Fan fastening structure

Abstract

The present invention proposes a fan fastening structure for securing a fan having at least a connector and a cable having at least a connection port. The fan fastening structure includes a framework and at least a securing rack, wherein the framework is formed with a first side, a second side opposing to the first side, a third side connected to the first side and the second side, and a fourth side opposing to the third side for storing the fan, and the securing rack is secured to the fourth side for securing the cable so as to fasten the fan to the fan fastening structure and overcome the defects such as taking spaces inside the framework, resulted from forming a circuit board within the framework of the conventional structure.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fan fastening structures, and more particularly, to a fan fastening structure that is applied to a server.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Generally, a mega Computer Blade Server System may contain more than sixteen Blade Servers, wherein each blade server may be designed to be 1U (1.75 inches) or 2U (3.5 inches) in height.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional blade server. As shown in FIG. 1, the blade server is formed with a receiving end 11, a fan fastening structure 13 deposited at the receiving end 11 and a plurality of fans 15 deposited within the fan fastening structure 13, wherein the fan fastening structure 13 is formed with a framework 131 and a base 133 which is employed to support and carry the framework 131. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a conventional fan fastening structure showing that the base 133 is formed with a plurality of fasteners 13 and a plurality of first coupling portions 1333, and the framework 131 is formed with a plurality of boards 1311 and a plurality of second coupling portions 1313, wherein the board 1311 is employed for isolating a plurality of fans (not shown) and forming a passage and the second coupling portion 1313 is used for coupling to the first coupling portion 1333. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a conventional fan fastening structure for fastening a fan 15. As shown in FIG. 3, a circuit board 2 with a plurality of openings corresponding to a plurality of fasteners 1331 is formed on the base 133 first, and the circuit board 2 is fastened to the base 133 by coupling a plurality of screws to a plurality of holes (not shown). The framework 131 is then deposited at the base 133 making the first coupling portions 1333 of the base 133 corresponding to the second coupling portion 1313 of the framework 131, so that the first coupling portions 1333 could be coupled to the second coupling portion 1313 via the use of a plurality of screws for coupling the framework 131 to the base 133. Furthermore, the circuit board 2 fastened to the base 133 comprises a plurality of connection ports 21. A plurality of connection ports 21 are employed to electrically connect to as well as fasten a plurality of fans 15, wherein each fan 15 is formed with a connector 151 that is coupled to the connection port 21 of the circuit board 2.

While assembling the fan 15 into the fan fastening structure 13, as shown in FIG. 3, the connector 151 of the fan 15 must face toward the connection port 21 of the circuit board 2 first, and then the fan 15 is moved in the direction of arrow A so as to couple the connector 151 to the connection port 21. However, as the passages formed in the fan fastening structure 13 by the boards 1311 are very narrow and the height of the framework 131 is much higher than the height of the fan 13, it is not easy to align the connector 151 with the connection port 21. Unfortunately, arrangement as such is expected to have a severe impact on the assembling process of fastening the fan 15, making the task of placing the fan 15 into the right position extremely difficult to be achieved. This thereby makes the assembling process difficult and unlikely to be implemented.

While disassembling the fan 15 from the fan fastening structure 13, the bonding force generated from the mutually coupled connector 151 and connection port 21 makes the fan 15 difficult to be removed from the fan fastening structure 13, as there is no enough room for a person to apply force for unplugging.

In addition, as the framework 131 of the fan fastening structure 13 formed with the circuit board 2 and the connection port coupled to the circuit board 2 have occupied a portion of the height and space of the framework 131, the framework 131 could only receive the size-limited fan 15. If a larger fan is stored, that larger fan would expose from the framework 131, and consequently, making the framework 131 storing with the larger fan unable to be put into the blade server 1.

Moreover, as aforementioned, in the conventional fan fastening structure 13, the circuit board 2 is required for electrically connecting the fan 15 to the external power supply in order to actuate the fan 15 and the base 133 is required for securing the circuit board, thereby leading to a higher cost of production for fabricating a fan fastening structure as such.

Therefore, the problems to be solved here is to provide a new technique that is capable of reducing the cost of production, avoiding the tiresome processes during assembling and disassembling, and storing a larger fan, so as to eliminate the drawbacks in the prior art, as aforementioned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the above prior-art drawbacks, a primary objective of the present invention is to provide a space-saving fan fastening structure.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a fan fastening structure, which can reduce the cost of production significantly.

Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a fan fastening structure, which can be assembled and disassembled fast and easily.

In accordance with the foregoing and other objectives, the present invention proposes a fan fastening structure for securing a fan having at least a connector and a cable having at least a connection port, comprising: a framework and at least a securing rack. The framework is formed with a first side, a second side opposing to the first side, a third side connected to the first side and the second side, and a fourth side opposing to the third side for storing the fan, the securing rack is secured to the fourth side for securing the cable, and the connector is coupled to the connection port so as to fasten the fan to the fan fastening structure.

The foregoing first side is formed with a plurality of openings that each opening is corresponding to another and the foregoing second side is formed with a plurality of holes that each hole is corresponding to another. The third side is formed with a protruded portion and the fourth side is formed with a corresponding protruded portion. Preferably, the protruded portions may comprise a plurality of protruded plates. However, the fourth side may comprise not only a protruded portion but also a first coupling portion, wherein the protruded portion may comprise a plurality of protruded plates and the first coupling portion may, preferably, comprise a plurality of bulges. Each bulge may be formed with a head and a relatively smaller body. The securing rack is formed with a plurality of cavities, a second coupling portion and a hook-like portion. Preferably, the second coupling portion may comprise a plurality of gap-like domains, wherein each gap-like domain is formed with a passage, a first opening that may be connected to the passage, and a second opening that may be connected to the first opening. Further, the second opening may be smaller than the first opening, and the hook-like portion may be a L-shape hook or a U-shape hook.

Compared with the conventional fastening technique, the present invention provides a fan fastening structure having a securing rack fastened to a fourth side of a framework for securing a connection port of a cable so as to increase the storage space of the framework, as well as overcoming the defects caused by the conventional technique such as forming a circuit board within the framework where the height of the circuit board and the connection port formed thereon would take up the free spaces and make the available spaces of the framework smaller. However, as aforementioned, with the arrangement and the structure of the present invention, a lot of spaces could be saved.

Furthermore, the fan fastening structure of the present invention is capable of making the fan easier to be actuated by simply coupling the connector of the fan to the connection port of the cable and connecting the other end of the cable to a power supply, and overcoming the problems of high production cost caused by implementing the conventional technique such as forming a circuit board in the framework for electrically connecting to the fan and forming a base for supporting and carrying the framework. As the present invention does not need to form with a circuit board and a base to carry the framework, the present invention could thereby reduce the production cost significantly.

In addition, as proposed in the present invention, through an arrangement such as securing the connection port of the securing rack of the fan fastening structure to the fourth side of the framework allows the connector located on the fan to be coupled to the connection port located on the securing rack easily and quickly, and thereby overcomes the defects of having problems of connecting the connector formed on the fan to be coupled to the connection port formed on the circuit board because of poor or improper alignment, resulted from forming the circuit board at the bottom of the framework in the conventional structure.

Accordingly, by providing the space-saving fan fastening structure that is easy to assemble and disassemble and capable of lowering the cost of production significantly, the fan fastening structure of the present invention has overcome the defects existing in the prior art, and has a high utility value in the industry.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, with reference made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 (PRIOR ART) is a perspective view of a conventional blade server;

FIG. 2 (PRIOR ART) is a perspective view of a conventional fan fastening structure;

FIG. 3 (PRIOR ART) is a perspective view of a conventional fan fastening structure for fastening a fan;

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a fan fastening structure with a cable connected thereto, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4B is a magnified drawing of a portion of a framework of a fan fastening structure, as shown in FIG. 4A, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a securing rack of the fan fastening structure, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a fan for being fastened by the fan fastening structure in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7A is an exploded view of assembling a fan with a fan fastening structure in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7B is a perspective view of a fan assembled with a fan fastening structure in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of a securing structure for a fan proposed in the present invention are described in detail as follows with reference to FIGS. 4A-4B, FIGS. 5-6 and FIGS. 7A-7B.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a fan fastening structure 3 with a cable 5 connected thereto, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4B is a magnified drawing of a portion of a framework 31 of the fan fastening structure 3, as shown in FIG. 4A, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a securing rack 33 of the fan fastening structure 3, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a fan 4 for being fastened by the fan fastening structure 3 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4A, the fan fastening structure 3 is employed for fastening the fan 4 with at least a connector 41 (as shown in FIG. 6) and the cable 5 with at least a connection port 51, wherein the fan fastening structure 3 comprises a framework 31 and at least a securing rack 33.

As shown in FIGS. 4A to 6, the framework 31 formed with a first side 311, a second side 313 opposing to the first side 311, a third side 315 connected to the first side 311 and the second side 313, and a fourth side 317 opposing to the third side 315 is employed for storing the fan 4 (as shown in FIG. 6). The first side 311 is formed with a plurality of openings 3111 that each opening is corresponding to another and the second side 313 is formed with a plurality of holes 3131 that each hole is corresponding to another. The third side 315 is formed with a protruded portion 3151 and the fourth side 317 is formed with a corresponding protruded portion 3171, wherein the protruded portions 3151 and 3171 respectively comprise two protruded plates. The fourth side 317 comprises not only a set of protrusions 3171 but also a first coupling portion 3173, wherein the first coupling portion 3173 further comprises two bulges. Each bulge 3174 is formed with a head 3173a and a relatively smaller body 3173b. It is to be noted that the first coupling portion 3173 may be formed, but not limited to, at the third side 315 of the framework 31 as well as the fourth side 317.

Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 4A, the securing rack 33 is secured to the fourth side 317 for securing the cable 5. The securing rack 33 is formed with two cavities, a second coupling portion 333 and a hook-like portion 335. Each cavity 331 is employed for securing each connection port 51 of the cable 5. The second coupling portion 333 comprises two gap-like domains, wherein each gap-like domain 334 is formed with a passage 3331, a first opening 3333 connected to the passage 3331, and a second opening connected to the first opening 3333. The second opening 3335 is smaller than the first opening 3333. The hook-like portion 335 may be a L-shape hook or a U-shape hook. By employing the framework 31 and the securing rack 33, when the connector 41 of the fan 4 is coupled to the connection port 51 of the cable, the fan 4 is thus fastened in the fan fastening structure 3. Since the fan fastening structure 3 comprises only the framework 31 and the securing rack 33 that is secured to the fourth side 317 of the framework 31, the cost of production would be therefore much lower than a well-known fastening structure in the prior art. Moreover, it is to be noted that the securing rack 33 may be formed, but not limited to, at the second side 313 of the framework 31 as well as the fourth side 317.

As shown in FIG. 6, a perspective view of a fan 4 for being fastened by the fan fastening structure 3 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the fan 4 is coupled to the connector 41 of the fan 4 via a plastic member 43, wherein the connector 41 faced downward is employed for coupling to the connection port 51 of the securing rack 33.

When the securing rack 33 is to be fastened to the framework 31, as shown in FIG. 4 and also referred to FIGS. 4B and 5, the second coupling portion 333 of the securing rack 33 is aligned above the first coupling portion 3173 of the framework 31, and then the body part 3173b of the bulge 3174 of the first coupling portion 3173 of the framework 31 is placed in the first opening 3333 of the second coupling portion 333 through the passage 3331 of the second coupling portion 333. Meanwhile, the securing rack 33 is moved in the direction of arrow B so as to place the body part 3173b of the bulge 3174 in the second opening 3335 of the second coupling portion 333, in order to fasten the securing rack 333 to the framework 31. As the securing rack 33 is secured at the outer surface of the framework 31, with arrangement as such, the securing rack 33 does not have to occupy any space within the framework 31.

When the fan 4 is to be fastened to the framework 31, as shown in FIG. 7A, the fan would be placed into a first compartment 31 a of the framework 31 that is formed with the first side 311 and the protrusions 3151 and 3171 of the third side 315 and fourth side 317, or into a second compartment 31b of the framework 31 that is formed with the second side 313 and the protrusions 3151 and 3171 of the third side 315 and fourth side 317. At the moment, the connector 41 of the fan 4 should be corresponded to the connection port 51 of the cable 5 secured to the securing rack 33, and then the fan 4 is moved in the direction of arrow C. As shown in FIG. 7B, when the fan 4 fastened to the framework 31 is to be removed, the fan 4 would be moved in the direction of arrow D so as to depart the connector 41 from the connection port 51 for the removal of the fan 4. As the connection port 51 of the securing rack 33 is fastened to the fourth side 317 of the framework 31, arrangement as such allows the connector 41 located on the fan 4 to be coupled to the connection port 51 of the securing rack 33 easily, thereby making assembly and disassembly fast and effortless.

As aforementioned, the design of the securing rack 33 in the present invention allows the securing rack 33 to be placed at the outer surface of the framework 31, and thereby saves the spaces of the framework 31, so that it is capable of storing a larger fan. Further, as the structures of the framework 31 and the securing rack 33 are simple and the framework 31 does not have to form with any circuit board, the cost of production could therefore be reduced significantly. Accordingly, with foregoing advantages and with benefits of easy assembly and disassembly of the fan 4, it is proved that the present invention has overcome the defects caused by the prior art and has a high utility value in the industry.

The invention has been described using exemplary preferred embodiments. However, it is to be understood that the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangement. The scope of the claims therefore should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

Claims

1. A fan fastening structure for securing a fan with a connector and a cable with a connection port, comprising:

a framework formed with a first side, a second side opposing to the first side, a third side connected to the first side and the second side, and a fourth side opposing to the third side for storing the fan; and

at least a securing rack secured to the fourth side for securing the cable, wherein the connector is coupled to the connection port for fastening the fan to the fan fastening structure.

2. The fan fastening structure of claim 1, wherein the first side is formed with a plurality of openings that each opening is corresponding to another and the second side is formed with a plurality of holes that each hole is corresponding to another.

3. The fan fastening structure of claim 1, wherein the third side and the fourth side are formed with protruded portions that each protruded portion is corresponding to another.

4. The fan fastening structure of claim 3, wherein the protruded portions respectively comprise a plurality of protruded plates.

5. The fan fastening structure of claim 1, wherein the fourth side comprises a protruded portion and a first coupling portion.

6. The fan fastening structure of claim 5, wherein the protruded portion further comprises a plurality of protruded plates.

7. The fan fastening structure of claim 5, wherein the first coupling portion further comprises a plurality of bulges.

8. The fan fastening structure of claim 7, wherein the bulge is formed with a head and a relatively smaller body.

9. The fan fastening structure of claim 1, wherein the securing rack is formed with a plurality of cavities, a second coupling portion and a hook-like portion.

10. The fan fastening structure of claim 9, wherein the second coupling portion further comprises a plurality of gap-like domains.

11. The fan fastening structure of claim 9, wherein the hook-like portion is at least one of a L-shape hook and a U-shape hook.

12. The fan fastening structure of claim 10, wherein the gap-like domain is formed with a passage, a first opening connected to the passage, and a second opening connected to the first opening.

13. The fan fastening structure of claim 12, wherein the second opening is smaller than the first opening.