Patent Abstract:
A fixing apparatus includes a mounting bracket secured to a slide rail, a latch member, and a holding member. The mounting bracket includes an inserting pin extending into a through hole of a rack post. The latch member includes a slide bracket, and a positioning pin forming a plurality of abutting blocks stacked up one by one. A rear end of the holding member is secured to the mounting bracket, and includes a retaining portion extending forwards. The latch member is slidable between a locking position to prevent the inserting pin from being disengaged from the through hole of the rack post, and an unlocking position to enable the insert pin to slide out of the through hole of the rack post. the retaining portion of the holding member is selectively abuts against one of the abutting blocks of positioning pin to prevent the latch member from sliding towards the unlocking position.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to mounting apparatuses and, more particularly, to a mounting apparatus for a slide rail. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A rackable server system includes a rack and a plurality of servers slidably mounted to the rack with a plurality of slide rail assemblies. Each of the slide rail assemblies includes two mounting apparatus at opposite ends of the slide rail assembly for fixing the slide rail assembly to opposite supporting posts of the rack. However, each of the mounting apparatuses is designed for a kind of particular-sized supporting posts. Therefore, the slide rail assembly cannot be fixed to differently-sized supporting posts. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the present embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, all the views are schematic, and like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded, isometric view of an embodiment of a mounting apparatus, a slide rail, and a supporting post of a rack, the mounting apparatus including a supporting bracket, a latch member, a holding member, a button, and a resilient member. 
         FIG. 2  is an assembled, isometric view of the mounting apparatus and the slide rail of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 3 and 4A  are side plan views of  FIG. 2 , respectively showing the latch member in unlocked and locked positions. 
         FIG. 4B  is similar to  FIG. 4A , but showing the mounting apparatus locked to another rack post. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The disclosure, including the accompanying drawings, is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an embodiment of a mounting apparatus is provided for mounting a slide rail  80  to a rack post  90  defining a plurality of through holes  92 . The mounting apparatus includes a supporting bracket  1 , a latch member  3 , a holding member  5 , a button  6 , and a resilient member  7 . 
     The slide rail  80  defines a substantially C-shaped cross section, and includes a web  82  with two flanges  84  extending from upper and lower sides of the web  82 , respectively. The web  82  forms a plurality of fixing pins  842  extending from an outer surface of the web  82 . 
     The supporting bracket  1  includes a sidewall  12 , two flanges  14  perpendicularly extending from upper and lower sides of the sidewall  12 , an end plate  16  perpendicularly extending from a front end of the sidewall  12 , and an engaging tab  18  perpendicularly extending from a rear end of the sidewall  12 . The sidewall  12  defines two parallel first slide slots  122  extending in a longitudinal direction of the sidewall  12 , adjacent to the end plate  16 , and a second slide slot  123  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) extending substantially parallel to the first slide slots  122 , and arranged at a top side of the first slide slots  122 . A through hole  124  is defined in the sidewall  122 , between the first slide slots  122 . A plurality of fixing holes  128  is defined in the sidewall  12 , adjacent to the engaging tab  18 . A plurality of fixing pins  126  protrudes from an outer surface of the sidewall  12 , and arranged in an area bounded by the plurality of fixing holes  128 . Two inserting pins  162  extend forward from the end plate  16  of the supporting bracket  10 . Each of the inserting pins  162  includes a first inserting segment extending from the end plate  16 , and a second inserting segment extending from the first inserting segment. A shoulder  1625  is formed at a distal end of the first inserting segment, facing the second inserting segment. An engaging hole  181  is defined in the engaging tab  18 . 
     The latch member  3  includes a slide bracket  20  and two positioning pins  40 . The slide bracket  20  includes a side panel  22 , two flanges  23  extending outwards from upper and lower sides of the side panel  22 , a blocking plate  24  perpendicularly extending from a front end of the side panel  22 , and an engaging tab  26  extending from a rear end of the side panel  22 . A substantially arc-shaped opening  221  is defined in the rear end of the side panel  22 . Two positioning holes  223  are defined in the side panel  22 , near upper and lower sides of the opening  221 , respectively. The blocking plate  24  defines two through holes  242  therein. A handle  248  extends forward from the blocking plate  24 . Each of the positioning pins  40  includes an abutting portion  44 , and a mounting portion  42 . The abutting portion  44  includes a first abutting block  441 , a second abutting block  442 , and a third abutting block  443  stacked up one by one. The first, second, and third abutting blocks  441 ,  442 , and  443  are disc-shaped. A diameter of the second abutting block  442  is smaller than a diameter of the first abutting block  441 , and greater than a diameter of the third abutting block  443 . 
     The holding member  5  is a metal sheet, which is bent to form a holding plate  51  and a pressing tab  54 . The holding plate  51  includes a mounting portion  511 , an elongated portion  513  extending from a front end of the mounting portion  511 , and two substantially L-shaped retaining portions  515  extending from a front end of the elongated portion  513 . A plurality of securing holes  5113  is defined in the mounting portion  511 . A connecting hole  5151  is defined in the elongated portion  513 , between the retaining portions  515 . Each of the retaining portions  515  forms a forward side  5152 , and a rearward side  5153  opposite to the forward side  5152  and facing the mounting portion  511 . The pressing tab  54  extends forward from a rear end of the mounting portion  511 , and includes two spaced pressing portions  542  elastically resisting against the retaining portions  515 , respectively. 
     The button  6  includes a cylindrical main body  61  with a diameter smaller than the through hole  124  of the supporting bracket  1 , and a fixing portion  62  extending from an end of the main body  61 . 
     In one embodiment, the resilient member  7  is a coil spring, with two hooks  72  correspondingly formed at opposite ends of the resilient member  7 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 to 4A , in assembly, the button  6  is mounted to a side of the holding plate  51  opposite to the pressing tab  54 , with the fixing portion  62  of the button  6  fixed in the connecting hole  5151  of the holding plate  51 . The holding member  5  is mounted to the supporting bracket  1 , with the fixing pins  126  of the supporting bracket  1  fixed in the securing holes  5113  of the holding member  30 . The main body  61  of the button  6  extends through the through hole  124  of the sidewall  12  of the supporting bracket  1 . The slide bracket  20  of the latch member  3  is slidably coupled to the supporting bracket  1 , with the engaging tab  26  slidably engaged in the second slide slot  123 . The mounting portions  42  of the positioning pins  40  extend through the corresponding first slide slots  122  of the supporting bracket  1  and are retained in the corresponding positioning holes  223  of the slide bracket  20 . Therefore, the positioning pins  40  are fixed to the slide bracket  20 , and slidably engaged with the supporting bracket  1 . One of the hooks  72  of the resilient member  7  is engaged in the engaging hole  181  of the engaging tab  18  of the supporting bracket  1 , and the other hook  72  is engaged with the engaging tab  26  of the slide bracket  20 . In an initial status, the slide bracket  20  is located in a position to make the fixing pins  126  extend into the through holes  242  of the blocking plate  24  of the slide bracket  20 . The positioning pins  40  are located behind the retaining portions  515  of the holding member  5 . 
     The mounting apparatus is installed to the slide rail  80 , with the protrusions  842  of the slide rail  80  correspondingly fixed in the fixing holes  128  of the supporting bracket  1 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , to mount the slide rail  80  to the rack post  90 , the main body  61  of the button  6  is pushed to move the retaining portions  515  of the holding member  5  away from the sidewall  12  of the supporting bracket  1 , until the retaining portions  515  disengage from the corresponding positioning pins  40 . Therefore, the positioning pins  40  are capable of sliding forward along the corresponding first slide slots  122 . The handle  248  is operated to pull the slide bracket  20  forward, the positioning pins  40  move with the slide bracket  20  toward the front end of the corresponding first slide slots  122  of the supporting bracket  1 . The resilient member  7  is deformed. The blocking plate  24  of the slide bracket  20  moves away from the end plate  16  of the supporting bracket  1  to make the inserting pins  162  disengage from the corresponding through holes  242  of the blocking plate  24 . The button  6  is released, the holding member  5  is restored to make the holding plate  51  tightly abut against the sidewall  12  of the supporting bracket  1 . The handle  248  is released. The resilient member  7  is restored to pull the slide bracket  20  backwards until the positioning pins  40  abut against the forward sides  5152  of the corresponding retaining portions  515  of the holding plate  51 . Therefore, the latch member  3  is kept in an unlocked position, ready for engaging with the rack post  90 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4A , the slide rail  80  is handled to make the inserting pins  162  insert into the corresponding through holes  92  of the rack post  90 , until the shoulders  1625  of the inserting pins  162  abut against, a rear surface of the rack post  90 . The button  6  is pushed to move the retaining portions  515  of the holding plate  51  away from the sidewall  12  of the supporting bracket  1  to disengage the holding member  5  from the positioning pins  40 . The resilient member  7  is restored to slide the slide bracket  20  backwards, until the blocking plate  24  abuts against a front surface of the rack post  90  to tightly sandwich the rack post  90  between the blocking plate  24  and the shoulders  1625  of the inserting pins  162 . At the same time, the positioning pins  40  slide with the slide bracket  20  along the corresponding first slide slots  122  of the supporting bracket  1  to approach to the rear ends of the first slide slots  122 . The button  6  is released, the holding member  5  is restored. The retaining portions  515  of the holding plate  51  move towards the sidewall  12  of the supporting bracket  1 . in one embodiment, the rearward sides  5153  of the retaining portions  515  abut against the third abutting blocks  441  of the corresponding positioning pins  40  to keep the slide bracket  20  in a locked position where the slide rail  80  is retained to the rack post  90  by the mounting apparatus. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4B , when the slide rail  80  is mounted to another rack post  90 ′ having a thickness greater than that of the rack post  90  of  FIG. 4A , the rearward sides  5153  of the retaining portions  515  will abut against the first abutting blocks  442  or the second abutting blocks  443  of the corresponding positioning pins  40  to keep the slide bracket  20  in the locked position and increase the distance between the blocking plate  24  and the end plate  16  corresponding to thickness of the another rack post  90 ′. Therefore, the mounting apparatus can fix the slide rail  80  to different-sized rack posts. 
     When the slide rail  80  is mounted to another rack post greater than the rack post  90 , the rearward sides  5153  of the retaining portions  515  will abut against the first abutting blocks  442  or the second abutting blocks  443  of the corresponding positioning pins  40  to keep the slide bracket  20  in the locked position. Therefore, the mounting apparatus can fix the slide rail  80  to different-sized supporting posts. 
     It is believed that the present embodiment and its advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the description or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being exemplary embodiments.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7