Patent Publication Number: US-2007114192-A1

Title: Mounting system for equipment enclosures

Description:
This invention was made with Government support under N00024-96-C-6226 awarded by the Department of the Navy. The Government has certain rights in this invention. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
      Various embodiments of the invention relate to the field of cabinets and enclosures for holding equipment, especially computer and other electronic equipment, and in an embodiment, but not by way of limitation, to a rail mounting system allowing for ease of installation of equipment into the enclosures, adjustment of the equipment while in the enclosures, and removal of the equipment from the enclosures.  
     BACKGROUND  
      Computer and electronic equipment may be mounted in standard commercial rack mounting systems and/or Structurally Integrated Enclosures (SIE). In an attempt to standardize such installations, the Electronic Industry Association (EIA) has promulgated standards for mounting hardware. However, despite the EIA standards, in many situations there still remain dimensional tolerance variances between equipment and cabinets, and various adjustments are required so that the equipment will securely fit into the cabinet. These adjustments are normally implemented with shims. However, shims are not a desirable solution because they add variables to both the technical and cost aspects of an installation.  
      These dimensional tolerance variances are normally associated with the side to side movement and adjustment of the electronic equipment. In such systems, side brackets are used to mount the electronic equipment onto a standard EIA rail that in turn is mounted to the rear portion of a cabinet or enclosure. Another rail mounted to the front portion of the enclosure is used to secure the front panel of the electronic equipment to the rail. In such a setup, the rails allow minimal front to rear and top to bottom adjustment, and they allow virtually no side to side adjustment since the side bracket is mounted flat on the rails.  
       FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b  illustrate two examples of rails known in the art that are used to mount electronic equipment into a cabinet. The rails  10   a  and  10   b  include first substantially L-shaped sections  15   a  and  15   b , and second substantially L-shaped sections  20   a  and  20   b . Sections  15   a  and  15   b  include longitudinal bodies  23   a  and  23   b  and flanges  25   a  and  25   b . Sections  20   a  and  20   b  include longitudinal bodies  30   a  and  30   b  and flanges  35   a  and  35   b . Longitudinal bodies  23   a  and  23   b  include a plurality of holes  27   a  and  27   b  along the length of the bodies  23   a  and  23   b  which are for mounting the rails  10   a  and  10   b  to a cabinet. L-shaped sections  20   a  and  20   b  include a plurality of holes  40   a  and  40   b  that are used to connect L-shaped sections  15   a  and  15   b  to L-shaped sections  20   a  and  20   b  respectively. Flanges  25   a  and  25   b  include a plurality of holes  45   a  and  45   b  that are used to secure a side mounting bracket (not shown in  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b ) (through holes on the side mounting bracket) to the rails  10   a  or  10   b , or to mount accessory components to the rails  10   a  and  10   b , depending on the installation. The flanges  35   a  and  35   b  also contain a plurality of holes (not visible in  FIG. 1 ) that are similarly used to mount either a side mounting bracket or accessory components to the rails  10   a  or  10   b.    
      Equipment that is installed into a cabinet mounts to a side bracket. In such installations, as demonstrated in  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b , two L-brackets are used for each mounting location—thereby requiring at least eight such L-brackets (in a four corner installation). One such L-bracket mounts to the cabinet (via holes  27   a ,  27   b  in the bodies  15   a  and  15   b ), another L-bracket mounts to the equipment side bracket (via holes  45   a ,  45   b  in flanges  25   a ,  25   b , or holes (not visible in  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b ) in flanges  35   a ,  35   b ), and connecting hardware is used to mate the two L-brackets together (via holes  40   a ,  40   b ).  FIGS. 1   c  and  1   d  illustrate top planar views of the rails  10   a  and  10   b  of  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b  respectively.  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b  illustrate that sections  20   a  and  20   b  are “Added L Brackets” and “Added Hardware” since prior to the systems of  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b , only a single L section was used in installations. The sections  20   a  and  20   b  were later added by attaching the sections  20   a  and  20   b  to the single L-sections  15   a  and  15   b  that were at the time being used in such installations.  
      While the rails of  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b  allow for vertical movement within the cabinet because of the plurality of holes  45   a  and  45   b  in the flanges  25   a  and  25   b , and allow for front to back horizontal movement within the cabinet if the side bracket is an adjustable bracket, such rails still do not permit much side to side horizontal adjustment. To make a side to side adjustment, the previously alluded to shims must be employed between the side mounting brackets and the equipment that is installed into the cabinet. Moreover, the hardware needed to couple two L-brackets together adds to the complexity of the system, and is a source of strain and weakness.  
      The art is therefore in need of an alternative system for mounting computer and other electronic equipment into structurally integrated and other enclosures.  
     SUMMARY OF AN EMBODIMENT  
      In an embodiment, a rail mounting system allows for full three axis adjustment, thereby eliminating the need for shims or multiple-pieced rails and brackets in the installation of computer and other electronic equipment into structurally integrated enclosures and other cabinets for such equipment.  
      In an embodiment, the three axis adjustment system permits adjustment in a front to back, up and down, and side to side manner. The side to side adjustment is made possible because the side bracket includes bent ears with slots, and a rail on the cabinet has a bent flange to match the bent ears of the side bracket. Fasteners that connect the bent ears (via the slots) to the rail (via the standard EIA hole pattern) are able to horizontally slide through these slots. This structure permits considerable side to side adjustments to accommodate variances in the equipment mounted into the cabinet, and this adjustment can be made automatically during the installation procedure, thereby eliminating the need for shims for a standard commercial equipment installation.  
      In an embodiment, the rail that the side bracket mounts to is designed in a Z or C channel fashion that allows the bent ears of the side mounting bracket to surface mount with the rail. In this embodiment, the rails have the standard EIA rail hole configuration so as to be able to be integrated into existing equipment mounting designs that have ample space in the cabinet or enclosure. This embodiment does not require changes to the front mounting panels, or changes to commercially designed and custom designed electronic equipment, that use the standard EIA hole pattern. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b  illustrate perspective views of prior art rails for mounting equipment into a cabinet or structurally integrated enclosure.  
       FIGS. 1   c  and  1   d  illustrate top planar views of the prior art rails of  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b  respectively.  
       FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a mounting rail referred to as a Z rail.  
       FIG. 3  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a mounting rail referred to as a C rail.  
       FIG. 4  illustrates an embodiment of a rail mounting system including Z rails and a side mounting bracket. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. It is to be understood that the various embodiments of the invention, although different, are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described herein in connection with one embodiment may be implemented within other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, it is to be understood that the location or arrangement of individual elements within each disclosed embodiment may be modified without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, appropriately interpreted, along with the full range of equivalents to which the claims are entitled. In the drawings, like numerals refer to the same or similar functionality throughout the several views.  
      An embodiment of a rail for a mounting system for equipment, and in particular electronic equipment, is illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The embodiment of  FIG. 2  illustrates a Z rail  200 . The Z rail  200  has a body  210 , a first flange  220 , and a second flange  230 . The first and second flanges are connected to the body along longitudinal edges  224  and  234 . The rail  200  further has one or more clearance holes  240  in the body  210 . The flanges  220  and  230  have a plurality of holes  222  and  232  respectively along their lengths. The holes  222  and  232  may be either threaded holes or non-threaded through holes. In an embodiment, the holes  222  and  232  are mounted along the length of flanges  220  and  230  respectively in a standard Electronics Industry Association (EIA) pattern. The rail  200  may be manufactured out of a plated steel, a stainless steel, or any other durable material known in the art.  
       FIG. 3  illustrates another embodiment of a rail for a mounting system. The embodiment of  FIG. 3  illustrates a C rail  300 . The C rail  300  has a body  310 , a first flange  320 , and a second flange  330 . The first and second flanges are connected to the body along longitudinal edges  324  and  334 . The rail  300  further has one or more clearance holes  340  in the body  310 . The flanges  320  and  330  have a plurality of holes  322  and  332  respectively along their lengths. The holes  322  and  332  may be either threaded holes or non-threaded through holes. In an embodiment, the holes  322  and  332  are mounted along the length of flanges  320  and  330  respectively in a standard EIA pattern. The rail  300  may be manufactured out of a plated steel, a stainless steel, or any other durable material known in the art.  
      The clearance holes  240  and  340  in a Z and C rail respectively are for receiving fasteners for mounting the rails  200 / 300  on a Structured Integrated Enclosure (SIE) or other enclosure or cabinet. After mounting onto an SIE, a bracket is attached to the rail  200 / 300 .  FIG. 4  illustrates an example of such a bracket  450  as it may be attached to a Z rail  200 . The bracket  450  has a first section  455 , and a second section  460 . In an embodiment, the first section  455  sets into the second section  460  as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . Studs  465 , which sit in slots  480 , hold the two sections together. In the first section  455 , the slots  480  that receive the studs  465  are longitudinal, allowing for section  455  to slide within section  460 , thereby permitting the bracket  450  to be expanded and collapsed. The first section is connected to the Z or C rail via fasteners  470 , which protrude through slots in bent ears  475  of section  455 . The second section  460  is connected to the Z or C rail with fasteners (not visible in  FIG. 4 ) that are inserted through slots  485  located within bent ears  475  of the side bracket  450 .  
      The embodiment of  FIG. 4  permits three axis adjustment of the equipment in the enclosure. Front to back adjustment is permitted by the two piece side bracket  450 . Section  455  of the bracket slidably couples with section  460  of the bracket, via the tracking of studs  465  in slots  480 . Up and down adjustment is permitted by the plurality of holes  232  in the rail  200 , and the slots  485  in the bent ears  475 . The slots  485  further permit a side to side adjustment.  
      In the foregoing detailed description of embodiments of the invention, various features are grouped together in one or more embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments of the invention require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description of embodiments of the invention, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment. It is understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. It is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. In the appended claims, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein,” respectively. Moreover, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc., are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects.  
      The abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. 1.72(b) to allow a reader to quickly ascertain the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The Abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.