four port RJ-45 connector mounted thereto. The PCI Express low profile physical parameters, such as those illustrated in  FIGS. 2A–B , are not illustrated in  FIGS. 3–7  but are understood to apply. 
   The board  300  includes a front portion having a tab  310  extending from a lower edge and a connector  320  extending from a lower edge for connecting to a main board. The board  300  may also include a tab  330  on the lower edge (e.g., between the connector  320  and the tab  310 ) to prevent the board  300  from being plugged into the wrong type of connectors (e.g., prevent a PCI Express board from being plugged into a PCI connector). The front portion of the board  300  may include a hole  340  for accepting a screw  700  to secure the bracket  500  to the board  300 . 
   The connector  400  has a number of ports  410  (e.g., 4) formed therein. The connector includes pins for connecting to the board  300  and may include rods for aligning the connector  400  with the board  300  by placing the rods in holes in the board  300 . The connector  400  includes at least one retractable raised portion (snap)  420  on the top surface of connector  400 . The snaps  420  may be retracted if pressure is applied. The snaps  420  may be spring loaded or may be made of a flexible material. The snaps  420  are used to connect to the connector  400  to the bracket  500 . 
   The snaps  420  may be arced to aid in getting the bracket  500  over the snaps  420 . The snaps  420  may include stationary portions  430  on each side and a retractable portion  440  in the middle. The stationary portions  430  may help raise the bracket  500  onto the retractable portion  440 . 
   The bracket  500  includes a front face  510 , a bottom face  520  and an upper face  530 . The front face  510  includes an opening  540  formed therein for providing access to and/or accepting the connector  400 . The lower face  520  may include a hole  550  for accepting a screw  700  to connect the bracket  500  to the board  300 . The upper face  530  includes holes  560  in alignment with the snaps  420  to receive the snaps  420 . 
   The upper face  530  may also include tabs  570  in alignment with the holes  560 . The tabs  570  from a spare bracket would be in alignment with the holes  560  in a bracket  500  connected to the connector  400  and thus could be used to push down the snaps  420  and enable the bracket  500  to be removed from the connector  400 . According to one embodiment, each board  300  may come with a low profile bracket and a standard height bracket and the bracket used depends on the system the board  300  is being placed in. 
   Alternatively, the tabs  570  on a mounted bracket  500  may be utilized to retract the snaps  420  so that the bracket  500  can be removed from the connector  400 . For example, the tabs  570  may be pushed down so that the retractable portion  440  is retracted so that the snaps  420  are no longer in the holes  560  and the bracket  500  can be removed from the connector  400 . Alternatively, the tabs  570  can be used to help lift the bracket  500  up so that the snaps  420  are no longer in the hole  560  and the bracket  500  can be removed from the connector  400 . 
   The front face  510  may include a tab  580  on one side that extends perpendicular therefrom. The tab  580  may include a screw hole  585  for connecting the bracket  500  via a screw to the environment that the board  300  is within. The front face  510  may extend past the board  300  on the opposite side to create a tab  590  that may be used for removing the board  300  from the environment. 
   The connector  400  is mounted to the front portion of the board  300  including within the tab  310  and does not extend into the opening (e.g.,  240 ) behind the tab  310 . The connector  400  may extend over a front edge of the board  300  by an allowable amount. The bracket  500  is to be secured to the upper edge of the board  300  so the connector  400  is not mounted within the keep-out area (e.g.,  230 ) around the hole  340  or the chassis keepout area (e.g.,  290 ). 
   The bracket  500  is connected to the connector  400  by placing the bracket  500  over the connector  400  with the upper face  530  extending over the upper surface of the connector  400 , the bottom face  520  extending below the front edge of the board  300  and the opening  540  surrounding the ports  410 . The top face  520  of the bracket  500  is secured to the connector  400  by sliding the bracket  500  over the connector  400  until the snaps  420  in the connector  400  are within the holes  560  in the upper face  530  of the bracket  500 . The hole  550  in the lower face  520  should begin alignment with the hole  340  in the board  300 . The bracket  500  is then secured to the board  300  using a screw  700 . The bracket  500  is secured to the board  300  to help prevent the bracket  500  from rotating. The connection of the bracket  500  and the connector  400  assists in securing the bracket  500  and the board  300 , thus enabling less connectivity between the board  300  and the bracket  500  (e.g., only connected on upper edge). 
   The various embodiments described above with respect to  FIGS. 3–7  are not limited to those illustrated. For example, the connector  400  and bracket  500  are illustrated as connecting via two snaps  440  and two holes  560  located on top surfaces but are not limited to the number or location of the snaps  440  and holes  560 . For example, it is possible that one larger snap/opening could be utilized in the middle of the connector/bracket or a third snap/opening could be added in the middle without departing from the scope. Likewise, the sides of the connectors/brackets could include snaps/openings in place of or in addition to the snaps/openings on the upper surface. 
   The connection between the bracket  500  and connector  400  is illustrated as being snaps  440  and holes  560  but is not limited thereto, rather it could be any secure and easy to connect/disconnect connection. For example, the bracket could include snaps extending down and the connector could include openings for receiving the snaps (as long as the opening did not interfere with the ports). The connector could include a tab extending therefrom and the bracket could include a grove with a retractable opening for accepting the tab. 
   The bracket  500  is illustrated as being connected to the board  300  with a screw  700  but is not limited thereto. Rather the bracket  500  could be secured to the board  300  via other connections (e.g., clip, pin) or may not be connected to the board  300  (if the bracket  500  is secured sufficiently to the connector  400  and the connector  400  is secured to the board  300 ) without departing from the scope. 
   The various embodiments illustrated in  FIGS. 3–7  and described above were based on PCI express low profile boards and brackets and four port RJ-45 connectors. However, the various embodiments described herein are not limited to PCI Express low profile parameters, RJ-45 connectors, or the number of ports, let alone a four port PCI Express low profile board/bracket. Moreover, the various embodiments are in no way intended to be limited by the PCI express specification or any standards for that matter. Rather, the various embodiments described herein may be applicable to any boards utilizing connectors and brackets in this manner or other manners connectors. Utilizing the different embodiments described above to connect the bracket and connector to the board provides additional space on the board for the connector. 
   Although the disclosure has been illustrated by reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent that the disclosure is not limited thereto as various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope. Reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described therein is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” appearing in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. 
   The various embodiments are intended to be protected broadly within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.