Patent ID: 8035973

Claim:
A cage for use with a parallel optical communications device, the cage comprising: a cage housing having at least a front side, a back side, a top side, a bottom side, a left side and a right side, each of the top side, the bottom side, the left side and the right side having first ends that intersect with the front side and second ends that intersect with the back side, the cage housing having at least a first receptacle formed in the front side, the receptacle being configured to engage a first parallel optical communications device, and wherein the cage housing includes at least first and second mechanical coupling features; a first floating heat sink device having at least an upper surface and a lower surface, at least a portion of the lower surface of the first floating heat sink device being positioned against at least a portion of the top side of the cage housing, wherein the lower surface of the first floating heat sink device includes a heat transfer surface that is disposed in an opening in the top side of the cage housing; and a spring clip secured to the cage housing such that a portion of the spring clip is in contact with a portion of the upper surface of the first floating heat sink device, the spring clip having at least first and second mechanical coupling features, the first and second mechanical coupling features of the spring clip engaging the first and second mechanical coupling features of the cage housing, respectively, to secure the spring clip to the cage housing, and wherein the first and second mechanical coupling features of the spring clip and of the cage housing are configured to allow limited movement of the first and second mechanical coupling features of the spring clip relative to the respective first and second mechanical coupling features of the cape housing, and wherein the spring clip retains the portion of the lower surface of the first floating heat sink device in position against the portion of the top side of the cage housing while allowing at least the heat transfer surface of the first floating heat sink device to move relative to the cage housing, and wherein if a first parallel optical communications device is connected to the receptacle of the cage housing, one or more forces exerted by the spring clip act to maintain a heat transfer surface of the first parallel optical communications device in continuous contact with the heat transfer surface of the first floating heat sink device.