Abstract:
A technique is provided for the insertion and removal of a motherboard and a heatsink from a computer chassis without the use of tools or threaded fasteners. The technique allows the heatsink to be supported by the chassis and not the motherboard thereby preventing damage to the motherboard.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to the fields of computer design and assembly, and particularly to methods and designs which allow the weight of a heavy component, such as a heatsink, to be directly supported by a chassis. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. 
     In the field of computer design, processing chips, which perform the computational functions of a computer, typically generate substantial amounts of heat. This heat must be dispersed from around the chip to prevent malfunctions. To accomplish this, heatsinks are typically associated with the chips to provide a structure with high surface area to disperse the heat. As processing chips have grown both faster and hotter, heatsinks have grown proportionately larger and heavier. For example, current heatsinks may weigh more than a half pound to achieve the desired heat dissipating effect. 
     However, heavier heatsinks, while protecting the processing chip, increase the risk of damage to the motherboard itself due to flexion or other stress related damage. One solution to this problem has been to use the chassis, and not the system board, to support the weight of the heatsink. With such a solution, the heatsink remains associated with the processing chip and motherboard, but the weight of the heatsink is borne by the chassis, not the board. This solution has generally been accomplished by attaching the heatsink, via a retainer, to the chassis using threaded connectors. 
     The solution, however, is rather complex and requires tools to threadably engage individual fasteners. While methods of inserting and securing a system board without tools or with minimal use of tools have been devised, these advances are mitigated if the heatsink must subsequently be secured to the chassis using tools to perform a complex fastening procedure. Consequently, a methodology or device is desired which allows securing the weight of a heatsink directly to a chassis which does not require tools. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The following passage is intended only to provide a brief summary of limited aspects of the present inventions and should not be construed as encompassing all necessary elements or steps of the inventions. The present invention is generally related to overcoming the deficiencies inherent in previous designs and methodologies by facilitating insertion and removal of a motherboard with an attached heatsink retainer assembly. The insertion and removal are generally accomplished by providing a chassis comprising integral attachment structures which pass through the motherboard to securely engage a heatsink retainer attached to the motherboard. The engagement of the heatsink retainer and the attachment structures is such that both the heatsink and motherboard are limited in motion but are also both easy to insert and remove with minimal, if any, use of tools. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will hereafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements, and: 
     FIG. 1 is a cutaway view of an exemplary computer system; 
     FIG. 2 is a cutaway view of a computer chassis incorporating integral chassis projections; 
     FIG. 3 is a sideview of a chassis projection; 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of a heatsink retainer; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a heatsink retainer; 
     FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a motherboard and heatsink retainer; 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a heatsink retainer mounted to a motherboard; 
     FIG. 8 is a closeup view of a heatsink retainer engaged to a chassis projection; and 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a heatsink retainer engaged to a chassis projection where the motherboard, heatsink retainer and chassis projection are shown in cross-section. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     It will be appreciated that the present invention can take many forms and embodiments. Some embodiments of the invention are described so as to give an understanding of the invention. It is not intended, however, that the embodiments of the present invention that are described in this specification should limit the invention. 
     Turning now to the drawings and referring initially to FIG. 1, there is depicted a cutaway, perspective view of an exemplary computer system  10 . Computer system  10  comprises a chassis  14  which in turn is comprised of a number of chassis walls  18 . Chassis walls  18  may include the side walls of the chassis, the chassis top, or the chassis floor as illustrated. 
     In addition, computer system  10  comprises a motherboard  22 . Motherboard  22 , in turn, comprises a board substrate  26  and components such as central processing unit  30 , memory components  34 , and heatsink retainer fasteners  66 . Disposed about CPU  30  on motherboard  22  is a heatsink retainer  50 . Mass storage device  38  also resides within the chassis and is connected to motherboard  22 . In addition, the exemplary computer system  10  comprises input and output such as monitor  42  and keyboard  46 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, heatsink retainer  50  possesses retainer cutouts  54  disposed on opposing corners. Along other opposing corners of heatsink retainer  50  are fastener cutouts  62 . Through fastener cutouts  62 , heatsink retainer fasteners  66  securely engage heatsink retainer  50  onto motherboard  22 . 
     In computer system  10 , heatsink  70  is conformally engaged with retainer  50  such that the bottom of heatsink  70  is in contact with CPU  30 . Retainer clips  72  are disposed along heatsink clip facings  98  and securely engage with retainer clip engagements  102  of retainer  50  via hook members  104 . 
     In this embodiment, heatsink retainer  50  is mountably engaged with chassis  14 . Engagement is via chassis projections  74  that may be integrally formed from a chassis wall  18 , here the chassis floor, as depicted in FIG.  2 . The weight of heatsink  70  is not supported by motherboard  22  but is instead supported directly by the chassis  14  through chassis projections  74 . In this manner, motherboard  22  is protected from bending and other stress effects caused by heatsink  70 . 
     One exemplary chassis projection  74  is depicted in FIG. 3 as a side view. Chassis projection  74  comprises a projection shaft  82 , a projection neck  80  as well as a projection head  58 . Projection neck  80  forms projection shoulder  78  which serves to engage retainer cutouts  54  and motherboard cutouts  86 , thereby supporting heatsink retainer  50  and motherboard  22  respectively. 
     FIG. 4 depicts a top view of heatsink retainer  50 . As depicted in a preferred embodiment, retainer cutouts  54  are disposed upon two of the diametrically opposed corners of retainer  50 . Fastener cutouts  62  are disposed upon the remaining corners of retainer  50  and are configured to securely engage heatsink retainer fasteners  66  projecting from motherboard  22 . In addition, a retainer clip engagement  102  is evident generally disposed upon each corner of heatsink retainer  50 . In the preferred embodiment, engagement  102  is configured to engage with hook member  104  located upon retainer clip  72 . In an alternative embodiment, engagement  102  may simply form a projection configured to engage a windowed cutout on retainer clip  72 . 
     As depicted, retainer cutouts  54  are generally keyhole shaped, comprising a generally rounded cutout pass-through  90  and a narrower sliding lockout  94 . The region adjacent to sliding lockout  90  not comprising cutout pass-through  90  comprises a narrow, shelf-like, partial circle forming retainer shoulder engagement  96 . 
     Cutout pass through  90  is configured to allow passage of projection head  58  of chassis projection  74 . Chassis projection  74  may then be slidably engaged with sliding lockout  94  which is configured to allow passage of projection neck  80  but not projection head  58 . Thus, when chassis projection  74  is slidably engaged with sliding lockout  94 , projection head  58  is prevented from passing through sliding lockout  94 . 
     As depicted in the exemplary embodiment, retainer cutouts  54  are configure asymmetrically on heatsink retainer  50 . One retainer cutout  54  is configured such that cutout passthrough  90  is adjacent to the edge of retainer  50 . The other retainer cutout  54  is configured such that sliding lockout  94  is adjacent to the edge of retainer  50 . This asymmetry is necessary for an installer to be able to slide heatsink retainer  50  in a single direction in order to engage chassis projections  74 . 
     FIG. 5 depicts the heatsink retainer  50  from a perspective. The keyhole configuration of retainer cutouts  54 , the asymmetry of retainer cutouts  54 , and the engagement surfaces of retainer clip engagements  102  are clearly depicted. 
     FIG. 6 shows a simplified perspective view of the association between heatsink retainer  50  and motherboard  22 . Motherboard  22  comprises two fasteners  66  as well as CPU  30 . Fasteners  66  are diametrically opposed relative to CPU  30  and are configured to pass through fastener cutouts  62  on heatsink retainer  50 . When fasteners  66  pass through fastener cutouts  62 , heatsink retainer  50  is securely engaged to motherboard  22 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, motherboard  22  further comprises two motherboard cutouts  86  diametrically opposed to one another relative to the CPU  30  and disposed so as to each be in alignment with a retainer cutout  54 . Likewise, motherboard cutouts  86  are generally keyhole shaped in conformance with their respective retainer cutout  54 . Motherboard cutouts  86  therefore comprise a generally round motherboard pass-through  106  and a narrower motherboard lockout  108 . Likewise the region around motherboard lockout  108  not comprising motherboard pass-through  106  comprises a motherboard engagement region  110  configured to come into engagement with projection shoulder  78  upon slidable engagement, thus preventing passage of either projection head  58  or projection shaft  82 . Once heatsink retainer  50  is affixed to motherboard  22  via fasteners  66  and fastener cutouts  62 , retainer cutouts  54  are aligned with respective motherboard cutouts  86 . 
     Next, as FIG. 7 depicts from a birdseye perspective, Motherboard  22  and heatsink retainer  50  are slidably engaged with chassis projections  74 . Engagement is accomplished by passing chassis projections  74  through both motherboard pass-through  106  and cutout pass-through  90 . Heatsink retainer  50  and motherboard  22  may then be slidably engaged with chassis projection  74  so that projection neck  80  slides into sliding lockout  94  and motherboard lockout  108 . After sliding engagement, projection shoulder  78  is supports the lower surface of motherboard engagement  110 . Projection shoulder  78  is thereby supporting retainer shoulder engagement  96  via motherboard engagement  110 . In this manner, the weight of heatsink  70  is distributed directly to chassis  14  via chassis projections  74 . 
     FIG. 8 depicts a close-up, birdseye perspective of the engagement of chassis projection  74  with heatsink retainer  50  and motherboard  22 . FIG. 9 depict a cut-away perspective view of the engagement. In FIG. 9, the engagement of motherboard engagement  110  and retainer shoulder engagement  96  with projection neck  80  and projection shoulder  78  is clearly seen. FIG. 9 also clearly demonstrates the method by which motherboard  22  and heatsink retainer  50  are disengaged from chassis projection  74 . By sliding motherboard  22  and heatsink retainer  50  so that chassis projection  74  is in motherboard pass-through  106  and cutout passthrough  90 , motherboard  22  and heatsink retainer  50  may then be lifted off of chassis projections  74 . 
     Due to chassis projections  74 , it is possible for motherboard  22  and heatsink retainer  50  to be inserted and supported within chassis  14  without the use of tools. The combination of pass-throughs and engagement surfaces in both motherboard  22  and heatsink retainer  50  make such insertion and support possible. By using chassis projections  74  and the sliding lockouts  94  of retainer  50 , it is possible for heatsink retainer  50  to be directly engaged with the chassis  14  in a tool-free manner. 
     While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and have been described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.