Abstract:
A system for storing equipment in a rack comprises a U-shaped enclosure having two opposing side surfaces perpendicularly coupled to a bottom surface, and an attachment element for detachably coupling the U-shaped enclosure to at least one other U-shaped enclosure to form a plurality of configurations, such that an electronic component storage rack can be constructed incrementally.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to equipment storage management, and more particularly to a modular stacking rack for storing electronic equipment. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Electronic components, such as power supplies, memory units and servers, are often stored in equipment racks. One rack usually has several shelves and holds a plurality of components stacked vertically. In general, equipment racks are produced in standard sizes, such as “head high” racks, which are approximately six feet in height, or “half high” racks, which are approximately waist high in height. Electronic components come in various sizes. For instance, the height of a component can range from “1U” to several “U&#39;s”, a “U” being a unit of measure equal to 1.75 inches. Thus, a typical six foot rack could store thirteen 3U components. 
     A company with several hundred components could purchase a plurality of racks, and fill those racks accordingly. Nonetheless, it is inevitable that some, if not all, of the racks will be partially empty. For instance, the combined height of a group of components may be significantly less than the height of the rack, but adding another component would exceed the space allotted, or the number of components simply does not fill the rack. Shuffling or rearranging components between racks after they have been stored is tedious and time consuming because the components would have to be shut down, disconnected from other components, moved and reconnected. The down time alone could have a significant adverse effect on the company. Thus, a company would probably avoid such measures and keep the space in the racks empty. 
     Rack space is wasted because the sizes of the racks are standardized and not flexible. A company has no choice but to purchase a higher number of racks then would be required if the rack size was flexible. Given the cost of each rack and the floor space that each one occupies, this wasted rack space can amount to substantial monetary expenditures, as well as, inefficient use of floor space. A costly alternative would be to have custom made racks. Nevertheless, this is not a feasible alternative because a company often adds components as it grows. In other words, the number of components at one point in time will not necessary remain the same number as the company expands or contracts. 
     Accordingly, a need exists for a more efficient system for storing equipment in a rack. The system should offer flexible storage capacity and should be highly reliable and cost effective. The present invention fulfills this need and provides related advantages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A system for storing equipment in a rack is disclosed. The system comprises a U-shaped enclosure having two opposing side surfaces perpendicularly coupled to a bottom surface, and an attachment element for detachably coupling the U-shaped enclosure to at least one other U-shaped enclosure to form a plurality of configurations, such that an electronic component storage rack can be constructed incrementally. 
     Through the aspects of the present invention, the component storage rack&#39;s height is flexible and will vary with the number of components stored. Thus, instead of buying a standard six foot high rack, which will necessarily remain partially empty, the user can buy modular segments of a rack and stack them according to the actual number of components stored. If floor space is limited, the user can stack the components to the ceiling if desired. In addition, because each enclosure is coupled to another, each enclosure can be relocated by decoupling it from its surrounding enclosure(s). Thus, moving a component(s) stored in an enclosure is less burdensome. The present invention is reliable, and relatively easy to implement given the current related technology. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 illustrates one U-shaped enclosure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 1A illustrates a U-shaped enclosure in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a modular stacking rack where the enclosures are stacked top to bottom in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrates a modular stacking rack where the enclosures are stacked top to top in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is illustrates one U-shaped enclosure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is illustrates a completed modular stacking rack with bezels and a cover top attached in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention relates to equipment storage management, and more particularly to a modular stacking rack for storing electronic equipment. The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is provided in the context of a patent application and its requirements. Various modifications to the preferred embodiment and the generic principles and features described herein will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. For instance, although four enclosures are illustrated in the preferred embodiment, it is clear that any number of enclosures or even only one enclosure could be utilized. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment shown but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein. 
     In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an equipment rack is constructed incrementally using modular U-shaped enclosures. Each enclosure is adapted to couple to another enclosure either top-to-bottom, or top-to-top. Thus, if two enclosures are coupled top-to-bottom, two separate housings could accommodate components, while if the two enclosures are coupled top-to-top, a group of stacked components, or one tall component, can be stored. If the U-shaped enclosures are 3Us in height, for example, the maximum height of the opening formed by coupling two enclosures top-to-top is 6Us, and any combination of components up to a collective height of 6Us can be accommodated. 
     FIG. 1 illustrates one U-shaped enclosure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As is shown, two side panels  110  are coupled perpendicularly to a bottom panel  120  to form the U-shaped enclosure  100 . The enclosure  100  has a front  100   a  and a back  100   b . To facilitate coupling with other U-shaped enclosures (not shown), a plurality of studs  130   a  and  130   b  are coupled to the top of the two side panels  110 , which protrude in a direction perpendicular to the bottom panel  120 . A front pair of studs  130   a  are located a distance X from the front  100   a  of the enclosure  100 , while a back pair of studs  130   b  are located a distance Y from the back  100   b  of the enclosure  100 . The distance X is not equal to the distance Y. 
     The bottom panel  120  includes a set of receiving holes  140   a  and  140   b  corresponding to the locations of the studs  130   a  and  130   b . Thus, the bottom panel  120  has a pair of front receiving holes  140   a  located the distance X from the front  100   a  of the enclosure  100  and directly in line with the front pair of studs  130   a , and a pair of back receiving holes  140   b  located the distance Y from the back  100   b  of the enclosure  100  and directly in line with the back pair of studs  130   b . Thus, when stacking a plurality of U-shaped enclosures  100  top-to-bottom, as shown in FIG. 2B the studs  130   a  and  130   b  pass through the set of receiving holes  140   a  and  140   b , and the U-shaped enclosures  100  form a modular stacking rack  200  having a plurality of separators  210 , which define the housings for storing equipment (not shown). While the height of each U-shaped enclosure  100  is largely a design choice, preferably, the side panels  110  of each enclosure  100  are 3Us high, so that any component having a size between 1U and 3Us would fit within the space formed by the enclosure  100 . 
     If, however, the component is larger than 3Us, for instance, if the component is 5Us high, the component will not fit in the modular stacking rack  200  illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B. Nevertheless, in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the enclosures  100  can be coupled top-to-top, such that the enclosure height is double the height of the side panels  110 , i.e. 6Us if the side panels  110  are 3U high, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. 
     To understand how the enclosures  100  are adapted to form this configuration, please refer back to FIG.  1 . In addition to the studs  130   a  and  130   b , the two side panels also include a front pair of receiving slots  135   a  and a back pair of receiving slots  135   b  on the top of the side panels  110 . The front pair of receiving slots  135   a  are located the distance Y from the front  100   a  of the enclosure  100 , while the back pair of receiving slots  135   b  are located the distance X from the back  100   b  of the enclosure  100 . 
     Referring back to FIG. 3B, a first enclosure  310  and a second enclosure  320  are coupled top-to-top. By aligning the front  100   a  of the first enclosure  310  with the back  100   b  of the second enclosure  320 , the front pair of studs  130   a  of the first enclosure  310  pass through the back pair of receiving slots  135   b  of the second enclosure  320  because both are located the distance X from the nearest edge. The back pair of studs  130   b  of the first enclosure  310  pass through the front pair of receiving slots  135   a  of the second enclosure  320  because both are located the distance Y from the nearest edge. The inverse is true for the studs  130   a  and  130   b  of the second enclosure  320  and receiving slots  135   a  and  135   b  of the first enclosure  310 . Thus, the first enclosure  310  and the second enclosure  320  are interconnected via the studs  130   a  and  130   b  and receiving slots  135   a  and  135   b.    
     In another embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 1A, a front stud  130   e  and a back stud  130   f  of a first side panel  110   a  are located a distance X′ from the front  100   a  and back  100   b , respectively, of the enclosure  100 ′. Similarly, a front stud  130   c  and a back stud  130   d  of a second side panel  110   b  are located a distance Y′ from the front  100   a  and back  100   b , respectively. The receiving slots  135   e ,  135   f  in the first side panel  110   a  are located the distance Y′ from the front  100   a  and back  100   b , respectively, of the enclosure  100 ′, while the receiving slots  135   c ,  135   d  in the second side panel  110   b  are located the distance X′ from the front  100   a  and back  100   b , respectively. 
     Two enclosures  100 ′, as described in FIG. 1A, are coupled top-to-top by aligning the top of the first side panel  110   a  of a first enclosure  100 ′ with the top of the second side panel  110   b  of a second enclosure  100 ′. The studs  130   e ,  130   f  of the first enclosure&#39;s first side panel  110   a  pass through the receiving slots  135   c ,  135   d  of the second enclosure&#39;s  100 ′ second side panel  110   b  because both are located the distance X′ from the nearest edge. In a similar manner, the first enclosure&#39;s studs  130   c ,  130   d  in the second side panel  110   b  pass through the second enclosure&#39;s receiving slots  135   e ,  135   f  in the first side panel  110   a . Thus, the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3 is achieved. 
     As shown in FIG. 3B, additional enclosures  340 ,  350  can be coupled to the second enclosure  320  to form an additional separator  360  for storing another component (not shown) or group of components (not shown). Naturally, a combination of FIGS. 2A and 3A (not shown) could create a modular stacking rack having space for up to 6U high components (FIG.  3 A), as well as components 3U or less (FIG.  2 A). In addition, more than two pairs of studs  130   a  and  130   b  (or  130   c - 130   f ) can be used to couple the enclosures  100  top-to-top or top-to-bottom, so long as the corresponding receiving slots  135   a  and  135   b  (or  135   c - 135   f ) are disposed appropriately to receive the studs  130   a  and  130   b  (or  130   c - 130   f ) in a top-to-top configuration, and the bottom panel  120  has the appropriate receiving holes  140   a  and  140   b  in a top-to-bottom configuration. 
     In another preferred embodiment, the studs  130   a  and  130   b  (or  130   c - 130   f ) are threaded so that the enclosures  100  can be bolted together by nuts  195 , as shown in FIG.  4 . Other features of the present invention are illustrated in FIG.  4 . The bottom panel  120  includes a plurality of cable port openings  180  through which connecting cables (not shown) between components can be passed. Rolling casters  170  can be coupled to the bottom of the bottommost enclosure  100  to provide mobility. To improve the aesthetic appearance of the rack, a cover plate  150  can be coupled to the back  100   b  of the enclosure  100 , and a bezel  160  can be attached to the front  100   a  of the enclosure  100 . The top of the completed modular stacking rack, e.g. stack rack  200 , can be covered by a top cover  190 . FIG. 5 illustrates a modular stacking rack  500  in accordance with the present invention with bezels  160  and the top cover  190  attached. 
     By utilizing the present invention, a modular stacking equipment rack can be built according to a customer&#39;s specific storage needs. By building a rack enclosure by enclosure, the customer can buy the space it needs and optimize storage capacity in the rack. The present invention is ideal for an expanding company, which may start with only a few components but grow to acquire more and more components. The flexibility and scalability of the modular stacking equipment rack of the present invention satisfies those needs, as well as others. 
     For instance, because the rack is modular, the task of relocating a component is simplified. Instead of physically removing the component from its shelf in the rack, which would probably entail shutting down the component, the enclosure holding the component can be decoupled from its surrounding enclosure(s) and moved to another location or stack. In some circumstances, the component can remain on while the enclosure is moved. 
     Although the present invention has been described in accordance with the embodiments shown, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that there could be variations to the embodiments and those variations would be within the spirit and scope of the present invention. For instance, the enclosures could be coupled using another method equivalent to that described above, or the height of the side panels can vary depending on the customer&#39;s needs. Accordingly, many modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.