Abstract:
An apparatus for mounting a switching power supply to a rear panel having an opening defined therein of a computer enclosure, comprises a cover including a vertical portion fitted in the opening, and a step portion securely fixed to the rear panel. The vertical portion further includes a tab interengaged with the switching power supply.

Description:
SPECIFICATION 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of The Invention 
     The present invention relates to a computer enclosure, and particularly to an apparatus for allowing a computer enclosure to mount a switching power supply in one of two different sizes. 
     2. The Related Art 
     A switching power supply in a computer system converts the locally supplied alternating current (AC) power (usually 100-250 V) to a direct current (DC) power at a low voltage usable by the computer. A switching power supply also distributes electrical power to the subsystems of the computer requiring different voltage levels, such as a CD-ROM drive, a floppy disk drive, a hard disk drive or a fan. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional computer enclosure  10  includes a rear panel  12  defining an opening  14  in an upper portion thereof for mounting a switching power supply  16  therein. The power supply  16  has a socket  18  and a plurality of ventilation holes  20  exposed to the opening  14 . Several holes  22  are defined proximate the opening  14  and are aligned with corresponding holes  24  of the power supply  16  for fixing the power supply  16  to the computer enclosure  10 . A supporting bracket  26  extending from an edge of the opening  14  supports the power supply  16 . However, the conventional computer enclosure  10  can only accommodate a power supply of one predetermined size. Another power supply having different dimensions can not be mounted to the computer enclosure  10 . 
     Conventional computer enclosures, such as the one shown in FIG. 1, can only mount one size of power supply therein. Situations requiring a different sized power supply require a different computer enclosure, which in turn requires different molds and tooling for each enclosure, increasing the cost per enclosure. Therefore, a computer enclosure, which can mount a range of different power supplies by means of a small modification of the enclosure is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a computer enclosure that can mount a power supply in a range of different sizes. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a cover for use in mounting a power supply to a computer enclosure. 
     The present invention discloses a computer enclosure which can mount a switching power supply of one of two different sizes. The computer enclosure includes a rear panel having an opening sized to mount a first power supply having a larger size, plus a cover covering a part of the opening for mounting a second power supply having a smaller size. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional computer enclosure; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a first switching power supply mounted to a computer enclosure in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a second switching power supply mounted to the computer enclosure in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is an exploded view showing the computer enclosure, the second switching power supply and a cover in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the cover in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view showing the cover mounted to the computer enclosure; 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a cover of a second embodiment in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view showing the cover of the second embodiment mounted to the computer enclosure. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The invention can be used with different computer systems, such as a personal computers, workstations, or servers. For purposes of illustration, the embodiments are shown with personal computers in which a switching power supply of one of two different sizes is to be mounted. 
     Referring to FIG. 2, a computer enclosure  30  includes a base panel  32 , a front panel  34 , a rear panel  36  and a drive cage  38  bridging between the front panel  34  and the rear panel  36 . A first switching power supply  40  of a relatively large size is mounted in the enclosure  30  beneath the drive cage  38  and has a power socket  42  and curved ventilation holes  44  exposed to an opening  46  for connection with a local power source and for heat dispersion. The mating face  48  of the first switching power supply  40  is big enough to cover the whole opening  46 . Grounding fingers  50  extending from the edges of the opening  46  contact the mating face  48  to ground the first switching power supply  40  to the enclosure  30 . 
     Referring to FIG. 3, a second switching power supply  52  with a smaller size is mounted in the computer enclosure  30 . The second switching power supply  52  has a smaller mating face  54  than the first switching power supply  40  has, and therefore the mating face  54  does not block the entire opening  46  like the mating face  48  of the first switching power supply  40  does. A cover  56  is secured to the rear panel by a screw  58  which covers the portion of the opening  46  not covered by the power supply  52 . The switching power supply  52  is fixed to the cover  56  and the rear panel  36  by screws  60 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cover  56  includes a vertical portion  62  and a horizontal portion  64 . A step portion  66  is defined along an upper side of the vertical portion  62 , the step portion  66  extending downward to define a bay zone  68  for accommodating a tab  72  extending from an upper edge of the opening  46 . The bay zone  68  and the tab  72  respectively define a hole  70  and a second hole  74 , which align with one another. The cover  56  further forms a pair of stoppers  76  projecting forwardly and extending outwardly from opposite sides of the vertical portion  62  for abutting an exterior surface  78  of the rear panel  36  around the opening  46 . In the lower portion of the vertical portion  62 , the cover  56  forms two grounding fingers  80  and a tab  82  defining a hole  84  for respectively contacting the mating face  54  of the switching power supply  52  and for securing the switching power supply  52  thereto. 
     In assembly, the cover  56  is mounted to the opening  46  as shown in FIG.  6 . The step portion  66  of the cover  56  is positioned behind the rear panel  36 . The stoppers  76  abut the exterior surface  78  of the rear panel  36 . A screw  58  extends through the aligned holes  70 ,  74  in the bay zone  68  and on the tab  40 , respectively, fixing the cover  56  to the rear panel  36 . Referring to FIGS. 3,  4  and  6  together, a stage  86  protrudes inward from a lower edge of the opening  46  for supporting the switching power supply  52 . The switching power supply  52  is secured to the cover  56  and to the rear panel  36  using the screws  60 . The horizontal portion  64  of the cover  56  contacts an upper face  88  of the switching power supply  52 . The grounding fingers  50  of the rear panel  36  and the grounding fingers  80  contact the mating face  54  of the switching power supply  52  to ground the power supply  52  to the enclosure  30 . 
     A second embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. A cover 56′ of the second embodiment only has a vertical portion 62′, not the horizontal portion described in the first embodiment. 
     While the present invention has been described in reference to specific embodiments, the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention. Various modifications to the present invention can be made to the preferred embodiments by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     Therefore, persons of ordinary skill in this field are to understand that all such equivalent structures are to be included within the scope of the following claims.