DISC DRIVE LATCH

Abstract: A latch for installing and removing a disk drive from an enclosure. The latch comprises a pair of guide members (14, 16), a disk drive support (12), and an actuator (40, 140). The actuator includes a pair of pinions (42, 142) in meshing engagement with teeth on the guide members (14, 16) for moving the disk drive in a linear direction.

Description: DISC DRIVE LATCH 1 Field of the Invention The present invention relates to latching devices for carrying, installing, ejecting and/or securing a disc drive within an enclosure, such as cabinet 2 Brief Description of the Prior Art Disc drives are utilized to store computer software and other data and are typically integrated with other computer hardware In some applications, disc drives are capable of being connected with hardware, such as a motherboard, as well as capable of subsequent disconnection for repair or replacement In these applications, problems can occur during the process of connecting and disconnecting the disc drive relative to other hardware For example, memory loss or other damage can result from vibration or impact on the disc drive or motherboard Also, typically, all equipment is shut down during this time to avoid damage to adjacent equipment The present invention has been developed in view of the foregoing and to overcome the deficiencies in the prior art SUMMARY The present invention discloses a latch for a disc drive as well as other similar devices, such as compact disc players or recorders, tape players, etc For this purpose, the present invention comprises in one embodiment a support adapted for retaining a disc dnve, a guide, means connecting said support and said guide for relative movement and an actuator assembly for moving said support between open and closed positions relative to said guide Brief Descriptions of the Drawings Fig 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a disc drive latch in accordance with the present invention Fig 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view illustrating a portion of a disc drive support of Fig 1 Fig 3 is an enlarged sectional partial fragmentary top plan view of the disc drive support of Fig 1 taken along the line 3-3 and illustrating an embodiment of an actuator assembly Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional partially fragmentary view of another embodiment of an actuator assembly in accordance with the present invention Fig 5 is an enlarged sectional partially fragmentary view of another embodiment of an actuator assembly in accordance with the present invention Fig. 6 is an isolated top plan view of another embodiment of an actuator in accordance with the present invention Fig 7 is a front perspective view of an embodiment of a cabinet into which the disc drive latch of the present invention is mounted Fig 8 is a rear perspective view of the cabinet of Fig 7 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein like reference numerals indicate like elements throughout the several views, there is shown in Fig 1 an embodiment of a disc drive latch 10 in accordance with the present invention In this embodiment, the disc drive latch 10 includes, as portions thereof, a disc drive support 12 and a guide, which in this embodiment comprises two guide members 14 and 16 The details of each of these elements will be described in more detail below Each of the guide members 14 and 16 in this embodiment include means for mounting, means for receiving the disc drive support 12, and means for moving the disc drive support 12 between open and closed positions The guide members 14 and 16 in this embodiment are each in the form of a rail generally rectangular in configuration, although other suitable configurations can also be used The mounting means in the present embodiment comprises at least one and preferably two substantially rigid guide tabs 18 extending from a first end of each of the guide members 14 and 16 In addition, in this embodiment, the mounting means also includes at least one substantially flexible tab 20 extending from proximate a second end of the guide members 14 and 16 Further, in this embodiment, the mounting means can also include a guide support 22, which in this embodiment comprises a generally cylindrical pin extending from an outer surface of each of the guide members 14, 16 proximate the second end The means for receiving the disc drive support 12 in the present embodiment comprises a channel 24 extending the longitudinal axis of each of the guide members 14 and 16 (which is only visible with respect to the guide member 14). In this embodiment, each of the channels 24 are generally rectangular in configuration, although any other suitable configuration can also be used. The means for moving the disc drive support 12 between its open and closed positions in the present embodiment comprises a section of teeth or serrations 26 positioned proximate the second end of each of the guide members 14 and 16 (which is only visible with respect to the guide member 14) The section of teeth 26 in this embodiment can be provided as a separate element attached with the inner surface of the guide members 14 and 16 or provided as one-piece integrally connected to each of the guide members. Although not shown, other configurations for the moving means can be provided for the same purpose as that provided by the teeth 26 The guide members 14 and 16 can be made of any suitable material and from any suitable manufacturing processes For example, the guide members 14 and 16 can each be of molded plastic construction The disc drive support 12 in this embodiment is generally U-shaped in configuration defining a pair of opposing frame members 30 and a body 32 connected with each of the frame members 30. In the present embodiment, each of the frame members 30 are elongated in length and generally rectangular in configuration, although any other suitable configuration can also be used In addition, each of the frame members 30 include a platform 34 extending outward from an outer surface (only one of the platforms 34 is seen in Fig 1) In the present embodiment, the platform 34 is substantially square shaped in cross-section and extends substantially the length of each of the frame members 30 The platforms 34 are preferably provided as one-piece integrally connected to the outer surface of each of the frame members 30, however, the platforms 34 can also be provided as separate elements attached to the frame members 30 In addition, in the present embodiment, the disc drive support 12 includes means for retaining a disc drive, which in the present embodiment comprises two screw receiving apertures 36 extending through each of the platforms 34 and frame members 30 Although not shown, in operation a conventional disc drive is secured to the disc drive support 12 by screws which are inserted through the screw receiving apertures 36 The body 32 in this embodiment is generally rectangular in configuration and is attached at opposing ends to the frame members 30 In this embodiment, the body 32 is preferably integrally connected as one-piece with each of the frame members 30, however, the body 32 can also be provided as a separate element attached to respective frame members 30 In accordance with the present invention, the body 32 houses an actuator assembly which in combination with the section of teeth 26 of the guide members 14 and 16 accommodate the movement of the disc dπve support 12 between its open and closed positions, which will be descnbed in more detail below Generally, the actuator assembly composes an actuator, dπve means for engaging each of the sections of teeth 26 of the guide members 14 and 16, and means between the actuator and dnve means for operating the dπve means on movement of the actuator An embodiment of the actuator assembly in accordance with the present invention is illustrated m Figs 1-3, which is descnbed in detail below In the present embodiment, the actuator composes a handle 40, the dπve means compπses at least one and in this embodiment two pinions or gears 42 and the means between the handle 40 and gears 42 for dπving the gears 42 on movement of the handle compπses a block 44 The handle 40 in this embodiment is attached to the block 44 by a pin or similar member extending from the handle 40 and into a generally elongated slot through the block 44 The block 44 in this embodiment is generally rectangular in configuration and includes a section of teeth or serrations at opposing ends In addition, preferably the block 44 includes a platform extending or detenting from a lower surface as shown in Fig 3 which is received into or receives a guide 46 shown in dotted lines The gears 42 are attached to the body 32 for rotation, such as by separate or integral pins or similar member and are positioned so that the gear teeth are adapted to engage the teeth of the block 44 In addition, as best shown in Fig 1, preferably each of the gears 42 are positioned so that at least a portion of the gear teeth extend out through a window 48 provided on opposite sides of the body 32 In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig 3, a biasing means such as a coil spπng 50, for example, can be provided within the body 32 and having one end in engagement with the block 44 In operation, the handle 40 is rotated between an open position shown in Fig 3 and a closed position, for example, generally 90° - 180° from its closed position, which is illustrated in dotted lines Generally, movement of the handle 40 from its open position to its closed position provides corresponding movement of the block 44 inward in the direction of arrow 60 and against the bias of the spπng 50 Movement of the block 44 in turn dπves the gears 42 in a direction of arrows 62 through the engagement between the respective teeth portions Similarly, on rotational movement of the handle 40 from its closed to its open position, the block 44 is moved rearward in the direction of arrow 64, which provides corresponding rotation of the gears 42 in the direction of arrows 66, opposite that of the arrows 62 The body 32 in this embodiment also includes opposing upper and lower cover portions 70 (only the upper portion is shown in Fig. 1) The cover portions 70 can be attached by any suitable means to the body 32, such as a snap-fit connection by tab portions. In this embodiment, each of the cover portions 70 include a depression 72 which is generally rectangular in this embodiment for grasping by the fingers of a user, which will be described in more detail below As should be understood, the finger engaging portions can be provided in other configurations as well, such as ergonomically shaped or an aperture extending entirely through the body 32. The disc drive support 12 can be comprised of any suitable materials and made from any suitable manufacturing processes For example, the disc drive support 12 can be made from molded plastic, however, any other suitable materials can also be used for the same purpose The assembly and operation of the various components of the disc drive latch will now be described The guide members 14 and 16 are attached by the mounting means to an enclosure for housing the disc drive. An example of an enclosure into which the guide members 14 and 16 can be mounted is shown in Figs. 7 and 8 comprising the cabinet 82 The cabinet 82 in this embodiment defines an enclosure comprising opposing side walls 86, upper and lower walls 84 and a rear wall 88 .Although not shown, a circuit board such as a mother board is positioned adjacent to the rear wall 88 The rear wall 88 includes at least one and in this embodiment a plurality of apertures 90 generally rectangular in this embodiment which enable connection of the circuit board to the disc drive attached to the disc drive support 12, which will be described in more detail below In this embodiment, for mounting of the guide members 14 and 16 to the cabinet 82, the guide tabs 18 are received into two apertures 92 extending through the rear wall 88, the tabs 20 are snap-fit into generally elongated slots 94 provided through the side walls 86 and the guide supports 22 are also received within the slots 94 From the position of the guide members 14 and 16 mounted within the cabinet 82, the disc drive support 12 including the disc drive mounted therein is then attached with the guide members 14 and 16 With reference to Fig 1, the disc drive support 12 is connected with the guide members 14 and 16 through engagement of the platforms 34 of the frame members 30 within the channels 24 of the guide members 14 and 16 In this manner, the disc drive support 12 can be moved between open and closed positions in an inward and outward direction relative to the guide members 14 and 16 For example, the disc drive support 12 is moved in an inward direction to its closed position for installation of the disc drive and the disc drive support 12 is moved in an outward direction to its open position for access to and/or for removal of the disc drive, which will be described in more detail below The operation will now be described for installation of the disc drive The handle 40 is preferably in its open position as the disc drive support 12 is moved inward for installation of the disc drive In operation, a user typically will push the disc drive support 12 in the inward direction until the gears 42 come into engagement with the sections of teeth 26 on the guide members 14 and 16 Thereafter, continued inward movement of the disc drive support 12 for installation of the disc drive unit connected with the mother board is accomplished by rotation of the handle 40 to its closed position, which provides corresponding rotation of the gears 42 in the direction of arrows 62 when positioned within the sections of teeth 26 For opening of the disc drive support 12, the handle 40 is moved from its closed position to its open position, which provides corresponding rotation of the gears 42 in the direction of arrows 66, and retraction of the disc drive support 12 through the engagement by the gears 42 with the teeth 26, resulting in disconnection of the disc drive from the mother board In this embodiment, when the handle 40 is in its fully open position, the disc drive support 12 can be further moved in an outward direction towards its open position, such as by the operator grasping the depressions 72 within the body 32 and pulling the disc drive support 12 outward If desired, the operator can disconnect the disc drive support 12 from the guide members 14 and 16, such as for carrying the disc drive to another location and/or for repair or replacement of the disc drive Other arrangements can also be provided for the actuator assembly Some examples of which are illustrated in Figs 4 and 5 For example, in the embodiment of Fig 4. a belt 144 is used rather than the block 44 in Fig. 3 The belt 144 can be made of any suitable material, such as plastic or rubber, and received around the handle 140 and each of the gears 42 In this embodiment, the belt 144 operates to translate motion of the handle 140 to the respective gears 142 In the embodiment of Fig 5, a belt 244 is provided having a series of projections extending therefrom or through holes within The belt 244 is attached to the handle 240 and extends out through the opposing windows 248 within the body 232 The belt 244 can be retained in its position by any suitable means, such as one or more pins In operation, movement of the handle 240 provides corresponding movement of the belt 244, and the portion of the belt 244 extending out through the windows 248 in the body 232 operate to engage a section of teeth such as shown in Fig 1 or similar portion within the respective guide members In Fig 6 is shown a wheel 340 which can be incorporated as an actuator rather than the handles 40, 140 and 240 described above As should be understood, any other suitable actuator component can also be used In view of that set forth above, it should be understood that there are several advantages of the present invention One advantage is that the interaction between the actuator assembly and guide members provides for smooth motion with low vibration Also, the disc drive latch of the present invention provides inward and outward motion to ascertain defined distances, providing a positive length of engagement for the disc drive unit In addition, high extraction and insertion forces are provided for attachment and disconnection of the disc drive to the mother board For example, in the disclosed embodiments, the disc drive latch preferably provides four pounds of insertion force and eight pounds of extraction force, although any other suitable levels of force can also be provided The combination of high insertion and extraction forces as well as smooth motion with very little vibration are important to avoid damage to the disc drive or mother board, such as memory loss In addition, a series of disc drive latches can be provided adjacent to one another to accommodate a series of disc drives, such as mounted within the cabinet 82 shown in Fig 8 In this arrangement, the present invention can accommodate extraction and/or insertion of one disc drive without affecting an adjacent disc drive, for example, the disc drive latch of the present invention can be used for changing a disc drive unit even when a computer is running It also should be understood that the disc drive latch of the present invention can be used in other applications as well, such as with compact disc players or recorders, tape players, etc, and for this reason, the term "disc drive" should be broadly construed It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that changes may be made by the above- described embodiments of the invention without departing from the broad inventive concepts thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover all modifications which are within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims: I CLAM: 1 ) A latch comprising : a support adapted to receive a disc drive; a guide; means connecting said support and said guide for relative movement; and an actuator assembly for moving said support between open and closed positions relative to said guide. 2) A latch of claim 1, wherein said actuator assembly comprises an actuator, drive means between said guide and said support for moving said support between said open and closed positions relative to said guide and means between said actuator and said drive means for operating said drive means on movement of said actuator. 3) A latch of claim 2, wherein said connecting means further comprises means for sliding movement of said support relative to said guide and means on said guide for moving said support between said open and closed positions relative to said guide on movement of said actuator. 4) A latch of claim 3, wherein said means on said guide for moving said support between said open and closed positions relative to said guide on movement of said actuator comprises a least one section of teeth on said guide. 5) A latch of claim 4, wherein said guide comprises a pair of opposing guide members. 6) A latch of claim 5, wherein said support is generally u-shaped comprising a pair of opposing frame members and a body connecting said frame members. 7) A latch of claim 6, wherein said body substantially houses said actuator assembly. 8) A latch of claim 7, wherein said drive means comprises at least one pinion mounted for rotation on said support. 9) A latch of claim 8, wherein said means between said actuator and said drive means for operating said drive means on movement of said actuator comprises a member attached with and movable by said actuator, and with said member having at least one section of teeth for engaging and rotating said at least one pinion on movement of said actuator. 10) A latch of claim 9, wherein said member comprises a generally rectangular block having opposing ends, and with each of said ends having a section of teeth thereon, wherein said drive means comprises a pair of pinions mounted on said body and with said section of teeth on said opposing ends of said block engaging said pinions, whereby on movement of said actuator, said block is reciprocated in a substantially axial direction between outward and inward positions for rotation of said pinions 11) A latch of claim 10 further comprising means for biasing said block in said outward direction 12) A latch of claim 1 1, wherein said biasing means comprises a spring having one end engaging said block and a second end engaging said body 13) A latch of claim 8, wherein said means between said actuator and said drive means for operating said drive means on movement of said actuator comprise a belt attached with both said pinion and said actuator, whereby said belt is movable on movement of said actuator for rotating said at least one pinion 14) A latch of claim 13 further comprising a plurality of pinions mounted on said body and with each attached with said belt for rotation 15) A latch of claim 7, wherein said drive means comprises a belt mounted on said support and attached with said actuator 16) A latch of claim 15, wherein said belt includes a series of projections thereon adapted for engaging said guide 17) A latch of claim 15, wherein said belt includes a series of through holes adapted for engaging said guide 18) A latch according to any one of claims 12, 14, 16 and 17, wherein said body includes a pair of opposing windows and a portion of said drive means extends out through said windows 19) A latch according to claim 18, wherein said sliding means between said support and said guide comprises a channel and a platform received in said channel 20) A latch of claim 19, wherein said channel is on each of said guide members of said guide and said platform is on each of said frame members of said support 21) A latch of claim 19, wherein each of said guide members of said guide further comprises means for mounting to an enclosure 22) A latch of claim 21, wherein said support further comprises means for retaining a disc drive 23) A latch of claim 22, wherein said actuator comprises a handle 24) A latch of claim 22, wherein said actuator comprises a wheel 25) A method for operating a latch comprising the steps of providing a latch comprising, a support adapted for retaining a disc drive, a guide, 10 means connecting said support and said guide for relative movement; an actuator assembly for moving said support between open and closed positions relative to said guide, wherein said actuator assembly comprises an actuator, drive means between said guide and said support for moving said support between said open and closed positions relative to said guide and means between said actuator and said drive means for operating said drive means on movement of said actuator; and wherein said connecting means further comprises means for sliding movement of said support relative to said guide and means on said guide for moving said support between said open and closed positions relative to said guide on movement of said actuator; sliding said support relative to said guide so that said drive means of said actuator comes into engagement with said moving means on said guide; moving said actuator to operate said drive means relative to said moving means of said guide so that said support slides between said open and closed positions relative to said guide. 26) A method of claim 25, wherein said step of providing a latch further includes the steps of: providing said moving means on said guide comprising a least one section of teeth proximate one end on said guide; providing said guide comprising a pair of opposing guide members; providing said support generally u-shaped comprising a pair of opposing frame members and a body connecting said frame members; and providing said body substantially housing said actuator assembly. 27) A method according to claim 26, wherein said step of providing a latch further includes the steps of: providing said drive means comprising at least one pinion mounted for rotation on said support; providing said means between said actuator and said drive means for operating said drive means on movement of said actuator comprising a member attached with and movable by said actuator, and with said member having at least one section of teeth for engaging and rotating said at least one pinion on movement of said actuator, wherein said member comprises a generally 11 rectangular block having opposing ends, and with each of said ends having a section of teeth thereon, wherein said drive means comprises a pair of pinions mounted on said body and with said section of teeth on said opposing ends of said block engaging said pinions, whereby on movement of said actuator, said block is reciprocated in a substantially axial direction between outward and inward positions for rotation of said pinions 28) A method of claim 27, wherein said step of providing a latch further includes the steps of Providing a spring having one end engaging said block and a second end engaging said body for biasing said block in said outward direction 29) A method according to claim 26, wherein said step of providing a latch further includes the steps of providing said drive means comprising at least one pinion mounted for rotation on said support, providing said means between said actuator and said drive means for operating said drive means on movement of said actuator comprising a belt attached with both said pinion and said actuator, whereby said belt is movable on movement of said actuator for rotating said at least one pinion, wherein said drive means further comprises a plurality of pinions mounted on said body and with each attached with said belt for rotation 30) A method according to claim 26, wherein said step of providing a latch further includes the steps of providing said drive means comprising a belt mounted on said support and attached with said actuator, wherein said belt includes one of a series of projections thereon or a series of through holes adapted for engaging said guide 31) A method according to any one of claims 27, 29 and 30, wherein said step of providing a latch further includes the steps of providing said body comprising a pair of opposing windows and a portion of said drive means extends out through each of said windows providing said sliding means between said support and said guide comprising a channel and a platform received in said channel, providing each of said guide members of said guide further comprising means for mounting to an enclosure, and providing said support further comprising means for retaining a disc drive 12

Inventors: KUREK EDWARD A III, KUREK, EDWARD, A., III
Applicants: KUREK EDWARD A III, SOUTHCO, KUREK, EDWARD, A., III, SOUTHCO, INC.
Application year: 1999
Main classification: G11B17
IPC codes: F16H21, G06F1, G11B33