Portable computer hard disk drive mounting apparatus and methods

To install a hard disk drive in a portable computer base housing, an upwardly opening well area is formed within the base housing and is sized to closely receive the disk drive. An electrical connector projects horizontally inwardly through one end of the well area and is operatively mateable with a corresponding connector on the front end of the disk drive. A flexible lowering strap is secured to the rear end of the disk drive. To install the disk drive, its front end is lowered into the well area while holding the strap to keep the rear end of the disk drive elevated. The strap is then used to controllably lower the balance of the disk drive into the well area to prevent installation shock to the disk drive that might occur if it were simply dropped into the well area. The lowered disk drive is then slid along the bottom of the well area to mate the well area and disk drive connectors. A clamping bar member is then extended along a rear top end portion of the installed disk drive and used to hold the disk drive firmly against the bottom side of the well area, thereby rigidly coupling the installed disk drive to the balance of the base housing in a manner eliminating the necessity of a separate shock and vibration isolation apparatus for the disk drive.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention generally relates to computer apparatus and, in a 
preferred embodiment thereof, more particularly relates to apparatus and 
methods for operatively installing a data storage module, such as a hard 
disk drive, in a base housing portion of a portable computer. 
2. Description of Related Art 
A data storage module such as a hard disk drive is conventionally installed 
in the base housing of a portable notebook computer by horizontally 
inserting the disk drive inwardly through an external housing side wall 
opening into an internal bay area in the housing until an electrical 
connector on the inner end of the disk drive is removably mated with a 
corresponding electrical connector located at the inner end of the bay 
area. An access door on the housing insertion opening is then closed to 
cover the opening behind the inserted disk drive. 
As is well known, hard disk drives are susceptible to damage from shock 
loads imposed thereon, both during installation into the computer and 
during subsequent transport, handling and operation of the computer. 
Accordingly, it is typically necessary to provide the hard disk drive, 
when inserted into the computer housing in the above-described manner, 
with its own dedicated shock and vibration isolation structure within the 
computer to cushion it from shock and vibrational impact with adjacent 
structures within the computer. This provision of a separate shock and 
vibration isolation structure for the horizontally inserted disk drive is 
also typically necessary to reduce the flexure loads imposed on the 
connector structure by the inserted disk drive. 
The conventional requirements of inserting a hard disk drive horizontally 
through an opening in the base housing of a portable computer, using a 
separate access door or plate structure to close off the opening after 
insertion of the disk drive, and providing the inserted disk drive with a 
dedicated shock and vibration isolation structure, undesirably add to the 
cost and complexity of the overall computer construction. 
Accordingly, a need exists for improved apparatus and methods for 
operatively installing a data storage module, such as a hard disk drive, 
into a portable computer base housing. It is to this need which the 
present invention is directed. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In carrying out principles of the present invention, in accordance with a 
preferred embodiment thereof, a portable computer is provided which has a 
base housing having a top side in which a downwardly extending well is 
disposed, the well having an open top side that representatively underlies 
a keyboard structure removably carried on the top side of the base 
housing. A first electrical connector is supported adjacent a peripheral 
portion of the well, and representatively projects horizontally into the 
well. 
A data storage module, preferably in the form of a hard disk drive, has a 
second electrical connector thereon and is downwardly received in the well 
with the second electrical connector being removably mated with the first 
electrical connector. 
An installation member, representatively a flexible strap member, is 
carried by the disk drive in a spaced relationship with the second 
electrical connector and is useable to facilitate the lowering and raising 
of the disk drive respectively into and out of the well. A holding 
structure rigidly associates the disk drive with an adjacent portion of 
the base housing. 
Illustratively, the second electrical connector is carried on a front end 
of the disk drive, the strap member is secured to and is extendable 
outwardly from a rear end of the disk drive, and the holding structure 
includes a clamping member removably secured to the base housing over a 
rear end portion of the disk drive and holding it in forcible engagement 
with an underlying bottom side portion of the well. 
To easily and quickly install the disk drive in the base housing well, 
which closely receives the disk drive, the front end of the disk drive is 
lowered into the well to place the front disk drive end against the bottom 
well side with the first and second connectors in a facing relationship, 
while holding the installation strap to maintain the rear end of the disk 
drive in an elevated relationship with the bottom side of the well. 
The installation strap is then used to controllably lower the elevated rear 
end of the disk drive into the well in a manner preventing the disk drive 
from being subjected to undesirable installation shock which might occur 
if the disk drive was simply dropped into the well. The lowered disk drive 
is then appropriately moved along the bottom side of the well to 
releasably and operatively mate the first and second electrical 
connectors. Finally, the clamping member is installed to rigidly associate 
the disk drive with the considerably larger mass of the overall base 
housing structure to protect the installed disk drive from operating shock 
and vibration loads without the necessity of providing the disk drive with 
a dedicated resilient shock and vibration isolation structure. 
To subsequently remove the disk drive from the well, the clamping member is 
removed and the disk drive is moved along the bottom side of the well to 
uncouple the first and second electrical connectors. The installation 
strap member is then grasped and pulled upwardly to gently remove the 
uncoupled disk drive from the well.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Perspectively illustrated in an opened configuration in FIG. 1 is a 
representative portable notebook computer 10 in which a data storage 
module, representatively a hard disk drive 12, is installed using 
principles of the present invention. 
The computer 10, which is shown in a partially cut away and highly 
simplified form in FIG. 1, includes a rectangular base housing 14 having 
horizontal top and bottom walls 16 and 18, front and rear vertical side 
walls 20 and 22, and left and right vertical end walls 24 and 26. A cutout 
area 28 formed in the top wall 16 removably receives a suitable keyboard 
30 positioned rearwardly adjacent a pointing device such as the 
illustrated touchpad structure 32. 
Pivotally secured to a top rear edge portion of the base housing 14 is a 
lid housing 34 having a display screen 36 on its front or inner side 38. 
The lid housing 34 is pivotable relative to the base housing 14 between 
the indicated generally vertical open use orientation of the lid housing, 
and a downwardly pivoted horizontal storage and transport orientation (not 
shown) in which the lid housing is closed and overlies and covers the top 
side of the base housing 14. Suitable latch means (not illustrated) are 
provided to releasably hold the lid housing 34 in its closed storage and 
transport orientation. 
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the hard disk drive 12 is mounted in a 
unique manner in an open-topped well area 40 formed in the base housing 
14, disposed beneath the keyboard 30, and spaced inwardly apart from the 
side and end edge periphery of the base housing--representatively in a 
right rear corner portion of the base housing 14. As best illustrated in 
FIG. 2, the disk drive 12 is of a relatively thin, elongated rectangular 
configuration, having top and bottom sides 42 and 44, left and right side 
edges 46 and 48, and front and rear end edges 50 and 52. 
For purposes later described herein, top side rear corner recesses 54 are 
formed in the disk drive 12, and a rearwardly recessed electrical 
connector 56 is carried on a front end edge portion of the disk drive. 
centrally mounted on a rear end edge portion of the disk drive 12 is an 
installation member which is representatively in the form of a flexible 
lowering strap member 58 that extends outwardly past the rear end edge 52 
of the disk drive 12. 
Still referring to FIG. 2, the open-topped well 40 is downwardly inset 
relative to an adjacent horizontal wall structure portion 60 of the base 
housing 14 and has a bottom side 62, upstanding opposite front and rear 
end wall portions 64 and 66, and upstanding opposite left and right side 
wall portions 68 and 70 (as viewed from the front of the well). An 
electrical connector 72, releasably mateable with the disk drive connector 
56, extends rearwardly into the well 40 through its front end 64. 
For purposes later described herein, a pair of recesses 74 are formed in 
the wall portion 60 the opposite sides 68,70 of the well 40 adjacent its 
rear end 66. Threaded openings 76 are formed in the bottom sides of the 
recesses 74. 
In addition to the strap 58, the installation apparatus for the disk drive 
12 also includes an elongated plastic clamping member 78 having opposite 
end portions 80 configured to be complementarily received in the wall 
recesses 74, the end portions 80 having openings 82 therein for receiving 
screws 84 that may be threaded into the recess openings 76. Disposed 
longitudinally inwardly of the end portions 80 are downwardly projecting 
engagement portions 86 which are downwardly receivable in the disk drive 
top side corner recesses 54 to bear against their bottom side surfaces as 
later described herein. 
To reduce the overall interior base housing space that must be dedicated to 
the disk drive 12, the well 40 is sized to closely receive the disk drive 
12. More specifically, the distance between the opposite sides 68,70 of 
the well 40 is just slightly greater that the distance between the 
opposite side edges 46,48 of the disk drive 12, and the distance between 
the opposite ends 64,66 of the well 40 are just sufficiently greater than 
the distance between the opposite end edges 50,52 of the disk drive 12 to 
compensate for the lengthwise portion of the well 40 taken up by its 
associated electrical connector 72 as later described herein. 
With the lid housing 34 pivoted upwardly away from its closed orientation, 
and the keyboard 30 removed from its associated cutout area 28, the disk 
drive 12 is operatively installed in the well area 40 as will now be 
described in conjunction with FIGS. 2 and 3A-3C. 
First, as depicted in FIG. 3A, with the installer holding the strap 58 a 
front end edge portion of the disk drive 12 is lowered into the well area 
40 until it contacts the bottom side portion 62 of the well area 40. At 
this point, the disk drive connector 56 faces the well area connector 72, 
with the disk drive 12 being held in its illustrated upwardly and 
rearwardly sloped orientation by the strap 58. 
Next, as schematically depicted in FIG. 3A by the arrow 87, using the strap 
58 the installer controllably lowers the balance of the disk drive 12 onto 
the bottom side of the well area 40 (see FIG. 3B) in a manner protecting 
the disk drive 12 from installation shock that might otherwise occur if it 
was simply dropped into the well 40 that closely receives it. Then, as 
indicated by the arrow 88 in FIG. 3B, the lowered disk drive 12 is 
forcibly moved forwardly (i.e., leftwardly) along the bottom side 62 of 
the well area 40 to releasably mate the connectors 56,72 as shown in FIG. 
3C. 
Finally, the clamping member 78 (see FIGS. 1 and 3B) is installed by 
placing it above a rear top side portion of the disk drive 12 in a manner 
such that (1) the clamping member end portions 80 are complementarily 
received in the underlying wall recesses 74 (see FIG. 2), and (2) the 
clamping member engagement portions 86 rest atop underlying top rear 
portions of the disk drive 12. 
Screws 84 are then inserted downwardly through the clamping member end 
openings 82 and tightened into the underlying wall openings 76 (see FIG. 
2) to thereby firmly clamp a rear end edge portion of the installed disk 
drive 12 against the bottom side portion 62 of the well area 40. This, in 
effect, rigidly locks the installed disk drive to the overall base portion 
of the computer 12 in a manner tending to protect the disk drive from 
operational shocks (by fixedly associating it with the much larger mass of 
the overall computer base portion) without the necessity of providing the 
disk drive with its own dedicated resilient shock absorbing structure. 
After installation of the disk drive 12, the keyboard 30 is installed in 
its associated recess 28. 
By using the simple apparatus and installation technique just described, 
the disk drive 12 is easily and quickly placed in the base housing 14 (1) 
without providing an exterior vertical side wall opening in the base 
housing 14 and an associated cover plate or door, (2) without providing a 
dedicated resilient operating shock and vibration isolation structure for 
the disk drive, and (3) without subjecting the disk drive to undesirable 
installation shock that otherwise might be caused by simply dropping it 
into its associated well area. 
The disk drive 12 which was easily and quickly installed in the well area 
40 in an essentially shock-free manner is also easily and quickly 
removable from the well 40 by simply removing the keyboard 30 and the 
clamping member 78, sliding the disk drive 12 rearwardly along the bottom 
well side 62 to uncouple the connectors 56 and 72, and then lifting the 
uncoupled disk drive 12 out of the well 40 using the lowering strap 58. 
While the installation apparatus and method just described is particularly 
well suited to installing a hard disk drive into the base housing of a 
portable computer, it will be readily appreciated by those of skill in 
this particular art that similar apparatus and methods could also be 
advantageously employed in conjunction with other types of electronic 
apparatus using other types of data storage modules. 
The foregoing detailed description is to be clearly understood as being 
given by way of illustration and example only, the spirit and scope of the 
present invention being limited solely by the appended claims.