Mounting bracket for rack system and method of use
A rack system is disclosed that includes a mounting bracket that is operable to couple a rail to a post having either of two possible configurations. The mounting bracket includes a pair of hooks. The hooks are sized to couple the mounting bracket to a post having square apertures. The hooks of the mounting bracket are coupled to a spring. When the mounting bracket is coupled to a post having round holes, the placement of the bracket against the posts causes the hooks to recede, thereby allowing the mounting holes of the mounting bracket to be directly adjacent to the holes of the post.
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The present disclosure relates generally to the field of electronic and computer equipment and more specifically, to mounting brackets for a rack system.
BACKGROUNDAs the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to these users is an information handling system. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may vary with respect to the type of information handled; the methods for handling the information; the methods for processing, storing, or communicating the information; the amount of information processed, stored, or communicated; and the speed and efficiency with which the information is processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as finanicial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include or comprise a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Rack systems often include a number of posts and rails coupled between the posts. The rails comprise a rail system that may include slide assemblies for receiving and sliding the information handling system back and forth in the rack system. Each end of each of the rails of the rail system may be coupled to a mounting bracket. The mounting bracket is used to couple the rails to the posts of the rack system. The posts of the rack system often have one of several configurations. The posts could have a number of square apertures, and it may be possible to toollessly couple brackets to posts having square apertures. The posts may include a number of round holes. In the case of round holes, a fastener, such as a screw, may be used to couple the mounting brackets to the posts. A mounting bracket designed for square apertures may not function to couple a rack to a post having round holes. Similarly, a bracket designed for a post having round holes may not function to couple a rack to a post having square apertures.
SUMMARYIn accordance with the present disclosure, a rack system is disclosed that includes a mounting bracket that is operable to couple a rail to a post having either of two possible configurations. The mounting bracket includes a pair of hooks. The hooks are sized to couple the mounting bracket to a post having square apertures. The hooks of the mounting bracket are coupled to a spring. When the mounting bracket is coupled to a post having round holes, the placement of the bracket against the posts causes the hooks to recede, thereby allowing the mounting holes of the mounting bracket to be directly adjacent to the holes of the post.
The mounting bracket disclosed herein is technically advantageous because its design allows the mounting bracket to be coupled to a post having either square apertures or round holes. As a result, the mounting bracket has a flexible design in that it is operable to be coupled with a post of either of the two predominant post designs. The mounting bracket disclosed herein can support toolless coupling of the bracket to a post having a square aperture, while also supporting the fastener-based coupling of the mounting bracket to a post having round holes. Because of the flexibility of the design of the mounting bracket, only a single mounting bracket design is necessary. As a result, the mounting bracket disclosed herein may be provided for use with either post design. Other technical advantages will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the following specification, claims, and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSA more complete understanding of the present embodiments and advantages thereof may be acquired by referring to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate like features, and wherein:
For purposes of this disclosure, an information handling system may include any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operable to compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate, switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business, scientific, control, or other purposes. For example, an information handling system may be a personal computer, a network storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary in size, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The information handling system may include random access memory (RAM), one or more processing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic, ROM, and/or other types of nonvolatile memory. Additional components of the information handling system may include one or more disk drives, one or more network ports for communication with external devices as well as various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display. The information handling system may also include one or more buses operable to transmit communications between the various hardware components.
Information handling system components, including server computers, are typically installed in a rack system. Rack systems typically incorporate one or more standard interfaces for mounting components such as electronic industry association (EIA) recommended standard (RS) 310. Shown in
Two common types of posts are posts having square apertures (shown in
Shown in
Shown in
The mounting bracket disclosed herein permits a user to toollessly couple a rail to a post, while affording the flexibility of also permitting a fastener-based connection to a post, thereby simplifying the design and reducing the costs of computer systems and information handling systems for both manufacturers and consumers. Although the rack systems disclosed herein are four-post rack systems, the mounting bracket disclosed herein could also be used in two-post rack systems. In addition, although the mounting bracket has been described with respect to square apertures and round holes, it should be appreciated that the mounting bracket disclosed herein may also be used with posts having connection points of other sizes or shapes. Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made hereto without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A mounting bracket for supporting a computer system component comprising:
- an arm member having a first end and a second end;
- a first rail interface disposed at the first end of the arm member wherein the first rail interface has an interface hook capable of toollessly and releasably securing the first end of the arm member to an interface portion of a post having apertures sized to receive the interface hook; and
- a second rail interface disposed at the first end of the arm member wherein the second rail interface has an interface hole for receiving a mechanical fastener for securing the first end of the arm member to an interface portion of a post having apertures sized to receive the mechanical fastener.
2. The mounting bracket of claim 1 wherein the interface hook is slidable along an elongated slot of the arm member to form a slidable interface hook.
3. The mounting bracket of claim 2 wherein the slidable interface hook is biased towards the first end of the arm member.
4. The mounting bracket of claim 3 wherein the interface hook is biased towards the first end of the arm member by a spring attached between the slidable interface hook and the arm member.
5. The mounting bracket of claim 1 wherein the first rail interface includes multiple interface hooks.
6. The mounting bracket of claim 1 wherein the second rail interface includes multiple interface holes.
7. The mounting bracket of claim 4 wherein the second rail interface includes multiple interface holes and wherein the second rail interface includes multiple interface holes.
8. A rack system comprising:
- a rack having a plurality of rails, each rail having an interface portion; and
- a pair of mounting brackets for supporting a computer system component, each mounting bracket having: an arm member having a first end and a second end, a first rail interface disposed at the first end of the arm member wherein the first rail interface has an interface hook capable of toollessly and releasably securing the first end of the arm member to the interface portion of a post having apertures sized to receive the interface hook, and a second rail interface disposed at the first end of the arm member wherein the second rail interface has an interface hole for receiving a mechanical fastener for securing the first end of the arm member to the interface portion of the post having apertures sized to receive the mechanical fastener.
9. The rack system of claim 8 wherein the interface hook is slidable along an elongated slot of the arm member to form a slidable interface hook.
10. The mounting bracket of claim 9 wherein the slidable interface hook is biased towards the first end of the arm member.
11. The mounting bracket of claim 10 wherein the interface hook is biased towards the first end of the arm member by a spring attached between the slidable interface hook and the arm member.
12. A method for supporting a computer system component comprising:
- providing a rack having a plurality of rails, each rail having an interface portion;
- providing a plurality of mounting brackets for supporting a computer system component, each mounting bracket having an arm member having a first end and a second end, a first rail interface disposed at the first end of the arm member wherein the first rail interface has an interface hook capable of toollessly and releasably securing the first end of the arm member to the interface portion of a post having apertures sized to receive the interface hook, and a second rail interface disposed at the first end of the arm member wherein the second rail interface has an interface hole for receiving a mechanical fastener for securing the first end of the arm member to the interface portion of the post having apertures sized to receive the mechanical fastener; and
- coupling the pair of mounting brackets to the interface portion of the posts.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the coupling of the pair of mounting brackets to the interface portion of the posts occurs by engaging and mating of the interface hooks with the interface portion of the posts.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein the interface hook is slidable along an elongated slot of the arm member to form a slidable interface hook.
15. The method of claim 13 wherein the slidable interface hook is biased towards the first end of the arm member.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein the coupling of the pair of mounting brackets to the interface portion of the posts occurs by attaching the second rail interface to the interface portion of the post with a mechanical fastener.
17. The method of claim 15 wherein the interface hook is biased towards the first end of the arm member by a spring attached between the slidable interface hook and the arm member.
18. The method of claim 12 wherein the first rail interface includes multiple interface hooks.
19. The method of claim 12 wherein the second rail interface includes multiple interface holes.
20. The method of claim 15 wherein the second rail interface includes multiple interface holes and wherein the second rail interface includes multiple interface holes.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 18, 2005
Publication Date: Jan 18, 2007
Applicant:
Inventors: Jeffrey Krueger (Round Rock, TX), Tyler Burgener (Pflungerville, TX)
Application Number: 11/183,698
International Classification: A47G 29/02 (20060101);