Abstract:
A brace for a circuit board vertically mounted on a motherboard includes a first attachment member capable of attaching to an edge of the circuit board distal from the motherboard; a second attachment member capable of attaching to a side edge of the motherboard; and a rigid support connecting the first attachment member and the second attachment member. The rigid support is shaped such that the circuit board is held substantially perpendicular to the motherboard when the brace is attached. An interference minimization device for minimizing the interference of a circuit board vertically mounted on a motherboard includes an attachment member capable of attaching to the circuit board at an end distal from the motherboard; a mating wall that is substantially parallel to the circuit board and abuts the circuit board when the interference minimization device is attached to the circuit board; and a tapered wall that widens from the distal end of the circuit board towards the motherboard.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a typical computer  100  with, for example, a top cover removed so as to expose the internal components.  FIG. 2  shows a top view of the computer  100  shown in  FIG. 1 . As can be seen, the computer  100  has a motherboard  102  with various kinds of electronic parts  103  disposed thereon. Also, a circuit board  101  is vertically mounted on the motherboard  102 . The circuit board  101  has various kinds of electronic parts  104  mounted thereon. 
     One side of the circuit board  101  is connected to the surface of motherboard  102 , for example, by soldering, wave soldering, or other surface mount technology attachment methods known in the art. Alternatively, the circuit board  101  may be connected using a ball grid array or inserted into a connector mounted on the motherboard  102 . In any case, the circuit board  101  is mounted roughly vertical to the motherboard  102 . However, after connection or insertion, the circuit board  101  may not remain roughly vertical and instead will lean to one side at an angle relative to an axis perpendicular to the motherboard  102 . 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a brace for a circuit board vertically mounted on a motherboard, comprising: a first attachment member capable of attaching to an edge of the circuit board distal from the motherboard; a second attachment member capable of attaching to a side edge of the motherboard; and a rigid support connecting the first attachment member and the second attachment member, wherein the rigid support is shaped such that the circuit board is held substantially perpendicular to the motherboard when the brace is attached. 
     One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to an interference minimization device for minimizing the interference of a circuit board vertically mounted on a motherboard comprising: an attachment member capable of attaching to the circuit board at an end distal from the motherboard; a mating wall that is substantially parallel to the circuit board and abuts the circuit board when the interference minimization device is attached to the circuit board; and a tapered wall that widens from the distal end of the circuit board towards the motherboard. 
     One or more embodiments of the present invention are made of an electrically insulating material. Other aspects and advantageous of the invention will be apparent from the following description and appended claims 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a typical computer having a motherboard and a circuit board vertically mounted on the motherboard where a top cover is opened. 
         FIG. 2  shows a top view of the typical computer shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of a brace for a circuit board vertically mounted on a motherboard where the brace is installed to the motherboard and the circuit board in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  shows a cross-sectional view of the brace installed to the motherboard and a circuit board shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  shows a front perspective view of an interference minimization device in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  shows a side view of the interference minimization device shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  shows a rear perspective view of the interference minimization device shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 8  shows a side view of the interference minimization device installed to a circuit board. 
         FIG. 9  shows an enlarged view of the attachment member. 
         FIG. 10  shows a perspective view of the interference minimization device installed to a circuit board. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying figures. Like elements in the various figures are denoted by like reference numerals for consistency. 
     In the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the description. 
     In general, in a computer or a server having a motherboard and a circuit board, one side of the circuit board is mounted on the surface of motherboard by soldering, wave soldering, or other surface mount technology attachment methods known in the art. Alternatively, the circuit board  101  may be connected using a ball grid array or inserted into a connector mounted on the motherboard  102 . In any case, the circuit board is mounted on the motherboard such that the circuit board is roughly vertical to the motherboard. However, after connection or insertion, the circuit board may not remain roughly vertical and instead will lean to one side at an angle relative to an axis perpendicular to the motherboard. 
     As computers have become more and more dense, the chance that the circuit board, the motherboard, or other components are damaged because of the leaning of vertically mounted circuit boards has increased. That is, vertically mounted circuit boards are more prone to damage if not kept substantially vertical relative to the surface of the motherboard. Accordingly, one or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a brace for a circuit board vertically mounted on a motherboard, an insulator for a vertically mounted circuit board, and an interference minimization device for minimizing the interference of a vertically mounted circuit board. 
       FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of a brace, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention, for a circuit board vertically mounted on a motherboard. The brace  301  is installed on the side edge of the motherboard  102  and the edge of circuit board  101  distal from the motherboard.  FIG. 4  shows a cross-sectional view of the brace installed to the motherboard and the circuit board shown in  FIG. 3 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , various kinds of electronic parts  103  are disposed on the motherboard  102 . Also, various kinds of electronic parts  104  are disposed on the circuit board  101 . The side edge of the circuit board  101  is mounted on the surface of the motherboard  102  of the computer  100 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the brace  301  has a circuit board attachment member  302 , a motherboard attachment member  303 , and a support  304 . The circuit board attachment member  302 , the motherboard attachment member  303 , and the support  304  may be integral, and, thus, the brace  301  may be one piece. Additionally, the brace  301  may be made of high temperature resistant materials so that wave soldering of the circuit board  101  and other electronic components  103  to the motherboard  102  can be conducted even after the brace  301  is installed. Further, the brace  301  may be made of an electrically insulating material so that it is ensured that no short circuits are created by the brace. In fact, in such a case, the brace can act as an insulator for preventing short circuit of the electronic components  104  against, for example, the side walls of the computer  100 . 
     The circuit board attachment member  302  has a recess  305  at the bottom thereof for receiving the side edge  306  of the circuit board  101  when the brace  301  is installed. Specifically, the recess  305  may be rectangular in shape and elongated from the one end of the circuit board attachment member  302  to the other end of the circuit board attachment member  302  along the center axis of the attachment member  302 . 
     As can be seen from  FIG. 4 , the width of the recess  305  is approximately the same as the width of the circuit board  10  so that the brace  301  holds the side edge  306  of the circuit board  101  fixedly. Further, in one or more embodiments, the length of the recess  305  is approximately the same as the length of the side edge  306  of the circuit board  101  so that the side edge  306  of the circuit board is fully covered by the circuit board attachment member  302 . One skilled in the art will appreciate that other sizes and the shapes of the circuit board attachment member  302  could be used so long as the brace  301  is capable of holding the side edge  306  of the circuit board  101  in place. 
     In one or more embodiments, the circuit board attachment member  302  has tapered portions  307  and  308  on both sides thereof. The tapered portion  307  widens from one top side surface of the circuit board attachment member  302  to the bottom surface of the circuit member attachment member  302 . Also, the tapered portion  308  widens from the other top side surface of the circuit board attachment member  302  to the bottom surface of the circuit board attachment member  302  and extends continually to the support  304 . The angle of the tapered portion  308  may be the same as the angle of the support  304  relative to the motherboard  102 . Also, the top surface  309  of the circuit board attachment member  302  may be approximately flat and parallel to the motherboard  102 . Alternatively, in one or more embodiments, the angled portions may continue until reaching a point or may be rounded off on top. 
     In addition, the angle of the tapered portions  307  and  308  may be adjusted according to the design of the circuit board  101  and the mother board  102 . Also, in order to minimize the protrusions of the brace, each corner of the circuit board attachment member  302 , the mother board attachment member  303 , and the support  304  may be rounded. Further, one skilled in the art will appreciate that other sizes and positions of the brace  301  could be used depending on the design of the circuit board  101  and the mother board  102  so long as the circuit board  304  is held in place substantially perpendicular to the motherboard  102  when the brace  301  is attached. 
     The motherboard attachment member  303  also has a recess  309  at the side thereof such that a part of the side edge  310  of the motherboard  102  is inserted fully into the recess  309  when the brace  301  is installed to the mother board  102 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the width of the recess  309  in the side view is approximately the same as the thickness of the motherboard  102  so that the side edge  310  of the mother board  102  is held fixedly by the motherboard attachment member  303 . Further, the top of the motherboard attachment member  303  is continually and integrally connected to the one edge of the support  304 . 
     The support  304  rigidly connects the circuit member attachment member  302  and the motherboard attachment member  303  at the top and the bottom thereof respectively. Although the support  304  is a rectangular plane in shape in  FIG. 3 , one skilled in the art will appreciate that other shapes of the support  304  could be used so long as the circuit board  304  is held substantially perpendicular to the motherboard  102  when the brace  301  is attached. For example, the support  304  may be connected to a part of circuit board attachment member  302  and a part of the motherboard attachment member  303 . 
     Accordingly, when the brace  301  is installed, the circuit board  101  is held substantially perpendicular to the motherboard  102  when the brace  301  is attached. As a result, the brace  301  minimizes the potential for interference of the circuit board  101  with other components  103 , interference of the electronic components  104  on the circuit board  101  with the side walls of the computer  100 , and interference of the circuit board  101  with users during installation of other components into the computer  100 . 
     Further, because of the tapered portions  307 ,  308  and the support  304 , the brace  301  if contact is made with the brace  301 , for example, during installation of other components into the computer  100 , the effect of the interference is minimized. Also, the tapered portions  307  can push other vertically mounted circuit boards (not shown) away from the circuit board  101 . 
     When installing the brace  301  to the circuit board  101  and the mother board  102 , the edge  305  of the circuit board  101  is inserted into the recess  306  of the circuit board attachment member  302 , and, then, the edge  309  of the mother board  102  is inserted into the recess  310  of the mother board attachment member  303 . Alternatively, the order may be reversed, or the brace may be installed on both edges at the same time. Accordingly, the brace  301  is easily installed onto the circuit board  101  and the motherboard  102  without tools even when the circuit board  101  is already mounted on the motherboard  102  and/or the motherboard  102  is mounted inside the computer  100 . Also, for example, it is unnecessary to disconnect the circuit board  101  in order to install the brace  301 . Thus, the design of the brace  301  realizes backwards compatibility. 
       FIG. 5  shows a front perspective view of an interference minimization device in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.  FIG. 6  shows a side view of the interference minimization device shown in  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 7  shows a rear perspective view of the interference minimization device shown in  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 8  shows a side view of the interference minimization device installed to the circuit board. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5-8 , the interference minimization device  500  has a main body  501  and three attachment members  502 . The main body  501  further has a mating wall  503 , a tapered wall  504 , a bottom wall  505 , and side walls  506 , which may form a triangle in cross-sectional shape. Specifically, side walls  506  may be approximately parallel each other, and the mating wall  503  may be approximately perpendicular to the bottom wall  505  such that the tapered wall  504  has an angle relative to the mating wall  503 . 
     Although three attachment members  502  are positioned on the mating wall  503  at the same intervals, as shown in  FIGS. 5-8 , one skilled in the art will appreciate that more or less attachment members  502  at different intervals could be used so long as the interference minimization device  500  is capable of being held on the surface of the circuit board  101  by the attachment members  502 . The interference minimization device  500  acts to minimize the effect of interference in a similar manner to the tapered portions  307 ,  308  of the brace  301  described above. Also, in one or more embodiments, the interference minimization device  500  may be made of an electrically insulating material and may prevent short circuits similar to the brace  301  described above. 
       FIG. 9  shows an enlarged view of the attachment member. As shown in  FIG. 9 , each of the attachment members  502  has a top portion  505  and a base portion  506 . One end of the base portion  506  is connected to the mating wall  503 , and the other end of the base portion  506  is connected to the top portion  505 . The base portion  506  may have a thin cylindrical in shape. The width of the top portions  505  widens toward the base portion  506 . 
     The circuit board  101  has openings at the distal end from the mother board  102 . The width of openings is approximately the same as the width of the base portion  506 , and the length of the base portion  506  is approximately the same as the length of the openings. Further, the width of the top portions  505  where the top portion  505  connects to the base portion is wider than the width of the base portion  506 . Thus, the mating wall  503  is fixed tightly on the surface of the circuit board  101  when the top portions  505  pass through the openings. In addition, the top portion  505  may be elastic such that top portion  505  can pass through the openings. 
     One skilled in the art will appreciate that other shapes and structures known in the art could be used for the attachment members  502  so long as the mating wall  503  is tightly held on the surface of the circuit board  101  by the attachment members  502 . For example, the top portions  505  may have slits disposed therein directed towards the base portions  506  so as to allow elastic deformation when passing through the openings in the circuit board  101 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 10 , when the interference minimization device  500  is installed to the circuit board  101 , the tapered wall  504  is tangential to the mating wall  503  around the top edge of the circuit board  101  so that the tapered wall  504  widens from the distal end of the circuit board  101  toward the motherboard  102 . The angle of the tapered wall  504  relative to the circuit board  101  may be adjusted in order to minimize interference with other components. 
     Because most circuit boards include mounting holes disposed therein and the size, shape, and position of the attachment members  502  is variable, the interference minimization device  500  can be installed easily without tools and realizes backwards compatibility. 
     One or more embodiments of the present invention may have one or more of the following advantages. The brace provides a low cost brace for a vertical circuit board mounted on a mother board to support the vertical circuit board substantially vertical to the mother board. Specifically, the brace holds the circuit board substantially perpendicular to the mother board when the brace is attached to the circuit board. Further, the brace minimizes interference of the circuit board with other components. Additionally, the brace may insulate the components of the circuit board from short circuit. 
     The designs of the brace and the interference minimization device realize extremely simple and low-cost configurations. Also, the designs provide minimal protrusions with respect to the circuit board, in particular around the top of the circuit board, and minimize further interference with other components. 
     The tapered portions and the support of the brace, as well as the tapered wall of the interference minimization device, push other cards away from sensitive components that may be disposed on the circuit board or motherboard when installing the other cards. This prevents damage that could result. Also, the portions may be made of an electrically insulating material and prevent short circuit of electronic components. 
     While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments can be advised which do not depart from the scope of the invention as described therein. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the attached claims.