Abstract:
An apparatus of an embodiment may include a network equipment chassis shield comprising a rectangular planar surface for mounting in front of a face of an equipment chassis, at least one supporting bracket for mounting the rectangular planar surface, and two or more fasteners for securing the rectangular planar surface to an anchoring structure. A first fastener may secure the rectangular planar surface to the at least one supporting bracket and a second fastener may secure the at least one supporting bracket to the anchoring structure.

Description:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
     Computers, such as servers and networking equipment may contain connections, wiring, settings, controls and other features that may be affected by unintentional contact. Computers may be centralized in server rooms with narrow aisles, numerous pieces of equipment, and a high amount of traffic. The accidental bumping or snagging of a connection, button, switch, lever or other component associated with a computer can cause an outage or service disruption. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In order to facilitate a fuller understanding of the exemplary embodiments, reference is now made to the appended drawings. These drawings should not be construed as limiting, but are intended to be exemplary only. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an equipment chassis shield attached to an equipment chassis, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of an equipment chassis shield attached to an equipment chassis, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     An exemplary embodiment provides a network equipment chassis shield. The network equipment chassis shield may protect one or more portions of network equipment from damage and/or disruption. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a perspective view of an equipment chassis shield, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, is illustrated. As illustrated, equipment chassis shield  110  may contain side panels  112   a  and  112   b . Equipment chassis shield  110  may utilize support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and  114   d  for mounting, such as, mounting to equipment chassis  118  or mounting to a stable structure in close proximity to equipment chassis shield  110 . Equipment chassis shield  110  may be fastened to one or more support brackets using fasteners, such as fasteners  116   a ,  116   b , and/or  116   c . Equipment chassis shield  110  may protect one or more areas of equipment chassis  118 , such as network connection  126 . Equipment chassis shield  110  may be mounted to permit access to control panel  130 . For example, equipment chassis shield  110  may be mounted below control panel  130  or with enough clearance between equipment chassis shield  110  and control panel  130  to access control panel  130 . Equipment chassis shield  110  may extend vertically from control panel  130  to a top lip of cable tray  128 . Equipment chassis shield  110  may contain one or more openings, such as  120   a , and  120   b , which may be utilized for securing equipment chassis shield  110  to one or more support brackets. 
     Support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and/or  114   d  may be brackets, braces, ties, rods, or other supports for mounting equipment chassis shield  110 . Support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and  114   d  may be composed of various materials such as metal, wood, and/or plastics. Support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and/or  114   d  may mount on an equipment rack holding the equipment chassis, on part of the equipment chassis itself, and/or on a structure in close proximity to an equipment chassis such as a wall. For example, support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and/or  114   d  may mount on one end to a flange or mounting bracket of the equipment chassis, such as equipment chassis mounting bracket  122 . Support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and/or  114   d  may hold equipment chassis shield  110  in front of or over one or more areas of equipment chassis  118  in order to prevent damage or disruptions to equipment. Support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and  114   d  may extend from equipment chassis  118  a sufficient distance to accommodate side panels  112   a  and or  112   b . The distance between equipment chassis  118  and equipment chassis shield  110  may permit sufficient clearance for components communicatively coupled to equipment chassis  118 , such as network connection  126 . The distance between equipment chassis  118  and an inner vertical edge of side panels  112   a  and  112   b  may permit air flow to facilitate ventilation. The distance may vary between equipment chassis  118  and equipment chassis shield  110 . In one or more embodiments, the length of support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and/or  114   d  may be adjustable. In some embodiments, support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and/or  114   d  may be hinged and may enable one end of equipment chassis shield  110  to rotate away from equipment chassis  118 . This may permit access to equipment chassis  118  without removing equipment chassis shield  110 . Support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and  114   d  may anchor to different portions of a support structure, such as an equipment rack, which may enable the placement of one or more support brackets to avoid obstructions such as cable tray support  134 . 
     Support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and  114   d  may be U-shaped and may contain a first end with a shield tab  124 . Shield tab  124  may contain an opening permitting the use of a fastener such as a bolt or a screw. In some embodiments, shield tab  124  may be fastened by using glue, by welding, and/or by the use of a clamp, a pin, a peg, a clip, hook, or other fastener. Shield tab  124  may be approximately the length of a mounting flange, such as equipment chassis mounting bracket  122 . This may enable the placement of one or more brackets adjacent to a side of equipment chassis  118  without hitting vertical obstructions such as vertical cable tray  132 . The length of shield tab  124  may also enable equipment to be placed side by side, may enable cabling or other equipment to pass on either side of support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and  114   d , and/or may permit air flow between the side of equipment chassis  118  and a support bracket. 
     The opposite end of support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and  114   d  may contain anchor tab  136 . In some embodiments, anchor tab  136  may contain an opening for aligning with opening  120  of equipment chassis shield  110  in order to utilize a fastener, such as fastener  116   c . In some embodiments, the opening in anchor tab  136  and or shield tab  124  may be threaded. Anchor tab  136  and/or shield tab  124  may contain a latch or hook for fastening into a slot on an equipment rack and/or equipment chassis shield  110 . In one or more embodiments, anchor tab  136  and/or shield tab  124  may contain a notched protuberance that fits into a slot of a anchoring structure, such as an equipment rack, wherein the protuberance fits in the slot when a support bracket is rotated 90 degrees on its horizontal axis and locks into the slot when rotated back to a normal position. In one or more embodiments, anchor tab  136  and/or shield tab  124  may contain a stud or other protuberance with an outer peripheral flange enabling the fastening of a support bracket to a slotted structure. For example, anchor tab  136  may contain a stud enabling the fastening of support bracket  114   c  to equipment chassis shield  110 . Anchor tab  136  may be longer than shield tab  124  and may permit additional support for equipment chassis shield  110 . 
     Equipment chassis shield  110  may be designed to reduce damage or disruption to one or more network components, such as network connection  126 . In one or more embodiments, network connection  126  may be a fiber optic network connection. An accidental bump in a server room may bend a fiber optic cable which may cause damage, signal degradation, signal loss, or other disruptions. Network cables such as network connection  126  may be dislodged or snagged. Power connections, connections to peripheral devices or other connections may be disrupted. An individual carrying tools or working on equipment adjacent to equipment chassis  118  or across from equipment chassis  118  may accidentally contact one or more portions of equipment chassis  118 . The accidental contact may cause damage that is difficult to detect and/or difficult to diagnose. For example, a fiber optic connection may be bent beyond a critical angle which may cause signal degradation. User interfaces or controls such as buttons, switches, and levers on equipment chassis  118  may be accidentally touched which may affect settings. The seating of one or more network cards or other components in equipment chassis  118  may also be affected. Equipment chassis shield  110  may reduce these and other disruptions. Equipment chassis shield  110  may be transparent or may contain one or more transparent portions. Thus, lights, controls, connections, and other indicators may be visible through equipment chassis shield  110  when it is mounted on equipment chassis  118 . 
     Equipment chassis shield  110  may contain one or more side panels, such as side panels  112   a  and  112   b . Side panels  112   a  and  112   b  may reduce snagging or other disruptions. In some embodiments, top panels and/or bottom panels may be utilized. 
     Equipment chassis shield  110  may be composed of one or more materials such as plexiglass, glass, plastics, and/or metal. In one or more embodiments, equipment chassis shield may be composed of a non-conducting material, such as a plastic, that insulates equipment chassis  118  from electrical charges. Equipment chassis shield  110  may be grounded. In some embodiments, a front panel and one or more side panels of equipment chassis shield  110  may formed as a continuous surface. For example, a solid sheet of plexiglass with two vertical bends at either side which may be utilized to form the front panel and two side panels of equipment chassis shield  110 . Equipment chassis shield  110  may form a single u-shaped shield protecting a front face of equipment chassis  118 . In some embodiments, multiple separate panels may be utilized. 
     Equipment chassis shield  110  may have a width sized to protect one or more sensitive areas of an equipment chassis such as an area holding traffic bearing network cards. The width of equipment chassis shield  110  may be larger than that of equipment chassis  118 . The width of equipment chassis shield  110  may permit support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and  114   d  to attach to an inside of equipment chassis shield  110 . Equipment chassis shield  110  may extend horizontally to protect one or more sensitive areas of equipment chassis  118 . In some embodiments, equipment chassis shield  110  may have openings (not shown) permitting ventilation and/or access to one or more controls. Equipment chassis shield  110  may be designed to avoid covering air intakes or ventilation of an equipment chassis. 
     Equipment chassis shield  110  may be produced in different sizes and different configurations to protect different types and makes of equipment. For example, in one or more embodiments equipment chassis shield  110  may be designed to protect one or more areas of a Tellabs 8860 Multi-Service IP Switch or Multi-Service IP Router. In such embodiments, equipment chassis shield  110  may be approximately 29.75 inches high by 24 inches wide and may be composed ⅛ inch thick clear plastic. Equipment chassis shield  110  may contain bends of approximately ninety degrees at either side extending the shield an additional two inches on each side to form side panels. The support brackets for such embodiments may be one inch wide by 12.5 inches long. The support brackets may be composed of 3/16 inch thick steel. In one or more additional embodiments equipment chassis shield  110  may be designed to protect one or more areas of a Juniper M320, M160 and/or M40 router. The Juniper M320, M160, and/or M40 routers may require different widths and/or heights of equipment chassis shield  110 . The mounting points and/or openings in equipment chassis shield  110  may vary by embodiments. Additional dimensions may vary as well. The support brackets utilized for such embodiments may vary in dimension and/or composition from those of other embodiments. Thermal measurements may be taken for one or more embodiments to ensure adequate airflow and/or ventilation. Additional ventilation openings may be added, the distance between equipment chassis shield  110  and equipment chassis  118  may be increased and/or decreased, the height of equipment chassis shield  110  may be raised or lowered, or other measures may be taken to ensure equipment chassis  118  receives adequate ventilation. In some embodiments, equipment chassis shield  110  may be made of a thermally conductive material, such as metal, to improve heat dissipation. 
     The various components of system  100  as shown in  FIG. 1  may be further duplicated, combined and/or integrated to support various applications and platforms. Additional elements may also be implemented in the systems described above to support various applications. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a front view of an equipment chassis shield is depicted, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. As illustrated, equipment chassis shield  110  may contain support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and/or  114   d . Support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and/or  114   d  may be fastened utilizing fasteners  116   a ,  116   b ,  116   c , and/or  116   d . Fasteners  116   a ,  116   b ,  116   c , and/or  116   d  may utilize screws, bolts, clamps, glue, studs, rivets and/or other fasteners to couple equipment chassis shield  110  to support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and/or  114   d . Fasteners  116   a ,  116   b ,  116   c , and/or  116   d  may pass through openings  120   e ,  120   f ,  120   g  and/or  120   h  to fasten equipment chassis shield  110  to support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and/or  114   d . Equipment chassis shield  110  may contain additional openings such as  120   a ,  120   b ,  120   c  and/or  120   d  which may enable support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and/or  114   d  to be mounted at different heights relative to equipment chassis  118 . This may enable support brackets  114   a ,  114   b ,  114   c , and/or  114   d  to be mounted to avoid obstructions such as cable stays, cabling or other structures. Openings  120  may be oblong, slotted openings which may permit the insertion of the head or outer peripheral flange of a fastener at the lower end of a slot. The upper end of an opening  120  may be narrower and may enable the secure fastening of equipment chassis shield  110  to one or more support brackets. This may permit the removal and/or installation of equipment chassis shield  110  by loosening one or more fasteners and sliding equipment chassis shield  110  upward and then outward away from equipment chassis  118 . Other fastening mechanisms may be utilized which may also permit the removal of equipment chassis shield  110 . 
     Equipment chassis shield  110  may enable the protection of one or more components of equipment chassis  118 , such as network card  204 . Equipment chassis shield  110  may prevent the disruption of network cable  202  and/or card latch  210 . Equipment chassis shield  110  may provide sufficient clearance for one or more components such as network cable  202  and/or cable guide  208 . Equipment chassis shield  110  may enable a user to clearly view one or more indicators located behind the shield such as LED indicator  206 . Equipment chassis shield  110  may be constructed so as not to impede airflow to vent  210 . 
     In the preceding specification, various preferred embodiments have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto, and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing from the broader scope of the invention as set forth in the claims that follow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense.