Abstract:
A rail system is described for use in a rack. The rail system comprises a rail having a self-locking mechanism to lock the rail to a rack. Additionally, the rail comprises a length adjustment mechanism that enables selective length adjustments based on the depth of the rack.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
         [0001]    Racks are used for the mounting of multiple servers and often use four vertical support members that define the corners of the rack. Rails are mounted in pairs between the front supports and the back supports. A server is mounted to each pair of rails by, for example, slides. The pairs of rails can be placed at numerous vertical locations to receive servers in a vertical arrangement.  
           [0002]    Rails tend to be bulky items that are rather limited in their adaptability for use in a variety of rack systems. For example, many rails are fixed in length, and they cannot be used for the mounting of cable management systems, such as cable arms. Additionally, many rails require additional components, such as fasteners, by which each rail is attached to the rack. Thus, the attachment and detachment of rails in a rack system can be time consuming, and the rails have limited adaptability with respect to their use in racks of differing depths and with cable management systems.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0003]    Certain embodiments of the invention will hereafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements, and:  
         [0004]    [0004]FIG. 1 is a side view of a rack system according to certain embodiments of the present invention;  
         [0005]    [0005]FIG. 2 is an isometric view of an embodiment of a rail that can be used in the rack system illustrated in FIG. 1;  
         [0006]    [0006]FIG. 3 is isometric view of an embodiment of a first end of the rail illustrated in FIG. 2;  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 4 is an isometric inside view of an embodiment of a second end of the rail illustrated in FIG. 2;  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 5 is a side view of the rail illustrated in FIG. 2 in a contracted state; and  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 6 is a side view similar to FIG. 5 with the rail in an expanded state. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0010]    Referring generally to FIG. 1, a system  10  is illustrated as representative of embodiments of the present invention. System  10  comprises a rack  12 , a plurality of rails  14  and electronic devices  16  mounted on rails  14 . Electronic devices  16  may comprise a variety of devices, including servers, computers, computer related equipment, telecommunications equipment and other electronic devices that may be mounted in rack  12 . Additionally, system  10  may comprise cable management systems  18  mounted to selected rails  14 .  
         [0011]    Rack  12  may be designed in a variety of configurations, depending on the particular application and the size, type and utilization of electronic devices  16 . By way of example, rack  12  may have a pair of rear vertical supports  20  and a pair of corresponding front vertical supports  22 . A rail  14  may be coupled between each rear vertical support  20  and corresponding front vertical support  22 . Thus, at a given level along rack  12 , a pair of rails  14  may be used to support a given electronic device  16 .  
         [0012]    Depending on the type of electronic device  16 , cable management system  18  may be coupled to a rear of at least one of the rails  14  used to support that particular electronic device. An example of a cable management system  18  comprises a cable arm used to generally maintain cables coupled to a given electronic device  16  at a location to the rear of the device. Additionally, slides (not shown) can be utilized with rails  14  to enable sliding motion of each electronic device  16 . The sliding motion facilitates movement of the device between a position within rack  12  and an extended position for performing service or other operations on the device.  
         [0013]    Referring generally to FIG. 2, an embodiment of one of the rails  14  is illustrated. In this embodiment, rail  14  comprises a first end  24  and a second end  26  disposed generally on an opposite longitudinal end of the rail from first end  24 . First end  24  and second end  26  are connected via a rail structure  28 . By way of example, first end  24  may be selectively coupled to one of the front vertical supports  22 , and second end  26  may be coupled to the corresponding rear vertical support  20  such that rail structure  28  extends between the front vertical support  22  and the rear vertical support  20 .  
         [0014]    Rail  14  further comprises a self-locking mechanism  30  that automatically locks rail  14  to vertical supports  20 , 22  when rail  14  is attached into rack  12 . Self-locking mechanism  30  comprises at least one self-lock  32 . By way of example, the self-locking mechanism  30  may comprise a pair of self-locks  32  with a self-lock  32  disposed at each of the first end  24  and the second end  26 .  
         [0015]    Although self-locks  32  may have various configurations, an embodiment of the self-lock  32  is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. In this embodiment, self-lock  32  comprises a pin  34  that is biased to extend through a rail end, e.g., first end  24  or second end  26 . Each pin  34  is positioned to engage rack  12  via a rack recess or an opening, such as a conventional square hole that may be formed in each vertical support of rack  12 .  
         [0016]    Each pin  34  may be coupled to a slide bar  36  that is slidingly coupled to rail structure  28 . For example, each slide bar  36  may be captively and slideably held by mounting pins  38  extending from rail structure  28 . Mounting pins  38  may be slideably received in a corresponding slot  40  formed in each slide bar  36 .  
         [0017]    Additionally, each pin  34  may be biased towards a lock position by a spring member  42 , as illustrated in FIG. 3. By way of example, spring member  42  may be captured between a structural portion  44  of slide bar  36  and rail structure  28  to move the slide bar  36  and pin  34  to the position in which pin  34  extends through the rail end  24 , 26 , as best illustrated in FIG. 3.  
         [0018]    A handle  46  may be coupled to slide bar  36  to facilitate retraction of pin  34  against the bias of spring  42  during detachment of rail  14  from rack  12 . However, during installation, the pin  34  may automatically be pushed to a retracted position by abutment with the rack  12  until pin  34  passes into an appropriate opening in the vertical support. At this stage, spring  42  biases pin  34  to its extended, locked position, as illustrated in FIG. 3.  
         [0019]    Although first end  24  and second end  26  may be formed in a variety of configurations, one example is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. As illustrated in FIG. 3, first end  24  may comprise a bracket  48  from which engagement features  50  extend for engagement with rack  12 . In the embodiment illustrated, a pair of engagement features  50  extend from bracket  48  in the form of downturned tabs  52  sized and positioned to move through conventional rectangular rack holes for engagement with the rack. However, a variety of other rack engagement features and brackets may be utilized depending on the desired design of the overall rack and rail system. Furthermore, bracket  48  may comprise an opening  54  through which pin  34  extends.  
         [0020]    Similarly, second end  26  comprises a bracket  56  connected to rail structure  28 . Second end  26  further comprises an engagement feature  58  that may comprise a pair of downturned tabs  60  similar to tabs  52  of first end  24 . Furthermore, bracket  56  may have an opening  62  through which a self-locking pin  34  extends.  
         [0021]    With further reference to FIG. 4, rail  14  may further comprise a cable arm attachment bracket  64 . Cable arm attachment bracket  64  is designed to permit connection of a cable management system  18  to rail  14  rather than to one of the rear vertical supports  20  of rack  12 . Bracket  64  may be designed in a variety of configurations depending on the design of a corresponding cable management arm. However, the example illustrated in FIG. 4 comprises an external frame  66  that substantially defines an interior region  68  for slideably receiving a cable arm mount or other cable management system mounting feature.  
         [0022]    Referring generally to FIGS. 5 and 6, rail  14  further comprises a length adjustment mechanism  70  that enables the extension and contraction of rail  14  to accommodate racks of differing depths. For example, the longitudinal length of rail  14  may be adjusted between a contracted state, as illustrated in FIG. 5, and an extended state, as illustrated in FIG. 6. Although other length adjustment mechanism  70  may be utilized, one embodiment comprises a slide bracket  72  slideably mounted on a slide base member  74 . In this embodiment, slide bracket  72  and slide base member  74  are combined into rail structure  28 , and first end  24  is affixed to slide base member  74  while second end  26  is affixed to slide bracket  72 .  
         [0023]    By way of example, slide bracket  72  may be slideably mounted to slide base member  74  via a plurality of pins  76  that extend through a corresponding groove  78 . Pins  76  have oversized heads  80  that prevent inadvertent separation of slide bracket  72  and slide base member  74 . As first end  24  and second end  26  are moved towards or away from one another, pins  76  translate along groove  78 . By way of further example, groove  78  may be formed longitudinally along slide bracket  72 , and pins  76  may extend through groove  78  to slide base member  74  to which they are connected.  
         [0024]    Accordingly, each of the rails  14  may be tool-lessly attached to or detached from a variety of racks of differing depths. The self-locking mechanism  30  enables the automatic locking of a given rail  14  at a desired location within the rack  12 , and handles  46  permit the simple, tool-less unlocking and detachment of the rail from the rack. Furthermore, cable arm attachment bracket  64  enables the attachment of a cable arm or other type of cable management system directly to a given rail  14 . It should be understood, however, that the embodiments described herein have been provided to enhance the understanding of the reader, but those embodiments should not be construed as limiting the invention as set forth in the claims.