Hard disk drive drawer

A hard disk drive (HDD) drawer includes an outer casing fixed inside a computer and an inner casing which receives an HDD therein. The outer casing has two opposite side walls defining an open front end for removably receiving the inner casing therein. Each of the side walls has a guide slot extending from the front opening to an inner end and a second slot extending from the inner end of the guide slot to a top side of the outer casing in a direction substantially normal to the guide slot. The second slot has two opposite walls. The inner casing has a handle having two side limbs pivoted thereto to allow the handle to be rotatable between an insertion position and a securing position. The handle limbs are slidably receivable in the guide slots of the outer casing for inserting the inner casing into the outer casing. The handle limbs and the guide slots and the second slots are configured and dimensioned so that when the handle is rotated between the insertion position and the securing position, an inner end of the limbs is brought into contact engagement with one of the walls of the second slots for serving as a fulcrum point in a lever system wherein the pivot of the handle serves as the reaction point and the handle which is held by a computer user is the force application point. With such a lever system, the insertion and withdrawal of the inner casing is enhanced.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to a computer hard disk drive (HDD) 
and in particular to a hard disk drive drawer comprising a fixed casing 
fixed inside the computer casing and a removable casing removably 
receivable in the fixed casing, the HDD being fixed inside the removable 
casing. More particularly, the present invention is related to the handle 
structure of the removable casing of the HDD drawer for facilitating 
insertion and withdrawal of the removable casing into/out of the fixed 
casing. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Most personal computers are equipped with a hard disk drive (HDD) for mass 
data storage. Originally, the HDD is designed to fix inside the computer 
casing and is thus not readily removable out of the computer so that the 
replacement and/or maintenance of the HDD is difficult and cumbersome. To 
provide an easier way to maintain and replace the HDD, there are the 
so-called HDD drawers available in the market. The HDD drawer comprises a 
fixed outer casing that is fixed inside the computer casing and a 
removable inner casing which is removably fit into the outer casing. The 
HDD is fixed in the inner casing so that it is readily accessible by 
simply removing the inner casing from the outer casing. Two mated 
electrical connectors are respectively provided on the outer casing and 
inner casing to establish electrical connection therebetween which 
connects the HDD to the computer. Examples of the HDD drawer are Taiwan 
patent publication Nos. 193440, 251710, and 264165. 
In conventional designs, to properly mount the inner casing into the outer 
casing, one has to first insert the inner casing into the outer casing to 
such a position where the connectors thereof are brought into contact with 
each other. To have the two connectors electrically engage each other, one 
has to forcibly push the inner casing further into the outer casing to 
drive the connectors into engagement with each other so as to establish 
proper and secure electrical connection therebetween. This may sometimes 
cause problems. A very important factor to be taken into consideration in 
engaging the two connectors is that the two connectors have to be in exact 
alignment with each other so that when the inner casing is forcibly pushed 
further into the outer casing, the connectors may properly engage each 
other. An imperfect alignment which is usually caused by manufacturing 
tolerance or undesired deformation of the casings or improper insertion of 
the inner casing into the outer casing may cause physical damage to the 
connectors. 
Thus, it is desirable to provide a computer hard disk drive drawer which 
comprises a mechanism to provide a lever action in forcing the connectors 
to engage each other so that the process of engaging the connectors may be 
better controlled and damage to the connectors avoided. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Therefor, an object of the present invention is to provide a hard disk 
drive drawer in which a lever system is incorporated for the provision of 
better control in engaging the connectors of the inner and outer casings 
so that damage to the connectors caused by improper engagement may be 
effectively alleviated or even eliminated. 
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a hard disk 
drive (HDD) drawer comprising an outer casing fixed inside a computer and 
an inner casing which receives an HDD therein. The outer casing has two 
opposite side walls defining an open front end for removably receiving the 
inner casing therein. Each of the side walls has a guide slot extending 
from the front opening to an inner end and a second slot extending from 
the inner end of the guide slot to a top side of the outer casing in a 
direction substantially normal to the guide slot. The second slot has two 
opposite walls. The inner casing has a handle having two side limbs 
pivoted thereto to allow the handle to be rotatable between an insertion 
position and a securing position. The handle limbs are slidably receivable 
in the guide slots of the outer casing for inserting the inner casing into 
the outer casing. The handle limbs and the guide slots and the second 
slots are configured and dimensioned so that when the handle is rotated 
between the insertion position and the securing position, an inner end of 
the limbs is brought into contact engagement with one of the walls of the 
second slots for serving as a fulcrum point in a lever system wherein the 
pivot of the handle serves as the reaction point and the handle which is 
held by a computer user is the force application point. With such a lever 
system, the insertion and withdrawal of the inner casing is enhanced.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference to the drawings and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein 
a hard disk drive (HDD) drawer constructed in accordance with the present 
invention is shown, the HDD drawer of the present invention comprises an 
inner casing 20 for receiving and securing therein a hard disk drive (not 
shown) and an outer casing 30 which is to be fixed inside a computer 
casing (not shown) for removably receivable therein the inner casing 20. 
The outer casing 30 is in general in the form of a box having an open 
front end for the entry of the inner casing 20. A first connector 23a is 
provided on the outer casing 30, preferably on a rear side wall of the 
outer casing 30, and in connection with the computer circuit (not shown) 
and a mated second connector 23b (see FIGS. 3-5) that is in electrical 
connection with the HDD is provided on the inner casing 20 and is 
positioned and configured to be engageable with the first connector 23a of 
the outer casing 30 when the inner casing 20 is received into the outer 
casing 30. This establishes an electrical connection between the HDD and 
the computer circuit. 
In accordance with the present invention, the inner casing 20 is provided 
with a handle 21, preferably in the form of a U shape, having an elongated 
handle body 24 with two side limbs 25 pivoted to the front side of the 
inner casing 20 so as to allow the handle 21 to be rotatable with respect 
to the front side of the inner casing 20 between an insertion position 
where the handle side limbs 25 are substantially parallel with the 
front-rear direction of the outer casing 30 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and 
a secured position where the side limbs 25 are substantially normal to the 
front-rear direction as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. Each of the side limbs 25 
has an elongated sideways projections 22 which is substantially parallel 
with and fixed to the side limb 25. Preferably, the sideways projection 22 
is integrally formed with the side limb 25 so that the sideways projection 
22 serves as an extension of the side limb 25. 
The front opening of the outer casing 30 has two side walls respectively 
associated with the two handle side limbs 25, each having a guide slot 31 
formed on an inside surface thereof and extending in the front-rear 
direction for receiving the sideways projection 22 of the respective 
handle side limb 25 therein. The guide slot 31 is sized to allow sliding 
movement of the respective sideways projection 22 with respect thereto 
when the handle 21 is at the insertion position for the entry of the inner 
casing 20 into the outer casing 30, as shown in FIGS. 3-5. 
The dimension of the guide slot 31 of the outer casing 30 in the front-rear 
direction and that of the sideways projections 22 of the inner casing 20 
in the direction of the side limb 25 are such that the inner casing 20 is 
allowed to be inserted into the outer casing 30 to such a position where 
an inner end of the sideways projection 22 is in contact engagement with 
an inner end wall of the guide slot 31 so that the first and second 
connectors 23a and 23b are located close to or in contact with each other 
but not engaged by each other as shown in FIG. 3. 
Each of the side walls of the outer casing 30 is also provided with a 
second slot 32 which extends from the inner end wall of the guide slot 31 
in a direction normal to the front-rear direction toward a top side of the 
outer casing 30. In the embodiment illustrated, the second slot 32 has an 
open end at the top side of the outer casing 30, but if desired, the open 
end of the second slot 32 may be closed so that the second slot 32 defines 
only a recess on the upper side of and in communication with the guide 
slot 31. 
The second slot 32 has two inner side walls 33 and 34 opposite to each 
other in the front-rear direction with the first inner wall 33 in the 
front side and the second inner wall 34 in the rear side. The second inner 
wall 34 is coincident with the inner end wall of the guide slot 31 so as 
to constitute an extension of the inner end wall of the guide slot 31. In 
other words, the guide slot 31 and the second slot 32 together define an 
L-shaped channel in the side wall of the outer casing 30. 
In inserting the inner casing 20 into the outer casing 30, the handle 21 is 
moved to the insertion position as shown in FIG. 3 and the inner casing 20 
is positioned with respect to the outer casing 30 so as to have the 
sideways projections 22 of the handle side limbs 25 received into the 
guide slots 31 on the side walls of the outer casing 30. The inner casing 
20 is pushed into the outer casing 30 to such a position where the inner 
ends of the sideways projections 22 of the handle side limbs 25 are 
brought into contact with the end walls of the guide slots 31. 
The handle 21 is then rotated from the insertion position to the secured 
position as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The rotation of the handle 21 allows 
the inner end of the sideways projections 22 of the handle side limbs 25 
to slide along the inner end wall of the guide slot 31 (that is the second 
inner wall 34 of the second slot 32) toward the top side of the outer 
casing 30 as shown in FIG. 4. The second slot 32 and the handle side limb 
25 are sized so that the sliding movement of the inner end of the sideways 
projection 22 of the handle side limb 25 along the second inner wall 34 of 
the second slot 32 brings the handle side limb 25 into contact engagement 
with the first inner wall 33 of the second slot 32 as shown in FIG. 4. 
Under this condition, the handle side limb 25 serves as a lever with the 
contact point between the handle side limb 25 and the first inner wall 33 
of the second slot 32 as the fulcrum and the handle body 24 that is held 
by a user's hand (not shown) as the point of application of force. With 
such an arrangement, the pivot of the handle side limb 25 which secures 
the handle side limb 25 to the inner casing 20 becomes the point of 
reaction where force is applied to the inner casing 20. In accordance with 
the principle of lever, the force applied to the inner casing 20 at the 
pivot is greater than the force applied to the handle body 24 by the user 
holding the handle 21 because the distance between the pivot and the 
contact point between the handle side limb 25 and the first inner wall 33 
of the second slot 32 is shorter than the distance between the pivot and 
the handle body 24. Such a greater force is useful in driving the inner 
casing 20 further into the outer casing 30 in a better controlled 
condition and thus forcing the two connectors 23a and 23b into engagement 
with each other. 
When the handle 21 reaches the secured position, as shown in FIG. 5, the 
inner casing 20 is completely and securely fixed in the outer casing 30 
and the handle side limbs 25 overlap the first inner wall 33 of the second 
slot 32 which helps preventing the inner casing 20 from separating from 
the outer casing 30. 
In withdrawing the inner casing 20 out of the outer casing 30, by rotating 
the handle 21 from the secured position (as shown in FIG. 5) toward the 
insertion position, the inner ends of the sideways projections 22 of the 
handle side limbs 25 are brought into contact with the second inner walls 
34 of the second slots 32. Similarly, the handle side limbs 25 define a 
lever having a fulcrum at the contact point between the inner end of the 
sideways projection 22 and the inner side wall 34 of the second slot 32. 
The handle body 24 is the point of force application and the pivot that 
secures the handle side limb 25 to the inner casing 20 is the point of 
reaction. Since the distance between the fulcrum and the handle body 24 is 
greater than the distance between the fulcrum and the pivot so that the 
reaction force that acts on the inner casing 20 is greater than the force 
applied to the handle body 24. Thus, the inner casing 20 may be easily 
separated/withdrawn from the outer casing 30. 
To facilitate the sliding movement of the inner end of the sideways 
projection 22 of the handle side limb 25 along the inner wall 33 or 34 of 
the second slot 32, the inner end of the sideways projection 22 is made 
rounded as shown in the drawings. 
Although the preferred embodiment has been described to illustrate the 
present invention, it is apparent that changes and modifications in the 
specifically described embodiment can be carried out without departing 
from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be limited 
only by the appended claims.