Abstract: A faceplate for a chassis composed of a moldable material and various methods of fabricating and assembling the faceplate into a fan-cooled electronics enclosure. In one embodiment, the faceplate includes: (1) a chassis mount adapted to cooperate with a corresponding first faceplate mount on the chassis to register the faceplate with respect to the chassis, (2) a fan mount adapted to cooperate with a corresponding second faceplate mount on a fan to register the faceplate with respect to the chassis and (3) a grille proximate the fan mount, the chassis mount and the fan mount cooperating to affix the fan to the chassis when the faceplate is mounted to the chassis.

Abstract: The present invention provides a heat sink that, in an advantageous embodiment, includes a spine having a width with first and second opposing sides that are oriented to be abnormal to the substrate when the heat sink is mounted on the substrate. The heat sink further includes an electronic device support leg that extends generally transverse from the first side and that is configured to support a heat generating electrical component thereon. Alternative embodiments of the present invention may include a plurality of such electronic device support legs. A plurality of cooling fins are also included in the present invention, extending from the second side. Moreover, each of the plurality of cooling fins has a depth that is substantially less than the width of the heat sink, which give this unique heat sink an exceptional cooling efficiency. In particular advantageous embodiments, the depth to width ratio of the fins and spine, may range from about 1 to 5 or 1 to 10, respectively.

Abstract: The present invention provides, in one embodiment, a system for providing fuel to a backup electrical fuel cell. In this particular embodiment, the system includes a sealed fuel container having a pierceable membrane with a container seal associated therewith, an acerate tube proximate the pierceable membrane, and an actuator. The actuator is coupled to the acerate tube and automatically drives the acerate tube through the pierceable membrane to provide fluid communication from the fuel container to the fuel cell in response to a failure of a primary electrical power system. The container seal is configured to form a seal about the acerate tube when the acerate tube pierces the pierceable membrane to prevent unnecessary loss of fuel, such as methanol, from the container. In alternative embodiments, the system may also include the primary power system and a backup electrical fuel cell that is electrically coupled to the primary power system.

Abstract: A hybrid standby power system for producing regulated DC electrical power, a method of producing such power and a telecommunications installation that employs either the system or the method. In one embodiment, the system includes: (1) a primary power input, couplable to a primary power source, that accepts primary electrical power subject to interruption, (2) a standby power input, couplable to a standby power source, that accepts unregulated standby electrical power and (3) a power converter, couplable to at least one of the primary and standby power inputs, including a rectifier that rectifies at least one of the primary and standby electrical power to provide unregulated DC electrical power and a DC--DC converter that converts the unregulated DC electrical power into the regulated DC electrical power.