Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to an electronic device enclosure, and more particularly to an electronic device enclosure which facilitates assembling.  
         [0003]     2. General Background  
         [0004]     An electronic device, such as computer or server, requires regular maintenance for sure of working well. To facilitate maintenance of the electronic device, an enclosure of the electronic device is often designed to be quickly and easily opened for access components received in the enclosure. Taiwan Patent No. 539147 discloses a computer enclosure which includes a hood, a base and a pair of connecting mechanism. Each connecting mechanism includes a first lever having opposite ends pivotally connected with the hood and the base respectively, and a second lever having opposite ends pivotally connected with the first lever and the base respectively. The hood is swung apart from the base by means of the connecting mechanisms. However, the connecting mechanism requires at least two levers, it is unduly laborious and time-consuming to assemble the connecting mechanism with the hood and the base.  
         [0005]     What is desired, therefore, is an electronic device enclosure which is easily assembled.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0006]     In one preferred embodiment, an electronic device enclosure includes a base; a bracket pivotally connected with the base, the bracket being rotatable around a fixed axis between a first position at which the bracket is generally received in the base, and a second position at which the bracket is generally suspended over the base; and a pair of connecting pieces holding the bracket at the second position.  
         [0007]     Other advantages and novel features will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is an exploded, isometric view of an electronic device enclosure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device enclosure including a bracket and a base;  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is an assembled view of  FIG. 1 , showing the bracket is at a first position with respect to the base, the bracket having a portion thereof cut away; and  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is an assembled view of  FIG. 1 , showing the bracket is at a second position with respect to the base. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
       [0011]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an electronic device enclosure includes a base  20 , a bracket  10  which is rotatably received in the base  20 , and a pair of connecting pieces  30  connecting the base  20  with the bracket  10 .  
         [0012]     The bracket  10  includes a pair of opposite parallel sidewalls  11  and a front wall  13  connected between front ends of the sidewalls  11 . A pivot hole  113  is defined in a rear end of each sidewall  11 . A pair of spaced tabs  117  depends from adjacent a top edge of each sidewall  11 . A protrusion  111  is arranged at front of the pivot hole  113 . A pair of spaced openings  15  is defined in the front wall  13 , and electronic components such as hard disc drives received in the bracket  10  can be accessed via the openings  15 . A pair of rings  133  is arranged on the front wall  13  adjacent the openings  15  respectively, for facilitating manipulating the bracket  10 . A pair of spring screws  131  depends from the front wall  13 .  
         [0013]     The base  20  includes a bottom panel  25 , a pair of side panels  21  extending perpendicularly upward from opposite side edges of the bottom panel  25 , and a front panel  23  extending perpendicularly upward from a front edge of the bottom panel  25 . The front panel  23  is lower than the side panels  21  in height. A pivot  211  is arranged on an inner side of each side panel  21 , and a projection  213  is projected inwardly from the inner side of each side panel  21 . A flange  23  is bent inward from a top edge of each side panel  21 , and a pair of slots  231  is defined in the flange  23  corresponding to the tabs  117  of each sidewall  11 . A pair of fasteners  70  such as screws is provided corresponding to the pivots  211 . A pair of fixing holes  231  is defined in the front panel  23  corresponding to the spring screws  131  of the bracket  10 .  
         [0014]     Each connecting piece  30  is generally an elongate strip. Each connecting piece  30  defines an aperture  31  in a distal end thereof, corresponding to the protrusions  111 , the aperture  31  includes an entrance portion  311  and a pivot portion  313  in communication with the entrance portion  311 , the entrance portion  311  is dimensioned to allow a corresponding protrusion  111  extending therethrough, and the pivot portion  313  is dimensioned to prevent the corresponding protrusion  111  existing theretfrom. A pair of rivets  33  is formed on each connecting piece  30  adjacent the aperture  31 . An elongate guideway  35  is defined in each connecting piece  30  corresponding to the projections  213 , an entrance hole  351  is defined in communication with a first end of the guideway  35  adjacent the rivets  33 , and a retaining hole  353  is defined in a proximal end of the connecting piece  30  in communication with a second end of the guideway  35 . The retaining hole  353  is generally perpendicular to the guideway  35 . The guideway  35  and the retaining hole  353  are dimensioned to prevent corresponding projection  213  from withdrawing therefrom.  
         [0015]     A pair of fixing plates  50  is provided to attach the connecting pieces  30  to the bracket  10 . Each fixing plate  50  defines a notch  51  in a distal first end thereof, corresponding to the pivot portion  313  of the aperture  31  of each connecting piece  30 , and a pair of rivet holes  53  in a second end thereof, for receiving the rivets  33  of each connecting piece  30 .  
         [0016]     In assembly, the bracket  10  is rotatably attached to base  20  via the pivots  211  of the side panels  21  extending through corresponding pivot holes  113  of the bracket  10 , and the fasteners  70  are engaged in the pivots  211  for preventing the pivots  211  from withdrawing from the pivot holes  113 .  
         [0017]     Each fixing plate  50  is attached to corresponding connecting piece  30  with the rivets  33  engaging the rivet holes  53 , the notch  51  of each fixing plate  50  overlaps the pivot portion  313  of the aperture  31  of the corresponding connecting piece  30 , and the first end of the fixing plate  50  covers the entrance portion  311  of the aperture  31 . Each assembled connecting piece  30  and fixing plate  50  is attached to corresponding side panel  21  of the base  20  by means of the projection  213  extending through the entrance hole  351  and relatively sliding in the guideway  35 , the distal end of the connecting piece  30  is pressed toward the protrusion  111  of corresponding sidewall  11  of the bracket  10 , the protrusion  111  extends through the entrance portion  311  of the aperture  31  of the connecting piece  30  and pushes the first end of the fixing plate  50  outwardly, the bracket  10  is rotated outwardly until the protrusion  111  enters the pivot portion  313  of the aperture  31 , the fixing plate  50  is restored to cover the entrance portion  311 , and the notch  51  engages the protrusion  111  to attach the assembled connecting piece  30  and fixing plate  50  to the bracket  10 . Alternatively, each connecting piece  30  can be pivotally attached to corresponding side panel  21  of the base  20  directly via other fixing means such as screws.  
         [0018]     In use,  FIG. 2  shows the bracket  10  is fixed to the base  20 . The bracket  10  is generally accommodated in the base  20 , and a plurality of components  90  including, for example, motherboard, hard disc drives, etc. is fixed on the bottom panel  25  under the bracket  10 . The tabs  117  of the bracket  10  are engaged in the slots  231  of the base  20  respectively. The spring screws  131  of the bracket  10  are engaged in the fixing holes  231  of the front panel  23  of the base  20 .  
         [0019]     To maintain the components under the bracket  10 , the springs screws  131  are disengaged from the front panel  23  of the base  20 , the bracket  10  is rotated outwardly from inside the base  20  by the rings  133 . The bracket  10  is rotated around a fixed axis defined by the pivots  211  of the base  20 . The connecting pieces  30  are stretched slantingly outwardly, and the projections  213  of the base  20  are relatively slid along the guideways  35  of the connecting pieces  30  respectively, until the projections  213  engage in the retaining holes  353  of the connecting pieces  30  respectively such that the bracket  10  is suspended over the base  20 . The components  90  in the base  20  are exposed to facilitate servicing thereof.  
         [0020]     To close the bracket  10 , the connecting pieces  30  are pulled by the proximal ends thereof to disengage the projections  213  from the retaining holes  353  of the connecting pieces  30  respectively. The bracket  10  is then rotated back toward the base  20  until the front wall  13  of the bracket  10  seats on the front panel  23  of the base  20 . The tabs  117  of the bracket  10  are engaged in the slots  231  of the base  20  respectively. The spring screws  131  of the bracket  10  are engaged in the fixing holes  231  of the front panel  23  to fix the bracket  10  to the base  20 .  
         [0021]     As an alternative embodiment, the connecting pieces  30  can be reversely connected to the bracket  10  and the base  20 . That is, the apertures  31  of the connecting pieces  30  are respectively engaged with the projections  213  of the base  20  respectively, and the guideways  35  of the connecting pieces  30  engages with the protrusions  111  of the bracket  10  respectively.  
         [0022]     It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments.

Technology Category: h