Abstract: A system for mounting heatsinks, in particular, high-mass heatsinks, on printed circuit boards, such as motherboards. The mounting system includes a backplate, disposed beneath the motherboard, with pins protruding up through the motherboard, and a linkage assembly, which is fixably attached to a base portion of a heatsink assembly. The linkage assembly includes scoops, for grasping the pins during engagement, and a ratcheting system, for compressing the heatsink and thermal interface material onto the package. The mounting system is designed to effectively distribute the heatsink weight, as well as the forces caused by chronic and dynamic stresses, through, rather than upon the motherboard, such as to a chassis. The mounting system thus alleviates stress cracks, component pullout, solderball stress, and other damaging conditions to the motherboard. The mounting system may be engaged and disengaged without the use of tools.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for releasably retaining a heatsink in contact with an IC attached to a circuitboard in which the heatsink is inserted into a spring cage that is pivotally connected with an actuation lever, wherein at least a pair of spring tabs engage the heatsink to press a thermal conductive surface of the heatsink towards a circuitboard and an IC attached to the circuitboard when the combination of the heatsink, actuation lever and spring cage are inserted into the rectangular frame of a retention module mounted on the circuitboard so as to surround the IC and the lever portion of the actuation lever is pivoted towards the spring cage so as to cause retention points on the actuator portions of the actuation lever and on the rectangular frame of the spring cage to engage corresponding retention points on the rectangular frame of the retention module.