Abstract:
An exemplary server cabinet includes a rack and a side door detachably connected with the rack. The rack includes a top wall, an opposite bottom wall, and sidewalls connected between the top and bottom walls. The rack is adapted to accommodate a plurality of servers. The side door includes a reinforcing brace such that when the rack is fully loaded with the servers and the side door is detached from the rack and positioned at an oblique angle between two surfaces capable of supporting the fully loaded server cabinet, the fully loaded server cabinet can be moved along the side door between the two surfaces.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Technical Field 
         [0002]    The present disclosure relates to a server cabinet with a side door to provide convenient transportation for the server cabinet when the server cabinet has servers installed therein. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Computer server systems often include multiple standard servers mounted in a standard server cabinet. Each server is a stand-alone computer that can include many electric components, such as one or more processors, RAM (random access memory), fixed disks, AC to DC power supplies, and the like. For unified management, the servers are arranged in the server cabinet one-by-one from bottom to top. A common computer server system with the servers installed in the server cabinet has a weight of about 200 kilograms. 
         [0005]    During shipment of the computer server system, the computer server system is mounted on a stack board (or pallet). When the computer server system reaches a destination, a guiding ramp is provided. The guiding ramp is arranged between the stack board and the ground, and is typically gently sloped in this position. The computer server system can be moved from the stack board to the guiding ramp, and then slid or wheeled down the guiding ramp to the ground. However, each computer server system needs such a guiding ramp for shipment to a destination, and the guiding ramp is usually metal and discarded after the computer server system has been moved from the stack board to the ground. Therefore the need for the guiding ramp increases the cost of shipment of the computer server system, and generates waste material. 
         [0006]    It is thus desirable to provide a server cabinet with means which can overcome the described limitations. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is an isometric, assembled view of a computer server system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the computer server system comprising a server cabinet, the server cabinet comprising a rack and a side door; and showing the computer server system mounted on a stack board. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is similar to  FIG. 1 , but shows the side door detached from the rack and positioned between the stack board and the ground as a ramp. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged, isometric view showing complementary locking mechanisms of the rack and the side door of the computer server system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged, isometric view of the side door of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the side door of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged, isometric view of a handle of the side door of  FIG. 5 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is a side view showing the computer server system of  FIG. 2  being wheeled down the side door to the ground. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe embodiments of the present server cabinet in detail. 
         [0015]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a computer server system  20  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The computer server system  20  is mounted on a stack board (or pallet)  10  to satisfy shipment requirements. The computer server system  20  includes a server cabinet  21 , and a plurality of servers (not shown) accommodated in the server cabinet  21 . The computer server system  20  has a weight of about 200 kilograms. 
         [0016]    The stack board  10  includes a supporting plate  11 , a plurality of posts  12  depending perpendicularly from a bottom surface of the supporting plate  11 , a plurality of elongated feet (not labeled) supporting the posts  12 , and two elongated restraining blocks  13  extending perpendicularly upward from a top surface of the supporting plate  11 . The supporting plate  11  is rectangular, and configured for supporting the computer server system  20  thereon. The restraining blocks  13  are located at two opposite sides of the top surface of the supporting plate  11 , respectively. The computer server system  20  is positioned between the restraining blocks  13 . 
         [0017]    The server cabinet  21  includes a hollow cuboid rack  23 , a supporting frame  25  received in the rack  23 , and a side door  24  detachably mounted to one side of the rack  23 . The rack  23  includes a rectangular top wall  231 , a bottom wall  232  parallel to the top wall  231 , and three sidewalls  233  respectively connected between left, rear and right sides of the top wall  231  and the bottom wall  232 . The top wall  231 , the bottom wall  232  and the sidewalls  233  cooperatively define a rectangular receiving space  22  receiving the servers therein. The side door  24  is detachably mounted between the front side of the top wall  231  and the bottom wall  232 . Referring back to  FIG. 1 , four wheels  29  are provided on a bottom side of the bottom wall  232 . The wheels  29  can for example be casters. 
         [0018]    The supporting frame  25  includes two front supporting posts  251  and two rear supporting posts  252 . When the supporting frame  25  is installed in the rack  23 , the front supporting posts  251  are at a front side of the rack  23 , and abut front ends of the two sidewalls  253  on the left and right sides of the rack  23 , respectively. The rear supporting posts  252  are at the back of the rack  23 , and abut rear ends of the two sidewalls  253  on the left and right sides of the rack  23 , respectively. Heights of the front and rear supporting posts  251 ,  252  are substantially equal to those of the sidewalls  253 . Each of the front and rear supporting posts  251 ,  252  is interconnected between the top and bottom walls  231 ,  232 , with top and bottom ends of the front and rear supporting posts  251 ,  252  abutting the top and bottom walls  231 ,  232 , respectively. The front supporting posts  231  are adjacent to left and right sides of the side door  24 , respectively. 
         [0019]    A latch hook  26  is mounted at a middle portion of each of the front supporting posts  251 . Referring also to  FIG. 3 , the latch hook  26  is substantially U-shaped. The latch hook  26  includes a rectangular, plate-shaped main body  261 , and a first flange  262  and a second flange  263  extending perpendicularly from two opposite sides of the main body  261 , respectively. The first flange  262  is connected to the front supporting post  251  via bolts  30 . The second flange  263  is adjacent to the side door  24 . 
         [0020]    Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5  together, the side door  24  includes a rectangular main plate  241 , a brace  242  located at a middle of the main plate  241 , two fasteners  244  located at left and right sides of the main plate  241 , respectively, and two handles  246  located adjacent to the fasteners  244 , respectively. The main plate  241  includes an inner surface  2410  facing the rack  23  and an outer surface  2412 . The main plate  241  is made of steel and has a thickness of about 1.2 mm (millimeters). 
         [0021]    The fasteners  244  correspond to the latch hooks  26 , respectively. Referring to  FIG. 3  again, each of the fasteners  244  includes a mounting portion  2441  contacting the inner surface  2410  of the main plate  241 , a shaft  2443  protruding outwardly from the mounting portion  2441 , and a bent fastening catch  2442  mounted around the shaft  2443 . The main plate  241  defines two rectangular through holes  245  at positions which correspond to the fasteners  244 , respectively. When the fasteners  244  are assembled to the main plate  241 , the mounting portions  2441  are connected with the inner surface  2410  of the main plate  241  and cover the through holes  245 , respectively, the shaft  2443  extends inwardly towards an interior of the rack  23 , and the fastenings strips  2442  face the latch hooks  26  on the supporting frame  25 , respectively. 
         [0022]    The shaft  2443  and the fastening catch  2442  of each fastener  244  are rotatable in unison with respect to the mounting portion  2441 . Such rotation can be performed by accessing the shaft  2443  from a front side of the side door  24  via the through hole  245 , using, e.g., a tool. Thus, the fastening catch  2442  can be rotated between a first position where the fastening catch  2442  is perpendicular to and engaged with the second flange  263 , and a second position where the fastening catch  2442  is parallel to and disengaged from the second flange  263 . When both the fastening catches  2442  are in the first position, the side door  24  and the rack  23  are fixed together. When both the fastening catches  2442  are in the second position, the side door  24  can be detached from the rack  23 . 
         [0023]    The main plate  241  defines two slots  247  corresponding to the handles  246 , respectively. Referring also to  FIG. 6 , each of the handles  246  includes a bent, recessed holding portion  2461  having an opening  2463  at a front side thereof, and a frame-shaped flange  2462  extending around a periphery of the opening  2463 . The opening  2463  is substantially the same size as that of the corresponding slots  247 . When the handles  246  are attached to the main plate  241 , the holding portions  2461  are recessed from the inner surface  2410  of the main plate  241 , with the openings  2463  aligned with and communicated with the slots  247 , respectively (see  FIG. 1 ). The flanges  2462  abut portions of the outer surface  2412  of the side door  24  that surround four sides of the slots  247 , respectively. When the side door  24  is attached to or detached from the rack  23 , the holding portions  2461  of the handles  246  can be accessed via the slots  247  and the openings  2463  to provide convenient attaching of the side door  24  to the rack  23  or convenient detaching of the side door  24  from the rack  23 . 
         [0024]    The brace  242  includes an elongated plate  2420 , two side plates  2422  extending perpendicularly from left and right long sides of the elongated plate  2420 , respectively, and two connecting strips  2424  extending perpendicularly outward from edges of the side plates  2422 , respectively. The brace  242  is made of material having high intensity (strength), such as steel. The brace  242  is located at a middle portion of the inner surface  2410  of the main plate  241 , and extends along a central longitudinal axis of the main plate  241 . The elongated plate  2420  is substantially the same length as or slightly shorter than the main plate  241  of the side door  24 . The brace  242  connects with the main plate  241  by the connecting strips  2424  being fixed to the inner surface  2410 , with the elongated plate  2420  spaced from the inner surface  2410  of the main plate  241 . In particular, a space  248  is defined between the elongated plate  2420  and the main plate  241 . The brace  242  reinforces the side door  24 , increasing a carrying capacity of the side door  24 . In this embodiment, to ensure that the carrying capacity of the side door  24  is about 200 kilograms, the elongated plate  2420  of the brace  242  has a thickness of about 2.0 mm. 
         [0025]    Referring back to  FIG. 2 , when the computer server system  20  is to be moved from the stack board  10  to another supporting area such as the ground  50 , the side door  24  is detached from the server cabinet  21 . The side door  24  is arranged between the stack board  10  and the ground  50 , with one end of the side door  24  connected with one of the sides of the supporting plate  11  which does not have the restraining blocks  13 . The inner surface  2410  of the main plate  241  together with the brace  242 , the fasteners  244  and the handles  246  face the ground  50 . A planar sloped surface between the side of the supporting plate  11  of the stack board  10  and the ground  50  is formed by the outer surface  2412  of the main plate  241 . Finally, referring to  FIG. 7 , the computer server system  20  is pushed to the outer surface  2412  of the main plate  241 , and moved downward to the ground  50  along the outer surface  2412  of the main plate  241 . After the computer server system  20  reaches the ground  50 , the side door  24  is reattached to the server cabinet  21 . 
         [0026]    The brace  242  formed at the inner surface  2410  of the side door  24  reinforces the side door  24 , with the carrying capacity of the side door  24  thereby greatly increased. The side door  24  can be detached from the server cabinet  21  and positioned between two surfaces having different elevations, thereby functioning as a guiding ramp for secure relocation of the computer server system  20 . Accordingly, there is no need to furnish a separate, dedicated guiding ramp. Thus, the server cabinet  21  provides convenient transportation and lowers costs. 
         [0027]    It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the disclosure have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.