Patent ID: 8174835

Claim:
A device comprising: a card carrier comprising a substantially L-shaped PCB attached to a substantially U-shaped carrier frame thereby forming a substantially U-shaped recess; a first connector disposed on an outer edge of a first side of the L-shaped PCB for connecting to a host system connector when the card carrier is inserted into the host system; a second connector disposed on an inner edge of a second side of the L-shaped PCB, the second side of the L-shaped PCB perpendicular to the first side, the second connector electrically coupled to the first connector; and the card carrier further comprising a carrier frame lid that is rotatably coupled to the card carrier, the carrier frame lid configured to rotate to an open position and facilitate insertion of an adapter card into the U-shaped recess co-planar with the L-shaped PCB and facilitate connection of the inserted adapter card with the second connector, the carrier frame lid further configured to rotate to a closed position across the U-shaped recess and adjacent to the inserted adapter card along an entire length of an outer edge thereof; wherein the second connector is horizontally positioned so the inserted adapter card has a flat orientation relative to the card carrier when connected to the second connector; and wherein the card carrier is inserted into the host system along a first direction, the first direction toward an interior portion of the host processing system, wherein the adapter card is inserted into the card carrier along a second direction, the second direction oriented approximately normal to the first direction.