Patent Publication Number: US-2006018086-A1

Title: Mechanism for fastening adapter card on expansion slot

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to computer component connectors and more particularly to an improved mechanism for reliably fastening an adapter card inserted into an expansion slot on a motherboard of microcomputer.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Conventionally, an adapter card (e.g., AGP card) is added to a motherboard of microcomputer for providing additional functions. In detail, the adapter card is inserted into an expansion slot and is fastened by a fastening mechanism of the connector.  
      A conventional such fastening configuration is shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . A connector and expansion slot combination  1  comprises an elongated expansion slot  3  mounted on the motherboard, and a connector  4  including an elongated channel  5  snugly fitted onto the expansion slot  3 , a connecting member  6  provided at one end of the channel  5 , a flexible member  7  extended outwardly from the connecting member  6 , a tab  11  provided on the flexible member  7 , and a fastening mechanism  8  provided at the other end of the channel  5  and including a fastening member  9  and a mated fastening member  10 .  
      For mounting an adapter card  2 , first disengage the fastening member  9  from the mated fastening member  10 . Next, put the connector  4  onto the expansion slot  3 . Next, engage the fastening member  9  with the mated fastening member  10 . Finally, insert the adapter card  2  into the expansion slot  3  until both ends of the adapter card  2  are secured by the tab  11  and the fastening mechanism  8 .  
      However, the prior art suffered from several disadvantages. For example, the connecting member  6  and/or the fastening member  9  may be broken if an excessive force is exerted on the connector  4  in the fastening process. Further, the mounting of the connector  4  onto the expansion slot  3  is interfered by other components on the motherboard due to the elongated shape of the connector  4 . Hence, a need for improvement exists.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      It is an object of the present invention to provide an assembly for fastening an adapter card on a motherboard of a microcomputer, comprising an elongated expansion slot mounted on the motherboard and comprising, at one end thereof, an internal positioning member, a downwardly extended peg, a first recess, and an opposite second recess; and a fastening mechanism comprising a first guide member provided at one end, a second guide member opposite the first guide member wherein both the first and the second guide members are matingly fastened in the first and the second recesses respectively, a support with both the first and the second guide members formed thereon, a longitudinal slit defined by the first and the second guide members for securely receiving the peg, a mated positioning member provided on an inner surface of the first guide member fastened at the positioning member, an upper flexible member, a bent member extended from the flexible member, a latch formed at an open end of the flexible member, an upright first stop member spaced from the bent member, a transverse second stop member parallel with the flexible member, and a protrusion formed on a side of the flexible member spaced from the second stop member; whereby inserting the adapter card into the expansion slot will flex the flexible member until the protrusion enters into a hole of the adapter card for fastening; flexing the latch away from the second stop member will disengage the protrusion from the hole wherein the flexing of the latch is defined by contacting the bent member with the first stop member; and flexing the latch toward the second stop member will be stopped when the protrusion contacts the second stop member.  
      In one aspect of the present invention, the mated positioning member is a hook and the positioning member is a projection.  
      In another aspect of the present invention, the protrusion is a wedge.  
      The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1A  is an exploded view of a conventional configuration of fastening an adapter card in an expansion slot by means of the fastening mechanism of a connector;  
       FIG. 1B  is a side view in part section showing the fastened adapter card in the expansion slot;  
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  are top and front views of an expansion slot and a fastening mechanism fastened together according to a preferred embodiment of the invention respectively;  
       FIG. 2C  is a sectional view taken along line  2 C- 2 C of  FIG. 2A ;  
       FIGS. 3A, 3B , and  3 C are top, front, and side views of the expansion slot shown in  FIG. 2A ;  
       FIGS. 4A and 4B  are perspective and side views of the fastening mechanism shown in  FIG. 2A ;  
       FIG. 5  is a front view of the adapter card inserted into the expansion slot being fastened by the fastening mechanism according to the invention; and  
       FIGS. 6A and 6B  are top views showing an excessive flexing of flexible member being stopped by first and second stop members respectively. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Referring to FIGS.  2  to  6 B, there is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention. The invention comprises an elongated expansion slot  20  mounted on the motherboard of a microcomputer. The expansion slot  20  comprises a hollow frame  21 , a projection  25  provided on an internal wall of the frame  21  at one end, a downwardly extended peg member  24  provided at one end, a first recess  22  provided at one end, and an opposite second recess  23  provided at one end. The invention further comprises a fastening mechanism  30  mounted at one end of the expansion slot  20  and comprising a first guide member  32  provided at one end, a second guide member  33  opposite the first guide member  32  provided at one end in which both the first and second guide members  32  and  33  are matingly fastened in the first and second recesses  22  and  23  respectively, a support  31  with both the first and the second guide members  32  and  33  formed thereon, a longitudinal slit  34  defined by the first and the second guide members  32  and  33  for securely receiving the peg member  24 , a hook  35  provided on an inner surface of the first guide member  32  fastened at the projection  25 , an upper flexible member  36 , a bent member  38  extended from the flexible member  36 , a latch  312  formed at an open end of the flexible member  36 , an upright first stop member  39  spaced from the bent member  38 , a transverse second stop member  311  parallel with the flexible member  36 , and a wedge  37  formed on a side of the flexible member  36  spaced from the second stop member  311 .  
      One end  41  of an adapter card  40  presses the oblique surface of the wedge  37  when the adapter card  40  is inserted into the assembled expansion slot  20  and the fastening mechanism  30 . Thus, the flexible member  36  is flexed away from the second stop member  311  until a tip of the wedge  37  enters into a hole  42  of the adapter card  40  for fastening. At this position, the adapter card  40  is reliably secured to and electrically connected to the expansion slot  20  (see  FIG. 5 ).  
      As shown in  FIG. 6B , in a case that the adapter card  40  is not inserted into the expansion slot  20 , an excessive flexing of the latch  312  as indicated by arrow Y will be stopped when the wedge  37  contacts the second stop member  311 . As an end, the flexible member  36  is prevented from being broken.  
      As shown in  FIG. 6A  in conjunction with  FIG. 5 , a sufficient flexing of the latch  312  as indicated by arrow X will disengage the wedge  37  from the hole  42 . Hence, it is possible of removing the adapter card  40  from the expansion slot  20  thereafter. It is important that the flexing force exerted on the latch  312  will not exceed a predetermined maximum value since the first stop member  39  serves as a stop if the bent member  38  contacts the first stop member  39 . As an end, the flexible member  36  is prevented from being broken in the unfastening process.  
      While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.