Abstract:
A mounting apparatus is provided for mounting expansion cards. The mounting apparatus includes a rear panel, a retainer, and a clip. The rear panel has a support wall for supporting the bent portion of the cover plate, the rear panel defining an opening for facilitating installing or removing the expansion card. The retainer has a pressing plate pivotally coupled to the support wall. The clip has a resilient member for securing the retainer to the rear panel. The retainer has a fixing member for clasping the bent portion of the cover plate when the retainer is rotated to a first position and unclasping the bent portion of the cover plate if the retainer is rotated to a second position.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention generally relates to mounting apparatuses. More particularly, the invention relates to a mounting apparatus for mounting expansion cards to a computer enclosure. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Modern computer systems such as servers, workstations, and personal computers, include expansion cards electrically connected to a motherboard or a circuit board to enhance the capacity or functionality of the computer. 
         [0005]    An expansion card generally has a cover plate along one edge. The cover plate has an outward-extending tab. When the expansion card is plugged to a connector in a computer enclosure, the cover plate is inserted into a card slot defined in a rear panel of the computer enclosure. Screws are used to secure the tab to a support wall on the rear panel by a screwdriver. The screwdriver is also used to disassemble the screws when removing the expansion card. It is inconvenient and time-consuming to install and remove the expansion card with the screwdriver. Furthermore, the screws are so small and easily dropped into the computer enclosure. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    Accordingly, a mounting apparatus is provided for mounting an expansion card. The mounting apparatus includes a rear panel having a support wall for supporting a bent portion of the expansion card, the rear panel defining an opening adjacent to the support wall, the support wall comprising a hinged member, the hinged member extending in a direction away from the opening, a retainer comprising a fixing member and a pressing plate, the pressing plate comprising a bent engaging portion corresponding to the hinged member, the pressing plate pivotally mounted to the support wall by pivotally coupling the bent engaging portion to the hinged member, the retainer being rotatable between a locked position where the retainer shields the opening and the bent portion of the expansion card is sandwiched between the fixing member and the support wall and an unlocked position where the retainer is rotated away from the opening and the fixing member releases the bent portion of the expansion card, a clip attached to the retainer, the clip having a resilient member configured for extending through the opening and resiliently catching a portion of the rear panel adjacent to the opening to hold the retainer at the locked position. 
         [0007]    Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present mounting apparatus will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present apparatus, and be protected by the accompanying claims. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    Many aspects of the present mounting apparatus can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present device. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is an exploded, isometric view of a mounting apparatus in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the mounting apparatus including a retainer and a clip. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged view of the retainer in  FIG. 1 , but viewed from another aspect. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  are assembled views of  FIG. 1 , respectively showing an unlocked state and a locked state of the mounting apparatus. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present mounting apparatus, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
         [0013]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , an expansion card  10  is formed with a cover plate  12  on a lateral edge (not labeled) thereof. The cover plate  12  has a bent portion such as a tab  124  at one end thereof. A notch  126  is defined in the tab  124 . 
         [0014]    A computer enclosure  80  has a rear panel  20 . A plurality of elongated card slots  21  is defined in the rear panel  20 . The card slots  21  are parallel with each other. A support wall  23  substantially perpendicularly extends outward from the rear panel  20 , adjacent to the card slots  21 . A generally rectangular opening  25  is defined in the rear panel  20 , adjacent to the support wall  23 . The opening  25  is used for facilitating installation and removal of the expansion card  10 . That is, when the expansion card  10  is plugged into a connector (not labeled) in the computer enclosure  80 , the tab  124  of the expansion card  10  extends through the opening  25  and contacts the support wall  23 . An inclined wall such as a stop portion  27  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) projects from one portion of the rear panel  20  adjacent the opening  25  toward an interior of the computer enclosure  80 . 
         [0015]    An outer edge of the support wall  23  is bent downward to form a hinged member  231  extending in a direction away from the opening  25 . In a vicinity of the hinged member  231 , two receiving holes  233  are defined in the support wall  23 . A plurality of positioning posts  235  protrude upward from the support wall  23  at equal intervals. 
         [0016]    A mounting apparatus  50  includes a retainer  30  and a clip  40  attached to the retainer  30 . The retainer  30  is made of steel material, and the clip  40  is made of plastic material. The retainer  30  and the clip  40  form a rotatable assembly or pivotal member for fastening the expansion card  10  to the rear panel  20 . 
         [0017]    The retainer  30  includes an pressing plate  31  and a blocking plate  33  that are substantially perpendicular to each other. The pressing plate  31  includes an engaging portion such as a curved piece  312  and two spacing plates  315 . The two spacing plates  315  are respectively formed at opposite lateral sides of the pressing plate  31  and substantially perpendicular to the pressing plate  31 . Two through holes  311  are defined in the pressing plate  31  corresponding to the receiving holes  233  in the support wall  23 . The curved piece  312  is bent from a free edge of the pressing plate  31  between the spacing plates  315 , defining a space between the curved piece  312  and the pressing plate  31  for accommodating the hinged member  231  formed on the support wall  23 . Referring to  FIG. 2 , two locking tabs  314  is projected from the curved piece  312  in an approximately same direction that the curved piece  312  is bent toward the pressing plate  31 . 
         [0018]    The blocking plate  33  is substantially rectangular with a size to properly close off the opening  25 . Two coupling holes  331  and two cutouts  334  are defined in the blocking plate  33 . The cutouts  334  are defined adjacent to the pressing plate  31 . Fixing members such as a plurality of clasps  36  with L-shaped free ends are formed on the blocking plate  33  corresponding to the tab  124  of the expansion card  10 . Preferably, the clasps  36  are bent from the pressing plate  31  with their free ends extending in the same direction along which the spacing plates  315  extend, leaving cutouts (not labeled) in the pressing plate  31 . 
         [0019]    The clip  40  includes a base plate  41  and a resilient member such as a V-shaped resilient catch  43  formed on the base plate  41 . Opposite to the side on which the catch  43  is formed, a pair of inverted L-shaped hooks  412  projects from the base plate  41  corresponding to the coupling holes  331  of the retainer  30 . 
         [0020]    As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the catch  43  is bent from the base plate  41  with an operating member  436  formed at its free end (not labeled). By depressing the operating member  436 , the catch  43  can be resiliently deformed. 
         [0021]    At one end of the base plate  41 , a pair of extension bars  415  perpendicularly extends out corresponding to the cutouts  334  of the blocking plate  33 . Two fingers  416  are formed at two ends of the extension bars  415  respectively corresponding to the locking tabs  314  of the curved piece  312 . 
         [0022]    Referring generally to  FIGS. 1-3 , the expansion card  10  has been inserted into a connector (not labeled) of a motherboard (not labeled) or a circuit board (not labeled) accommodated in the computer enclosure  80 . The cover plate  12  of the expansion card  10  is inserted into one of the card slots  21  in the rear panel  20 . The notch  126  of the tab  124  receives the positioning post  235 . 
         [0023]    In order to securely fix the expansion card  10  in the computer enclosure  80 , a rotatable assembly formed by the retainer  30  and the clip  40  is used. The retainer  30  is pivotally mounted to the support wall  23  by pivotally receiving the hinged member  231  of the support wall  23  in the the space formed between the curved piece  312  and the pressing plate  31  of the retainer  30 . The spacing plates  315  of the pressing plate  31  contact opposite ends of the hinged member  231 , so as to restrict a lateral movement of the retainer  30  parallel to the rear panel  20 . The locking tabs  314  of the curved piece  312  are received in the receiving holes  233  of the support wall  23 . 
         [0024]    The extension bars  415  of the clip  40  pass through the cutouts  334  of the retainer  30 . The hooks  412  are inserted into the coupling holes  331  of the blocking plate  33 , thereby, the clip  40  is attached to the retainer  30  to form a rotatable assembly. The fingers  416  of the clip  40  respectively extend through the through holes  311  to tightly abut against the locking tabs  314  such that the retainer  30  can rotate around the hinged member  231  without escaping from the support wall  23 . 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , after the expansion cards  10  are inserted in the corresponding connectors within the computer enclosure  80 , the rotating assembly is rotated until the free end of the catch  43  contacts with the stop portion  27  of the rear panel  20 . The catch  43  is resiliently deformed by pushing the block plate  33  toward the interior of the enclosure, and the free end (not labeled) of the catch  43  presses against the stop portion  27  of the rear panel  20  after releasing the block plate  33 . Thereby, the blocking plate  33  shields the opening  25  of the rear panel  20 , and the pressing plate  31  downward presses against the tabs  124  of the expansion cards  10  and the L-shaped clasps  36  press against conjunction areas between the tabs  124  and the cover plates  12  of the expansion cards  10 . Thus, the expansion cards  10  are firmly mounted. 
         [0026]    When viewing the mounting apparatus with expansion card  10  mounted therein, in a three-dimensional space, it can be seen that the positioning posts  235  of the support wall  23  received in the notches  126  of the tabs  124  prevent movement of the expansion cards  10  in a first direction perpendicular to the expansion cards  10 . The clasps  36  of the retainer  30  prevent a second direction movement of the expansion card  10  perpendicular to the rear panel  20  by pressing conjunction areas between the tabs  124  and the cover plates  12  of the expansion cards  10 . The pressing plate  31  downward pressing against the tabs  124  of the expansion cards  10  can prevent movement of the expansion cards  10  in a third direction parallel to the rear panel  20 . Since the catch  43  exerts a resilient force against the rear panel  20 , the clasps  36  cannot move. Therefore, the expansion card  10  is fixedly mounted to the enclosure of the computer. 
         [0027]    When disassembling the expansion card  10 , the operating member  436  is depressed and the catch  43  is resiliently deformed to facilitate decoupling the catch  43  from the stop portion  27 . The retainer  30  is rotated out away from the opening  25  by pulling the blocking plate  33 . Consequently, the pressing plate  31  and the clasps  36  release the tabs  124 . After that, the expansion card  10  can be easily taken out of the computer enclosure  80 . 
         [0028]    As the above-mentioned embodiments disclosed, the whole assembly and disassembly process is simple and convenient, without using tool-based mounting mechanisms, such as screws and screwdrivers. During the assembly process, by rotating the retainer  30  and pressing the blocking plate  33  of the retainer  30  toward the opening  25 , the expansion card  10  can be fixed in position. To remove the expansion card  10 , simply depress the operation member  436  of the catch  43 , rotate the retainer  30  away from the rear panel  20 , and take out the expansion card  10  from the computer. 
         [0029]    The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the invention has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and their practical application so as to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from its spirit and scope. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and the exemplary embodiments described therein.