GB2140494A

GB2140494A - Connector apparatus for interconnecting units in a computer system

Info

Publication number: GB2140494A
Application number: GB08408891A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Robert Lindahl
Original assignee: GAVILAN COMPUTER CORP
Current assignee: GAVILAN COMPUTER CORP
Priority date: 1983-04-08
Filing date: 1984-04-06
Publication date: 1984-11-28
Also published as: IT8467349A0; IT8453243V0; FR2544158A1; GB8408891D0; JPS6075A; DE3413112A1; IT1180040B; IT8467349A1

Abstract

The described connector apparatus is for connecting together the housings of two individual units in a computer system, such as a computer housing (10) and a housing (12) for a peripheral unit. The abutting surfaces of the two housings define two abutment surfaces (14, 16). The connector comprises two clamping arms (54,56) attached to and extending substantially normally from one of the abutment surfaces. Each of the two clamping arms has a projection (58, 59) at its end facing the other arm. The connector further comprises two receptacles (76, 78) in the housing which presents the other abutment surface. The two receptacles are shaped to receive the two arms and the projection thereon and to engage such projections so that the frictional forces between the surfaces of the receptacles and those of the projections securely connect the two abutment surfaces. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Connector apparatus for interconnecting units in a computer system This invention relates generally to connectors and in particular to connector apparatus for connecting individual units of a system, such as a computer system.

Different types of known mechanical connectors have been used in computer systems to connect together the housings of a computer and a peripheral unit such as a printer. One such type of connector is the thumb screw which consists of a manually rotatable screw head and two threaded screw stems, one on each side. The two stems may be screwed into the two surfaces of the computer and the peripheral unit to connect the two surfaces. Screwing the thumb screw into the two surfaces requires time. To connect the computer and the peripheral unit securely more than one thumb screw may be required. Thus, the thumb screw type of connector may be inefficient because of the amount of time required for connection.

Another conventional connector used in the mushroom head-slot connector. One of the surfaces to be connected is provided with a pin with an enlarged head in the shape of a mushroom. The other surface to be connected is provided with a slot large enough for the mushroom head to enter. The slot is extended on one side into a narrow slit, which is large enough to accommodate the stem portion of the mushroom pin connector but small enough to preventthe mushroom head from passing. To connect the two surfaces, the mushroom head pin is inserted into the slot through the larger portion of the slot. The stem portion of the mushroom head pin is then pushed into the narrow slit part of the slot, thereby connecting the two surfaces. The mushroom head-slot connector may have low mechanical tolerance and consequently may be expensive.

According to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for connecting the housings of two individual units of a system, such as a computer system, in abutting relationship, wherein the abutting surfaces of the two housings define a first and a second abutment surface, which aparatus comprises: two clamping arms attached to and extending from the first abutment surface; and two female connectors comprising two receptacles in the housing that has the second abutment surface, said receptacles being adapted to receive the two clamping arms in clamping relationship so that when the two arms are in the receptacles friction between the arms and surfaces of the receptacles securely connects the two housings in abutting relationship.

In order that the invention may be readily understood embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Figure 1 is a perspective view which shows a computer housing of a peripheral unit and two housings together; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the peripheral unit and of the clamping portion of one of the connectors, illustrating a preferred embodiment of this invention; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the computer housing and the receptacle portion of the one connector, illustrating the preferred embodiment of this invention; Figures 4A and 48 are perspective views of a computer housing and a housing of a peripheral unit and of the connectors embodying the invention, showing how the connectors operate to connect the two housings;; Figures 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views of a portion of a connector connecting a computer housing and a peripheral unit housing, illustrating the preferred embodiment of this invention; Figure 6A is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a connector connecting a computer housing and a peripheral unit housing, illustrating an alternative embodiment of this invention; and Figure 6B is a perspective view of portions of a connector and a peripheral unit housing illustrating the alternative embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective of a computer housing 10, a housing 12 for a peripheral unit and mechanical connectors 22 and 28 embodying the invention for connecting the two housings together. As shown in Figure 1 surfaces 14 and 16 of the housings 10 and 12, respectively, are abutting surfaces when the two housings are connected. Electrical connectors 18 and 20 are brought into connection when the surfaces 14 and 16 abut to connect the computer and the peripheral unit together electrically. The two connectors 22 and 28 are similar and each comprises two parts: a clamping portion 24, 30 and a receptacle portion 26, 32. While one connector may be sufficient for connecting the two housings, two connectors are used in the preferred embodiment in order to interconnect the two housings securely.Since the two connectors 22 and 28 are substantially similar, the discussion that follows will refer only to the connector 22.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the peripheral unit housing 12 and the clamping portion 24 of connector 22. The clamping portion 24 comprises a top strip portion 54 and a bottom clamping arm 56. Since strip 54 acts as one of the two clamping arms, strip 54 will be referred to hereafter as arm 54, even though it does not resemble an arm in the conventional sense. At its end, clamping arm 54 has a ridge 58 which again for functional reasons may be referred to as finger 58, pointing towards arm 56. Arm 56 has at its end a projection 59 facing clamping arm 54. Below arm 56 is a further arm 60.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the computer housing 10 and a receptacle portion 26 of connector 22. Housing 10 of the computer has two recesses therein: recess 74 (shown in Figure 5A) at the bottom and recess or receptacle 76 at the top.

The receptacle portion 26 comprises receptacle 76 shaped to fit and receive finger 58 of the clamping portion of the connector, and a receptacle 78 (in recess as explained below), the top part of which is shaped to receive the fit projection 59 of the clamping portion. To connect the computer housing 10 to the housing of the peripheral unit 12 so that surfaces 14 and 16 abut, finger 58 is placed in receptacle 76 so that finger 58 forms a fulcrum about which surface 16 may be rotated towards surface 14.

This operation is illustrated in Figures 4A and 4B. As surface 16 is rotated towards 14 about such fulcrum, projection 59 enters the top part of receptacle 78.

Such action of projection 59 is illustrated more clearly in Figure 5A.

Figure 5A is a cross-sectional view of the bottom portion of connector 22, illustrating the connection between the bottom parts of the clamping and receptacle portions 24 and 26 of the connector.

Flanking the top part of recess 74 is an upper lip 80.

Recess 74 in surface 14 has surface 82 which extends at the bottom into a ridge 84. Receptacle 78 is formed by spring striker 86 which fits into the bottom part of the recess 74 in surface 14 and is held in place by lip 80 at the top, recessed surface 82 on the side and ridge 84 at the bottom. Spring 86 has an upper portion 91 which is S-shaped in cross section with one part of the S shaped to fit the lip 80 and the other part forming the top part of receptacle 78 to the other part forming the top part of receptacle 78 to fit projection 58.

As shown in Figure 5A, projection 59 has an inclined portion 88 facing the receptacle 78. The inclined portion 88 enables projection 59 to enter receptacle 78 with ease. Surface 90, the back side of projection 59, is inclined at a steeper angle to arm to arm 56 than the surface of portion 88. Thus, once projection 58 is in receptacle 78 as shown in Figure 5, the frictional force between surface 90 and surface 91 a of the striker portion 91 of spring 86 will substantially prevent projection 59 and arm 56 from withdrawing from receptacle 78. Housings 10 and 12 are then securely connected together. The clamping action of arm 56 on elastic spring 86 will reduce movements of surface 14 relative to surface 16 in directions normal to the two surfaces.Thus, even though parts of the connector 22 are not precision made so that such movements are possible, the abutment between spring 86 and portion 88 of arm 56 will reduce such movements.

The bottom part of spring 86 has a portion 92 which again because of functionlal reasons is referred to hereafter as arm 92. Arm 92 of the spring 86 is shaped to abut arm 60 of the clamping portion 24 of the connector when projection 59 is in receptacle 78.

The abutment of arm 92 against arm 60 will strengthen the connection of the two housings in directions parallel to surfaces 14 and 16 and will reduce the sidewise play in such directions. Thus even though parts of the connector 22 are not made with precision so that surface 14 may slide sidewise relative to surface 16, the abutment between arm 92 and arm 60 will reduce such sidewise movement.

Therefore, the connector 22 will be insensitive to close mechanical tolerances so that it will function properly even though its parts are not precision made.

While the frictional forces between arms 54 and 56 without finger 58 or projection 59 may be sufficient to hold the two abutment surfaces together, in the preferred embodiment the arms are provided with such finger and projection to increase the frictional forces between the clamping arms and the receptacle surfaces to connect the two abutment surfaces more securely. Viewed from a different angle, the ends of the arms 54,56 are so shaped (for example, have projections thereon) that the frictional forces between them and the receptacle surfaces are sufficient securely to connect the housings.

In reference to Figures 2 and 4, housing 12 defines therein a channel for a release mechanism 100 comprising a vertical release member 102 in contact with arm 56 at its bottom end and connected to a button 104 at the top. Thus, as shown in Figure 5B, pressing down button 104 will bend arm 56 downwards, thereby withdrawing projection 59 from the top part of receptacle 78 and disengaging surface 90 and spring 86 so that surface 16 may be rotated away from surface 14 about finger 58 to disconnect the two housings.

In the preferred embodiment described above, the clamping portion 24 of the connector comprises two arms fitting into two receptacles in surface 16. It will be understood that other embodiments may be employed as long as they perform the same function as part 24. Receptacles 76 and 78 in the receptacle portion of the connector need not be adjacent to surface 14. They may be removed from surface 14 so that arms 54 and 56 will be longer than those shown in the Figures. While it is preferable that finger 58 act as a fulcrum about which surface 16 is rotated towards surface 14, such function is not essential to the invention which requires only that clamping arms be adapted to fit into receptacles 76,78 to connect the two abutment surfaces.Also the clamping portion 24 and the receptacle portion 26 may be interchanged so that portion 24 is attched to surface 14 and portion 26 to surface 16 and the connector will function in the same way as before.

Figures 6A and 6B illustrate an alternative embodiment in which each of the clamping arms 200,202 is substantially similar to the arm 56 of the preferred embodiment discussed above. The two arms fit into two respective receptacles 204,206 which are substantially similar to the receptacle 78 of the preferred embodiment. Projections 200a, 202a will abut the S portions of springs 212, 214 forming receptacles 204, 206 to connect surfaces 14,16 as before.Atoggle 230 operates to release the two arms from the two receotacles. As shown in Figure 6B, if button 232 is pushed towards the housing 12 through bar 234 in passage 236 in housing 12, the toggle will expand and the toggle links 238, 240 will push arms 200, 202 apart to disengage projections 200a, 202a from springs 212,214 respectively. Housing 12 may then bedsconnected by pulling it from housing 10. When button 232 is released, the two arms will return to their original positions, pushing back toggle links 238, 240, to their contracted positions and bar 234 and button 232 away from housing 12. The two arms are then again in position to connect the two housings. The button of the toggle may be located on the side surface of housing 12.

In both the preferred embodiment and the alternative embodiment described above, the connector connects a computer housing and a peripheral unit housing. It will be understood, however, that in both embodiments, the connector may connect any two individual units of a computer system, or in fact, two units of any system.

In the preferred and alternative embodiments described herein, housings 10, 12, including the portions forming the receses and arms may be made of plastics material with recesses 74, 76 being simply recesses in housing 10, and arms 54, 56 forming one body with housing 12. A die cast metal such as aluminium is also a satisfactory material for the housings. Springs 86, 212, 214 may be made of steel, spring steel, phosphor-bronze or beryllium copper.

Toggle 230 may be made of stamped sheet metal.

Claims

1. An apparatus for connecting the housings of two individual units of a system, such as a computer system, in abutting relationship, wherein the abutting surfaces of the two housings define a first and a second abutment surface, which aparatus comprises: two clamping arms attached to and extending from the first abutment surface; and two female connectors comprising two receptacles in the housing that has the second abutment surface, said receptacles being adapted to receive the two clamping arms in clamping relationship so that when the two arms are in the receptacles friction between the arms and surfaces of the receptacles securely connects the two housings in abutting relationship.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein each clamping arm has a projection at its end facing the other arm and wherein the two receptacles are shaped to receive the two projections, thereby increasing the frictional forces between the arms and the two female connectors to strengthen the connection between two housings.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a releasing means connected to at least one of the two clamping arms for urging the two arms apart to release the two arms from the two female connectors, thereby disconnecting the two housings.

4. Apparatus according to Claim 3, wherein the releasing means comprises a toggle having toggle links so connected to the two arms that an expansion of the toggle will force the arms apart.

5. Apparatus according to Claim 1,wherein: the clamping arms are substantially parallel, a first of the arms having a finger at its end pointing towards the second arm and a second of the arms having a projection at its pointing towards the first arm; a first of the female connectors comprises a first of the receptacles in the housing that has the second abutment surface, the first receptacle being in close receptacle proximity to the second abutment surface and being adapted to receive the finger of the first arm, so that when the finger is in the first receptacle, it forms a fulcrum around which the first abutment surface is rotatable relative to the second abutment surface; and a second of the female connectors comprises a second receptacle in the housing that has the second abutment surface, the second connector being in close proximity to the second abutment surface and being so located that when the first abutment surface is rotated towards the second abutment surface about the fulcrum, the end of the second arm and the projection thereon will enter the second receptacle, the first and second receptacles being so shaped that the frictional forces between their surfaces and those of the finger and projection substantially prevent the two housings from being disconnected.

6. Apparatus according to Claim 5, further comprising a releasing means connected to the second arm to withdraw the projection from the second receptacle for disconnecting the two housings.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 or 6 further comprising: a third arm attached to one of the abutment surfaces, the third arm being substantially parallel to the first and second arms and adjacent to the second arm when the two abutment surfaces are connected; and a leaf spring extending from the other abutment surface for engaging the third arm when the two housings are connected, to strengthen the connection of the two abutment surfaces in directions parallel to the two abutment surfaces and to reduce sidewise play of the connection in such directions.

8. Apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7 further comprising a striker spring lodged in said second receptacle to contact the projection when the projection is in the second receptacle, the striker spring being resilient in a direction normal to the abutment surfaces such that relative motions between the two abutment surfaces when they are abutting are reduced in such direction.

9. An apparatus for connecting the housings of two individual units of a computer system, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in, Figures 1 to 5B of the accompanying drawings.

10. An apparatus according to Claim 9 modified substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figures 6A and 6B of the accompanying drawings.

11. Any novel feature or combination of features described herein.