Abstract:
A support rail assembly for supporting a load in a computer rack system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention includes a pair of rails configured to be secured to sides of computer equipment and secured to the rack system such that the computer equipment may slide into and out of the rack system. Each rail includes an inner rail slideably engaging an outer rail. The inner rail being secured to the sides of the computer equipment and the outer rail being secured to the front and rear racks. The outer rail having rear end and front end bracket that attach to the racks. Unique front end locking flanges and rear end locking flanges with rear end piloting flanges allow the outer rails to quickly pivot and lock into position.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to sliding rack-mountable rails for a rack-mounted support structure. More particularly, the invention relates to a novel sliding rail support structure designed to reduce the need for tools and time for installing the sliding rail support structure. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A variety of mechanical mounting structures have been devised for various structures including computer systems. In but one example, such as a server system, a number of sub-components or servers are arranged in a central cabinet or on a rack structure. The servers are typically mounted in stacked vertical arrangements, with each server being secured within the cabinet by a sliding rail structure. The sliding rail structures permit the servers to be extracted and reinserted easily into the cabinet, such as for servicing of internal components of the servers. In general, it is desirable to allow each server to be fully or nearly fully withdrawn from the cabinet in order to gain a high degree of access to internal components of the individual server. Following such service, the individual server may be closed and reinserted into the cabinet for normal operation. 
     Conventional server rail mounting racks include side support rails which interface with a sliding rail. The support rail is mounted within the cabinet, while the sliding rail is secured to the individual servers Because the servers are often quite heavy, and, when fully extended, constitute a significant cantilevered load, the support and sliding rail structures must offer a considerable resistance to loading, while affording easy sliding motion during displacement of the server. 
     While sliding rail mounting structure of the type described above are generally quite effective at adequately supporting servers and other computer components, they were not without disadvantages. For example, for most sliding rail mounting structures require tools for the installation or to ensure the rails are adequately secured to the racks. Since the rear ends of the sliding rails are often in the back of the racks, space or access may be highly restricted preventing the user from easily installing the sliding rails and servers. 
     There is a need, therefore, for an improved technique for installing mounting computer components within a cabinet or rack. In particular, there is a need for a telescopically sliding rail mount which can be installed without tools. Furthermore, there is a need for a support structure for computer components which offers the access advantages aforementioned. In addition, the sliding rack-mountable rails could be used in other industries to provide an easy access to cabinets or rack structures. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with various aspects of the invention, there is provided a support rail assembly for supporting a computer server in a rack system. The rack system typically have front and rear racks each with a plurality of openings. The support rail assembly includes a pair of rails, with each rail having an inner rail subassembly and an outer rail subassembly. The inner rail has a lateral base for alignment with a side of the computer server. The lateral base has one or more keyholes adapted for use with a corresponding lug(s) extending from the side of the computer server. The inner rail further has flanges extending outwardly from the lateral base. 
     The outer rail subassembly has an elongated support with a front end and a rear end. The elongated support further includes sides terminating to inwardly curved edges to form edge channels sized to slidably receive the flanges on the inner rail. The outer rail subassembly further includes a rear end bracket and a front end bracket. The rear end bracket is slidably attached to the rear end of the outer rail. The rear end bracket includes a pair of rearward locking flanges extending from the rear end bracket and distally positioned from one another to form a rearward gap there-between. The rear end bracket further includes a pair of piloting flanges extending from the rear end bracket in the rearward gap between the pair of rearward locking flanges. The pair of rearward locking flanges and the piloting flanges are positioned to slid through the openings in the rack and engage the rack to secure the rear end of the outer rail thereto. 
     The front end bracket is secured to the front end of the outer rail and includes a forward plate outwardly extending from the front end of the outer rail and defining a front end gap between the forward plate and a front face extending outwardly from an edge of the front end of the outer rail. The front end bracket further includes a rearward section pivotally engaging a top plate, the top plate includes lateral sides extending therefrom and terminating into forward locking flanges. The pair of forward locking flanges are positioned to slid through openings in the rack and engage the rack to secure the front end of the outer rail to the rack, with a portion of the rack sliding into the front end gap between the forward plate and a front face. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, the inner rail may include curved shoulders extending between the lateral base and the outwardly extending flanges to create an inner rail channel between the shoulders and the lateral base. 
     In yet another aspect, the rear end bracket may thus include a plate having a slot defined along the plate and sized to receive at least one fastener that is secured at one end to the rear end of the outer rail and positioned at another end through the slot, and the at least one fastener further includes a cap or nut secured around the fastener such that the rear end bracket is configured to slide relative to the rear end of the outer rail along the slot without separating therefrom. As such, the plate on the rear end bracket may further include side edges terminating into lateral projections extending from the plate, each of the lateral projections include along one end thereof one of the pair of rearward locking flanges. 
     In yet another embodiments, the rearward locking flanges may include a first inside edge extending from the lateral projection, a first angled edge tapered from the first inside edge and away from the lateral projection, a notch positioned between the first inside edge and the first angled edge, and a second angled edge tapered towards the lateral projection, and wherein the first and second angled edges are configured to allow the outer rail to slide and pivot into engagement and settle into a secured positioned with the rack when a portion of the rack rests in the notch. 
     In yet further aspects, the plate may terminate to a pilot plate angled away from the rear end of the outer rail, the pilot plate includes the pair of piloting flanges extending therefrom, such that the piloting flanges extend at an angle away from the rear end of the outer rail. Other aspects may provide for a magnet positioned to engage a portion of the top plate to maintain the front end bracket in a closed positioned. 
     Numerous other advantages and features of the invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       A fuller understanding of the foregoing may be had by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a server secured to a rack shelf using the sliding rails in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of the server prior to being slid into the rails in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 2A &amp; 2B  are perspective views of the sliding rails in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2C  is an illustration of an inner rail being secured to the server in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 3A &amp; 3B  are perspective views of the outer rail in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 3C-3F  are enlarged perspective views of the rear end bracket as attached and secured to the rear end of the outer rail; 
         FIGS. 3G &amp; 3H  are perspective views of the rear end bracket being secured to a rack in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 4A &amp; 4B  are enlarged perspective views of the front end bracket as attached and secured to the front end of the outer rail; 
         FIGS. 4C &amp; 4D  are perspective views of the front end bracket being secured to a rack in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4E  is a perspective view of the front end bracket secured to a rack in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an alternative bracket in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIGS. 6A &amp; 6B  are perspective views of an alternative bracket in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     While the invention is susceptible to embodiments in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will be described in detail herein the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the spirit or scope of the invention and/or claims of the embodiments illustrated. 
     Various embodiments of the principles of the present invention are shown in  FIGS. 1A-4E . The present invention comprises a sliding support shelf for electronic and related components to be supported in rack systems of various configurations. The sliding support shelf of the present invention is designed to provide support for components adapted/configured for use with rack systems, such as servers and other electronic components. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , there is shown corner racks  100  that extend vertically and that are designed to support servers  110  or electronic and related components. The racks  100  include openings  102  spaced along the length of the racks  100  to receive and secure to ends of rail assemblies  200 . The rail assemblies  200  once attached to the support servers  110  and secured to the racks  100  allow the services to slide in and out of the racks  100 . As mentioned above and as described below, the rail assemblies  200  are easily attached to the racks  100  without tools providing for an extremely easy attachment and installation. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 2A-2C , the rail assemblies  200  include an inner rail  205  and an outer rail  250 . The inner rail  205  includes a base  210  with interspaced keyholes  207 . The side edges  212  of the base  210  turn away to form shoulders  214  to create a channel  216  therebetween. The shoulders  214  terminate into flanges  218  that extend outwardly away from the shoulders  214 . During installation, the inner rail  205  is secured to sides of the support server  110  by sliding lugs  112  on the side of the support server  110  into the keyholes  207 . The inner rail  205  slides onto the lugs  112  until a retaining clip  217  on an end  220  of the base  210  of the inner rail locks one of the lugs  112  in place. This process would be repeated for the other side of the support server  110 . 
     Referring now also to  FIGS. 3A-3H , the outer rail  250  includes a base  252  that includes front and rear ends  254 ,  256 , respectively, and includes sides  258  that terminate to edges  260  curved inwardly to form an outer channel  268  sized to receive the flanges  218  defined on the inner rail, which as detailed below permits the inner rail to slide in and out of the outer rail. The front end  254  and the rear end  256  each include a specifically designed bracket to aid in securing the outer rail to the racks. 
     The rear end bracket  300  includes a plate  305  that includes a slot  307 . The slot  307  receives at least one fastener  270  that is secured at one end to the rear end  256  and includes a cap or nut  272  on the other end thereby securing the rear end bracket  300  to the rear end  256  of the outer rail  250 . The slot  307  permits the rear end bracket  300  to slide along the rear end  256  of the outer rail. The rear end bracket  300  further includes rearward locking flanges  310  and piloting flanges  312  to aid in securing the rear end  256  of the outer rail to the rack. 
     The plate  305  includes side edges  311 , adjacent the curved edge  260  of the outer rail, which terminate into lateral projections  314  extending away from the plate  305 . The lateral projections  314  include, along one end, the rearward locking flanges  310 . The rearward locking flanges  310  are defined to have an first inside face  320  extending from the lateral projection  314 . The first inside face  320  extends into a first angled face  325  that is angled towards the base  252  of the outer rail  250 . A notch  322  is positioned between the first inside face  320  and the angled face  325 . From the angled face  325  the locking flange  310  further has a rounded face  330  (rounded away from the base  252  of the outer rail  250 ) that terminates into a flat edge  335 . The flat edge  335  extends to a second angled face  340  that is facing opposite to the first angled face  325 . The second angled face  340  then terminates back to the lateral projection  314 . 
     The plate  305  further includes a rear portion  345  terminating towards the rear of the outer rail  250 , the rear portion  345  includes a piloting plate  350  angled away from the outer rail. The piloting plate  350  includes a pair of piloting flanges  312  extending therefrom. The piloting flanges  312  are positioned between the rearward locking flanges  310  and include a grooved outer edges  355  to create outside gaps  360  between the outside portions of the piloting flanges  312  and the rearward locking flanges  310 . As noted, the piloting flanges  312  extend from the piloting plate  350  and therefore further include an inside gap  362  between the inside portions of the piloting flanges  312 . 
     During installation, the rear end bracket  300  is aligned such that the piloting flanges  312  and the rearward locking flanges  310  are inserted through the openings  102  in the racks  100 . The insertion is done at a slight angle and then the outer rail is slightly pivoted such that the rack rests against the notches  322 . The inside gap  362  allows the piloting flanges  312  to insert into the openings without interference from the piloting plate  350 . Once inserted and straightened the outer rail  205  may slid forward and backwards along the slot  307  in the rear end bracket  300  to accommodate slight differences in lengths between rear rack pieces and front rack pieces. 
     Continuing to refer to  FIGS. 3A-3H  and also to  FIGS. 4A-4E , the front end bracket  400  is secured to the front end  254  of the outer rail  250 . The front end bracket  400  includes a front plate  405  secured to the front end  254  of the outer rail  250 . The front plate  405  includes a forward section  407  terminating into an outwardly extending forward plate  410 . A defined forward gap  415  is created between the outwardly extending forward plate  410  and a front face  280  that extends outwardly from the edge of the front end  254  of the outer rail  250 . The front plate  405  also includes a rearward section  420  that has a pair of arms  425  extending upwardly and which pivotally engage a top plate  430 . The top plate  430  include a pair of rearward extending arms  435  which pivotally attach to the pair of arms  425  on the front plate  405 . The top plate  430  further includes lateral sides  440  extending on the sides of the top plate  430 . Each lateral side  440  terminates into forward locking flanges  445 . Each forward locking flange  445  includes an inside face  450  tapered away from the lateral side  440  to a flat edge  455  and then moving to an outside face  460  which tapers towards the lateral side  440 . In addition, a notch  447  is positioned between the lateral side  440  and the inside face  450 . 
     During installation, after the rear end bracket  300  is installed, the user installs the front end bracket  400 . First, the user opens the front end bracket  300  by pivoting the top plate  430  away from the front plate  405 . The forward locking flanges  445  are then inserted into the openings  102  in the rack  100 . Once inserted, the outer rail is pivoted to close the top plate  430  relative the front plate  405 , placing a section of the rack  100  in the forward gap  415  between the outwardly extending forward plate  410  and the front face  280 . 
     In addition, a magnet  500  may be positioned in an aperture  505  defined on either the top plate  430  or the front plate  405  to help keep the front end bracket  400  closed. If the top and front plates are metallic in structure then the magnet may simply attach to the plate itself; however, if necessary a pair of magnets may be used to help keep the plates closed. 
     Lastly, a small screw  510  may be set into an opening  512  in the front end of the outer rail and which is aligned with openings  515  and  520  in the front plate  405  and top plate  430 . 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a support rail  200  for supporting an equipment component  110  on a rack system  100 . The rack system has first and second racks  100  each with a plurality of openings  102 . The support rail includes a pair of rails, each rail having a first rail  250  with a first end bracket  300 , and a second end bracket  400 . The first rail  250  includes an elongated support with a first end  256  and a second end  254 . 
     The first end bracket  300  is slidably attached to the first end  256  of the first rail  250 . The first end bracket includes a pair of first locking flanges  310  extending from the first end bracket and distally positioned from one another to form a first gap  342  there-between. The first end bracket  256  further includes a pair of piloting flanges  312  extending from the first end bracket in the first gap  342  between the pair of first locking flanges  310 , such that the pair of first locking flanges  310  and the piloting flanges  312  are positioned to slid through the openings  102  in the rack  100  and engage the rack to secure the first end  256  of the first rail  250  thereto. 
     The second end bracket  400  is secured to the second end  254  of the first rail. The second end bracket  400  includes a plate  410  that is outwardly extending from the second end bracket to define a second gap  415  between the plate  410  and a face member  280 , which extends outwardly from an edge  282  of the second end  254  of the first rail  250 . The second end bracket  400  further includes a section  422  pivotally engaging a top plate  430 . The top plate includes lateral sides  440  extending therefrom that terminate into second locking flanges  445 . The pair of second locking flanges  445  are positioned to slid through openings  102  in the rack  100  and engage the rack to secure the second end  254  of the first rail to the rack. In addition, to better secure the second end thereto, a portion of the rack slides into the second gap  415  between the plate  410  and a face member  280 . 
     The support rail  200  may further include a second rail  205  having a lateral base  210  for alignment with a side  114  of the equipment component  110 . The lateral base  210  having at least one keyhole  207  adapted for use with a corresponding lug  112  extending from the side of the equipment component. The second rail  205  may further have flanges  218  extending outwardly from the lateral base. The elongated support  252  of the first rail further including sides terminating to inwardly curved edges  260  to form edge channels  261  sized to slidably receive the flanges  218  on the second rail  205 . 
     The first end bracket  300  may include a plate  305  having a slot  307  defined along the plate and sized to receive at least one fastener  270  that is secured at one end to the first end of the first rail and positioned at another end through the slot. The at least one fastener further includes a cap or nut  272  secured around the fastener such that the first end bracket is configured to slide relative to the first end of the first rail along the slot without separating therefrom. 
     The plate  305  on the first end bracket  300  may further include side edges  310  terminating into lateral projections  314  extending from the plate. Each of the lateral projections  314  include along one end thereof one of the pair of first locking flanges  310 . In addition, the plate  305  may further terminate to a pilot plate  350  angled away from the first end of the first rail. The pilot plate  350  includes the pair of piloting flanges  312  extending therefrom, such that the piloting flanges extend at an angle away from the rear end of the outer rail. 
     The second end bracket  400  includes a second plate  405  secured to the second end of the first rail. The second plate  405  includes a pair of arms  425  extending upwardly from a section  422  to pivotally engage a pair of second arms  435  extending from the top plate  430 . As noted above, magnet(s) or other clipping/securing mechanism may be used to engage a portion of the top plate to maintain the second end bracket in a closed positioned. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , there is illustrated another end bracket  600  configured to be secured on one end of the outer rail  250 . The end bracket  600  includes a base plate  605  secured to the end of the outer rail  250 . The base plate  605  includes a first pair of arms  610  extending from one portion of the base plate and includes a second pair of arms  615  extending from a second portion of the base plate. The first pair of arms  610  extend upwardly and pivotally engage a top plate  620 . The top plate  620  includes a pair of lateral sides  630  that extend away from the top plate  620 . Each lateral side  630  has a first end that pivotally engages the pair of arms  610 , while a second end  634  distally positioned along the lateral side terminates into forward locking flanges  636 . Each forward locking flange  636  includes an inside face  642  tapered away from the lateral edge  640  to a flat edge  644  and then moving to an outside face  646  which tapers towards a second lateral edge  648 . The second pair of arms  615  extending from the base plate  605  are configured to engage an interior surface  650  of the lateral sides  630 , such that when in a closed configuration, as shown, the bracket has a tendency to remain in the closed configuration. In addition, the second pair of arms  615  further include an edge  617  which creates a gap  652  between the edges  617  of the second pair of arms  615  and a front face  280  that extends outwardly from the edge of the front end  254  of the outer rail  250 . If necessary, openings  656  in the second pair of arms may align with openings  658  in the lateral sides to allow fasteners to be inserted to ensure the bracket maintains a closed configuration. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 6A and 6B , there is illustrated an alternative embodiment for a bracket  700  similarly configured to bracket  300 , except the bracket  700  includes a guide plate  705  that is secured to the end  254  of the rail  250 . The guide plate  705  includes side  710  that terminate to inwardly curved edges  715  to form channels  720  sized to receive the edges  302  of plate  305 ′. The only difference between plate  305  noted above and plate  305 ′, is plate  305 ′ does not require the slot, because the guide plate  705  allows the plate  305 ′ to be slidably engaged to the rail. The remaining elements of plate  305 ′ including the locking flanges and piloting flanges are similarly configured. 
     From the foregoing and as mentioned above, it is observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concept of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the embodiments illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is intended to cover, by the appended claims, all such modifications within the scope of the appended claims.