Abstract:
A sliding rail mounting structure is disclosed to connect a sliding rail to a vertical column inside a server rack by securing a magnetic locating member to the vertical column by magnetic attraction and then inserting the locating pin of a U-clip at one end of the sliding rail into a locating hole in the locating member and one horizontal through hole in the vertical column and then inserting two screws through respective horizontal through holes in the vertical column and threading the screws into respective threaded nuts of the U-clip.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to the installation of a sliding rail in a server rack and more particularly to a sliding rail mounting structure that uses a magnetic locating member to couple each end of the sliding rail to a respective column inside the server rack. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   A regular server rack is adapted to accommodate a number of servers at different elevations. Pairs of sliding rails are provided inside the server rack and fixedly connected between two vertical columns at different elevations for receiving servers. After insertion of servers into the sliding rails, servers are locked to the sliding rails. In a standard server rack, the two vertical columns each have a plurality of rectangular through holes disposed at different elevations for the mounting of the sliding rails and the sliding rails each have a plurality of circular mounting holes at each end for connection to the rectangular through holes of the two vertical columns, and therefore a locating plate is required for use as an adapter interface between the rectangular through holes and the circular mounting holes. 
     FIG. 1  illustrates a sliding rail mounting structure according to the prior art. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a locating plate  91  is used to couple a sliding rail  93  to a vertical column  92 . The vertical column  92  has rectangular through holes  921  at different elevations. The sliding rail  93  has circular mounting holes  931  at the angled end flange. During installation, the locating plate  91  is attached to the vertical column  92 , and then the sliding rail  93  is pressed with the angled end flange at the locating plate  91  against the vertical column  92 , and then screws are inserted through respective rectangular through holes  921  of the vertical column  92  and fastened to respectively through holes in the locating plate  91  and the circular mounting holes  931  of the sliding rail  93 . Because the locating plate  91  is attached to the vertical column  92  before installation of the sliding rail  93 , the locating plate  91  may fall from the vertical column  92  during installation of the sliding rail  93 . Therefore, the worker must attach the sliding rail  93  to the locating plate  91  at the vertical column  92  carefully. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is one object of the present invention to provide a sliding rail mounting structure, which simplifies installation of a sliding rail in a server rack and saves much installation labor and time. It is another object of the present invention to provide a sliding rail mounting structure, which enhances the connection of the sliding rail to the column. 
   To achieve these and other objects of the present invention, the sliding rail mounting structure comprises two vertical columns fixedly provided inside a server rack, a sliding rail connectable between the two vertical columns, and two locating members adapted to mount the two ends of the sliding rail to the two vertical columns respectively. The two vertical columns each have a plurality of horizontal through holes disposed at different elevations. The sliding rail has two U-clips respectively clamped at the two distal ends thereof. Each U-clips comprises at least one fastening member protruded from a first side thereof for fastening to the corresponding horizontal through holes of one of the two vertical columns and a locating pin protruded from a second side. Each locating member comprises a flat magnetic base frame connectable to one of the two vertical columns by magnetic attraction. The flat magnetic base frame comprises at least one opening respectively aimed at a respective horizontal through hole in one of the two vertical columns, a locating hole aimed at one horizontal through hole in one of the two vertical columns for receiving the locating pin of one U-clip of the sliding rail, and a plurality of lugs perpendicularly protruded at two edges of each the at least one opening and engaged into the corresponding horizontal through holes of one of the two vertical column. Because the flat magnetic base frame of the locating member is attached to the two vertical columns and positively secured thereto by means of magnetic attraction before installation of the sliding rail, the sliding rail can easily and rapidly be fastened to the locating members and the two vertical columns with the U-clips. Preferably, each U-clip has two fastening members corresponding two openings at the respective locating member and respective horizontal through holes in the respective vertical column. The fastening members are threaded nuts connectable to the respective locating member and the respective vertical column with screws. When the screws are tightened, the U-clip is slightly deformed to enhance the clamping force, thereby securing the screws firmly in place. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded view showing a sliding rail mounting structure according to the prior art. 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic drawing showing sliding rails installed in a server rack according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a sliding rail mounting structure according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is an oblique elevation of a locating member for the sliding rail mounting structure according to the present invention. 
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view showing the sliding rail mounting structure installed according to the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to  FIG. 2 , a server rack  1  is shown comprising four vertical columns  11 , 12 , 13 , 14  in four corners which can be magnetically attractive by magnets, a first sliding rail  2  transversely connected between two vertical columns  11 , 12 , and a second sliding rail  6  transversely connected between the other two vertical columns  13 , 14 . These two sliding rails  2 , 6  are installed in the server rack  1  in the same manner. The installation of one sliding rail  2  in the server rack  1  is explained hereinafter for understanding of the present invention. 
   Referring to  FIG. 3˜FIG .  5  and  FIG. 2  again, the two vertical columns  11 , 12  each have a plurality of vertically equally spaced and horizontally extended rectangular through holes  111 , 112 , 113 . The sliding rail  2  has a flat end flange  22  at each of the two distal ends thereof. The flat end flange  22  extends from one end of the sliding rail  2  at right angles, having three oblong escape holes  221 , 222 , 223  transversely disposed at different elevations. The flat end flange  22  is fastened to one column  11  (or  12 ) with a U-clip  21  and a locating member  3 . After connection of the U-clip  21  to one flat end flange  22  of the sliding rail  2 , the U-clip  21  can be moved horizontally relative to the sliding rail  2  to the desired position within the constraint of the oblong escape holes  221 , 222 , 223 . 
   The U-clip  21  comprises two fastening members, for example, threaded nuts  211 , 213  perpendicularly extended from one side and respectively disposed near the top and bottom sides, and a locating pin  212  perpendicularly extended from the other side on the middle. 
   The locating member  3  is comprised of a flat magnetic base frame  4  and a flat magnetic bar  5 . The flat magnetic base frame  4  in this embodiment is made of magnetic material; of course the flat magnetic base frame  4  can be made of unmagnetized steel which can be attracted by the flat magnetic bar  5 . The flat magnetic base frame  4  has a first rectangular opening  41  formed in one end, a second rectangular opening  43  formed in the other end, a locating hole  42  spaced between the first rectangular opening  41  and the second rectangular opening  43 , two first lugs  411  perpendicularly protruded at two opposite lateral edges of the first rectangular opening  41 , and two second lugs  431  perpendicularly protruded at two opposite lateral edges of the second rectangular opening  43 . Each second lug  431  has a substantially L-shaped profile, forming a first face  432  at a relatively lower elevation and a second face  433  at a relatively higher elevation. The first face  432  is spaced from the flat magnetic base frame  4  at a height d. 
   The flat magnetic bar  5  is fixedly fastened to the flat magnetic base frame  4  adjacent to the first rectangular opening  41 , having a thickness t approximately equal to the height d between the first face  432  of each second lug  431  and the flat magnetic base frame  4 . 
   Before installation of the sliding rail  2  in the vertical column  11  (or  12 ) of the server rack  1 , the locating member  3  is fastened to the vertical column  11  (or  12 ) by means of magnetic attraction between the flat magnetic bar  5  and the vertical column  11  (or  12 ). Because the thickness t of the flat magnetic bar  5  is approximately equal to the height d between the first face  432  of each second lug  431  and the flat magnetic base frame  4 , the flat magnetic base frame  4  is maintained in parallel to the vertical column  11  (or  12 ) when attached to the vertical column  11  (or  12 ) (see  FIG. 5 ). 
   When the locating member  3  is attached to the vertical column  11  (or  12 ), the first rectangular opening  41 , locating hole  42  and second rectangular opening  43  of the flat magnetic base frame  4  are respectively aimed at three adjacent rectangular through holes  111 , 112 , 113  of the vertical column  11  (or  12 ), the first lugs  411  are engaged into one rectangular through hole  111 , and the second lugs  431  are engaged into another rectangular through hole  113 . 
   The sliding rail  2  can then be fastened to the vertical column  11  (or  12 ). At this time, one threaded nut  211  of the U-clip  21  is aligned with at the first rectangular opening  41  of the flat magnetic base frame  4  of the locating member  3  and the corresponding rectangular through hole  111  in the vertical column  11  (or  12 ), the other threaded nut  213  of the U-clip  21  is aligned with the second rectangular opening  43  of the flat magnetic base frame  4  of the locating member  3  and the corresponding rectangular through hole  113  in the vertical column  11  (or  12 ), and the locating pin  212  of the U-clip  21  is inserted into the locating hole  42  of the flat magnetic base frame  4  of the locating member  3  and the corresponding rectangular through hole  112  in the vertical column  11  (or  12 ). Thereafter, two screws  7  are respectively inserted through the rectangular through holes  111 , 113  and the first rectangular opening  41  and second rectangular opening  43  of the flat magnetic base frame  4  of the locating member  3  and threaded into the threaded nuts  211 , 213  of the U-clip  21 . 
   As indicated above, the flat magnetic base frame  4  is attached to the vertical column  11  (or  12 ) of the server rack  1  and positively secured thereto by means of magnetic attraction before installation of the sliding rail  2 . After connection of the locating member  3  to the vertical column  11  (or  12 ) of the server rack  1 , the sliding rail  2  can easily and rapidly be fastened to the vertical column  11  (or  12 ) of the server rack  1  with the U-clip  21  and the screws  7 . 
   Further, the U-clip  21  is slightly compressible. When tightening the screws  7 , the U-clip  21  is slightly deformed to enhance the clamping force, thereby securing the screws  7  firmly in place. 
   Further, the openings  41 ,  43  of the flat magnetic base frame  4  are rectangular openings to match the rectangular shape of the through holes  111 , 112 , 113  of the vertical column  11  (or  12 ). The locating hole  42  of the flat magnetic base frame  4  is a circular hole fitting the locating pin  212  of the U-clip  21 . Further, the fastening members  211 , 213  of the U-clip  21  are screwed nuts respectively aimed at the openings  41 , 43  of the flat magnetic base frame  4  and corresponding through holes  111 , 113  of vertical column  11  (or  12 ) for receiving the screws  7 . Therefore, by means of the flat magnetic base frame  4  and the U-clip  21 , rectangular through holes  111 , 112 , 113  of the vertical column  11  (or  12 ) are converted into circular holes for quick installation. 
   Referring to  FIG. 3˜FIG .  5  again, an adhesive foam pad  8  may be used with the locating member  3 . The adhesive foam pad  8  has one side adhered to the flat magnetic base frame  4  and the other side adhered to the vertical column  11  (or  12 ) of the server rack  1 . The adhesive foam pad  8  enhances bonding of the locating member  3  to the vertical column  11  (or  12 ) of the server rack  1 . The adhesive force of the adhesive foam pad  8  makes up for insufficiency of magnetic attraction between the flat magnetic bar  5  and the vertical column  11  (or  12 ) of the server rack  1  (for example, in case the vertical column  11  (or  12 ) of the server rack  1  is made of aluminum). 
   Although the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.