Patent Publication Number: US-7707718-B2

Title: Methods for assembling computers

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/924,718 filed Aug. 23, 2004, which is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/155,674 filed May 23, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,823,588, which is a divisional of Ser. No. 09/770,553 filed Jan. 26, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,452,793, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. This application is also related to U.S. application Ser. No. 10/154,963 filed May 23, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,628,516, and U.S. application Ser. No. 11/500,601 filed Aug. 7, 2006. 

   TECHNICAL FIELD 
   This invention relates to apparatuses and methods for preventing disengagement of electrical connectors, and more particularly to retainers for preventing disengagement of electrical connectors in the assembly of computers. 
   BACKGROUND 
   Computers and many other products have several electrical connectors for operatively coupling internal and external components to one another. In a computer, for example, disk drives and CD-ROMs are coupled to a motherboard using internal connectors, and external output devices (e.g., printers and displays) are coupled to the computer using external connectors. The electronics industry typically uses standardized connectors so that manufacturers can purchase standard connectors from several different outside vendors. 
   Each computer generally has a plurality of different multiple-pin connectors. Among the more popular multiple-pin connectors available for assembling computers are the D-type, rectangular connectors, and center ribbon cable connectors. Additionally, card-edge connectors having 15-100 pins are also available to connect printed circuit boards to motherboards or other devices. One concern of electrical connectors is maintaining electrical contact between the electrical connectors and the receptacles with which they are engaged. Several types of electrical connectors rely on friction between the connector pins and mating sockets to hold the electrical connectors in the receptacles. Other types of electrical connectors have positive retention devices that securely attach the electrical connectors to the receptacles. 
     FIGS. 1A and 1B  are partial isometric views of two positive retention devices that are commonly used to prevent a connector from disengaging a socket.  FIG. 1A , more specifically, shows a D-type connector  110  with two thumbscrews  112  that thread into holes  113  in a receptacle  111 .  FIG. 1B  shows a rectangular type connector  120  with wire-clip latches  122  that snap into slots  123  in a receptacle  121 . Not shown in  FIG. 1  is a common card-edge type connector used to attach a printed circuit card to a motherboard. This type of connector is commonly provided with lugs that can be soldered to the motherboard to prevent disengagement of the circuit card. 
   Not all electrical connectors, however, are provided with positive retention devices. For example, electrical connectors for center ribbon cables that are used with drive devices (e.g., floppy disk or CD-ROM drives) typically do not have positive retention devices and rely only on pin friction to maintain engagement with the drive devices. A common problem encountered with this type of connector is that vibrations during transport or handling can cause the connector to disengage from its receptacle. Disengagement can occur during shipment from the point of assembly to the point of sale, or during typical use by the purchaser. This problem is especially acute with portable laptop computers. 
     FIG. 2  is a partial isometric view of a standard 68-pin IDE (integrated drive electronics) center ribbon cable connector  210  that does not have one of the positive retention devices more commonly used with the D-type or rectangular type connectors shown in  FIG. 1 . The center ribbon cable connector  210  mates with a 68-pin SCSI (small computer systems interface) connector receptacle  211  to connect an ultra-wide SCSI ribbon cable  215  to a 3½-inch drive device  230 . Without a positive retention device, the center ribbon cable connector  210  is prone to vibrate out of the 68-pin SCSI connector receptacle  211  during shipment of a computer  200 . 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is directed toward apparatuses and methods for preventing disengagement of electrical connectors in the assembly of computers. In one embodiment, the apparatus is a computer system having a chassis, an electrical component contained within the chassis, an electrical connector engaged with a receptacle on the electrical component, and a retainer to prevent disengagement of the electrical connector. In this embodiment, the retainer has a mounting portion and a connector interface. The mounting portion can be attached to at least one of the electrical component or the computer chassis. The connector interface is adjacent to the electrical connector to prevent the connector from disengaging from the receptacle on the electrical component. The connector interface can contact the electrical connector to press the connector into the receptacle on the electrical component, or the connector interface can be offset a selected distance to prevent the connector from disengaging from the electrical component. In one aspect of this embodiment, the retainer can prevent a center ribbon cable connector from disengaging a 3½-inch drive device. In other embodiments, the retainer can prevent disengagement of other connectors from other electrical components. 
   In another embodiment, an apparatus for retaining an electrical connector in a drive device is a retainer having a mounting portion toward a first end and a connector interface toward a second end. The mounting portion can have a substantially flat mounting surface with at least one fastener aperture configured to attach to a housing of the drive device. The connector interface can have a substantially rigid and substantially flat base portion adjacent to the electrical connector when the mounting portion is attached to the drive device. In one aspect of this embodiment, the arrangement of the mounting portion and the connector interface can give the retainer an “L-shape.” In other embodiments, the retainer can take other forms. In another aspect of this embodiment, the connector interface can include two side portions that connect to the base portion to form a concave cross-section. This concave cross-section is configured to cup the electrical connector to prevent the disengagement of the connector from the drive device. 
   In yet another embodiment, an apparatus for retaining an electrical connector in a drive device is a two-piece retainer having a bracket and a movable retainer portion. The bracket can have a first side member, a second side member, and a center member extending between the first and second side members. The side members of the bracket attach to a housing of the drive device. The moveable retainer portion can be operatively coupled to the first and second side members of the bracket. In this embodiment, once the bracket is attached to the housing of the drive device, the electrical connector can be installed in the drive device and the retainer portion can be positioned adjacent to the connector to prevent the connector from disengaging from the drive device. 
   One method for preventing disengagement of an electrical connector from a drive device in a computer includes securing a mounting portion of a retainer to a housing of the drive device or a chassis of the computer to position a connector interface of the retainer adjacent to the connector. In one aspect of this embodiment, securing the mounting portion of the retainer to the housing of the drive device can include inserting a threaded fastener through a fastener aperture in the mounting portion and threading the fastener into a selected threaded hole in the housing of the drive device. In other embodiments, the mounting portion can be secured to the chassis of the computer and not to the drive device housing. 
   Another method for preventing disengagement of an electrical connector from a receptacle on an electrical component includes using a two-piece retainer having a bracket and a movable retainer portion. In this embodiment, the retainer bracket is attached to the electrical component, and the electrical connector is installed into the receptacle on the electrical component. The movable retainer portion of the retainer is then positioned adjacent to an outwardly facing surface of the connector to prevent the connector from disengaging from the electrical component. In one aspect of this embodiment, the method can be used to prevent a center ribbon cable connector from disengaging from a 3½-inch drive device. In other embodiments, the method can be used to prevent disengagement of other connectors from other electrical components. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  are partial isometric views of two positive retention devices in accordance with the prior art. 
       FIG. 2  is a partial isometric view of a standard center ribbon cable connector and receptacle in accordance with the prior art. 
       FIG. 3  is a partial schematic isometric view of a computer system having a retainer to prevent disengagement of a connector from a receptacle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a partial schematic isometric view of a computer system having a retainer to prevent disengagement of a connector from a receptacle in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 5  is a partial cross-sectional view taken substantially along lines  5 - 5  in  FIG. 4  illustrating a connector interface and a connector in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 6  is a partial schematic isometric view of a computer system having a retainer that attaches to a computer chassis to prevent disengagement of a connector from a receptacle in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 7  is a partial schematic isometric view of a computer system having a two-piece retainer to prevent disengagement of a connector from a receptacle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
       FIG. 8  is a partial side view taken substantially along lines  8 - 8  in  FIG. 7  illustrating the operation of the retainer to prevent disengagement of a connector from a receptacle in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   The present disclosure describes apparatuses and methods for preventing disengagement of electrical connectors for use in the assembly of computers. Many specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following description and in  FIGS. 3 through 6  to provide a thorough understanding of these embodiments. One skilled in the art, however, will understand that the present invention may have additional embodiments, or that the invention may be practiced without several of the details described below. In other instances, well-known structures associated with computers and other electrical component assemblies, such as 3½-inch and 5¼-inch disk drive devices, have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments of the invention. 
     FIG. 3  is a partial schematic isometric view of a computer system  300  having a retainer  350  configured to prevent disengagement of a connector  310  from a receptacle  311  in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The computer system  300  has a chassis  340  housing a processor  360  operatively coupled to a memory device  370  and an input/output device  380 . In other embodiments, the computer system  300  can include other electrical components, or any one of the processor  360 , memory device  370 , or input/output device  380  may be omitted. 
   The connector  310  engages the receptacle  311  to maintain electrical continuity between a cable  315  and an electrical component  330  contained at least partially within the chassis  340 . In one aspect of this embodiment, the cable  315  is a ribbon cable, the connector  310  is a 68-pin IDE center ribbon cable connector, the electrical component  330  is a 3½-inch drive device, and the receptacle  311  is a 68-pin SCSI connector receptacle. In another embodiment, the electrical component  330  can be a 5¼-inch drive device. And in yet other embodiments, the cable  315  can be other cables having other connectors  310 , and the electrical component  330  can be other electrical components having other connector receptacles  311 . 
   As best seen in  FIG. 3 , the retainer  350  has a mounting portion  352  attached to a housing  335  of the electrical component  330 , a connector interface  354  adjacent to the connector  310 , and an interconnecting-section  355  between the mounting portion  352  and the connector interface  354 . The interconnecting-section  355  can carry the connector interface  354 . The interconnecting-section  355  of this embodiment is substantially perpendicular to the mounting portion  352  and the connector interface  354 . In an alternate embodiment, as shown by phantom lines  357 , the interconnecting-section  355  can be shaped and sized to form a curved section that carries the connector interface  354  so that it is adjacent to the connector  310  when the mounting portion  352  is connected to the housing  335  of the electrical component  330 . In one aspect of this embodiment, the retainer  350  is made from 20-gauge galvanized steel. In other embodiments, other materials of suitable strength and stiffness may be used. 
   The mounting portion  352  of the retainer  350  can be securely attached to the housing  335  of the electrical component  330  with a suitable fastener  356 . The fastener  356  passes through a fastener aperture  353  in the mounting portion  352  and is secured in a hole  336  in the housing  335 . In one aspect of this embodiment, the hole  336  in the housing  335  has a 6-32 UN internal thread and the fastener  356  has a 6-32 UN external thread. In an alternate embodiment, the hole  336  can be configured to accommodate a different type of fastener  356 , or the housing  335  can include other holes on other surfaces. For example, the retainer  350  can attach to a threaded fastener hole  339  in a side surface  338  of the housing  335 . In one aspect of this alternate embodiment, the mounting portion  352  can be omitted and the fastener  356  can be installed through the midsection  355  to attach the retainer  350  to the housing  335 . 
   In another aspect of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , the fastener aperture  353  in the mounting portion  352  is an oval shaped slot that allows positional adjustment of the connector interface  354  relative to the connector  310  before the fastener  356  is fully secured in the hole  336 . In other embodiments, the fastener aperture  353  can be a round hole, an open-ended slot, or a plurality of holes and/or slots that allows fine positioning of the connector interface  354 . 
   The connector interface  354  of the retainer  350  prevents the connector  310  from disengaging from the receptacle  311  in the electrical component  330 . In one aspect of this embodiment, the connector interface  354  directly contacts an outwardly facing surface  312  of the connector  310 . In other embodiments, the connector interface  354  can be spaced apart from the surface  312  by a distance of 0.01-0.20 inch, and more preferably, by a distance of 0.065-0.125 inch. In general, the connector interface  354  should be spaced apart from the connector  310  by a distance that is less than the length of the pins of the connector  310 . The connector interface  354  can also be spaced apart from the surface  312  by other distances so long as the retainer  350  prevents the connector  310  from disengaging from the receptacle  311 . 
   One advantage of the retainer  350  is that it prevents disengagement of the connector  310  without modifying the electrical component  330 , the connector  310 , or the receptacle  311 . For example, if the electrical component  330  is a conventional 3½-inch drive device with a standard 68 pin SCSI interface connector receptacle  311 , this receptacle will typically not include any positive retention devices such as thumbscrews or wire-clip latches. The conventional 3½-inch drive device  330 , however, will typically include at least one fastener hole  336  in the housing  335  which is threaded to accommodate a 6-32 UN threaded fastener. The availability of the existing 6-32 UN threaded fastener hole  336  allows retention of the connector  310  with the retainer  350  by positioning the connector interface  354  adjacent to the connector  310  and attaching the mounting portion  352  to the housing  335  as described above. 
   A further advantage of the retainer  350  is the ease with which the basic configuration can be adapted to accommodate various retention applications. The mounting portion  352 , interconnecting-section  355 , and connector interface  354  can be configured to take advantage of an existing fastener hole in the proximity of a connector to be retained. The retainer  350  can accordingly be configured for use in a wide range of retention applications. In addition, the low profile of the retainer  350  also helps to minimize potential interference between the retainer  350  and adjacent hardware components contained within the chassis  340  of the computer system  300 . 
     FIG. 4  is a partial schematic isometric view of a computer system  400  having a retainer  450  to prevent disengagement of the connector  310  from the receptacle  311  in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. The retainer  450  has a mounting portion  452  that attaches to the housing  335  of the electrical component  330 , and a connector interface  454  that is positioned adjacent to the connector  310 . The mounting portion  452  and the connector interface  454  have substantially flat surfaces that form an “L-shape.” In an alternate embodiment, as shown by phantom lines  490 , the retainer  450  can have a curved section between the mounting portion  452  and the connector interface  454 . 
   The mounting portion  452  has a first fastener aperture  453  and a second fastener aperture  455 . Either fastener aperture  453  or  455  can be optionally selected to attach the mounting portion  452  to the housing  335  depending on which one most favorably aligns with the hole  336 . In one aspect of this embodiment, both of the fastener apertures  453  and  455  are in the shape of elongated cutouts to provide for positional adjustments of the connector interface  454  relative to the connector  310 . The first fastener aperture  453  is approximately twice as long as the second fastener aperture  455 . In alternate embodiments, the fastener apertures  453  and  455  can be replaced with a plurality of round holes, a single round hole, a single rectangular cutout, or any combination of the foregoing apertures. 
   As best seen in  FIG. 4 , the connector interface  454  of the retainer  450  is at an angle  451  relative to the mounting portion  452  so that the connector interface  454  is adjacent to the connector  310  when the mounting portion  352  is attached to the component  330 . In one aspect of this embodiment, the angle  451  is approximately 85 degrees so that when the mounting portion  452  is attached to the housing  335  and the angle  451  becomes slightly greater than 85 degrees (e.g., approximately 90 degrees), the connector interface  454  will contact the connector  310  and apply a preload force to the connector  310  to prevent it from disengaging from the receptacle  311 . In alternate embodiments, the angle  451  can be approximately 90 degrees or other suitable angles. 
   One advantage of the computer system  400  having the retainer  450  is that the retainer  450  can be used to prevent disengagement of the connector  310  even when there is no access to the sides of the electrical component  330 . For example, an adjacent component  480  may prevent the use of the retainer  350  shown in  FIG. 3  because it may preclude access to the side surface  338  of the electrical component  330 . The retainer  450  can still be used in this case, however, because it only requires access to a top surface  337  and a back surface  367  of the electrical component  330 . 
     FIG. 5  is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view taken from  FIG. 4  showing the connector interface  454 , the connector  310 , and the receptacle  311 . The connector interface  454  has a base portion  456 , a first side portion  457 , and a second side portion  458 . The side portions  457  and  458  project away from the base portion  456  at an angle  459 . In one aspect of this embodiment, the angle  459  is 105 degrees. In other embodiments, the angle  459  can have other values and can be different for each side portion, or the side portions  457  and/or  458  can be omitted entirely. In an alternate embodiment, the connector interface  454  can be shaped and sized to form a continuous curved portion as shown by phantom line  491 . In one aspect of this alternate embodiment, the curved portion can form a circular section. In other aspects, the curved portion can form other curved sections. 
   One expected advantage of the side portions  457  and  458  is that the retainer  450  should prevent the connector  310  from disengaging from the receptacle  311  even if the connector interface  454  is not aligned with or contacting the connector  310 . For example, the first and second side portions  457  and  458  should capture the connector  310  and prevent its disengagement from the receptacle  311  even if the base portion  456  is positioned at an angle to, and offset from, an outwardly facing surface  312  of the connector  310  as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     FIG. 6  is a partial schematic isometric view of a computer system  600  having a retainer  650  for preventing disengagement of the connector  310  from the receptacle  311  in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention. The retainer  650  functions in a substantially similar manner as the retainer  450  shown in  FIG. 4 , except that a mounting portion  652  is attached to a chassis member  642  instead of the housing  335  of the electrical component  330 . The mounting portion  652  is attached to the chassis member  642  with a suitable fastener  656  that passes through a selected aperture  653  in the mounting portion  652  and installs in a hole  646  in the chassis member  642 . In one aspect of this embodiment, the hole  646  has a 6-32 UN internal thread and the fastener  656  is a 6-32 UN threaded fastener. In other embodiments, the hole  646  can have other internal threads or it can be a round hole, an elongate oval, or a rectangular slot without any threads. In these non-threaded embodiments, the fastener  656  can be retained in the chassis member  642  with a suitable nut  657  positioned on the far side of the chassis member  642  opposite the mounting portion  652 . 
   A typical computer chassis  640  will often have a plurality of vacant fastener holes and/or other apertures in the proximity of electrical components of the computer. One advantage of the retainer  650  is that the number of possible attachment locations within the computer system  600  is increased by the option of attaching the retainer  650  to either the chassis member  642  or the housing  335  of the electrical component  330 . For example, if the housing  335  of the electrical component  330  does not have any vacant fastener apertures, or if access is not afforded to the housing  335 , then the retainer  650  may be attached to the chassis  640 . Increasing the number of attachment options increases the likelihood that the connector  310  can be retained in any given assembly situation, and that installation of the retainer  650  will not interfere with adjacent components or structure within the chassis  640 . In view of the alternate embodiments of the retainers  350 ,  450 , and  650  disclosed and discussed in accordance with  FIGS. 3-6 , it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that numerous other one-piece retainer configurations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     FIG. 7  is a partial schematic isometric view of a computer system  700  having a two-piece retainer  750  for preventing disengagement of a connector  710  from a receptacle  711  in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. The retainer  750  has a bracket  751  and a positionable retainer portion  754 . Engagement of the connector  710  to the receptacle  711  provides electrical continuity between a cable  715  and an electrical component  730  contained at least partially within a chassis  740 . In one aspect of this embodiment, the cable  715  is a ribbon cable, the connector  710  is a 68-pin IDE center ribbon cable connector, the electrical component  730  is a 3½-inch drive device, and the receptacle  711  is a 68-pin SCSI connector receptacle. In another embodiment, the electrical component  730  can be a 5¼-inch drive device. And in yet other embodiments, the cable  715  can be other cables having other connectors  710 , and the electrical component  730  can be other electrical components having other connector receptacles  711 . 
   The electrical component  730  has a housing  735  having a first side section  732  with at least one threaded fastener hole  736  and a second side section  734  with at least one threaded fastener hole  737 . A connector receptacle  713  can also be included on an aft section  733  of the electrical component  730  in addition to the connector receptacle  711 . 
   The bracket  751  of the retainer  750  has a first side member  752 , a second side member  753 , and a center member  755 . The first and second side members  752  and  753  can extend away from the center member  755  in approximately the same direction and at approximately right angles to the center member  755 . Each side member  752  and  753  has at least one keyhole  771  and  772 , respectively, for accommodating the retainer portion  754 . Each keyhole  771  and  772  has a keyslot portion  773  and  774 , respectively. Each side member  752  and  753  also has at least one fastener aperture  757  and  758 , respectively. In one aspect of this embodiment, the fastener apertures  757  and  758  can be elongated oval slots that permit positional adjustment of the bracket  751  in relation to the housing  735 . In other embodiments, the fastener apertures  757  and  758  can be round holes, a plurality of round holes, or a plurality of round holes and/or oval or rectangular slots. 
   The bracket  751  is attached to the housing  735  by inserting a fastener  756  through each of the fastener apertures  757  and  758 . In an alternate embodiment, one of the fastener apertures  757  or  758  can be omitted and the bracket portion  751  can be attached to the housing  735  by using a single fastener  756  installed through either one of the fastener apertures  757  or  758 . 
   The retainer portion  754  of the retainer  750  has a substantially flat body  760  with a first tab  761  extending away from the body  760  in a first direction and a second tab  762  coaxially aligned with the first tab  761  and extending away from the body  760  in a second direction opposite to the first direction. The first tab  761  is inserted into the keyhole  771  in the first side member  752  of the bracket  751 , and the second tab  762  is inserted into the keyhole  772  in the second side member  753 . The retainer portion  754  also has a first cutout  763  configured to receive the cable  715  when the retainer portion  754  is adjacent to the connector  710 . The retainer portion  754  can optionally have another cutout  764  configured to receive the connector receptacle  713 . In an alternate embodiment, the retainer portion can have other cutouts of different sizes to accommodate different connectors, or the cutouts may be eliminated altogether. 
     FIG. 8  is a side view of the retainer  750  showing the operation of the retainer  750  to prevent disengagement of a connector  710  from a receptacle  711 . The bracket  751  is first installed on the housing  735 , as explained above in accordance with  FIG. 7 , except that the fasteners  756  are not fully tightened so that the bracket  751  can be moved relative to the housing  735  (arrows  830  and  840 ). From position P 1 , the retainer portion  754  is translated in a first direction  810  (i.e., upward) to position P 2  to disengage the tabs  761  and  762  from the key slot portions  773  and  774 , respectively. The retainer portion  754  is then rotated outwardly to position P 3 , and the cable  715  is passed through a gap  805  formed between the bracket portion  751  and the retainer portion  754 . The connector  710  is engaged with the receptacle  711  and the retainer portion  754  is rotated downwardly to position P 2  and translated in a second direction  820  (i.e., downward) to engage the tabs  761  and  762  with the key slot portions  773  and  774 , respectively. Movement of the retainer portion  754  is thus restricted relative to the bracket  751 . The bracket portion  751  is then moved in direction  830  to position the retainer portion  754  sufficiently adjacent to the connector  710  to prevent its disengagement, and the fasteners  756  are fully tightened to fixedly attach the retainer  750  to the housing  735  of the electrical component  730 . 
   One advantage of the two-piece retainer  750  is that the connector  710  and cable  715  can be disconnected from the electrical component  730  without requiring that the retainer  750  be removed from the housing  735 . Access to the connector  710  is afforded by moving the retainer portion  754  in direction  810  to disengage the tabs  761  and  762  for the key slot portions  773  and  774 , respectively, and then rotating the retainer portion  754  to position P 3 . Quick disconnection of the connector  710  can facilitate and expedite removal and changeout of the electrical component  730  if desired for upgrades or repair. 
   In an alternate embodiment of the retainer  750  shown in  FIG. 7 , the retainer  750  can be installed on the housing  735  after the connector  710  has been engaged with the receptacle  711 . In one aspect of this embodiment, the retainer portion  754  is stationary with respect to the bracket portion  751 . In another aspect of this embodiment, the retainer  750  can be a one-piece bracket with side members  752  and  753  integrally formed with the retainer portion  754 , and the center member  755  can be optionally omitted. 
   From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that even though specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications can be made to the apparatuses and methods described for connector retention without deviating from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.