Abstract:
A bracket for retaining a component within a housing, where that bracket includes a front face; a first rear flange that is configured and arranged to be affixed to the housing; a second rear flange that is also configured and arranged to be affixed to the housing; a first bridging section for connecting the first rear flange to the front face; and a second bridging section for connecting the second rear flange to the front face. In addition, at least one of the first rear flange and the second rear flange is configured and arranged to maintain at least a portion of the component being retained a slight distance away from the housing. The present bracket provides a way for simply and economically installing a component, such as a fan, within a housing without requiring that the fan be directly riveted or screwed to the housing, which can cause damage to the component&#39;s cord due to the contact between the cord and the housing wall.

Description:
The present invention relates generally to a bracket for retaining components within a housing, and more particularly to a bracket for retaining a corded component, such as a fan, within a housing, such as a computer housing, where that component can be easily installed within the housing without damaging the cord associated with the component. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Within computer housings, components such as the fan used for cooling the disk drive and other parts are normally simply affixed to one of the walls of the housing with screws or rivets. However, the present inventors have determined that simply affixing the fan (or other similar corded component) to one of the walls of the housing often results in chafing of the cord, which could lead to a disruption in the current supply to the fan. Such chafing often occurs when the fan is mounted against the wall because the cord often makes sliding contact with the wall. After the fan is installed, the cord may also be maintained in contact with the wall, which could result in additional chafing during transport of the housing. 
     An additional problem with simply riveting or screwing the component to the wall of the housing is that installation of the component takes an unnecessary amount of time due to the fact that four screws or four rivets (one in each corner of the component) are normally used to secure the component to the wall of the housing. Moreover, if the component needs to be removed after it has been installed, such as for replacement, all of the screws or rivets need to be removed. Furthermore, if the alignment of the screw holes on the component is changed from the original configuration (which may be caused by a design change or tolerance errors), the arrangement of the screw holes on the wall need to be changed also. 
     Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an improved bracket for retaining a component within a housing. 
     An additional object of the present invention is to provide an improved retention bracket in which a corded component may be installed into a housing without damaging the cord. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved retention bracket for securing a corded component within a housing in which the cord is separated from both the housing and the bracket so that cord chafing is reduced or eliminated. 
     A fourth object of the present invention is to provide an improved retention bracket for installing a fan into a computer housing in which installation is simplified when compared with attaching the fan directly to the wall of the housing. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved fan retention bracket in which the fan may be slid into the bracket, and wherein the fan is secured within the bracket without the use of screws or rivets, so that the fan may be simply slid out of the bracket if necessary. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a fan retention bracket that is of an economical design, and that provides for an inexpensive method of assembling a fan to a computer housing. 
     These and other objects of the present invention are disclosed or will be apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The above-listed objects are met or exceeded by the present bracket, which provides a way for simply and economically installing a component, such as a fan, within a housing without requiring that the fan be directly riveted or screwed to the housing, which can cause damage to the cord. Furthermore, the present bracket also preferably defines an air space between the component being retained and the wall of the housing so that the component&#39;s cord is not chafed during its installation and/or during transport of the housing after the component has been installed. 
     More specifically, the present invention provides a bracket for retaining a component within a housing, where that bracket includes a front face; a first rear flange that is configured and arranged to be affixed to the housing; a second rear flange that is also configured and arranged to be affixed to the housing; a first bridging section for connecting the first rear flange to the front face; and a second bridging section for connecting the second rear flange to the front face. In addition, at least one of the first rear flange and the second rear flange is configured and arranged to maintain at least a portion of the component being retained a slight distance away from the housing. 
     Additionally, the present invention also provides a fan retention assembly that includes a fan and a bracket for attaching the fan to a wall. Furthermore, the bracket includes a front face; a first rear flange affixed to the wall; a second rear flange affixed to the wall; a first bridging section for connecting the first rear flange to the front face; and a second bridging section for connecting the second rear flange to the front face. An additional feature of the present invention is that the first rear flange and the second rear flange create an air space between a rear portion of the fan and the wall. Preferably, a cutout portion is also provided in at least one of the bridging sections so that the fan&#39;s cord does not contact the bracket. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described herein with reference to the drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a computer housing including an embodiment of the retention bracket of the present invention; 
     FIG.2 is a front perspective view of the retention bracket of FIG. 1, shown with a fan installed therein; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of the retention bracket of FIG. 1, with a fan installed therein; 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the portion of FIG. 4 encircled within the dot-dash line  5 ; FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present retention bracket; 
     FIG. 7A is a front view of the retention bracket of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 7B is a left side view of the retention bracket of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 7C is a right side view of the retention bracket of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 8 is a view of the retention bracket of FIG. 6, as viewed from below and shown with the front face directed toward the bottom of the figure; and 
     FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 9, taken along line  9 — 9 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of the present retention bracket  10  is shown installed within a housing  12 . The housing  12  may be a computer housing, such as the housing disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/562,519, entitled “Housing for Computer Components,” which was filed on May 1, 2000, and which is hereby incorporated by reference. Other types of housings for other electrical component are also contemplated as being within the scope of the invention. 
     The example of the housing  12  shown in FIG. 1 includes a variety of computer components installed therein, and some of these computer components have been designated with the index number  14 . The housing  12  also includes a wall  16 , upon which the bracket  10  has been installed. While FIG. 1 shows bracket  10  as being installed upon the rear wall  16 , other walls (such as the side walls, the top wall, the front wall or the bottom wall) may also be utilized if desired. Further, although the terms front, rear, top, bottom, left, right, etc. will be used throughout this specification for the sake of simplicity when referring to the drawings, these terms should not be construed as limiting the location or orientation of the present invention, except as these terms describe relative locations with respect to each other. For example, features described as being on the left and right sides of the bracket should not be construed as limiting the bracket to a single orientation, but instead should be interpreted to mean that these features are simply located on opposite sides from each other (such as on the upper side and the lower side or the front side and the rear side, etc.). 
     The bracket  10  is preferably affixed to the wall  16  via two screws  18 , although more screws may also be used if necessary or desired. Alternatively, rivets, or any other suitable affixing means, may also be used to affix the bracket to the wall. The bracket  10  includes an open top  20 , which allows for the component being retained by the bracket to be inserted downwardly. In this example, the component intended to be retained is a fan, so the bracket  10  is installed over an arrangement of air holes  22 , and the front face of the bracket  10  includes an opening  24  so that hot air within the housing  12  can be exhausted via the fan. 
     Turning now to FIG. 2, a view is shown of the bracket  10  with a fan  26  installed therein. The wall  16  may include a lip  27  that extends along its upper surface. In accordance with the present invention, the fan  26  is inserted into the bracket  10  by sliding the fan downwardly into the open top  20  (FIG. 1) of the bracket. Preferably, the lip  27  does not extend along the area where the fan  26  needs to pass while being inserted into the bracket  10 . However, the lip  27  does preferably overlap a portion of the bracket  10 , as better shown in the enlarged view of FIG.  3 . This overlap of the lip  27  helps to better maintain the bracket  10  in position in the vertical direction, while still allowing for unhindered insertion of the fan  26 . 
     The lower periphery  29  of the bracket of preferably sits on or near the lower wall  17  of the housing. Configuring the bracket so that its lower periphery  29  sits directly on the lower wall  17  simplifies the vertical alignment of the bracket during installation. 
     After the fan  26  is inserted into the bracket  10 , it is maintained in position in the vertical direction by the lower wall  17  and the upper wall (not shown) of the housing  12 . The configuration of the bracket  10  keeps the fan from moving in the horizonal direction (both towards and away from the wall  16  as well as along the wall  16 ), as more fully described below. Accordingly, the fan need not be secured to the housing  12  with additional attachment means, such as screws or rivets, and therefore a simplified installation that only requires that the fan be slid into the bracket has been provided for by the present invention. 
     The fan  26  includes an electrical cord  28  that extends from one side, as better shown in the enlarged view of FIG.  3 . One important feature of the present invention is that the bracket  10  includes an upper cutout portion  30  that provides an area for the cord  28  to be located where it will not contact the bracket  10 . Thus, even when the fan  26  is slid downwardly into the bracket  10 , the cord will not be chafed by contacting the bracket, due to the inclusion of the upper cutout portion  30 . It should be noted that the upper cutout portion may configured of a different shape than that shown in the figures, as long as its shape still provides an area for the cord to be located (both during and after assembly) such that the cord does not contact the bracket. 
     Turning now to FIGS. 3 and 4, which are, respectively, a top view and an enlarged top view (taken within dot-dash circle  5 ) of the present bracket  10  with the fan  26  installed therein, a description will be provided of the manner in which the cord of the fan is maintained at a slight distance from the wall of the housing. Briefly, to separate the cord  28  from the wall  16 , an air space  32  is created between the fan  26  and the wall  16 . This air space  32  is created because the bracket  10  includes two rear flanges  40  and  40 ′ (only one of which is shown in FIG. 5) that serve to separate the back wall  36  of the fan  26  from the wall  16  of the housing  12 . Accordingly, the back wall  36  of the fan  26  does not sit directly on the housing wall  16 . Although not shown, the cord of the fan is normally situated within a recess indented within the back wall  36  of the fan  26 . Due to the presence of the air space  32 , the portion of the cord that is situated within the fan&#39;s recess is maintained a slight distance away from the housing wall  16  so that the cord cannot be chafed by rubbing against the wall during installation of the fan. Nor should the cord be chafed when the entire assembly, with the fan installed, is moved to another location. 
     Turning now to FIGS. 6-9, the details of a preferred embodiment of the present bracket  10  will be described. The present bracket  10  is preferably made from sheet metal, and is preferably cut and folded from a single sheet of metal (although other production methods are also contemplated). Additionally, other materials, such as plastic, may also be used to manufacture the present bracket if desired. 
     FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present retention bracket  10 . This bracket  10  includes a front face  38 . As mentioned earlier, the front face  38  preferably includes an opening  24  to allow air to pass therethrough if the bracket is intended for use with an exhaust device such as a fan. Extending generally parallel to the front face  38  are two rear flanges  40  and  40 ′. At least one aperture  41 / 41 ′ for a fastening device, such as a screw or a rivet, is formed in each rear flange  40 / 40 ′. Two bridging sections  42  and  42 ′ are used to connect the front face  38  with the rear flanges  40  and  40 ′, respectively. These bridging sections  42  and  42 ′ are preferably generally T-shaped, as best shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C. 
     As mentioned above, the bracket  10  includes an upper cutout portion  30 , through which the cord  28  is intended to be fed (as shown in FIGS.  2  and  3 ). The upper cutout portion  30  is located on bridging section  42 ′. In a similar manner, a lower cutout portion  31  is also provided on the other bridging section, bridging section  42 . Lower cutout portion  31  is preferably identical in shape and size to upper cutout portion  30  so that if bracket  10  is installed in a position that is upside-down to that shown in FIG. 6, the lower cutout portion  31  will then be located in a position to accept the cord  28 . Due to this type of “symmetry,” assembly errors resulting from possible inverted installation of the bracket  10  are eliminated. 
     Bridging section  42  also includes an upper cutout portion, which has been designated as upper cutout portion  44 . On bridging section  42 ′, there is a lower cutout portion  45 , which is preferably identical in shape and size to the upper cutout portion  44 . Once again, the identity in shape and size of these cutout portions also serves to create a bracket that may be inverted prior to assembly without affecting its effectiveness. 
     It should be noted that in the preferred embodiment, upper cutout portion  30  and lower cutout portion  31  (which are preferably identical to each other) are preferably deeper and wider than upper cutout portion  44  and lower cutout portion  45  (which are also preferably identical to each other), as can best be seen in FIGS. 7B and 7C. The deeper and wider cutout portions ( 30  and  31 ) have been provided to ensure that these cutout portions are out of contact with the cord when the fan is installed. The shallower and narrower cutout portions ( 44  and  45 ) have been provided to add additional support for the fan. However, it should be noted that all four cutout portions may be identical in size and shape, if desired, as long as the fan is provided with adequate support and the cord cannot contact the bracket. 
     Turning now to FIGS. 8 and 9, more details regarding the preferred configuration of the rear flanges  40  and  40 ′ will be provided. FIG. 8 is a depiction of the preferred embodiment of the present retainer, as viewed from the bottom and shown with its front face  38  located towards the lower portion of the figure. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the rear flanges  40  and  40 ′, as taken from line  9 — 9  in FIG.  8 . As can be seen in FIG. 9, rear flanges  40  and  40 ′ are preferably generally U-shaped and are arranged such that the open areas of the U-shapes face each other. 
     As shown in FIG. 9, the rear flange  40  includes a generally horizontally extending upper leg  46 , a generally vertically extending center leg  48 , and a generally horizontally extending lower leg  50 . In addition, rear flange  40 ′ includes a generally horizontally extending upper leg  47 , a generally vertically extending center leg  49 , and a generally horizontally extending lower leg  51 . It should be noted that the upper leg  46  preferably extends further from the center leg  40  than the lower leg  50  does (i.e., upper leg  46  is somewhat longer in the horizontal direction). In addition, the lower leg  50  is somewhat wider, in the vertical direction, than the upper leg  46 . It should also be noted that the upper leg  47  (of the rear flange  40 ′) is essentially the same size and shape as the lower leg  50  (of the rear flange  40 ) and that the lower leg  51  (of the rear flange  40 ′) is essentially the same size and shape as the upper leg  46  (of rear flange  40 ). In a similar manner to that described above with regard to the bridging sections  42  and  42 ′, the rear flanges  40  and  40 ′ include this “symmetry” so that the bracket  10  may be installed upon the wall  16  with either leg  46  and leg  47  towards the top or with leg  50  and leg  51  towards the top, without affecting the operation of the bracket. 
     The upper leg  47  has been made with a reduced length on order to avoid making contact with the fan&#39;s cord when the fan is installed, and the lower leg  51  has been made of a longer length in order to provide additional support for the rear surface of the fan, so that the rear surface of the fan is maintained a slight distance apart from the wall of the enclosure. 
     Referring back to the views shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the rear flanges  40  and  40 ′ provide a surface upon which the rear wall  36  of the fan  26  may slide along when the fan is being installed within the bracket  10 . As the total surface area of the portion of the rear flanges  40 / 40 ′, which contact the fan, is less than the surface area of the portion of the wall  16  that would contact the fan in the absence of the rear flanges  40 / 40 ′, the flanges help to reduce the friction that the fan would otherwise encounter if the bracket were designed without the flanges. Thus, in addition to defining an air space  32 , the flanges  40 / 40 ′ also serve to facilitate the sliding of the fan (or other component) into the retention bracket  10 . 
     While various embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it should be understood that other modifications, substitutions and alternatives may be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Such modifications, substitutions and alternatives can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which should be determined from the appended claims. 
     Various features of the invention are set forth in the appended claims.