Abstract:
A method for a standalone open frame in one example is configured to support a rack-mount electronic component of a predetermined size selected from any of a plurality of predetermined sizes. The standalone open frame is configured to securely engage the rack-mount electronic component through employment of at least one set of rack-mount adapters that is configured for the predetermined size of the rack-mount electronic component.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority and is a divisional to the patent application Ser. No. 11/804,110, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,020,715; entitled “STANDALONE OPEN FRAME,” with filing date May 17, 2007, by Steven F. Manzi and Michael Wortman, and assigned to the assignee of the present application, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Large data centers for electronic components such as servers and storage arrays are typically designed for rack-mount equipment. Rack-mount equipment allows dense arrangements of servers, but with a large setup cost for purchasing and installing a rack or cabinet. For smaller scale server environments, a single rack-mount electronic component may be mounted within an enclosure. Rack-mount enclosures typically use a framework with sheet metal or plastic skins to support the electronic component. The framework may also include a separate support foot for stability. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Features of example implementations of the invention will become apparent from the description, the claims, and the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a representation of one implementation of an apparatus that comprises a standalone open frame and at least one set of rack-mount adapters. 
         FIG. 2  is a representation of partial perspective view of a first keyhole coupling between the standalone open frame and the at least one set of rack-mount adapters of the apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a representation of partial perspective view of a second keyhole coupling between the at least one set of rack-mount adapters of  FIG. 1  and a rack-mount electronic component. 
         FIG. 4  is a representation of a partial front exploded view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  supporting a 4U rack-mount electronic component. 
         FIG. 5  is a representation of a partial front view of the apparatus of  FIG. 4  supporting the 4U rack-mount electronic component. 
         FIG. 6  is a representation of a partial front view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  supporting two 2U rack-mount electronic components. 
         FIG. 7  is a representation of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  supporting a 1U rack-mount electronic component. 
         FIG. 8  is a representation of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  supporting a 2U rack-mount electronic component. 
         FIG. 9  is a representation of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  supporting a 4U rack-mount electronic component. 
         FIG. 10  is a representation of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  in a stacked arrangement with at least one stacking bracket. 
         FIG. 11  is a representation of an alternative implementation of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  supporting an electronic component. 
         FIG. 12  is a representation of another implementation of the apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 13  is a representation of yet another implementation of the apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to the BACKGROUND section above, the rack-mount enclosures restrict access to the electronic component. In addition, a separate rack-mount enclosure is required for each electronic component. 
     Turning to  FIG. 1 , an apparatus  100  in one example comprises a standalone open frame  102  and at least one set of rack-mount adapters  104 . The standalone open frame  102  is configured to support at least one rack-mount electronic component. For example, the standalone open frame  102  and the set of rack-mount adapters  104  are compliant with the Electronic Industries Alliance (“EIA”) RS-310 standard. The standalone open frame  102  in one example is configurable to support any of a plurality of predetermined sizes of the rack-mount electronic component, for example, 1U, 2U, 4U, etc. In another example, the standalone open frame  102  is configurable to support other electronic components that are not inherently rack-mountable. The standalone open frame  102  in one example comprises a tubular structure that allows the standalone open frame  102  and any rack-mount electronic equipment coupled with it to be moved or slid along a floor, including but not limited to carpeted surfaces. 
     The rack-mount adapters  104  in one example serve to couple at least one electronic component with the standalone open frame  102 . In the implementation of  FIG. 1 , the set of rack-mount adapters  104  comprises a first adapter  106  and a second adapter  108 . The first and second adapters  106  and  108  in one example are configured to couple opposing sides of a rack-mount electronic component to the standalone open frame  102 . 
     Turning to  FIG. 2 , the set of rack-mount adapters  104  in one example comprise at least one keyhole coupling with the standalone open frame  102 , for example, keyhole couplings  204 ,  205 , and  206 . In a further example, one or more of the keyhole couplings is securable with a spring clip  207 . For example, the rack-mount adapter  104  comprises a keyhole and the standalone open frame  102  comprises a pin. The keyhole is placed over the pin and slid back to prevent the rack-mount adapter  104  from disengaging from the standalone open frame  102 . The spring clip  207  prevents the rack-mount adapter  104  from sliding back and disengaging from the keyhole coupling. The keyhole coupling allows the rack-mount adapters  104  to be coupled with or removed from the standalone open frame  102  without tools, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. 
     Turning to  FIG. 3 , an electronic component  302  in one example is coupled with the rack-mount adapters  104 . The electronic component  302  in one example comprises a rack-mount electronic component that is compliant with the Electronic Industries Alliance (“EIA”) RS-310 standard. The electronic component  302  and the rack-mount adapters  104  in one example comprise a keyhole coupling  304 . The spring clip  207  in one example secures the keyhole coupling  304 . In another example, a separate spring clip secures the keyhole coupling  304 . The electronic component  302  in one example is engaged with the rack-mount adapter  104  by sliding the electronic component  302  into the standalone open frame  102 . 
     Turning to  FIGS. 4-5 , in one implementation of the apparatus  100  a standalone open frame  400  with a rack-mount adapter  401  supports the electronic component  302 . The standalone open frame  400  comprises pins  402  and  404  for keyhole couplings  405  with the rack-mount adapter  401 . The keyhole couplings  405  in one example are analogous to keyhole couplings  204 ,  205 , and  206 . The rack-mount adapter  401  in one example comprises keyholes  406  and  408  for the keyhole couplings  405 . In a further example, the rack-mount adapter  401  comprises spring clips  410  and  412  for securing the keyhole couplings  405 . For example, the pin  402  slides into the keyhole  406  and is secured into place by the spring clip  410 , as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. 
     The rack-mount adapter  401  in one example comprises a lip  414  with a slot  416  for engaging the electronic component  302 . The electronic component  302  in one example comprises a pin  418  and a rail  420 . In one example, the electronic component  302  is slid back with the pin  418  on the lip  414  until the pin  418  drops into the slot  416  and the rail  420  then engages the lip  414 . The slot  416  in one example comprises a dogleg shape to secure the pin  418 . In this example, the rail  420  supports the weight of the electronic component  302  and the pin  418  prevents further movement of the electronic component. The rack-mount adapter  401  in one example comprises a spring clip  422  to secure the pin  418  within the slot  416 . 
     Turning to  FIG. 6 , in another implementation of the apparatus  100 , a standalone open frame  600 , a first rack-mount adapter  602 , and a second rack-mount adapter  604  are configured to support a first electronic component  606  and a second electronic component  608 . In alternative implementations, the standalone open frame  600  may be configured to support additional rack-mount adapters and electronic components. 
     Turning to  FIGS. 7-9 , alternative implementations of the rack-mount adapters  104  are shown with the standalone open frame  102 . In  FIG. 7 , a set of rack-mount adapters  702  is configured to support a 1U electronic component. In  FIG. 8 , a set of rack-mount adapters  802  is configured to support a 2U electronic component. Referring to  FIG. 9 , a set of rack-mount adapters  902  is configured to support a 4U electronic component. Additional configurations and sizes for the rack-mount adapters  104  may be developed to accommodate additional designs for rack-mount electronic equipment, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. 
     Turning to  FIG. 10 , the standalone open frame  102  in one example is configured to receive at least one stacking bracket  1002 . The stacking bracket  702  allows at least two standalone open frames  102  to be coupled in a stacked configuration. In the example of  FIG. 10 , two instances of the standalone open frame  102  are stacked vertically. The standalone open frame  102  allows a user to use rack-mount electronic equipment without the initial expense of a rack-mount system or cabinet. The standalone open frame  102  also allows the user to position the rack-mount electronic equipment horizontally or vertically, for example, for a stacking configuration or a smaller footprint. 
     Turning to  FIG. 11 , another implementation of the apparatus  100  comprises a standalone open frame  1104  with a first rack-mount adapter  1106  and a second rack-mount adapter  1108  ( FIG. 11   b ). The rack-mount adapters  1106  and  1108  are configured to support an electronic component  1102  ( FIG. 11   a ). Referring to  FIG. 11   c , the standalone open frame  1104  allows for access to the electronic component  1102 . 
     Turning to  FIG. 12 , yet another implementation of the apparatus  100  comprises a standalone open frame  1202 . The standalone open frame  1202  is configured to support a first electronic component  1204  with a first set of rack-mount adapters (not shown) and has available space  1206  for a second electronic component, for example, for future expansion. In one example, the electronic component  1204  comprises a 4U server and the available space  1206  is sufficient for an additional 2U server (not shown). The standalone open frame  1202  in one example comprises a wheeled arrangement  1208  for moving the standalone open frame  1202  (and any attached electronic components) along a floor. For example, a user may pick up or partially lift weight off a front of the standalone open frame  1202  to allow wheels of the wheeled arrangement  1208  to roll on the floor. 
     Turning to  FIG. 13 , another implementation of the apparatus  100  comprises a standalone open frame  1302 . The standalone open frame  1302  in this example is configured to support three electronic components  1304 ,  1306 , and  1308 . 
     Numerous alternative implementations of the present invention exist. In addition to various configurations of the rack-mount adapters  104 , the spring clips  207  may be replaced or supplemented with latches, locking mechanisms, or other securement devices. Alternative configurations and shapes of the standalone open frame  102  may also be used. In one implementation, a larger standalone open frame may be built to support a larger number of rack-mount electronic components. For example, a larger standalone open frame may be sized to support up to ten 10U components, five 2U components, or other configurations. 
     In another implementation, the standalone open frame  102  is configured to support a plurality of electronic components. For example, the standalone open frame  102  may receive a first set of rack-mount adapters for a first rack-mount electronic component and a second set of rack-mount adapters for a second rack-mount electronic component. In this implementation, a single standalone open frame  102  may support four 1U components, two 2U components, one 3U component and one 1U component, and other configurations, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. 
     The standalone open frame  102  in one example comprises dimensions that are selected for stability in multiple orientations. Referring to  FIGS. 7-9 , the standalone open frame  102  comprises a vertical orientation. The vertical orientation allows for a reduced footprint of the standalone open frame  102  and electronic components. Referring to  FIG. 10 , the standalone open frame  102  comprises a horizontal orientation. The horizontal orientation allows for stacking of the standalone open frame  102 . 
     The apparatus  100  in one example comprises a plurality of components such as one or more of hardware components. A number of such components can be combined or divided in the apparatus  100 . The apparatus  100  in one example comprises any (e.g., horizontal, oblique, or vertical) orientation, with the description and figures herein illustrating one example orientation of the apparatus  100 , for explanatory purposes. 
     The steps or operations described herein are just for example. There may be many variations to these steps or operations without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, the steps may be performed in a differing order, or steps may be added, deleted, or modified. 
     Although example implementations of the invention have been depicted and described in detail herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that various modifications, additions, substitutions, and the like can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and these are therefore considered to be within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.