Abstract:
An assembly includes a circuit board, a support perpendicular to the circuit board, and a mounting apparatus including a sliding bracket to accommodate an expansion card, a driving member pivotably mounted to the second support, and a clamping arm mounted to the sliding bracket. The sliding bracket is slidably mounted to the second support, and the driving member is fixed to the sliding bracket. The clamping arm is operable to press or release the expansion card. When the driving member is moved in a first direction, the sliding bracket is moved towards the circuit board, and the expansion card is moved to connect to the circuit board. When the driving member is moved in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the sliding bracket is moved away from the circuit board, and the expansion card disengages from the circuit board.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The disclosure relates to mounting apparatuses for expansion cards, and particularly relates to a mounting apparatus that readily secures a number of expansion cards in a computer enclosure and allows convenient removal of the expansion cards from the computer enclosure. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     In order to upgrade the operating capabilities of a personal computer, expansion cards are commonly installed in the enclosure of the computer. Typical types of expansion cards include network cards, sound cards, graphics accelerator cards, multi-media cards etc. These expansion cards may be installed in the computer enclosure during manufacture or by the computer user. 
     Usually, the mounting apparatus for expansion cards includes a pressing element and a screw to secure a separate cover plate of each expansion card. However, installing screws one by one is time-consuming and cumbersome. Moreover, during installation or removal of the expansion cards, one or more of the screws can easily fall into the crowded interior of the computer and be difficult to retrieve. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the present embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, all the views are schematic, and like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded, isometric view of an embodiment of a mounting apparatus for expansion cards, together with an expansion card. 
         FIG. 2  an assembled, isometric, partly cutaway view of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 3 and 4  are operational state views of mounting the expansion card to the mounting apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is an assembled, isometric view of another embodiment of a mounting apparatus for expansion cards, together with an expansion card. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The disclosure, including the accompanying drawings, is illustrated by way of examples and not by way of limitation. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a mounting apparatus is provided to readily secure an expansion card  10  in a computer enclosure, or conveniently remove the expansion card  10  from the computer enclosure. 
     The expansion card  10  defines two fixing holes  12  in a bottom of the expansion card  10 . A port (not shown) is formed on a side of the expansion card  10 . 
     The computer enclosure includes a first support  20  and a second support  30 . A circuit board  21  defining a mounting hole  24  is mounted to a front side surface of the first support  20  perpendicular to a top surface the second support  30 . A connector  22 , corresponding to the port of the expansion card  10  extends forward from the circuit board  21 . Four guiding posts  32 , each axially defining a fixing hole  320 , protrude from the top surface of the second support  30 . Two resisting posts  34  protrude from the top surface of the second support  30 , beside the guiding posts  32 , respectively adjacent to opposite ends of the second support  30 . A latching post  36  protrudes from the top surface of the second support  30 , located at a rear side of one of the resisting posts  34 . 
     In a first embodiment, the mounting apparatus includes a sliding bracket  40 , two clamping arms  50  pivotably mounted to opposite ends of the sliding bracket  40 , a driving member  60 , two pins  70 , two torsion springs  80 , and a number of bolts  90 . In  FIG. 1 , one of the pins  70  and one of the torsion springs  80  are mounted in the one of the clamping arms  50 . 
     The sliding bracket  40  includes a base board  42 , and two holding portions  44  protruding from opposite ends of the base board  42 . A flange  422  extends from a front side of the base board  42 , connected between the holding portions  44 . The base board  42  defines a through hole  424  in the center of the base board  42 , and four oblong shaped adjusting holes  426  at four corners of the base board  42 . Two positioning protrusions  428  protrude from a first end of the base board  42 , adjacent to one of the holding portions  44 . In this embodiment, a number of protrusions (not shown) protrude from the base board  42 , adjacent to the other holding portion  44 , for supporting the bottom of the expansion card  10 . A resisting board  427  extends from a rear side of the base board  42 , opposite to the flange  422 . One end of the resisting board  427  is connected to the holding portion  44  at the second end of the base board  42 , and an opposite end of the resisting board  427  is spaced from the other holding portion  44  at the first end of the base board  42 . A tenon  429  extends from the resisting board  427 , away from the flange  422 . 
     Each holding portion  44  includes a sidewall  442  perpendicularly extending from a corresponding end of the base board  42 , and two clamping walls  444  extending from opposite sides of the sidewall  442 , both parallel to the base board  42 . Each sidewall  442  is connected to the flange  422  of the base board  42 , and each clamping wall  444  located above the base board  42  is spaced from the flange  422 . Each clamping wall  444  defines a mounting hole  446  adjacent to the rear side of the base board  42 . 
     Each clamping arm  50  defines a through hole  52  in a first end of the clamping arm  50 . A first side of the clamping arm  50  defines a receiving slot  51  (shown in  FIG. 2 ), communicating with the through hole  52 . A tab  54  perpendicularly extends from the first side of the clamping arm  50 , at a second end of the clamping arm  50  opposite to the first end of the clamping arm  50 . A wedge-shaped resisting block  56  protrudes from a second side of the clamping arm  50 , opposite to the receiving slot  51 , and is located between the through hole  52  and the tab  54 . 
     An engaging stub  64  protrudes from a first end of the driving member  60 , and an operating portion  62  protrudes from a second end of the driving member  60 , opposite to the engaging stub  64 . A hook  622  extends from the bottom of the operating portion  62 . The driving member  60  defines a pivot hole  66  therein between the engaging stub  64  and the operating portion  62 . The distance between the engaging stub  64  and the pivot hole  66  is less than that the distance between the pivot hole  66  and the operating portion  62 . 
     To mount the mounting apparatus to the computer enclosure, each torsion spring  80  is received in the receiving slot  51  of the corresponding clamping arm  50 , and then, the clamping arms  50  are received in the holding portions  44 , correspondingly. The pin  70  is extended through the mounting hole  446  of one of the clamping walls  444  above the base board  42 , the through hole  52  of each clamping arm  50 , and each torsion spring  80  in that order, and engages in the mounting hole  446  of the other clamping wall  444 , thereby the clamping arms  50  are pivotably mounted to the holding portions  44 , correspondingly. In this state, a first foot of each torsion spring  80  resists against the sidewall  442  of the corresponding holding portion  44 , and a second foot of the torsion spring  80  resists against a sidewall bounding the corresponding receiving slot  51 . One shaft  91  is extended through the pivot hole  66  of the driving member  60 , and is engaged in the second support  30 . Thereby, the driving member  60  is pivotably mounted to the second support  30 . The driving member  60  can be rotated around the shaft  91 , and the hook  662  of the driving member  60  can be latched to the latching post  36  of the second support  30 . The sliding bracket  40  together with the clamping arms  50  is slidably located on the top surface of the second support  30 . The guiding posts  32  of the second support  30  are slidably engaged in the corresponding adjusting holes  426  of the sliding bracket  40 . The bolts  90  are engaged in the fixing holes  320  of the corresponding guiding posts  32 , each bolt  90  including a large head abutting against the sliding bracket  40 . The engaging stub  64  of the driving member  60  is engaged in the through hole  424  of the sliding bracket  40 . The tenon  429  of the sliding bracket  40  is in alignment with the mounting hole  24  of the circuit board  21 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , in assembly of the expansion card  10 , the expansion card  10  is positioned on the base board  42  of the sliding bracket  40 , with the positioning protrusions  428  of the sliding bracket  40  engaged in the corresponding fixing holes  12  of the expansion card  10 . Therefore, the expansion card  10  is mounted to the sliding bracket  40 . 
     When the operating portion  62  of the driving member  60  is rotated to move away from the circuit board  21 , the engaging stub  64  of the driving member  60  together with the sliding bracket  40  rotates towards the circuit board  21  around the shaft  91 . In this process, the resisting posts  34  of the second support  30  urge the corresponding resisting blocks  56  to move the clamping arms  50  to clamp the sliding bracket  40 , and the torsion springs  80  are deformed. The tenon  429  is inserted into the mounting hole  24  of the circuit board  21 . When the port of the expansion card  10  is completely connected to the connector  22  of the circuit board  21 , the hook  622  of the driving member  60  is latched by the latching post  36 . The tab  54  of each clamping arm  50  presses the top surface of the expansion card  10 , to prevent the expansion card  10  from moving up. Therefore, the expansion card  10  is mounted to the computer enclosure without the use of screws and a screwdriver. 
     In removal of the expansion card  10  from the computer enclosure, the hook  622  of the driving member  60  is disengaged from the latching post  36 , and then the operating portion  62  is rotated to move towards the circuit board  21 . Therefore, the engaging stub  64  of the driving member  60  together with the sliding bracket  40  rotates away from the circuit board  21  around the shaft  91 . The tenon  429  is disengaged from the mounting hole  24  of the circuit board  21 , and the port of the expansion card  10  is disengaged from the connector  22  of the circuit board  21 . The resisting blocks  56  of the clamping arms  50  move away from the corresponding resisting posts  34 . Therefore, the torsion springs  80  restore to move the clamping arms  50  with the tabs  54  away from the sliding bracket  40 . Therefore, the expansion card  10  can be readily removed from the sliding bracket  40  without the use of screws and a screwdriver. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , in a second embodiment, a mounting apparatus include one clamping arm  100  having a wedge-shaped resisting block, and one resisting post (not labeled) urging the resisting block of the clamping arm  100 . 
     It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and they will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the description or sacrificing all of their material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being exemplary embodiment.