US20030122457A1 - Computer with removable panels - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of replacing a side panel member of a computer casing comprising positioning the computer with a bottom portion thereof exposed and pushing a push button on the bottom portion.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS
• The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/580,393 filed on May 26, 2000, which is related to the following U.S. patent applications: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/552,201 filed Apr. 19, 2000 for COMPUTER WITH MODULAR COMPONENTS of Elizabeth B. Diaz, Felix Guerra and Yancy Chen (Attorney Docket No. 10002252-1); U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/552,555 filed Apr. 19, 1999 for COMPUTER WITH READILY ACCESSIBLE MOTHERBOARD of Elizabeth B. Diaz, Kun-Chi Hsieh, and Bo Sui-Fai, (Attorney Docket No. 10002253-1); U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/552,193 filed Apr. 19, 2000 for COMPUTER WITH MODULAR DRIVE IN SEPARATE BAY of Elizabeth B. Diaz, Felix Guerra, Yancy Chen, Kun-Chi Hsieh, and Bo Siu-Fai (Attorney Docket No. 10002254-1); U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/552,556 filed Apr. 19, 2000 for COMPUTER WITH MODULAR POWER SUPPLY ASSEMBLY IN SEPARATE BAY of Elizabeth B. Diaz, Felix Guerra, Yancy Chen, Kun-Chi Hsieh, and Bo Siu-Fai (Attorney Docket No. 10002255-1); and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/552,428 filed Apr. 19, 2000 for COMPUTER WITH MODULAR REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE of Elizabeth B. Diaz, Kun-Chi Hsieh, and Bo Siu-Fai (Attorney Docket No. 10002256-1); U.S. patent application for COMPUTER WITH TRANSLATING DOOR of Elizabeth B. Diaz, Peter K. Lee, and Kun-Chi Hsieh (Attorney Docket No. 10004256-1); and U.S. patent application filed the same date as this application for TOWER COMPUTER WITH LOW CENTER OF GRAVITY of Elizabeth B. Diaz, Felix Guerra, and Yancy Chen (Attorney Docket No. 10004254-1) which are hereby incorporated by reference for all that is disclosed therein.[0001]
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
• The invention relates generally to computers and, more particularly, to a computer having removable panels.[0002]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• It is generally desirable to provide a computer with an aesthetically pleasing appearance. One technique for doing this is to provide an outer plastic casing mounted over an internal sheet metal housing. However when it is desired to also provide a computer with modular or easily accessible components the casing can create difficulties with accessing the interior of the computer. One solution is to provide a computer casing with easily removable panels. Such removable panels may also be provided in different colors to change the appearance of the computer. However, the connectors and interlock mechanisms for such panels may detract from the appearance of the housing. Also, they may cause such panels may be inadvertently disconnected by the owner or removed by unauthorized individuals desiring to do mischief. One solution is to provide panels that may only be removed using special tools, but this may make it too inconvenient for the owner.[0003]
• Thus, a need exists for removable panels which are aesthetically pleasing and which may be removed and replaced easily by the owner without lending themselves to inadvertent or mischievous removal.[0004]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention is directed to a computer which has removable side panels and/or a removable base panel. The panels snap-lock in place and are unlocked by operation of an actuator located at the bottom of the computer.[0005]
• Thus the invention may comprise a computer assembly comprising a computer housing; and a plurality of separate outer casing members mountable in enveloping relationship with the housing. The plurality of outer casing members having an attached state in fixedly mounted relationship with the housing and a disengaged state in nontouching relationship with the housing. The plurality of outer casing members are toolessly switchable between the attached state and the disengaged state.[0006]
• The invention may also comprise a method of replacing a side panel member of a computer casing comprising positioning the computer with a bottom portion thereof exposed; and pushing a push button on the bottom portion.[0007]
• The invention may also comprise a method of constructing a computer comprising providing a computer housing holding electronic components and capturing a computer housing within a plurality of toolessly snap-locking, toolessly unlockable casing members.[0008]
• The invention may also comprise a computer assembly comprising a housing; and a detachable base member, having at least one deflectable member snappingly lockingly receivable in said housing and unlockable therefrom by finger deflection of a bottom portion of the deflectable member accessible from a bottom side of the base member.[0009]
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
• One illustrative and presently preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the appended drawing of which:[0010]
• FIG. 1 is a top, front, left perspective view of a computer housing;[0011]
• FIG. 2 is a top, front perspective view of a computer housing;[0012]
• FIG. 3 is a top, rear, right perspective view of a computer housing;[0013]
• FIG. 4 is a top, front, right perspective view of a computer housing;[0014]
• FIG. 5 is a bottom, rear perspective view of a computer housing with a power supply modular removed;[0015]
• FIG. 6 is a front, right perspective view of a computer housing with a lateral side door panel partially open position;[0016]
• FIG. 7 is a rear, right perspective view of a computer housing with a lateral side door panel in an open position and with a power supply assembly partially removed;[0017]
• FIG. 8 is a detail front, right perspective view of a computer housing with a lateral side door panel in an open position and with a power supply assembly removed;[0018]
• FIG. 9 is a detail right elevation view of a computer housing having a door panel thereof in an open position and showing a power supply assembly in a partially removed state;[0019]
• FIG. 10 is a rear, right side perspective view of a computer housing with a lateral side door panel in an open position and with a power supply assembly removed;[0020]
• FIG. 11 is a detail, rear, right perspective view of a lower portion of a computer housing with a power supply assembly in a seated position;[0021]
• FIG. 12 is a detail, rear, right perspective view of a lower portion of a computer housing with a power supply assembly in an unseated position and with a cam lever in an actuated position;[0022]
• FIG. 13 is a detail, rear, right perspective view of a lower portion of a computer housing with a power supply assembly in partially removed position;[0023]
• FIG. 14 is a detail, rear, right perspective view of a lower portion of a computer housing with a power supply assembly removed;[0024]
• FIG. 15 is a bottom, right perspective view of a rear portion of a power supply assembly;[0025]
• FIG. 16 is a top, rear perspective view of a partially disassembled power supply assembly;[0026]
• FIG. 17 is a detail top, right perspective view of a lower portion of a computer housing with a lateral side door panel in an open position and illustrating details of a power supply bay;[0027]
• FIG. 18 is a bottom, right, rear perspective view of a computer housing having a hard drive bay door in an open position with a hard drive mounted in the door and with a power supply assembly removed;[0028]
• FIG. 19 is a detail rear perspective view of a hard drive bay door in an open position and with a hard drive assembly removed therefrom;[0029]
• FIG. 20 is a bottom, right perspective view of a lower front portion of a computer housing with a hard drive bay door in an open position and with a hard drive assembly removed;[0030]
• FIG. 21 is a bottom right perspective view of a lower front portion of a computer housing with a hard drive bay door in an open position and with a hard drive removed therefrom but still connected to electrical cables;[0031]
• FIG. 22 is a bottom right perspective view of a lower front portion of a computer housing with a hard drive bay door in an open position and with a hard drive removed and completely disconnected from electrical cables; and[0032]
• FIG. 23 is a partially schematic, exploded view of a tower computer.[0033]
• FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the tower computer;[0034]
• FIG. 25 is a right side elevation view of the computer of FIG. 24;[0035]
• FIG. 26 is a rear perspective view of the computer of FIG. 24;[0036]
• FIG. 27 is a partially exploded front perspective view of the computer of FIG. 24;[0037]
• FIG. 28 is a right side elevation view of a computer as shown in FIG. 27 with side panels removed;[0038]
• FIG. 29 is an interior elevation of a computer casing side panel;[0039]
• FIG. 30 is a detail perspective view of an upper corner portion of the panel of FIG. 29;[0040]
• FIG. 31 is a detail perspective view, taken from the outside, of a lower corner portion of the panel of FIG. 29;[0041]
• FIG. 32 is a front perspective view of a rear portion of a computer casing member;[0042]
• FIG. 33 is a rear perspective view of the casing member of FIG. 32;[0043]
• FIG. 34 is a interior perspective view of an integral top and front casing member;[0044]
• FIG. 35 is a bottom plan view of a casing base member;[0045]
• FIG. 36 is a bottom exploded perspective view of the base member of FIG. 35;[0046]
• FIG. 37 is a top perspective view of the base member of FIG. 35;[0047]
• FIG. 38 is a detail top perspective view of a corner portion of the base member of FIG. 37;[0048]
• FIG. 39 is a perspective view of a bottom front right corner portion of the computer of FIG. 24 with a right panel portion removed;[0049]
• FIG. 40 is the same perspective view as FIG. 39 except showing a plunger member in a raised position.[0050]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONIn General
• The drawing figures disclose, in general, a computer assembly comprising, a[0051]computer housing12; and a plurality of separateouter casing members890,276,278,284,282 mountable in enveloping relationship with the housing. The plurality of outer casing members have an attached state in fixedly mounted relationship with the housing and a disengaged state in non-touching relationship with the housing. The plurality of outer casing members are toolessly switchable between the attached state and the disengaged state.
The Housing Exterior Portions
• FIGS.[0052]1-5 illustrate atower computer10 comprising asheet metal housing12 having anoutside surface14 and aninside surface16. The housing has central and intersecting longitudinal, lateral, and vertical axes XX, YY, and ZZ respectively. (All reference to “horizontal” and “vertical” herein assume the normal operating position of the computer or the subject component unless otherwise noted.) The sheet metal may be steel and may have a wall thickness of, e.g. 0.6 mm to 0.8 mm. Those having skill in the art will understand that other wall thickness dimensions and other types of metal may also be used.
• The[0053]housing12 comprises a vertically and laterally extendingfront wall22; a vertically and laterally extendingrear wall24; a vertically and longitudinally extending leftlateral side wall26; a vertically and longitudinally extending rightlateral side wall28; a longitudinally and laterally extendingtop wall32 and a laterally and longitudinally extendingbottom wall34. The front wall terminates at a front wall/left wallvertical edge38 on one side and front wall/right wallvertical edge40 on the other side. A vertically extendingflange portion41 from the right wall overlaps the front wall terminating at vertically extendingflange edge43. A first narrow, rectangular, vertically extendingopening42 is positioned in a right side portion of thefront wall22. The opening has a top edge44 abottom edge46 and first and secondvertical edges48,50. Afront face portion412 of an optical drive extends therethrough as described in further detail below. A second generallyrectangular opening52 having atop edge54, abottom edge56, a firstvertical edge58, and a secondvertical edge60 is positioned in a lower left hand portion of thefront wall22. The front wall comprises a generally flat, vertically and laterally extendingpanel portion70 having alower edge71 and atop edge78.Panel portion70 containsopenings42 and52. Thefront wall22 has a generally flat, bottom recessedportion72 parallel toportions70 which has abottom edge73 and atop edge75.Edge75 andedge71 define a generally longitudinally and laterally extendingstep portion77 as best seen in FIG. 4. The distance between71 and75 may be, e.g. 90 mm. The distance between73 and75 may be, e.g. 20 mm. As best seen in FIG. 1, a top wall/front wall beveledtransition portion74 extends upwardly and rearwardly fromedge78 to atop edge76. The distance betweenedges76 and78 may be, e.g. 20 mm.
• [0054]Rear wall24, FIG. 3, extends laterally between rear wall/right wallvertical edge90 and rear wall/left wallvertical edge92 and extends vertically betweentop edge94 andbottom edge96. The rear wall includes an upper generallyflat face98 which is recessed somewhat, e.g. 10 mm, from a first vertical edge strip defined by right wall vertically extendingflange portion106 and a secondvertical edge strip99 which are both longitudinally co-extensive withportion98.Upper panel portion98 has a first input/output (“I/O”)port area110 at a top portion thereof and a second I/O port area112 positioned at an intermediate portion thereof. A power modulerear face panel114, described further below, is positioned immediately belowpanel portion98 and a flatlower panel portion116 is positioned below thepower module panel114.
• The I/O ports may comprise conventional ports/connectors such as[0055]modem121,speaker122,game123, parallel124, monitor125,mouse126, andkeyboard127 ports, etc., for connecting the computer to typical I/O devices such as keyboards, displays, scanners, joysticks, etc. (none shown).
• The[0056]top wall32 comprises a flathorizontal panel140 extending between a top wall/leftwall edge interface142 and a top wall rightwall edge interface144. Aright wall flange146 forms an overlapping portion of the top wall terminating atedge148. A plurality of vent holes152,154, etc. are provided in the top wall to facilitate venting of air from a motherboard chamber described below.
• [0057]Left side wall26, FIG. 1, has a generallyflat panel portion162 extending fromedge92 to edge38 longitudinally and fromedge142 tobottom edge164 vertically, except for stair step or bump outportion168.Stair step portion168 has a laterally extending, e.g. 5 mm,front face portion170 longitudinally set back, e.g. 25 mm, from thefront wall panel72 of the housing, and has a similarrear face174 positioned forward, e.g. 25 mm, from therear face24. The stair step portion has atop face176 and a bottom face which is an extension ofbottom wall34.
• [0058]Right side wall28, FIG. 4, has a flatupper panel portion190 extending longitudinally betweenedges40 and90 and vertically betweentop edge144 and a boundary defined byhinge line portion194 and beveled step shapededge portion196. The right side wall also includes a flat bottom panel portion extending longitudinally betweenedges40 and90 and vertically between194,196, on the top andbottom edge200 at the bottom, except for bump out/stair step portion202 having generally an identical configuration to bump outportion168 located on theopposite side wall26.
• As best shown by FIG. 5,[0059]bottom wall34 comprises a forwardflat panel portion220 extending laterally between left bump outbottom edge210 and right bump out bottom edge212 at an intermediate portion thereof and betweenedges164 and200 at the extreme forward end thereof. The forward panel terminates at arear edge portion222 which overlaps with a secondflat panel portion230 which extends on the exposed exterior fromedge222 torear edge96. Theforward panel220 has vent openings such asholes232,234, etc. or slats (not shown) or the like provided therein and may include arecess portion236 having ascrew238 received in abore766 therein, FIG. 18. Rightside recess portions240,242 may be provided which have bores therein adapted to receivedscrews244,246 for attaching a hard drive to an interior side of thepanel220 as described in further detail below.
• In one embodiment, as illustrated by FIG. 23, the[0060]housing12 may comprise a first integral subassembly262 which includesfront wall22,left side wall26,top wall32 and an upper portion ofrear wall24. A second subassembly264 is formed by the hinge connected upper and lower portions ofright side wall28. A portion of therear wall24 is formed by a rear portion of apower module510. Another portion of the rear wall is formed by anintermediate wall subassembly266. Thisassembly266 also contains a bottom portion of therear wall24 and a portion of thebottom wall34. The remainder of the bottom wall is in a bottom door assembly268. The various subassemblies may be connected by conventional sheet metal connection means such as locking flanges, tabs and slots or other cut out portions, screw and threaded bore or screw and nut connection, rivets, solder, welds, etc.
• The housing may have the following exemplary dimensions: a=105 mm, b=239 mm, c=90 mm, d=306 mm, e=70 mm, f=35 mm, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. It is to be understood that these dimensions are only exemplary and demonstrate dimensions suitable for accommodating specific computer components described elsewhere herein. It is to be understood that if computer components of different sizes were to be used or if such computer components were arranged somewhat differently than specifically described in the illustrated embodiment that the above exemplary dimensions would change. The variance of these dimensions to accommodate differently sized or other computer components than specifically described herein, would, after reading this disclosure, be obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the art and accordingly will not be further discussed herein. It is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to any of the above dimensions except to the extent such dimensions are expressly recited in one or more of the following claims.[0061]
• As shown by FIG. 23, the[0062]housing12 may be encased in an aesthetically pleasing, high strength plastic (e.g. ABS plastic) casing270 which, in general, may comprise afront portion274,rear portion276,left panel278,top portion280,bottom portion282, and aright panel284. The left and right panels are adapted to be removeably mounted, as by press release locking tabs, onto other portions of thecasing270. The casing may have vent holes in atop portion290 and a raisedbottom portion294 thereof. Cutouts296,298,299, etc. in thecasing270 are constructed and arranged to expose a removable media drivefront face412, a power supply assemblyrear face512 and the various I/O ports. Preferably the casing is constructed in a manner, e.g. using studs and press release tabs, screws, etc., to enable thesheet metal housing12 to be mounted therein or removed therefrom very rapidly, e.g. in less than thirty seconds. However it is to be understood that the definition of “modular” and “readily-accessible” provided below is with reference only to thehousing12 and does not take into account any time which may be required in removing any portion ofcasing270 or time which may be required in removinghousing12 from casing270, if necessary, to access a particular component. Thecasing270 is described in further detail below.
Motherboard Bay
• As best illustrated in FIGS.[0063]6-10 thecomputer10 has amotherboard access bay300 accessible through an access opening310 in the rightlateral side28 of thesheet metal housing12. The opening is removably covered by aside panel door312 which may be comprised of side wall flatupper panel portion190 andflanges41,106,146, FIG. 4. In the illustrated embodiment theside panel door312 is pivotally mounted to the housing byhinge portions314,316 on thedoor312 andhousing12 which have a pivot pin (not shown) received therein to define a pivot access PP. Theside panel door312flange portions106,146,41 overlap the adjacent portion of the rear top and front sides of the housing when the door is shut. These door flange portions co-act withflange portions318,320,322,324,326, positioned about theperiphery328 of theaccess opening310. More specifically, theflange portions318,320,322,324,326 are biased to the position shown in FIG. 7 and are urged elastically inwardly by the flange portions on theside panel door312 as the door is closed. Thus, the housing and door flange portions have surfaces which abut when the door is closed and those abutting surfaces are urged together by the elastic restorative forces of both sets of flanges. As a result, there is substantial sliding friction between these abutting surfaces which tends to retain the door in a closed position once it has been closed. To further prevent the door from opening ascrew334, FIG. 4 may be received in ahole330 in doortop flange146 and thread bore332 inhousing top flange320. Of course, any number of door holding or arrangements might be employed to hold the door in a closed position such as conventional cabinet latching assemblies, snap lock assemblies, hook and catch assemblies, etc.
• A[0064]motherboard assembly350, best illustrated in FIGS. 9, 10, and23 comprises asubstrate352 having a back side355 mounted in abutting relationship with aninterior wall surface353 of housinglateral side wall26. The substrate may be mounted on the wall surface by conventional means, for example by screws, rivets, etc. Thesubstrate352 has afront side357 with a central processing unit (CPU)354 mounted at a central portion thereof.Various circuit devices356,358, etc.,expansion card slots360,362, for receivingexpansion cards364,366, FIG. 23, therein;memory chip slots368,370 for receivingmemory chips372,374 therein; etc., are provided on thesubstrate352. ACPU cooling fan376 may be mounted directly on the CPU. The various components of the motherboard assembly are sometimes referred to herein as “motherboard components” or as being “mounted on the motherboard.”
• Various signal and[0065]power cables378,380 extend into themotherboard bay300 and are operably connected to the motherboard assembly. The motherboard assembly may be of different types having different sizes and shapes. In the illustrated embodiment the motherboard is an Intel Micro ATX form factor motherboard having a rectangular shape with dimensions up to 190.5 mm in height (as assembled in housing) by up to 216 mm in length. Themotherboard bay300 preferably has substantially the same length and height as the motherboard and has a width about the same as the housing width “c” which in the exemplary embodiment is 90 mm. The motherboard bay preferably has a length to width ratio of at least 1.5 and preferably at least 2.0 and most preferably at least 2.5. The motherboard may be conventionally electrically connected to the various I/O ports, media drives, power supply, etc. Except for these various electrical connector cables themotherboard bay300 is substantially free of other computer components (for example free of other computer components except for a media drive) thus a relatively large amount of cooling air space within the motherboard bay is provided. In preferred embodiments themotherboard bay300 is at least 80% free air space and, more preferably, at least 85% free air space and most preferably 89%±5% free air space.
• The sheet metal walls around the[0066]motherboard bay300 provide EMI shielding as well as physically protecting the motherboard assembly and creating a plenum chamber for providing a cooling airflow over the motherboard assembly.
Removable Media Drive
• One computer component other than the[0067]motherboard assembly350 which is located in themotherboard bay300 is amedia drive assembly410 which in the illustrated embodiment is a removable media drive such as an optical CD or DVD drive having a rotation access RR. The drive has central intersecting longitudinal lateral and vertical axes X₁X₁, Y₁Y₁, Z₁Z₁. Axis RR is disposed laterally and horizontally when the drive is in its normal operating position shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.
• The removable media drive[0068]410 has afront face412 which is positioned in thefirst opening42 in thefront wall22, FIGS. 1 and 2. Thefront face412 may be for a drive of the type which receives an optical disk through a front slot portion thereof or, alternatively, and as shown in the illustrated embodiment may be of the type which has a longitudinally displaceable tray which projects outwardly from the front face (not shown) to enable placement of a media disk on a drive spindle (not shown). Both types of disk loading mechanisms are well known in the art and will not be further described herein. The drive front face may have a vertical dimension “j” of e.g., 130 mm.
• The drive has[0069]rear face414 which may have asignal cable adapter416 mounted thereon for removable connection to asignal cable417 and may also have apower cable adapter418 mounted thereon for removable connection to apower cable419. FIG. 8 illustrates thedrive410 with cables connected and FIG. 7 illustrates the drive with cables removed. The drive further comprises a first and second lateral side faces418,420 which may have a longitudinal dimension “k” of 130 mm, and a top face422 and bottom face424 having a lateral dimension “I”, FIG. 2, which may be e.g., 13 mm.
• The[0070]drive410 is mounted on adrive bracket432 having vertically and longitudinally extendingbody portion434, FIG. 9, which abuts driveside wall420. Thebracket432 also includes a horizontally extendinglower portion436, a vertically extendinglower tab portion438 andcurved foot portions440,442 projecting from thelower tab portion438. The bracket further comprises anupper tab portion444, FIG. 8, having a screw receiving hole therein andfront alignment tabs446,448, FIG. 9.
• A[0071]second bracket450 fixed to the housing as by screws (not shown) attached to an intermediatehorizontal wall574, FIG. 23, has longitudinally extendingslots452,454, which define a pivot axis HH.
• A top[0072]drive mounting flange456 is fixedly attached, e.g. integrally, to the housing and may have a screw hole therein458 which is alignable with the screw hole inupper tab portion444 whereby ascrew460 may be used to secureupper tab portion444 toflange456. Various alternative releasable attachment means could of course be used in place of the screw attachment, for example a spring metal tab (not shown) or hook and catch (not shown), etc.
• The lower[0073]curved foot portions440,442 ofbracket432 may be slidingly, rotationally displaceably, received inslots452,454. Thecurved foot portions440,442 and thebottom bracket450 hold the lower portion ofdrive bracket442 in stable stationary relationship with thehousing12 when theupper tab portion444 is secured to topdrive mounting flange456. When the upper end is released thedrive410 and attachedbracket442 may be pivoted horizontally about axis HH to the generally horizontally disposed position shown in FIG. 9. Thereafter, if desired, the drive and attachedbracket442 may be moved laterally away frombracket450 to entirely removefoot portions440,442 fromslots452,454 and thus detach the drive and attacheddrive bracket442 from thehousing12. The signal and power andaudio cables417,419 may be hand disconnected from the back of the drive, either before or after disengagement of the drive frombracket450, to enable the drive to be completely removed from the housing for replacement, repair, etc., FIG. 10.
• It will of course be appreciated that with the drive positioned in the pivotally displaced position shown in FIG. 9 or entirely removed from the housing as shown in FIG. 10 that all regions of the[0074]motherboard assembly350 are easily accessible. Thus a user may quickly and easily add expansion cards or memory to the computer without using special tools and without technical skills or training. Similarly a technician may quickly and easily access and test any portion of themotherboard assembly350. In the illustrated embodiment it is necessary only to removescrew334 from the top ofaccess312 door; open thedoor312 by pivoting it indirection313, removescrew460 or release a spring tab, etc., fromdrive bracket tab456, pivot the drive indirection413 and, if necessary, hand removecables417 and419. The entire operation can typically be performed by a person with no technical experience who has recently performed the same operation at least once before, in less than three minutes. Thus the entire motherboard is readily-accessible. The phrase “readily-accessible” when used herein to refer to a computer component such as a motherboard means that unobstructed access may be obtained to that computer component by an average person, with no technical experience who has recently performed the same operation at least once before, in less than three minutes and without using special tools. It is to be understood that this definition of “readily-accessible” is with reference only to thehousing12 and does not take into account any time which may be required in removing any portion ofcasing270 or time which may be required in removinghousing12 from casing270, if necessary, to access a particular component.
• Although a lower horizontal pivot axis HH has been described with reference to the illustrated embodiment, it is also to be understood that by flipping the relationship of the various bracket components, an upper horizontal pivot access could easily be provided. Further, it will be understood that by pivotally mounting a drive bracket such as[0075]432 about a vertical pivot access such as VV, FIG. 8, at a front end portion of the drive, that the drive would also be pivotally displaceable about such a vertical axis to enable access to motherboard components positioned behind thedrive410.
• It is to be noted that the[0076]drive410, in its normal operating position illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, is positioned with onelateral face418 positioned next adjacent to side panel door312 (when the door is in the closed position) and with its smallest dimension “I” projecting into themotherboard bay300. Thus, thedrive410 is positioned in substantially nonrestricting relationship with airflow through themotherboard bay300 while in its normal operating position, i.e. the airflow rate through the motherboard bay with the drive in this position is at least 90% as great as the airflow rate with the drive completely removed.
• Also, the[0077]drive410 is readily-displaceable from its normal operating position, shown in FIG. 8, to a position in noninterfering relationship with the motherboard, such as shown in FIG. 9, to enable access to portions of the motherboard that are positioned behind thedrive410 when the drive is in its normal operating position. The phrase “readily-displaceable” when used herein means that a component may be moved from the one referenced position to the other by an average person with no technical experience who has recently performed the same operation at least once before, in less than three minutes and without special tools. It is to be understood that this definition of “readily-displaceable” is with reference only to thehousing12 and does not take into account any time which may be required in removing any portion ofcasing270 or time which may be required in removinghousing12 from casing270, if necessary, to displace the particular component from one position to the other.
• [0078]Drive410 is also modular. The term “modular” when used herein to refer to a computer component means a component which may be completely removed by an average person with no technical experience who has recently performed the same operation at least once before, in less than three minutes and without special tools. It is to be understood that this definition of “modular” is with reference only to thehousing12 and does not take into account any time which may be required in removing any portion ofcasing270 or time which may be required in removinghousing12 from casing270, if necessary, to remove the particular component. The phrases “readily-removable” or “readily-removably-mounted” are also used herein to refer to a component which is “modular,” as defined above.
Power Supply Assembly
• A[0079]power supply assembly510 forcomputer10 is best illustrated in FIGS. 3, 7,9, and11-16. Thepower supply assembly510 comprises a parallelepiped shapedhousing512 having arear face514 which, in its normal operating position, provides aportion114 of housingrear wall24, FIG. 3. Therear face514, as best shown in FIG. 11, has a rectangular shape and has a plurality of vent holes516,517, etc. It also has apower cord socket518; anindicator light520, which indicates that the power supply if functioning normally; and a universalvoltage selector switch522, all of which are conventional and well known in the art.
• The[0080]housing512 has a relatively flat rectangularfront face524 having a highdensity power connector526 mounted at a lower portion thereof and anAC interlock528 mounted at an upper corner portion thereof. Power connectors and AC interlocks are well known in the art.
• [0081]Housing512 has atop face532 having a plurality ofairflow openings534 provided therein.
• The[0082]power supply housing512 has a flat rectangularbottom face536 having acam lever538 rotatably mounted thereon, FIG. 15.Cam lever538 has a vertically extending rotation access CC and a vertically extendingcam surface540. A firstvertical tab portion541 and a secondvertical tab portion542 are provided at thefree end543 of the cam lever. Thefirst tab portion541 has ahole544 extending therethrough.Hole544 is alignable with acorresponding hole545 in the housing rear wall portion FIG. 14. Thecam lever538 also has a vertically extendingdetent hole546 therein adapted to receive adetent stud548 which is vertically defectively mounted on thebottom face536 as by a partially cut out, cantilevered, sheet metal tongue supporting the upstanding post.
• The[0083]power supply housing512 further includes a rectangularright face552 and a rectangularleft face554. In one exemplary embodiment the power supply has a longitudinal dimension or length “m” of 152 mm, a lateral dimension or width “n” of 83 mm and a vertical dimension or height “o” of 57 mm. It has central intersecting longitudinal lateral and vertical axes X₂X₂, Y₂Y₂, Z₂Z₂. As best illustrated in FIG. 16 the modularpower supply assembly510 includes anelectrical power assembly562 having variouselectrical components564, etc. which may be conventional power supply components. The electricalpower supply assembly510 also comprises a powersupply cooling fan566 mounted inside hosing512. Preferably theelectrical components564, etc. are provided in a lower portion of the housing and coolingfan566 is fixedly attached to the wall definingtop face532 with the rotation access of the fan positioned parallel to the central vertical axis Z₂Z₂of the power supply assembly.
• The[0084]power supply assembly510 is slidingly receivable in apower supply bay570, FIG. 17, having a rectangularbay access opening572.Opening572 has substantially the same shape as the front and rear faces of the modularpower supply housing512 with slightly larger dimensions, e.g., 2 mm larger in each of the vertical and lateral directions. Thebay570 is defined by a longitudinally and a laterally extendingwall574 which is horizontal in the normal operating position of thecomputer10.Wall574 is positioned a short distance, e.g. 32 mm above and extends parallel to thehousing bottom wall34. Acam post575, FIG. 14, is mounted onintermediate wall portion574 and co-acts withcam lever538 on thepower supply housing512. Its relative position with respect to the cam surface of the cam lever is shown at550 in FIG. 15.
• The[0085]power supply bay570 is also defined by vertically and longitudinally extendinglower panel portion198 of the right side wall andlower panel portion162 of the left side wall. As best illustrated by FIG. 17 the forward end of thepower supply bay570 is defined by a generally vertically and laterally extendingelectrical connector assembly576 which includes asubstrate578 upon which is mounted a high densitypower connector socket580 which in the illustrated embodiment is a female socket. The substrate has a plurality ofpower lines582,584,586 connected to a forward portion thereof which are in turn connected through the substrate to thesocket580. Theelectrical connector assembly576 also defines a rear portion of alower forward chamber581 through which various power and signal lines are passed to connect various computer components. Theelectrical connector assembly576 also has an AC interruptactuator stud590 mounted therein which co-acts with the AC interrupt528 mounted on the front wall of the modularpower supply housing512.
• The normal operating position of the modular power supply within the[0086]power supply bay570 is withmale supply socket526 positioned in seated mating relationship with femalepower supply socket580 and with AC interruptactuator stud590 positioned in mating engaged relationship with the AC interrupt528. This position is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 11 in whichrear wall portion510 of the power supply housing in positioned in flush relationship withlower panel116. In this normal operating position thecam lever538 is positioned slightly to the right of center of the power supply rear face withscrew hole544 thereof in alignment withhousing panel116,screw hole545. Arecess547 may be provided inpanel116 to receive the cam leverfirst tab portion541 in abutting relationship therewith. To prevent accidental actuation of the cam lever a screw (not shown) may be inserted throughhole544 and screwed into threadedbore545. Thecam lever538 is maintained in the position illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 11 even without a screw throughbores544 and545 by the co-action ofdetent hole546 withdetent stud548.
• To remove the[0087]modular supply assembly510 frompower supply bay570cam lever538 is engaged, as with a person's thumb positioned on the right side oftab portion542, and urged to the left as indicated at551 in FIG. 12. The hand application of force indirection551 is sufficient to cause thedetent stud548 to be displaced out of thedetent hole546 and thus allow movement indirection551. As further indicated in FIG. 12 and also in FIG. 7 the movement of the cam lever indirection551 causescam surface540 to co-act withcam stud575 and thus move the attachedpower supply assembly510 rearwardly to the position indicated in FIGS. 12 and 7. In this position the highdensity power socket526 has been disconnected from correspondingsocket580 in the power supply bay and AC interrupt528 has been displaced from AC interruptstud590 sufficiently to trip the AC power supply connection.
• Typically, the AC interrupt is set to trip much sooner than the high density power socket disconnection point. For example, the AC interrupt may be disconnected after 2 mm rearward travel whereas the[0088]high density connector526 will be disconnected after about 5 mm of rearward travel.
• Next as illustrated in FIG. 13 a person may grasp the protruding end of the modular[0089]power supply assembly510 and pulls it rearwardly until it is fully removed from thepower supply bay570. As best shown in FIG. 14, the walls of thebay570 may be provided with a plurality of longitudinally extendingtongue portions571,573, etc. which are biased to a position slightly inwardly of the interior plane of the corresponding wall. The sizing of the modular power supply and the power supply bay and the friction force exerted byvarious tongue portions571,573, etc. is such that a moderate amount of rearward force must be applied, e.g., 5 lbs. to remove the modular power supply from thebay570. An interior view of thepower supply assembly510 in a partially removed position is shown in FIG. 9. The power supply completely removed from the bay is illustrated in FIG. 14.
• The time which it takes to move the power supply from the seated position shown in FIGS. 3 and 11 to the fully removed position in FIG. 14 is about 5 to 10 seconds. If a screw must be removed from the cam lever the total time required to remove the power supply by an average person with no technical experience who has recently performed the same operation at least once before, is approximately 20 to 30 seconds. Accordingly, the[0090]power supply assembly510 is a “modular” component within the definition of “modular” provided above.
• In order to return the[0091]modular power supply510 to its operating position,cam lever538 is returned to the position of FIGS. 3 and 11 withdetent stud548 received indetent hole546. Thereafter, the modular510 is inserted in bay access opening572 and is pushed forwardly until reaching the seated position shown in FIGS. 3 and 11. In this seated position the highdensity power connector526 is electrically connected withsocket580 andAC interlock528 is engaged with AC interruptactuator stud590 causing electrical connection between the power supply and a power source connected thereto through a power cord (not shown) received inAC socket518. If desired a screw (now shown) may be passed throughhole544 and screwed intohole545 to positively hold the modularpower supply assembly510 in the seated position of FIG. 11.
• It will be appreciated from the foregoing that by mounting both the[0092]electrical power components564 and the powersupply cooling fan566 within a unitarypower supply housing512 which is automatically connected by pushing the power supply into abay570 and automatically disconnected by hand removal of the power supply from the bay that it is extremely easy for an operator to remove and inspect the power supply and/or replace a defective power supply with a new power supply if necessary. There are no computer components other than the power supply assembly itself which must be removed or disassembled in any way in order to remove the power supply assembly. Assuming that a person wishes to examine the power supplyelectrical components564 orfan566 it is necessary only to remove a pair ofscrews531, etc. from the top face (which are received inbores535,537) and a pair ofscrews539 from therear face524. In the illustrated embodiment the powersupply top face532,rear face524, and lateral side faces552,554 are formed from a unitary piece of sheet metal which has been appropriately formed into the configuration illustrated in FIG. 16. The time it takes to remove the four screws to obtain access to the power supply components inside thepower supply housing512 is about 2 minutes or less. Thehousing512 could, of course, be configured in any number of ways, as a routine matter in the sheet metal forming arts, including providing six separate faces having mating or screwably attachable mounting flanges, or providing compound assemblies having two or more faces which are constructed and arranged to be attached to corresponding portions of adjacent faces in order to provide a parallelepiped shapedhousing512. Even if thepower supply housing512 were not easily disassembled to access the internal components, there would still be a great advantage in having a power supply assembly which is easily removed and replaced. A computer user may thus easily return only thepower assembly512 rather than the entire computer for warranty or repair work. In this arrangement, the computer owner does not have to worry about third parties gaining unauthorized access to information on his/her drives and is not faced with the time and expense associated with packaging and shipping of the entire computer. Also, in the event that theentire computer10 is returned to a warranty repair shop, a defectivepower supply assembly510 may be quickly and easily replaced, possibly while the user waits, at a considerable labor cost savings to the warranty shop and/or to the user in the event of a non-warranty repair.
• An advantage of the configuration of the modular[0093]power supply assembly510 and the location ofpower supply bay570 directly belowmotherboard bay300 is that very effective cooling of both the power supplyelectrical components564 and themotherboard assembly350 is achieved by theair flow592, FIG. 7, provided by thepower supply fan566 which may be, e.g., an axial flow fan such as Model No. AD0812MS sold by Adda of Taiwan and theCPU fan376 which may be a radial flow air fan such as Model No. 50DC12V manufactured by Global Win of Taiwan. Theflow path592, as best illustrated in FIG. 7, is into therear face514 of thepower supply housing512, out thetop face532 of the power supply housing intomotherboard bay300 at a rear portion thereof, through the motherboard bay and out the vent holes152,154, etc. intop face32 of thecomputer housing12. (Alternatively, the fan direction may be reversed and the flow path may be through the vent holes152,154, etc. in thetop side32 ofhousing12, through themotherboard bay300, into the power supply housing throughholes534 in thetop face532, through the power supply fan and power supply housing and out the vent holes516,517, etc. in therear face514 of thepower supply housing512.) The air flow generated by either fan produces this general flow path and with both fans operating the airflow rate is of course increased. The operation of each of the fans may be conventionally controlled by a thermostat such that fan operation is provided only when the heat in the associated enclosure reaches a predetermined temperature.
Hard Drive Assembly
• A[0094]hard drive assembly710 is mounted in a bottomhard drive bay740 ofcomputer housing12. The bottom bay has awall portion220 which may be pivotally displaced about an axis DD to provide access to the hard drive as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 18-22. As best shown in FIG.21 thehard drive assembly710 includes an open, generally rectangulartop face portion712 having threadedbores713,715 provided at onelateral edge717 thereof. Thedrive assembly710 has a generally rectangularbottom face714, FIG. 18; a generally rectangular firstlateral side face716; a generally rectangular secondlateral side face718; a generally rectangularrear face720 and a generally rectangularfront face722, FIGS. 21 and 22. The hard drive may have central intersecting longitudinal, lateral, and vertical axes X₃X₃, Y₃Y₃, and Z₃Z₃. The hard drive assembly may have a longitudinally extending length “s” of 100 mm, a laterally extending width “t” of 145 mm and a vertical height “u” of 21 mm, FIG. 21. As best illustrated in FIGS.20-22,front face722 has a signalcable connector socket724 adapted to receive handconnectable signal cable725 and powercable connector socket726 adapted to receive handconnectable power cable728. Thesockets724 and726 are electrically connected to components mounted on adrive circuit board730 and encasedhard drive732 which are each mounted within the enclosure defined by thefaces714,716,718,720 and722.
• The[0095]hard drive bay740 is provided in a bottom portion of thecomputer housing12 and has a normally closed position, FIG. 5, and an open position, FIG. 18. The hard drive bay is defined bytop wall574 andbottom wall220 which are positioned in parallel relationship when the hard drive bay is in the closed position. The bay is further defined by frontwall recess portion72, FIGS. 1 and 22; leftside wall flange742; rightside wall flange744; bottom wall leftvertical flange746 and bottom wall leftvertical flange748.
• As further shown by FIG. 22, there is a front end[0096]vertical opening750 formed by the termination oftop wall574 short offront wall portion72, e.g., terminating approximately 70 mm short ofwall72, which provides access from thehard drive bay740 to theforward chamber581, enabling the signal andpower cables725,728 to be extended throughchamber581 into thehard drive bay740.
• As best shown in FIGS. 20 and 22, a pair of[0097]pins752,754 extend throughhousing flange portions760 and762 and through recessedportions757,759 ofbottom wall flanges746,748, respectively.Pins752,754 pivotally mount a bottom wallbay access door221 about axis DD.
• The[0098]bottom bay door221 is comprised of bottomwall panel portion220 andflanges746,748, etc. A bottom wallfront edge portion764 extends forward of the pivot axis and into an engaging relationship with bottomwall flange portion73 whendoor220 is closed, FIG. 5. Abore766 indoor220 is adapted to receive ascrew238 therethrough which may in turn be threaded into bore768 in the housing fixedbottom wall portion230 to positively secure the pivotally displaceablebottom wall door221 to fixedbottom wall portion230. Thehard drive assembly710 is removably affixed to thepivotal door220 as byscrews244,246, FIG. 5 received throughbores770,772, FIG. 19, in thedoor221 which are in turn threaded throughbores713,715 in the hard drive assembly, FIG. 21, so as to mount the hard drive in thedoor221 as illustrated in FIG. 18.
• In addition the positive retention of[0099]door221 in a closed position byscrew238, further devices for holding the door in the closed position may be provided, for example, adetent boss774 may be provided inflange776 and adetent boss778 may be provided inflange780. The detent bosses co-act with bore holes782 (only one shown) inflanges742 and744 respectively.
• FIG. 5 illustrates[0100]door220 in its closed position withhard drive assembly710 mounted in an operating position withinhard drive bay740. In order to access the hard drive, initiallydoor retaining screw238 is removed with a conventional screw driver239. Next thedoor220 is swung open about pivot access DD to the position shown in FIG. 18. Next, screws244,246 are removed enabling thehard drive assembly710 to be removed fromdoor220 and supported onsurface574, FIGS. 19 and 20. Next, as illustrated in FIG. 21 thesignal cable725 andpower cable728 are hand removed from the correspondingsockets724,726. The hard drive may now be completely removed from thecomputer10, FIG. 22. It is to be understood that the removal may also be performed in an altered sequence. For example thescrews244,246 might be removed beforescrew238, or the cables might be taken off before removingscrews244,246. The total time required to remove thehard drive assembly710 from thecomputer10, starting from the operating position shown in FIG. 5, by an average person with no technical experience who has recently performed the same operation at least once before, is less than three minutes. Accordingly, thehard drive assembly710 is a “modular” component within the definition of “modular” provided above.
• A hard drive may be remounted in the computer by performing the above described removal process in reverse. The time that it takes to remount the hard drive is generally comparable to the time that it takes to remove the hard drive, less than three minutes.[0101]
• It will be appreciated that providing a computer with a modular[0102]hard drive assembly710 such as described above provides many benefits to both a user and to a computer service department. For example, if a user desires to have work performed on a defective hard drive he/she can easily remove it and ship it to a repair site without going through the considerable trouble of packing and shipping the entire computer. Furthermore, the individual may be able to continue using his computer without the hard drive if he has other drives which have a copy of the computer operating system. Another benefit is that a computer operator who requires service to another portion of his computer may remove and retain the hard drive before shipping the computer and thus retain control over the hard drive and possibly sensitive data contained thereon. Also, a user may use the removable hard drive in the same manner that a computer user uses removable media. For example, in a computer which is shared by multiple users, each user might own and retain his or her individual hard drive which he/she manually installs at the beginning of an operating session. A removable hard drive is, of course, a great benefit to a repair shop which may easily replace a defective hard drive for the user, possibly while the user waits. The easily removable hard drive reduces labor time associated with hard drive repair or warranty service and thus is beneficial to the computer servicer as well as the computer user.
• Thus it will be seen that a[0103]computer10 may be provided which is very compact and occupies a relatively small “footprint” on a desk top. For example, the embodiment of the housing specifically described above has a total volume of less than 7143 cm³. However the manner in which components are mounted in the computer allows easy access to the various components of the computer, even in this relatively compact configuration. The removable media drive, hard drive, and power supply are each modular components allowing easy removal and replacement/repair/inspection of these components. This modular construction also enables the computer motherboard assembly to be readily-accessible for maintenance and repair or upgrading.
Exterior Casing
• As mentioned briefly above, the[0104]computer10 may be provided with anexterior casing270 which may be constructed from ABS plastic or other high strength material. Thecasing270 provides an aesthetically pleasing appearance and also provides a stable base for the computer. The base is sufficiently wide so that the computer may be tipped approximately 20 degrees from a vertically upright position to either the left or right before passing its balance point, i.e., before passing a point where it will fall over rather than return to a vertical position if released.
• An exploded view of the[0105]casing270 is shown in FIG. 23 and an assembled view of the casing is shown in FIGS. 23 and 27. A completely assembled casing mounted oncomputer10 is illustrated in FIGS. 24 through 26. As previously mentioned the casing has a front portion274 arear portion276, aleft side panel278, atop portion280, a bottom portion orbase282 and aright side panel284.
• The[0106]right side panel284 has abottom edge810, atop edge812, afront edge811 and arear edge813 which are adapted to engage corresponding edges of other casing portions. Thepanel284 has aninside surface815 and anoutside surface817. Uppermost projections814,816 are provided on theinside surface815 near thetop edge812 of the panel. Upper step-shapedprojections818,820,822,824 are provided in staggered relationship withprojections814,816 and spaced slightly below those projections. Theprojections814,816,818,820,822,824 facilitate a mounting thepanel member284 on other portions of thecasing270 as will be described in further detail below.Bottom tabs826,828 are positioned on theinside surface815 at lower corner portions of the panel as best shown in the FIG. 29.
• As best shown in FIG. 30 each[0107]projection814,816 has downwardly extendingside projections830,832 which have generally horizontally extendinglower edges834,836. Each of theprojections818,820,822,824 is generally stair step shaped and has a generally vertically extendingedge portion838 and a generally horizontally, slightly downwardly slopingedge portion840.
• As best shown in FIG. 31 each[0108]bottom tab826,828 has a generally horizontally extendingbottom surface portion842, a generally vertically extendingportion844 and an upwardly and outwardly slopingbeveled surface portion846.
• A recessed[0109]surface850 is provided along the bottom inside edge of thepanel284 which is adapted to mate with an inversely shaped recessed surface on thecasing base282.
• The[0110]left panel278 is substantially a mirror image of theright panel284 except for certain cut out portions therein.
• The[0111]rear portion276 of thecasing270 is a compound member as illustrated in FIGS. 32 and 33. The compound member includes anouter frame member860 having a top edge861 a bottom edge863 aleft side wall865 and aright side wall867. The outer member has alower insert member862 and anupper insert member864 fixedly mounted therein as byconnector tabs866,868, etc. The compound member includesperipheral tabs870 which engage sheet metal housingside wall indentions871, FIG. 27. The compoundrear member276 also includesinsert tabs872 adapted to be received through holes in the housing to provide a snap-fit lock once they have been inserted. Thecompound member276 includesopenings874,876,878 therein adapted to expose various I/O ports, etc. as best shown in FIG. 26.
• As best shown in FIG. 34 the top and[0112]front portions280,274 of thecasing270 may comprise anintegral member890 having aninside surface892, anoutside surface894, FIGS. 27 and 28, arear edge896, abottom edge898 and atop surface899 having a plurality of vent holes900 therein. A rearedge latch portion902 is adapted to latch onto anupper edge861 ofcompound member276 described above. Theintegral piece890 further includes left andright edges904,906 havinglarge cutouts908,910 located there along to enable access to certain portions of the computer. There are also small downwardly slopingcutouts912 adapted to receiveprojections831 of associated side panel members. A bottom tab914 has a catch surface thereon adapted to snap onto an outwardly projecting bracket mounted at the base of thesheet metal housing12 to secure theintegral piece890 thereto.Spacers916 are adapted to space the upper portion of theintegral piece890 from the upper portion of thehousing12. Fourcutouts920 at the top lateral edges ofmember890 are adapted to receiveprojections814,816, etc. of the left andright side panel278,284. Apush button assembly922 is mounted at an upper portion of theintegral member890.
• As best shown in FIGS.[0113]35-37,base member282 has a generally dished out configuration with arear edge940, a front edge942, aright edge944 and aleft edge946.Base member282 has abottom surface948 and atop surface949. The base member hasidentical end portions950,952 separated by a raisedcenter portion954 havingvent holes956 therein. The bottom surface, FIGS. 35 and 36, has four base foot inserts958, constructed from relatively skid resistant plastic material, provided therein. Theend portions950,952 at the bottom surface thereof comprise a plurality of recessedsurfaces960,962,964,966,968,970,972,974. The lateral side surface980 of the base member extends generally vertically around the entire periphery of the base member but transitions into the horizontal base through a relatively large radius transition in theend portions950,952. The base member includes atop edge982 and aninterior surface984 including both horizontal and vertically extending portions.
• The[0114]base member282 has a recessedportion1038 provided at its top lateral side wall which is adapted abut the similar shaped recessedsurface850 provided at the bottom inside portion of eachside panel278,284.
• Recessed[0115]portions960,962,968,970 each have afurther recess986 provided therein which is defined by a relatively large diametercylindrical projection988. Thatcylindrical projection988 in turn has a smallcylindrical projection990, FIG. 38 extending upwardly there from. The small cylindrical projection has ahole992 in the center thereof for receiving aplunger member994 which acts as a push button as described below. Eachplunger member994 includes acylindrical shaft996 and anaxial lock member998 having an axially extending, radially outwardly biased and inwardly deflectable projection with a steppedsurface999 and a beveled outer end. The plunger members also each comprise an enlarge pushbutton end portion1000 at one end thereof. The end of theshaft1001 opposite from thebutton portion1000 is the same diameter as the shaft. Acoil spring member1002 is adapted to encircle the shaft and push against thebutton end portion1000 to bias theplunger member994 in a button downward direction once the plunger has been installed in the base. Aslot1004 provided in the side of the large cylindrical projection is adapted to receiveprojection998 therethrough in a snap fit relationship such thatsurface999 of the projection prevents theplunger member994 from moving axially downwardly beyond the point where thesurface999 abuttingly engages thebase1005 ofslot1004. Thus, the plunger member is mounted on the base by first mountingspring member1002 aboutshaft996 then insertingshaft996 throughhole992 withprojection998 aligned withslot1004 incylinder projection988. The plunger member is then pushed upwardly through the hole untilprojection998 snaps outwardly. Thereafter, the spring pushes against the recessed horizontally extending surface of thelarge cylinder988 at one end and against the upper surface of thebutton end portion1000 at the other end, biasing the plunger member in the position shown in FIG. 38. In this position as illustrated in FIG. 35 thebutton end portion1000 is flush with the surrounding surface ofrecess960, etc. However, the button end portion may be pressed inwardly to raise theend surface1001 of the plunger shaft a small distance, e.g., ¼ inch to disengage an associated tab, e.g.828 of an associated side panel member to act as a side member trip mechanism, as described in further detail below.
• As illustrated in FIGS.[0116]35-38 each of therecesses964,966,972,974 has a generally rectangularly shapedhole1020 provided therein. The hole is extended upwardly by anannular wall1022 having anupper edge surface1023, which is adapted to support the sheet metal housing thereon. AU-shaped flex member1024 is associated with each hole andannular wall1022. The flex member includes afree end leg1026 and afixed end leg1028. Thefixed end leg1028 may be integral with theannular wall1022. The free end leg has a step/barb portion at the end thereof, which includes a bevel upper surface1021 and ahorizontal abutment surface1032. The lower tip offree end leg1026 projects downwardly sufficiently such that it may be gripped with a person's finger and move inwardly from its normal outwardly bias position shown in FIG. 35 and FIG. 38. Also, projecting upwardly from the upper surface of the base member in theend portions950 and952 thereof arelocator tabs1034,1036 having edge surfaces which are adapted to longitudinally and laterally align thesheet metal housing12 when it is positioned on thebase member282.
• The[0117]housing12 is mounted on thecase member282 as follows. The housing is placed bottom end first on the base member so that the upstanding portions ofU-shaped flex members1024 are received throughsquare holes231,233,235,237 in the base, FIG. 5. As the housing is urged downwardly theflex members1024free legs1026 initially flex inwardly as the edges ofholes231,233,235,237 engage thebeveled surface1030. After the sheet metal bottom surface has moved into contact with thetop edge surface1023 ofupstanding walls1022 the upper surface of the housing bottom wall has passed thelower surface1032 of the freeleg end portion1030 allowing it to spring back to its bias position capturing the base bottom sheet metal wall betweensurface1032 andsurface1023 of the base member. Thus, a snap lock arrangement is provided for mounting thebase member282 on thesheet metal housing12. To release the base member from this locked relationship with theU-shaped flex member1024 thefree leg1026 is engaged with a person's finger and moved outwardly. This outward movement causes thesurface1032 to be moved sufficiently to release the locking engagement. Thus the U-shaped flex members act as bottom (base) member trip mechanisms.
• The integral top/[0118]front member890 and rear compound member are mounted on the housing by pressing the projections thereon into corresponding openings in the housing. This may be done before or after mountinghousing12 onbase282.
• The mounting of the[0119]side panels278,284 is the final step in assembling theplastic casing270, i.e., this assembly takes place after the top/front, rear andbase portions890,278,282 of thecasing270 have been mounted on thehousing12. Initially a front panel, e.g.,right panel284 is positioned at approximately the position that it will occupy when mounted except that the bottom portion of the panel is held away from thebase282, a small distance, e.g., 10 mm, to facilitate positioning the panelupper projections814,816 inside thecutouts920 inmember890. Once the projections are received in the cut outs, the panel is pivoted about its top edge, i.e., the bottom of the panel is moved inwardly, until thebottom tabs828 are heard to snap into locking engagement with the corresponding sheetmetal housing projections1040. The pivotable movement of thepanel284 causes theprojections818,820,822,824 to move below thelateral edge906 of theintegral member890. Once this pivotable movement takes place the top portion of thepanel284 is prevented from moving laterally relative theintegral member890 by the engagement ofprojections814,816 with the cutouts and is prevented from moving upwardly by the engagement oflower projections818,820, with the lower surface of the integral memberlateral edge portion906. Thus, the only way for removing the top portion of thepanel284 from its engaged relationship withintegral member890 is by reversing the pivotal movement by which it was seated. Similarly, theprojections831 along the lateral sides of thepanel member284 are received incutouts912 in the lateraledge portion member890 in a manner which prevents there removal except by pivotal movement in the reverse direction of that when the panel member was initially seated. The downward slope of thecutouts912 prevent thecorresponding projections831 from being displaced in a straight out lateral direction. The manner by which the panel memberlower tab828 is caused to snap into locking engagement withhousing projection1040 is best illustrated in FIG. 39. As thebottom tab828 moves inwardly its upwardly and outwardly slopingbeveled surface846 initially engages thetop edge1042 ofhousing projection1040 causing the end of the tab to rise up as it moves inwardly acrossedge surface1042. At the same position that the recessed bottom edge surface of the panel member comes into abutting engagement with the top recessed surface portion of the base282 the tab vertically extendingsurface844 clearsedge surface1042. At this point the resilient tab springs downwardly until the bottomhorizontal surface842 thereof engages thetop edge1042 ofprojection1040. The vertically extendingsurface844 of the tab is positioned in abutting engagement with the inner-vertical surface ofhousing projection1040, preventing thetab828 and attached lower portion of thepanel284 from being displaced outwardly. Thus, by the locking action of thebottom tabs828,830 the bottom portion of the housing is prevented from the being laterally displaced and thus the pivotal displacement needed to disengage the lateral or top edges of the panel from their seated positions is prevented. Accordingly, the panel is locked into immobile relationship with the rest of theplastic casing270 until thetabs826,828 are displaced by an outside deflection force.
• The manner by which the[0120]panel members278,284 may be removed from their locked relationship with the remainder of thecasing270 will now be described. Initially, thebottom surface948 is exposed to an operator as by placing the computer on its side. Next the twoplunger members994 associated with the side panel to be removed, e.g., the twomembers994 on the right side of the computer if the right side panel is to be removed, are both pushed. This pushing movement causes the plunger members to move upwardly relative to the base and causes theend portion1001 thereof to engage the bottombeveled surface846 of the sidepanel bottom tab828 raising it upwardly sufficiently for the vertical surface tab to clearedge1040 of the housing projection. Thereafter, the operator may pull the bottom edge of the panel edge outwardly to produce the pivotal defection needed to cause disengagement of the top and lateral edge portions of the panel with the corresponding portions of theintegral member890. Thereafter, the panel member may be removed. This upper position of the plunger membertop end1001 is shown in FIG. 40. Thus, anouter casing270 is provided which may be mounted onhousing12 through locking engagement of casing portions with the housing and other casing portions to form an enclosure with no visible means of unlocking the casing when the computer is its normal operating position. Such an arrangement is desirable to prevent inadvertent removal of panels as by mischievous co-workers or by customers at a retail outlet at which the computer is displayed. However, by simply turning the computer on its side a person knowledgeable as to the operation of the casing may quickly remove the side panels thereof to access the interior of the computer or for the purpose of replacing the side panels with side panels of different colors or different surface ornamentation as maybe desired. Also, the quickly removable base enables rapid access to the modular hard drive mounted in the bottom of thehousing12. Both operations, side panel removable and base removal, may each be accomplished in 5 or 10 seconds by an operator who has read the owner's manual. The rear and integral top/front portions of the casing may also be easily removed when required by opening the housing right side panel to provide access to the mother board chamber and thereafter hand deflecting the snap lock tabs from engagement with the interior portions of the sheet metal housing and then removing the members.
C.G. Locations
• The mass, height, center of gravity (c.g.) and the relative vertical position of various components of the computer will now be described for components of the illustrated embodiment with particular reference to FIG. 25.[0121]
• The outer[0122]right panel284 has a mass of 268 g and a height of 321 mm fromtop edge812 tobottom edge810. The panel has a center of gravity positioned 157 mm above thebottom edge810 and the bottom edge is positioned about 24 mm above abase surface271 upon which thecomputer10 rests. Theleft panel278 has the same mass, height, center of gravity and relative position as theright panel284.
• The[0123]plastic base member282 has a mass of 156 g and has a height of 28 mm measured from a bottom portion oflower feet958 to thetop edge982 of the base member. The base has a center of gravity positioned about 13 mm above the bottom of the base feet958 (or surface271).
• Integrated top and[0124]front casing piece890 has a mass of 128 g and has a height measured from abottom edge898 to thetop surface899 thereof of 321 mm. This member has a center of gravity about 250 mm from thebottom edge898. This integral piece, like the left and right panels, has its bottom edge positioned 24 mm above the bottom most foot surface of the base member.
• The[0125]rear compound member276 has a mass of 134 g and a height of 295 mm. The center of gravity of the rear member is about 140 mm from itsbottom edge863 and its bottom edge is located 25 mm above the bottom of the base member feet.
• The[0126]optical drive410 has a mass of 479 g including the mass of itsremovable mounting bracket432 and has a height measured from the bottom face424 of the drive to the top edge of its mounting bracket of 140 mm. The center of gravity of the optical drive is located on axis aa 65 mm above its bottom face. The bottom face is positioned 110 mm above the bottom of thesheet metal housing12 and 128 mm above the bottom of thebase member282.
• The[0127]power supply assembly510 has a mass of 873 g and has a height of 57 mm. The center of gravity the power supply is on axis bb about 26 mm above itsbottom face536.Bottom face536 is located 32 mm above the bottom of thesheet metal housing12 and 50 mm above the bottom of theplastic base282. The power supply assembly center of gravity is thus located about 76 mm above the bottom ofbase282. This center of gravity (c.g.) is below the quarter height of the computer which is 88 mm above the base bottom and located on axis gg.
• The[0128]hard drive710 has a mass of 497 g and a height of 21 mm. The center of gravity of the hard drive is positioned on axis cc about 13 mm above itsbottom face714 and its bottom face is located 2 mm above the bottom of thesheet metal housing12 and about 20 mm above the bottom of theplastic base282.
• The[0129]sheet metal housing12 and internal components, with theoptical drive410 and attacheddrive bracket432, thepower supply assembly510, thehard drive710, and the outerplastic casing270 all removed, has a mass of 2,694 g. The height of the sheet metal housing is 306 mm with the center of gravity positioned on axis dd about 150 mm above the bottom surface of the sheet metal housing and 168 mm above the bottom of theplastic base282. The sheet metal housing is positioned about 18 mm above the bottom of theplastic base282.
• The assembled computer has a mass of 5,363 g, a height of 350 mm, and a center of gravity on axis ff about 147 mm above the bottom most surface of[0130]base282. The center of gravity of the computer ff is thus about 28 mm below the computer mid-height ee. The assembled computer has a leaning balance point angle left or right of approximately 20 degrees. The distance between the outer most portions of thefeet958 is 87 mm and the maximum width of the base is about 119 mm.
• While illustrative and presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art.[0131]

Claims (7)

What is claimed is:

1. A method of replacing a side panel member of a computer casing comprising:

positioning the computer with a bottom portion thereof exposed; and

pushing a push button on the bottom portion.

2. The method ofclaim 1 wherein pushing a push button on the bottom portion comprises pushing the push button until it releases the side panel from engagement with a bottom portion of the computer.

3. The method ofclaim 2, further comprising pivoting the side panel until it is released from a top portion of the computer and removing the side panel from the computer.

4. The method ofclaim 3 comprising mounting a replacement side panel in the place of the removed side panel.

5. The method ofclaim 4, wherein mounting a replacement side panel in the place of the removed side panel comprises hookingly engaging a top portion of a replacement side panel on a portion of the top panel and pivoting the panel into snap-fitting relationship with a bottom portion of the computer.

6. The method ofclaim 4 wherein mounting a replacement side panel comprises mounting a side panel of a different color than the removed panel.

7. A method of constructing a computer comprising providing a computer housing holding electronic components and capturing a computer housing within a plurality of toolessly snap-locking, toolessly unlockable casing members.

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