Patent ID: 8913384

Claim:
A cooling apparatus comprising: a thermal transfer structure mounted to an electronic system and configured and positioned to engage at least one electronics card with docking of the at least one electronics card within at least one socket of the electronic system, wherein the at least one electronics card is docked or undocked from the at least one socket independent of the thermal transfer structure, the thermal transfer structure comprising: a thermal spreader comprising a first thermal conduction surface; and a thermally conductive spring assembly secured to the thermal spreader and positioned and configured for operative docking or undocking of an electronics card of the at least one electronics card, into or from a socket of the at least one socket of the electronic system, without removal of the thermal transfer structure from the electronics system, and to reside between and physically couple a first side of the electronics card and the first thermal conduction surface of the thermal spreader with docking of the electronics card within the socket, of the at least one socket, of the electronic system, and thereby facilitate conduction of heat from the electronics card to the thermal spreader; and wherein the electronics card comprises multiple electronic components mounted to the first side thereof, and wherein the thermally conductive spring assembly of the thermal transfer structure comprises a plurality of compression springs, the plurality of compression springs being spaced along the first thermal conduction surface of the thermal spreader, and one or more compression springs of the plurality of compression springs each being sized and configured to independently, physically engage with a spring force, two or more respective electronic components of the multiple electronic components mounted to the first side of the electronics card with docking of the electronics card in the socket of the electronic system.