Abstract: A cooling system for a computer includes a chassis having a sidewall with an opening formed therein. A heat spreader plate is mounted in the chassis including a heat sink attached thereto adjacent the sidewall. The heat sink has a side mounted base and a plurality of fins extending laterally from the base toward the sidewall. One of the fins is attached to the heat spreader plate. A heat pipe is connected to the heat spreader plate and extends into engagement with the heat sink. Each of the fins has a terminal edge and opposed ends. The fins at one of the opposed ends are uniformly sloped at an angle toward the base and are exposed to the opening in the sidewall, thus providing the appearance of an inlet grill.

Abstract: A portable computer housing includes a base having a top member and a bottom member clamped together and reinforced by a one-piece end cover member. Peripheral edge portions of the end cover member engage peripheral edge portions of the top member and bottom member. The top member includes a first flange on opposite ends thereof and the bottom member includes a second flange on opposite ends thereof. The first and second flanges form interrupted base end flanges when the top and bottom members are clamped together. The end cover member includes a cover end flange at opposite ends thereof. Each cover end flange overlappingly engages the base end flanges at each opposite end of the base.

Abstract: A docking station structure is used to operatively connect a notebook computer to desktop computer peripheral devices. In response to manual insertion of the computer into the interior of the docking station a motorized travel structure drives the computer further into the docking station and forcibly interconnects pin type connectors carried by the computer and the docking station. The docking station connector is supported for translational movement by a specially designed floating connector interface structure which permits the docking station connector to translationally shift, in response to forcible engagement by the computer connector portion when there is a misalignment between the computer and docking station connectors, in order to precisely align the two connectors before they are telescopingly mated with one another.