US 11,747,872 B1
Toolless card/bracket coupling system
Shree Rathinasamy, Round Rock, TX (US); and Maunish Shah, Austin, TX (US)
Assigned to Dell Products L.P., Round Rock, TX (US)
Filed by Dell Products L.P., Round Rock, TX (US)
Filed on Feb. 28, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/681,965.
Int. Cl. G06F 1/18 (2006.01); H05K 5/02 (2006.01)
CPC G06F 1/183 (2013.01) [H05K 5/0265 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A toolless card/bracket coupling system, comprising:
a card;
a first card bracket base that includes a full-height chassis card slot mounting configuration and that is configured to mount to a full-height chassis card slot mounting element provided in a full-height chassis card slot included in a chassis;
a plurality of first card securing support members that extend from the first card bracket base in a spaced-apart orientation;
a second card bracket base that includes a half-height chassis card slot mounting configuration and that is configured to mount to a half-height chassis card slot mounting element provided in a half-height chassis card slot included in a chassis;
a plurality of second card securing support members that extend from the second card bracket base in the spaced apart orientation such that the spacing of the plurality of second card securing support members is the same as the spacing of the plurality of first card securing support members;
a toolless card securing subsystem that is included on each of the plurality of first card securing support members and each of the plurality of second card securing support members, wherein each toolless card securing subsystem includes:
a pair of spaced-apart toolless card securing members that each include a first portion that extends separately from the first card securing support member or the second card securing support member, and that each include a second portion that extends from the first portion with a greater width than the first portion immediately adjacent the first portion while reducing in width away from the first portion, wherein each pair of spaced-apart toolless card securing members is configured to:
move, from the first side of the card while in a securing orientation in which the second portions on that pair of spaced-apart toolless card securing members are spaced apart by a first distance, towards a respective card aperture that is defined by the card and that reduces in diameter between the first side of the card and a second side of the card that is opposite the card from the first side;
engage the second portions on that pair of spaced-apart toolless card securing members with their respective card aperture defined by the card;
transition, in response to engaging and moving the second portions on that pair of spaced-apart toolless card securing members into their respective card aperture defined by the card, from the securing orientation to a coupling orientation in which the spacing between the second portions on that pair of spaced-apart toolless card securing members is reduced in order to allow that pair of spaced-apart toolless card securing members to move through their respective card aperture defined by the card; and
transition, in response to the second portions on that pair of spaced-apart toolless card securing members extending through their respective card aperture defined by the card and past the second side of the card, from the coupling orientation to the securing orientation that secures the card to the first card bracket base or the second card bracket base via engagement of the second portions on that pair of spaced-apart toolless card securing members with the second side of the card.