Abstract:
A hardware fastening structure for fastening hardware of a computer includes a housing, a brace, a number of sliding bars. The housing includes a bottom plate and an attaching structure formed on the bottom plate. The brace is mounted on the bottom plate via the attaching structure of the housing. The sliding bars are respectively mounted on opposite sides of the hardware to fix the hardware on the brace, wherein the brace forms fixing structures corresponding to the sliding bars and the sliding bars being operable to slide in the brace, and engage and disengage with the brace via the fixing structures.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The disclosure relates to hardware fastening structures for use in computers to stably holding and supporting hard disk drive and CD-ROM drives and so on. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Hard disk drives and CD-ROM drives are very important components in computers to store or access data, they must be stably mounted inside the housing of a computer thereby getting a stable work environment and correspondingly prolonging their lifespans. Generally, the hard disk drives and the CD-ROM drives are interconnected to each other in a stacked-manner by a number of separated fasteners, which results in that the assembling processes and the repairing processes of the hard disk drives and CD-ROM drives are time-consuming and difficult because lager member of fasteners need to be assembled to or detached from those hard disk drives and CD-ROM drives. 
     Therefore, what is needed is to provide a hardware fastening structure which can overcome the disadvantage above mentioned. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded, isometric view of a hardware fastening structure according to an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is an isometric view of a brace of the hardware fastening structure shown in  FIG. 1 , viewed from a reverse angle. 
         FIG. 3  is an assembled, isometric view of the hardware fastening structure shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is an isometric view of hardware fastening structure shown in  FIG. 3  from a reverse angle. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a hardware fastening structure  100  according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. The hardware fastening structure  100  includes a housing  110  of a computer, a brace  120 , and a number of sliding bars  130 . The brace  120  is attached to the inside of the housing  110 . A CD-ROM drive  140  and a hard disk drive  150 , as exemplary devices, are fixedly received in the brace  120  by the sliding bars  130 . 
     The housing  110  is a protection shell for receiving a series of different electrical elements of the computer therein. In the present exemplary embodiment, a portion of the housing  110  is shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  3  and  4 . The housing  110  includes a bottom plate  112  and a side wall  114  perpendicularly extended from a periphery of the bottom plate  112 . The bottom plate  112  defines four holes  116   a  arranged in a 2×2 matrix therein, and includes two locating tabs  116   b  and a resilient tab  116   c . Each of the holes  116   a  is trapezoidal shaped and includes a wider end and an opposite narrower end. The two locating tabs  116   b  are punched upwards from the bottom plate  112  and spaced away from the side wall  114  by a predetermined distance. The resilient tab  116   c  is formed on the bottom plate  112  by slicing into the bottom plate  112  between the side wall  114  and the locating tabs  116   b  along a horseshoe curve. The resilient tab  116   c  therefore includes a free end separated from the bottom plate  112  and a connection end connecting the bottom plate  112 . The resilient tab  116   c  further includes a bar  116   d  formed adjacent to the free end of the resilient tab  116   c  and a pair of slots  116   e  separately defined in the resilient tab  116   c  and perpendicular to the bar  116   d . The pair of slots  116   e  are located adjacent to the opposite ends of the bar  116   d , respectively. The holes  116   a , locating tabs  116   b , resilient tab  116   c , bar  116   d , and slots  116   e  cooperatively construct an attaching structure  116  for holding the brace  120  on the housing  110 . In addition, the side wall  114  includes a pair of clamping tabs  114   a  resiliently bent inwards, thereby enhancing the stability of the brace  120  on the housing  110 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the brace  120  includes an upper plate  122 , a lower plate  124  parallel to the upper plate  122 , and two separated side plates  126  perpendicularly interconnected with the upper and lower plates  122 ,  124 . The upper plate  122  defines a number of apertures  122   a  therein for dissipating heat inside the brace  120 . The lower plate  124  includes a number of hooks  124   a  punched outwards from the lower plate  124  corresponding to the holes  116   a  of the bottom plate  112 , and a pair of parallel ribs  124   b  projecting outwards corresponding to the slots  116   e  of the resilient tab  116   c . Each of the side plates  126  is perpendicularly bent to form a series of stages  126   a  for separately supporting the CD-ROM drive  140  and the hard disk drive  150 . Each of the side plates  126  defines a number of vertical slot  126   b  adjacent to an end thereof and corresponding to each of the stages  126   a . Alternatively, each of the side plates  126  may includes a number of limiting arms  126   c  that are punched inwards from the side plate  126  and protrudes into the inside of the brace  120  for limiting the sliding bars  130 . 
     The sliding bars  130  are respectively attached on opposite side surfaces of the CD-ROM drive  140  and the hard disk drive  150 . Each of the sliding bars  130  includes a slender sliding portion  132  fixedly mounted on the corresponding CD-ROM drive  140  or the hard disk drive  150 , and a locking portion  134  extended from an end of the sliding portion  132 . The locking portions  134  are made of resilient material therefore can be flexed laterally relative to the sliding portion  132 . Each of the locking portions  134  includes a catch  134   a  with a slope surface, and a handle  134   b  projected beyond a terminal end of the corresponding CD-ROM drive  140  or the hard disk drive  150 . The catches  134   a  of the locking portions  134  are configured for fitting in the corresponding vertical slots  126   b  of the brace  120  to prevent the corresponding CD-ROM drive  140  and the hard disk drive  150  from disengaging from of the brace  120 . The handles  134   b  of the locking portion  134  are configured for detaching the catches  134   a  from the vertical slots  126   b  of the brace  120  when being pushed laterally to detach the CD-ROM drive  140  or/and the hard disk drive  150  from the brace  120 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , in assembly, the CD-ROM drive  140  and hard disk drive  150  are respectively supported in the stages  126   a  of the brace  120  and fixed on the brace  120  by the sliding bars  130 . The catches  134   a  are respectively fitted in the vertical slots  126   b  of the brace  120 . The limiting arms  126   c  tightly press the sliding portions  132  of the sliding bars  130  for stably and precisely restricting the CD-ROM drive  140  and hard disk drive  150  in the brace  120 . The brace  120  as well as the CD-ROM drive  140  and hard disk drive  150  are mounted in the housing  110  by the attaching structure  116 . The hooks  124   a  is inserted into the hole  116   a  through the wider end, and then is slid to the narrow end of the hole  116   a  to clasp the bottom plate  112 . The bar  116   d  of the resilient tab  116   c  resists on an end of the lower plate  124  of the brace  120  accompanying with the ribs  124   b  of the brace  120  fitting in the slots  116   e  of the resilient tab  116   c  to stably hold the brace  120 . The locating tabs  116   b  of the bottom plate  116  and the clamping tabs  114   a  of the side wall  114  cooperatively clamp the brace  120  to enhance the stability of the brace  120  on the housing  100 . When to detach the CD-ROM drive  140  and/or hard disk drive  150  from the brace  120 , it just needs to push the handles  134  of the sliding bars  130  to disengage the catches  134   a  from the vertical slot  126   b  of the brace  120 , and then to take the CD-ROM drive  140  and/or hard disk drive  150  out from the brace  120 . The detachment of the brace  120  can be simply achieved by sliding the brace  120  from the narrow end to the wider end of the holes  116   a  after the ribs  124   b  have been disengaged from the slot  116   e  by pressing the resilient tab  116   c  outwards. 
     As the description above, it is appreciated that the hardware fastening structure  100  is simple in structure and simplifies the assembling and detaching processes of the hardware such as hard disk drives and CD-ROM drives in the housing of a computer, thereby overcoming the disadvantage in related art. 
     It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.