Abstract:
Disclosed is a hard disk drive carrier adapted to be housed in a disk drive chassis comprising a drive bay for receiving and holding a hard disk drive; an integrated locking mechanism including a handle for carrying the disk drive carrier and for providing a one-handed locking mechanism for locking and unlocking the disk drive carrier in the disk drive chassis; and an EMI shield fixedly coupled to the drive bay for providing a barrier to electromagnetic interference, the EMI shield covering a portion of the hard disk drive. 
     Also disclosed is a hard disk drive bay including opposing sidewalls for securing a hard disk drive into a chassis comprising a primary locking mechanism, the primary locking mechanism comprising first and second swing arms each pivotally coupled to said drive bay at a first pivot point and pivotally coupled to a handle at a second pivot point; and a secondary locking mechanism disposed on one or both of said opposing sidewalls, the secondary locking mechanism adapted to interface with corresponding locking elements disposed on the hard drive chassis.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to portable carriers for handling mounted devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to portable carriers and a chassis assembly for housing hot-plug connected hard disk drives. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Computer systems and information networks today require tremendous amounts of external data storage to satisfy user demands. To this end, mechanisms have been developed for housing multiple hard disk drives for storing large volumes of data. A recent advance in this field has been the introduction of “hot swappable” disk drives that may be added to or removed from a disk drive chassis or “cage” while power is being supplied to other disk drives in the cage. This configuration is also commonly referred to as “hot plug” connected disk drives. 
     Prior disk drive carriers for hot swappable disk drives suffered numerous disadvantages. These disadvantages included the problem of electromagnetic interference between adjacent hot-swappable hard disk drives. For example, when numerous hard drives are stacked within a single computer chassis, magnetic waves generated from one hard drive may interfere with the operation of another drive. This can result in undesirable effects ranging from a decrease in system performance to a complete system crash and corresponding loss of data. 
     In addition to interference from neighboring drives, there is also a risk of electromagnetic interference from the other internal components of the computer itself. As the speed at which integrated circuits within computer systems continues to rise, so does the problem of increased electromagnetic dissipation from those circuits. Accordingly, it would be desirable shield the hot-swappable hard drive from electromagnetic interference from other drives as well as from integrated circuits within the computer system. Conversely, it would be desirable to shield other components within the computer from potential electromagnetic interference dissipated by the hard drive itself. 
     Another disadvantage associated with prior disk drive carriers is that prior art drive carriers were susceptible to rotational vibrations caused by the drives they contained. Accordingly, hard drives became unseated too frequently during operation using prior art systems. As such, a more secure locking mechanism is needed to handle the increased vibrations resulting from the newer and faster hard drives. 
     Finally, as the speed and performance of hard drives continues to increase, so does the problem of increased heat dissipation. This problem is even more attenuated in systems with numerous hot-swappable hard drives located within a single computer chassis. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an inexpensive and efficient method to alleviate the problem of increased hard drive heat dissipation. 
     SUMMARY 
     Disclosed is a hard disk drive carrier adapted to be housed in a disk drive chassis comprising a drive bay for receiving and holding a hard disk drive; an integrated locking mechanism including a handle for carrying the disk drive carrier and for providing a one-handed locking mechanism for locking and unlocking the disk drive carrier in the disk drive chassis; and an EMI shield fixedly coupled to the drive bay for providing a barrier to electromagnetic interference, the EMI shield covering a portion of the hard disk drive. 
     Also disclosed is a hard disk drive bay including opposing sidewalls for securing a hard disk drive into a chassis comprising a primary locking mechanism, the primary locking mechanism comprising first and second swing arms each pivotally coupled to said drive bay at a first pivot point and pivotally coupled to a handle at a second pivot point; and a secondary locking mechanism disposed on one or both of said opposing sidewalls, the secondary locking mechanism adapted to interface with corresponding locking elements disposed on the hard drive chassis. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described herein with reference to the drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention from an elevated front view. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention from an elevated back view. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention from a lower back view. 
     FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention from a direct side view. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention from a direct top view. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention from a direct side view. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of a drive carrier chassis. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIGS. 1 through 6 of the drawings disclose various embodiments of the disk drive carrier for purposes of illustration only. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. Throughout this detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth such as material types and disk drive protocols in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, however, that the present invention may be practiced without such specific details. In other instances, well known structures and manufacturing techniques have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 1 through 6 illustrate six views of the hard drive carrier with a hard drive mounted in the carrier. FIG. 1 illustrates an elevated front view, FIG. 2 illustrates an elevated back view, and FIG. 3 illustrates a lower back view. FIGS. 4 through 6 illustrate the hard drive carrier from direct side, top and front views, respectively. 
     The hard drive carrier is generally comprised of a disk drive bay  100 , a locking mechanism  110  which includes handle  112 , and an electromagnetic interference (hereinafter “EMI”) shield  120 . The disk drive bay  100  comprises opposing sidewalls  102  and  104  and a floor  310  (see FIG.  3 ). The distal end of the bay  100  (i.e., the end opposite the EMI shield) is left unobstructed as it is the location for an interface connector for the hard disk drive to be mounted into the bay  100 . The open end of the bay  100  may also include an optional slotted track (not shown) around the periphery of the interior which may be included for mounting an interface card if required. 
     In one embodiment, as can be seen in FIG. 3, a plurality of recessed holes  315  are formed in the floor  310  of the bay  100  (the holes are covered by screw heads in FIG.  3 ). The holes  315  provide an entryway through the floor  310  of the bay  100  for a plurality of screws  320 . The holes  315  are positioned such that they match up with threads formed in the bottom of a disk drive  150  when the disk drive  150  is properly situated on the drive bay. The screws  320 , when inserted through the holes  315 , engage with the plurality of threads formed on the bottom of the hard disk drive  150 . 
     In one embodiment, the floor  310  is comprised of metal to act as a heat sink and thereby aid in dissipating heat from the hard disk drive  150 . In another embodiment, the floor  310  of the bay  100  is perforated with ventilation holes (not shown). These ventilation holes may further aid in allowing heat to dissipate from the hard drive  150 . 
     Sidewall  104  of the disk drive carrier bay  100  includes a pocket  108  for a metal grounding clip. One or more apertures  410  (shown more clearly in FIG. 4) are provided for securing the ground clip to the bay sidewall  104 . They also provide a mechanism for securing a hard disk drive  150  mounted within the bay  100  and for coupling the grounding clip to the hard drive&#39;s  150  electronics. This element provides a grounding path for the disk drive. 
     The inner portion of either sidewall  102 ,  104  of the disk drive bay  100  may include alignment flanges or ribs for providing a location mechanism for placing a hard disk drive  150  into the bay  100 . In one embodiment, the ribs provide an alignment mechanism for the 4 inch width dimension associated with a conventional 3.5 inch hard disk drive form factor. The ribs also provide lateral support for shock mounted disk drives. In alternative embodiments, differing numbers of alignment flanges may be implemented. Cut into both sidewalls  102  and  104  of the drive carrier bay  100  are apertures  130  which accept engaging posts  135 ,  136  disposed on the locking mechanism  110 . 
     The locking mechanism  110  of one embodiment of the hard disk drive carrier will now be described. The locking mechanism is generally comprised of a handle  112  and two swing arms  114 , 115 . In one embodiment of the present invention, the handle  112  is made of a 20% glass filled polycarbonate material. Other materials may be suitable in alternative embodiments (e.g., metal). The grip portion of the handle  112  in the illustrated embodiment is a substantially rectangular member which increases in width at its ends. The handle  112  bends in towards the inner portion of the hard drive carrier at a substantially 90 degree angle. This portion of the handle interfaces with handle guides formed on the inner portions of each of the sidewalls  102  and  104 . The guides in one embodiment steer the handle  112  in a direction substantially parallel with the length of the drive bay  100 . The handle  112  is affixed to the two swing arms  114  and  115  at pivot points  160  and  161 , respectively. Two inner rails  210  and  211  which protrude from the inner surface of the handle (i.e., the surface closest to the hard disk drive  150 ), provide for improved gripping of the handle when removing the drive carrier. In alternative embodiments, other geometries may be implemented for the grip portion of the handle  112  to suit aesthetic or other functional needs. 
     Each swing arm  114  and  115  is pivotally affixed to the handle  112  at pivot points  160  and  161 , respectively, and is notched at the end with recessed grooves  170  and  171 , respectively. As will be described below, these grooves are used to catch a cylindrical post  710  (see FIG. 7) provided in a multiple disk-drive cage for pivoting the locking mechanism  110  into a locking position within the overall disk cage. On the outer surface of each swing arm  114  and  115  there are provided protruding cylindrical engaging posts  135  and  136 . These are used to pivotally interlock the handle mechanism  110  to the carrier bay  100  through apertures  130  and  131 . Thus, the entire locking mechanism  110  (including the handle  112 ) is installed by flexing the handle  112  member and/or swing arms  114  and  115  to allow pivot posts  135  and  136  to enter apertures  130  and  131 . 
     The illustrations in FIGS. 1 through 6 show the handle  112  in the position that would be considered the locked position. In this position, the portion of the handle  112  which is bent 90 degrees inward towards the drive carrier may interface with a lock on one or both of the sidewalls  102  and  104  in one embodiment of the drive carrier. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 6 a tab formed on the sidewalls  102  and  104  of the drive carrier may protrude inward and interface with a receptacle on the portion of the hard drive handle  112  to secure the handle in position. 
     Additionally, in the locked position, each of the recessed grooves  170  and  171  catch a cylindrical post  710  (see the embodiment of the drive chassis illustrated in FIG. 7) provided in a multiple disk-drive chassis for pivoting the locking mechanism  110  into a locking position within the overall disk cage. In one embodiment of the invention, the apertures  130  and  131  formed in the sidewalls  102  and  104  of the drive carrier are slightly larger in circumference than engaging posts  135  and  136  to allow the engaging posts a small amount of freedom of movement. In another embodiment, a thin film of firm but malleable material (e.g., rubber) may separate the outer surface of the engaging posts  135 ,  136  from the inner surface of the apertures  130 ,  131 . 
     A secondary locking mechanism is included in one embodiment of the present invention. Particularly, as illustrated in FIG. 1, one or more tabs  180  disposed on sidewalls  102  and/or  104  will move out into one or more apertures  720  formed in the hard drive chassis illustrated in FIG.  7 . Thus, the secondary locking mechanism of this embodiment firmly grips the sides of the drive chassis receptacle, thereby reducing the susceptibility of the disk drive to rotational vibrations generated within the drive or transmitted from neighboring drives. 
     Because the handle  112  is pivotally affixed to swing arms  114  and  115  at pivot points  160  and  161 , respectively, and the swing arms  114  and  115  are pivotally affixed to the drive bay via apertures  130  and  131 , as the handle  112  is pulled forward (i.e., away from the disk drive) with sufficient force, pivot points  160  and  161  will follow a substantially circular path around the point where engaging posts  135  and  136  interface with apertures  130  and  131 , respectively. This motion will cause each of the recessed grooves  170  and  171  to push off of its respective cylindrical post  710  and, consequently, the drive carrier will move into an unlocked position. 
     As can be seen from FIGS. 1 though  6 , when the locking mechanism  110  of the drive carrier is engaged with the drive carrier bay  100 , the handle  112  provides a convenient mechanism for one-hand carrying of the disk drive mounted in the carrier. It can further be seen that the locking mechanism  110  of the present invention provides a useful system for a single-handed pivoting of the drive carrier locking mechanism implemented through recessed grooves  170  and  171  of the handle swing arms  114  and  115 , respectively. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, an EMI shield  120  forms the front of the drive carrier as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 6. The EMI shield  120  may either be fixedly connected to the drive bay  100  or may be formed from the same die as the base  310  of the drive bay  100  (rather than being produced separately and then fixedly attached). The EMI shield  120  may include a plurality of cutouts  121  which permit the flow of air for dissipating heat from the disk drive  150 , while at the same time providing a barrier to the emission of electromagnetic interference generated by computer components or by the hard disk drive  150 . In the illustrated embodiment, to prevent EMI leakage, portions of the periphery of the EMI shield  120  are bent inward and cover small potions of the top and sides of the attached disk drive  150 . Neighboring drive carriers may contact one another to provide a continuous barrier to EMI. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of a hard disk drive chassis  700  which may be used to receive one embodiment of the drive carrier of the present invention. While the present invention is directed toward a removable drive carrier, reference is made to the disk drive chassis of FIG. 7 to illustrate elements of a drive chassis required for taking advantage of the various aspects present invention. The disk drive chassis  700  illustrated in FIG. 7 is one embodiment suitable for receiving six disk drive carriers such as those described above with respect to the present invention. 
     The elements required to be implemented within disk drive chassis  700  may be the same for each of the receiving slots of the chassis  700 . Accordingly, only one set of reference numbers will be used to indicate duplicated elements in the configuration. Of course, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that alternate configurations and different numbers of disk drive carriers may be housed by different chassis. Each receiving slot in the drive chassis comprises a receiving channel  730 . At the entry portion of the drive chassis in front of each slot  730 , there is implemented a cylindrical locking post  710 . At the distal end of each drive slot  730  there may be a blocking protrusion  740  which retards the forward advance of a disk drive carrier being inserted into the drive channel. The backplane for the disk drive chassis would be affixed to the wall beyond the blocking protrusion  740 . One embodiment of the chassis may also provide a conduction path for contacting with the grounding clip of the hard drive  150  for grounding the disk drive  150  when it is inserted into the chassis. 
     As was described above, the pivotal handle arms  114  and  115  of the locking mechanism  110  of the present invention are notched with recessed grooves  170  and  171 . When a drive carrier is inserted into the drive cage, the handle is in the unlocked position. In the unlocked position, as the drive carrier nears full insertion into the cage, the notched recessed grooves  170  and  171  of the drive arms engage the cylindrical locking post affixed to the chassis. This causes the carrier handle to pivot until it reaches the locked position which coincides with a drive carrier reaching the blocking protrusion  740 . In this manner, a simple integral locking mechanism is implemented in the drive carrier without excess complexity. Further, when a drive carrier is locked into the cage, it is simple to remove it by grasping the handle  112  of the locking mechanism  110  with a single hand and withdrawing it. Upon withdrawal, the handle arms  114  and  115  pivot to free the recessed grooves  170  and  171  from the cylindrical post  710  allowing for easy removal of the drive carrier. 
     Throughout this detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth such as material types and disk drive protocols, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without such specific details. In other instances, well known structures and manufacturing techniques have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope and spirit of the present invention should be judged in terms of the claims which follow.