Source: http://patents.com/us-9820408.html
Timestamp: 2018-08-18 11:16:42
Document Index: 374290007

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 2', 'Application No. 201280061472', 'Application No. 2015', 'Application No. 2', 'Application No. 201180045095', 'Application No. 2013', 'Application No. 2', 'Application No. 2015201684', 'Application No. 201510039269']

US Patent # 9,820,408. System with half-depth servers - Patents.com
United States Patent 9,820,408
System with half-depth servers
Ross; Peter George (Olympia, WA)
Family ID: 1000002950077
14/841,322
US 20150373881 A1 Dec 24, 2015
Current CPC Class: H05K 7/20718 (20130101); H05K 7/20836 (20130101); H05K 7/20727 (20130101); G06F 1/20 (20130101)
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Office Action from Canadian Application No. 2,858,200, dated Aug. 26, 2015, Amazon Technologies, Inc., pp. 1-5. cited by applicant .
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Office Action from Japanese Application No. 2015-30790, dated Mar. 25, 2016, Amazon Technologies, Inc., pp. 1-6. cited by applicant .
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1. A system comprising: a rack; computer systems mounted in the rack from a front side of the rack and from a back side of the rack on one or more same levels of the rack; a rack power distribution unit coupled to the rack on the front side of the rack, wherein the rack power distribution unit is configured to supply power to a portion of the computer systems mounted in the rack; and another rack power distribution unit coupled to the rack on the back side of the rack, wherein the other rack power distribution unit is configured to supply power to another portion of the computer systems mounted in the rack.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured such that: air is received into the rack from a cold aisle on the front side of the rack and air is received into the rack from a cold aisle on the back side of the rack.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computer systems mounted in the rack are half-depth servers, wherein the portion of the computer systems that is supplied power from the rack power distribution system on the front side of the rack comprise half-depth servers that receive air from the cold aisle on the front side of the rack; and wherein the portion of the computer systems that is supplied power from the other rack power distribution system on the back side of the rack comprise half-depth servers that receive air from the cold aisle on the back side of the rack.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the computer systems mounted in the rack is a half-depth server that comprises: a tray comprising risers configured to elevate the tray above a surface of a chassis of the half-depth server; and mass storage devices coupled to the tray at an elevated position above the chassis of the half-depth server, wherein the tray is configured to permit air to flow in a space between the tray and the chassis of the half-depth server to remove waste heat from the mass storage devices coupled to the tray.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the half-depth server further comprises: a circuit board assembly communicatively coupled with the mass storage devices; and a power supply unit; wherein the half-depth server is configured to receive air from a cold aisle and direct a portion of the air across the circuit board assembly and a portion of the air across the power supply unit, wherein the half-depth server is further configured to direct the air that has passed across the circuit board assembly and the air that has passed across the power supply unit into the space between the tray and the chassis and across the mass storage devices to remove waste heat from the mass storage devices.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the rack further comprises: a mid column, wherein the mid column is configured to receive heated air that has passed across mass storage devices of half-depth servers mounted in the rack and direct the heated air toward a top side of the rack.
7. A system comprising: a rack configured to mount computer systems in the rack from a front side of the rack and from a back side of the rack on one or more same levels of the rack, wherein the rack comprises: a coupling mechanism configured to couple a power distribution unit to the rack on the front side of the rack to provide power to at least a portion of the computer systems; and an additional coupling mechanism configured to couple an additional power distribution unit to the rack on the back side of the rack to provide power to at least another portion of the computer systems.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the rack comprises: a mid column, wherein the mid column is configured to receive heated air that has passed across mass storage devices of half-depth servers mounted in the rack and direct the heated air toward a top side of the rack.
9. The system of claim 8, further comprising half-depth servers mounted in the rack, wherein one of the half-depth servers comprises: a tray comprising risers configured to elevate the tray above a surface of a chassis of the half-depth server; and mass storage devices coupled to the tray at an elevated position above the chassis of the half-depth server, wherein the tray is configured to receive air from a front side of the rack and direct the air to flow in a space between the tray and the chassis of the half-depth server to remove waste heat from the mass storage devices coupled to the tray; and wherein another one of the half-depth servers comprises: a tray comprising risers configured to elevate the tray above a surface of a chassis of the other half-depth server; and mass storage devices coupled to the tray at an elevated position above the chassis of the other half-depth server, wherein the tray is configured to receive air from a back side of the rack and direct the air to flow in a space between the tray and the chassis of the other half-depth server to remove waste heat from the mass storage devices coupled to the tray.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the half-depth server or the other half-depth server further comprises: an opening in the tray configured to permit a portion of the air flowing in the space between the tray and the chassis to flow through the opening and across a mass storage device coupled to the tray.
11. The system of claim 9, wherein the half-depth server or the other half-depth server further comprises: clamping bars pivotally coupled to a base of the tray and configured to secure the mass storage devices coupled to the tray between the base of the tray and the clamping bars.
12. The system of claim 7, wherein the rack is configured to mount: a set of the half-depth servers in the rack from the front side of the rack; and another set of the half-depth servers in the rack from the back side of the rack.
13. A half-depth server comprising: a chassis having a depth equivalent to half a depth of a standard rack; a circuit board assembly mounted in the chassis; a tray comprising risers configured to elevate the tray above a surface of the chassis; and mass storage devices coupled to the tray.
14. The half-depth server of claim 13, wherein the tray further comprises: openings configured to permit a portion of an air flow in a space between the tray and the chassis to flow through the openings and across respective ones of the mass storage devices coupled to the tray.
15. The half-depth server of claim 13, wherein the system further comprises: pads coupled between the mass storage devices and the tray, wherein the pads are configured to dissipate vibrations.
16. The half-depth server of claim 13, wherein the system further comprises: clamping bars pivotally coupled to a base of the tray.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the clamping bars further comprise: multiple wings configured to secure the mass storage devices.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein one of the wings further comprises: a locking bar having an inverse hat shape, wherein the locking bar is configured to engage edges of the mass storage devices to secure the mass storage devices.
19. The system of claim 16, wherein the clamping bars further comprise: a locking mechanism configured to secure the clamping bar to the base of the tray in a closed position.
20. The system of claim 16 further comprising a biasing mechanism configured to bias the clamping bar against the mass storage devices to secure the mass storage devices.
As used herein, "air intake side" is a side of a system or element, such as a server, that can receive air into the system or element.
As used herein, "air exhaust side" is a side of a system or element, such as a server, that can exhaust, expel, or discharge air from the system or element.
As used herein, "chassis" means a structure or element that supports another element or to which other elements can be mounted. A chassis may have any shape or construction, including a frame, a sheet, a plate, a box, a channel, or a combination thereof. A chassis for a computer system may support circuit board assemblies, power supply units, data storage devices, fans, cables, and other components of the computer system.
As used herein, "coupling device" includes an element or combination of elements that can be used to couple one element or structure to one or more other elements or structures. Examples of a coupling device include a bracket, a linkage, a connecting rod, a hinge, a rail, or combination thereof.
As used herein, a "duct" includes any device, apparatus, element, or portion thereof, that can direct, segregate, or channel a fluid, such as air. Examples of ducts include cloth or fabric ducts, sheet metal ducts, molded ducts, tubes, or pipes. The cross sectional shape of a passageway of a duct may be square, rectangular, round or irregular, and may be uniform or change over the length of the duct. A duct may be a separately produced component or integral with one or more other components, such as a frame.
As used herein, a "pin" includes any element that can be positioned to constrain or hold another element in a desired position or orientation. Suitable pins may include straight pins, pegs, threaded bolts, unthreaded bolts, bars, plates, hooks, rods, or screws.
As used herein, "power distribution unit" means any device, module, component, or combination thereof, that can be used to distribute electrical power. The elements of a power distribution unit may be embodied within a single component or assembly (such as a transformer and a rack power distribution unit housed in a common enclosure), or may be distributed among two or more components or assemblies (such as a transformer and a rack power distribution unit each housed in separate enclosure, and associated cables, etc.).
As used herein, "rack power distribution unit" refers to a power distribution unit that can be used to distribute electrical power to various components in a rack. A rack power distribution unit may include various components and elements, including wiring, bus bars, connectors, and circuit breakers.
With rack power distribution units 170 in a maintenance position, any of computer systems 104 in rack 102 may be installed or removed from rack 104. For example, computer system 104' may be slid out of rack 102 while rack power distribution units 170 are in the maintenance position.
Cold-cold rack systems 254 include rack power distribution units 170 on front side 201 and back side 203 of rack 102. Rack power distribution units 170 are coupled to racks 102 of cold-cold rack systems 254 on brackets 172. Rack power distribution units 170 and brackets 172 may be similar to those described above relative to FIG. 8. Brackets 172 may provide a hinged connection between rack power distribution units 170 and rack 102. Rack power distribution units 170 may be rotated (for example, by maintenance personnel) to provide access to servers 258.
In some embodiments, one or more fans of a rack system may be provided with a device that automatically shuts off air flow through the fan if the rate of air flow through the fan drops below a predetermined threshold. For example, referring to FIG. 25, fan module 300' may include louvers 370. Louvers 370 may automatically close if air flow through fan module 300' drops below a predetermined level. For example, if fan module 300' fails, louvers 370 may automatically close to shut off air flow through the fan. Automatically shutting off air flow to a rack-mounted fan may reduce back flow of air into rack 102 in the event of a failure of fan module 300'. In some embodiments, all of the fan modules on a rack may include louvers for shutting off air flow in the event of a fan failure.
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