PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-7460376-B2
Application Number: US-41821006-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Ultra compact computer arrangement

Abstract:
A cubical computer housing assembly comprises first and second ends and four sides, which define an interior compartment for housing the various computer components. The first and second ends are rigidly connected to one another and are slidingly detachable from four sides of the assembly. The interior compartment comprises three parallelepiped portions, one for accommodating a plurality of circuit boards, one for accommodating a heat sink and hard disk drive, and one for accommodating other memory device such as a CD ROM or DVD player. A hard disk drive is slidingly mounted in a frame which is rigidly mounted relative to the first and second ends. A hinged door on which is mounted a printed circuit board can be moved to an open position to provide access to the disk drive for removal and replacement of same.

Claims:
1. A computer having a plurality of components, comprising:
 a housing for accommodating the plurality of components, the housing including a top end and a bottom end defining, respectively, an upper vertical boundary and a lower vertical boundary between the computer and the exterior of the computer; and 
 a heat sink comprising a plurality of fins supported by a base, wherein the heat sink defines at least a portion of a vertical path for flow of a convection air stream and disposed within an interior region of said housing, the convection air stream flowing from the bottom end to the top end of the housing, 
 wherein two of said components are vertically mounted in the housing of the computer on opposite sides of the vertical flow path and in thermal contact with an exterior surface of the heat sink, and wherein at least two of said vertically mounted components define at least a portion of a vertical path for flow of a convection air stream. 
 
     
     
       2. The computer of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said vertically mounted components is a hard drive, a DVD device or a CD device. 
     
     
       3. The computer of  claim 2 , wherein a second component is mounted vertically and wherein the second vertically-mounted component is a circuit board. 
     
     
       4. The computer of  claim 1 , wherein the computer is substantially cubical in shape, wherein the heat sink comprises a plurality of vertically extending fins which are supported at one edge by a vertically mounted base, wherein the fins define slots therebetween and the heat sink extends the entire height of the interior region of the housing. 
     
     
       5. The computer of  claim 1 , wherein the two vertically-mounted components are slidably mounted and are removable from the computer. 
     
     
       6. The computer of  claim 1 , further comprising a hinged door and a circuit board mounted to the hinged door, the hinged door having an open position and a closed position, wherein in the open position the vertically-mounted component can be accessed through the hinged door. 
     
     
       7. A computer having a plurality of components, comprising:
 a housing for accommodating the plurality of components, the housing including a top end and a bottom end defining, respectively, an upper vertical boundary and a lower vertical boundary between the computer and the exterior of the computer; and 
 a heat sink defining at least a portion of a vertical path for flow of a convection air stream and disposed within an interior region of said housing, the convection air stream flowing from the bottom end to the top end of the housing, 
 wherein two of said components are vertically mounted in the housing of the computer on opposite sides of the vertical flow path and in thermal contact with an exterior surface of the heat sink, and wherein at least two of said vertically mounted components define at least a portion of a vertical path for flow of a convection air stream, and 
 wherein the computer has four sides in addition to the top and bottom end, wherein the top end and bottom end are rigidly mounted to each other and are slidable relative to the four sides. 
 
     
     
       8. The computer of  claim 7 , wherein at least one of said vertically mounted components is a hard drive, a DVD device or a CD device. 
     
     
       9. A desktop computer having a plurality of components, comprising:
 a housing for accommodating the plurality of components, the housing including a top end and a bottom end defining, respectively, an upper vertical boundary and a lower vertical boundary between the computer and the exterior of the computer; 
 a plurality of circuit boards within an interior region of said housing in a first region; 
 one or more memory storage devices within an interior region of said housing in a second region; and 
 a heat sink defining at least a portion of a path for flow of a convection air stream and disposed within an interior region of said housing in a third region between the plurality of circuit boards and the one or more memory storage devices, 
 wherein the computer has four sides in addition to the top and bottom end, wherein the top end and bottom end are rigidly mounted to each other and are slidable relative to the four sides. 
 
     
     
       10. The desktop computer of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a vertically mounted hard disk drive, a vertically mounted DVD device, and/or a vertically mounted CD device within an interior region of said housing; and 
 a hinged door having an open position and a closed position. 
 
     
     
       11. The desktop computer of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of circuit boards in the first region is provided in a perpendicular configuration to at least one other of the plurality of circuit boards in the first region. 
     
     
       12. The desktop computer of  claim 9 , further comprising a frame with a frame heat sink thereon within the second region, wherein the one or more memory storage devices comprises a hard disk drive, and wherein the frame includes a guide track to facilitate sliding the hard disk drive into the frame. 
     
     
       13. A desktop computer having a plurality of components, comprising:
 a housing for accommodating the plurality of components, the housing including a top end and a bottom end defining, respectively, an upper vertical boundary and a lower vertical boundary between the computer and the exterior of the computer; 
 a plurality of circuit boards within an interior region of said housing in a first region; 
 one or more memory storage devices within an interior region of said housing in a second region; and 
 a frame with a frame heat sink thereon within the second region, wherein the one or more memory storage devices comprises a vertically mounted hard disk drive, wherein the frame includes a guide track to facilitate sliding the hard disk drive into the frame, and wherein the hard disk drive is in thermal communication with the frame heat sink through thermal conduction of the frame, 
 wherein the computer has four sides in addition to the top and bottom end, wherein the top end and bottom end are rigidly mounted to each other and are slidable relative to the four sides. 
 
     
     
       14. The desktop computer of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a vertically mounted DVD device and/or a vertically mounted CD device within an interior region of said housing; and 
 a hinged door having an open position and a closed position. 
 
     
     
       15. The desktop computer of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of circuit boards in the first region is provided in a perpendicular configuration to at least one other of the plurality of circuit boards in the first region. 
     
     
       16. The desktop computer of  claim 13 , further comprising a third region between the first region and the second region, wherein a fan and a plurality of heat sinks are provided in the third region to dissipate heat from the first region and second region. 
     
     
       17. The desktop computer of  claim 16 , wherein the plurality of heat sinks in the third region are parallel to the one or more memory storage devices, and the plurality of heat sinks and the one or more memory storage devices are vertically mounted. 
     
     
       18. The desktop computer of  claim 16 , further comprising a fan in the third region for impelling the convection air stream from air outside the housing of the computer to inside the housing of the computer. 
     
     
       19. The desktop computer of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more memory storage devices are two or more vertically mounted components. 
     
     
       20. The desktop computer of  claim 19 , wherein at least one of said two or more vertically mounted components are selected from the group consisting of one or more hard drives, DVD devices, and CD devices.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/323,641, filed on Dec. 20, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,042,733 which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/880,676, filed Jun. 13, 2001 which issued Apr. 8, 2003 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,545,874, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to computer arrangements, and more particularly, to a compact computer arrangement in which components are disposed within an exterior computer housing with maximized space efficiency while at the same time remaining relatively accessible. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Conventionally, computer components, such as those of “desktop” computers, are disposed within an exterior housing such that various PC boards (PCBs) are stacked one over the other in a generally horizontal manner within the housing. Depending on the system requirements and specifications, heat generation and EMI (electromagnetic interference) are controlled using for example suitable conductive shields. Further, electric fans are used to dissipate heat from sensitive components. The fans take up valuable space within the housing, increase costs and noise, and are particularly susceptible to failure due to their mechanical nature. The fans and heat sink also complicate the general layout of the components within the housing, hampering access to PCBs that may need to be repaired or replaced, for example during an upgrade of the computer. To resolve these problems, conventional arrangements have relied on a less compact layout, such that components, while taking up more space than necessary, at least remain accessible for purposes of an upgrade for example. Of course, this comes with the expense of increased size and inefficiency. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the invention, an arrangement for a computer having a plurality of circuit boards, a heat sink, a hard disk drive, and one or more memory storage devices comprises a housing defining an interior compartment including first, second and third parallelepiped portions. The first, second and third parallelepiped portions accommodate, respectively, the plurality of circuit boards, the heat sink, and the one or more memory storage devices. 
     Further in accordance with the invention, a desktop computer is provided with a housing having a plurality of sides defining a compartment therein, a frame removably mounted in said compartment, a replaceable computer component slidably mounted to said frame, and a hinged door having an open position and a closed position. In the closed position, the hinged door prevents access to the replaceable computer component, while in the open position the hinged door permits access to the replaceable computer component such that replacement of the replaceable computer component can be effected when the hinged door is in the open position. 
     Further in accordance with the invention, a desktop computer assembly is provided which comprises a housing having four sides and first and second ends, the first and second ends being rigidly mounted to one another and being slidably detachable from the four sides. A frame which is rigidly mounted relative to the first and second ends is also provided, and a computer component is slidingly mounted in the frame. A door is mounted in a stationary position relative to the first and second ends but is movable between an open position and a closed position, the door in the open position providing access to the computer component such that movable component can be slidingly removed from the frame. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       Many advantages of the present invention ‘null be apparent to those skilled in the art with a reading of this specification in conjunction with the attached drawings, wherein like reference numerals are applied to like elements and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the housing in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 1A  is a schematic view of the portions of the interior of the housing in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view of a first side portion in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic perspective view of a central portion in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic perspective view of the sliding mounting arrangement of a hard disk drive in accordance with the invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic perspective view of a hinged door arrangement in accordance with the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a housing  10  for a computer, for example a desktop computer, in accordance with the invention. Housing  10 , which is preferably substantially cubical in shape, has removable first ( 12 ) and second ( 14 ) ends and four sides  16 . The first ( 12 ) and second ( 14 ) ends and sides  16  serve to define an interior compartment  18  in which various computer components are housed. The first ( 12 ) and second ( 14 ) ends are rigidly connected to one another, for example by supports  11 , and their removal from sides  16  is effected using a retractable handle  70 . 
     As seen from  FIG. 1A , compartment  18  can be considered as defining three parallelepiped portions  20 ,  22  and  24 . First side portion  20 , shown in  FIG. 2 , contains the various printed circuit boards  26  of the desktop computer, arranged in a compact configuration, such that some of these PCBs are stacked vertically and in parallel or perpendicular relation to one another, while others are stacked horizontally. Second side portion  24  is dedicated to memory storage devices such as a DVD drive, CD ROM, or a floppy disk drive. 
     Central portion  22  is shown in detail in  FIG. 3 . Central portion  22  is occupied principally by heat sinks  28  and  30  and hard disk drive  40 . Heat sink  30  comprises a plurality of vertically extending fins  32  which are supported at one edge by vertically mounted base  34 . Fins  32  define slots therebetween which preferably extend the entire height of compartment  18 , from first end  12  to second end  14 , and thereby form a chimney-type channel through which circulating air (a) can flow in a heat convection cooling process. The ends of this channel substantially coincide with ends of  12  and  14 , and to facilitate air flow, ends  12  and  14  can be provided with perforations or other openings (not shown) through which air can enter or exit the channel. Optionally, a fan  38  can be placed along the channel to force air therethrough and create a convection air stream, with the fan preferably being mounted at either one of ends  14  and  16  within compartment  18 . Obviously, clearance for such a fan would have to be provided between the end face ( 14 ,  16 ) and the heat sink  30 . Heat sink  30  is arranged such that base  34  thereof abuts portion  20  in which the various PCBs are disposed. To exploit its heat dissipation capacity, heat sink  30  is preferably in thermal contact with the computer CPU card layer and a main logic board card layer (not shown) in portion  20 , preferably through a heat spreader (not shown) adapted for this purpose. 
     Heat sink  28  is mounted to hard disk drive  40 , for example using fasteners such as screws  42 , shown in  FIG. 4 , which pass through matching holes  44  in base  46  of heat sink  28  to screw into corresponding holes  48  provided in the hard disk drive. This mounting is facilitated by a frame  50 , which is provided with extensions  52  having holes  54  formed therein. Holes  54  are in registry with holes  44  and  48 . Frame  50  is rigidly supported with respect to the removable first ( 12 ) and second ( 14 ) ends of computer housing  10 . A guide track  56  is provided in frame  50  for mating with a suitable portion such as a rail (not shown) formed on hard disk drive  40  in order to align the hard disk drive in frame  50 . Guide track  56  is provided with a flared portion  58  to facilitate entry of the rail of hard disk drive  40  thereinto when the hard disk drive is replaced. 
     Replacement of hard disk drive  40  is further facilitated using a novel hinged mounting arrangement for components of the computer, and particularly circuit boards, disposed along the side edges of hard disk drive  40 . Such a circuit board is PCMCIA card  60 , shown in  FIG. 5 , which is mounted on hinged door  62  having a latch  69  for latching the hinged door in a closed position or for permitting its opening when unlatched such that access to hard disk drive  40  can be gained. PCMCIA card  60  is pluggably mounted in door  62 . The hinged mounting of door  62  is with respect to rigid frame  64  to which hinges  68  are secured. Frame  64  is rigidly mounted to removable ends  12  and  14  of housing  10  and supports various components, including heat sink  30  and arms  66  and  67  of retractable handle  70 . Arms  66  and  67  pass through suitable openings (not shown) provided in end  12  and are used to gain access to the contents of compartment  18  by pulling ends  12  and  14 , along with frame  64  and other supported components (not shown), apart from sides  16 . Once these are apart, door latch  69  can be unlatched, permitting opening of door  62  such that hard disk drive  40  can be made to slide in frame  50  for removal thereof in order to service the hard disk drive or replace it in a computer upgrade. The sliding of hard disk drive  40  can be in the direction of door  62 . Preferably, however, this sliding is away from door  40 , in the direction of arrow b, with the opening of door  62  merely enabling the application of force to the side of hard disk drive  40  so that the hard disk drive can be pushed away from the door and extracted from the other side of the assembly. 
     The above are exemplary modes of carrying out the invention and are not intended to be limiting. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that modifications thereto can be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20060505
Publication Date: 20081202
Grant Date: 20081202
Priority Date: 20010613
Inventors: MILLER WAYNE H.
MARIANO RICARDO ALBA
HOLMES STEVEN THOMAS
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F1/20", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G11B33/125", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G11B33/125", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/183", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/181", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/20", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/183", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/181", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 25376824