TWM618199U - Tool - Google Patents

Abstract

An insertion tool for assisting in the insertion of an OCP 3.0 type expansion card in an expansion card slot of a computer system is disclosed. The expansion card may be a pull tab type form factor that does not have a mechanism such as an ejector latch to assist in applying force to insert the card. The expansion card has a front panel opposite a distal edge connector. The tool has a handle and a head coupled to the handle. The head has two contact areas that contact different areas of the front panel of the expansion card. For example, one of the contact areas may be an extended side arm and the other area may be a lateral rib extending from the head.

Description

tool

This disclosure roughly relates to a tool for inserting an Open Compute Project (OCP) card into a modular channel of a computer system. More specifically, the feature of the present disclosure relates to a tool that assists in inserting an open computing plan card that does not have an exit latch.

Electronic devices (for example, servers) include numerous electronic components driven by conventional power supplies. Generally speaking, servers are designed for specific functions, such as storing large amounts of data or processing large amounts of data. The server design begins with the chassis, which includes power components and general controllers, such as a baseboard management controller (BMC). The current server design includes a large number of slots for receiving device cards that can be inserted to perform server functions. For example, the storage server may include multiple solid state drive (SSD) device cards, and the processor server may include multiple device cards with processing units. Another example of the channel type is a channel for devices manufactured according to the Open Computing Project (OCP) protocol. The Open Computing Program publishes periodic standard specifications and puts forward requirements for devices that meet these specifications.

The current generation of devices that meet the requirements of the Open Computing Project 3.0 specification has a specification that allows the device card to be inserted through the front of the server chassis. This allows the device to be easily attached without removing the server chassis from the rack. According to the Open Computing Project 3.0 specification, the small form factor (SFF) card includes a circuit board, which supports various electronic devices including a network interface controller module. The circuit board has two small size pluggable modules extending from one edge. The opposite edge of the circuit board includes edge connectors with 168 pins that can be inserted into sideways through slots in the front panel of the computer system to mate with right-angle sockets or straddle sockets on the motherboard. When the expansion card is inserted into the chassis, the small form factor pluggable module of the card extends through the opening on the side of the chassis. This allows the communication connector to be inserted to allow the signal to be received on the expansion card assembly (for example, the network interface controller).

The Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card has several face plates available: pull tab version, eject latch version, and internal lock version. To fully insert the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card requires a relatively large amount of force, because the 168 pins on the edge of the connector must be completely inserted into the socket on the main board of the chassis. Therefore, it takes approximately 92.4 Newtons (N) to insert the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card into the corresponding socket on the main board of the chassis. The eject latch version has a rotating lever that allows the user to apply force to insert the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card. However, due to the mechanically required parts for the withdrawal of the latch, the cost of the withdrawal version of the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card is higher. In addition, some manufacturers of the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card only supply the pull tab version or the internal locking specification version.

Since the pull tab of the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card and the internal locking version do not have an eject latch, the user must apply enough to the very small pull tab or the area on the side of the front panel of the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card Force to insert the card. Therefore, because a large amount of force is required to insert the connector, it may be difficult for users to insert the pull tab of the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card and the internal locking version into the server chassis. The pull tab near the port of the pluggable module makes the difficulty aggravated. The user's finger force must avoid contact with the port to prevent potential damage to the pluggable module.

Therefore, there is a need for a tool to facilitate the insertion of a non-latching version of the Open Computing Project 3.0 applicable expansion card. There is also a need for a tool that distributes the force evenly on the face of the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card to facilitate the connection of the edge connector to the socket on the main board of the chassis. There is also a need for a tool to protect the ports on the front of the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card from damage when the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card is inserted.

The term examples and similar terms are intended to broadly refer to all the subject matter of this disclosure and the scope of the following patent applications. Several statements containing these terms should be understood as not limiting the subject matter described herein or limiting the meaning or scope of the scope of the following patent applications. The embodiments of the disclosure covered here are defined by the scope of the following patent applications, rather than the content of the present invention. This new content is a high-level overview of the various features of the present disclosure, and introduces some concepts more described in the following implementation paragraphs. This new content is not intended to confirm the key or necessary components of the subject matter of the patent application, nor is it intended to be used independently to determine the scope of the subject matter of the patent application. This subject matter should be understood by referring to the complete specification of this disclosure, including all drawings in proper proportions and the scope of each patent application.

The disclosed example is a tool to assist in inserting the expansion card into the expansion card slot. The expansion card has a front panel opposite to the distal edge connector. The tool includes a handle and a head coupled to the handle. The head has two contact areas in a perpendicular relationship to each other to contact the two contact areas of the front plate of the expansion card.

Another implementation of the exemplary tool is that the expansion card is suitable for the Open Computing Project 3.0 network interface controller specification. Another embodiment is that the handle includes a contour for being grasped by the user. Another embodiment is that the handle and the head are made of plastic materials. Another embodiment is that the expansion card is a pull-tab type specification. Another embodiment is that one of the contact areas is on the extension arm and the other of the contact areas is on the transverse rib on the head. Another embodiment is the internal locking specification of the expansion card. Another embodiment is that the two contact areas are on two extension arms on opposite sides of the head. Another embodiment is that the expansion card is one of a dual four-channel small size pluggable type, a four-channel small size pluggable type, or a four-channel RJ45 type.

Another example disclosed is a method of inserting an expansion card into a slot of a computer system. The expansion card includes a front plate opposite to the distal edge connector. Insert the expansion card into the slot. Match the two contact areas on the head of the tool with the corresponding areas on the front plate of the expansion card. Grasp the handle coupled to the head of the tool to apply force to fully push the expansion card into the channel.

Another implementation of the exemplary method is that the expansion card is adapted to the Open Computing Project 3.0 network interface controller specification. Another embodiment is that the handle includes a contour for being grasped by the user. Another embodiment is that the handle and the head are made of plastic materials. Another embodiment is that the expansion card is a pull-tab type specification. Another embodiment is that one of the contact areas is on the extension arm, and the other of the contact areas is on a transverse rib perpendicular to the extension arm. Another embodiment is the internal locking specification of the expansion card. Another embodiment is that the two contact areas are on two extension arms on opposite sides of the head. Another embodiment is that the expansion card is one of a dual four-channel small size pluggable type, a four-channel small size pluggable type, or a four-channel RJ45 type.

The above new content is not intended to represent every embodiment or every feature of this disclosure. Rather, the aforementioned new content only provides examples of some of the novel features and features set forth herein. The above features and advantages as well as other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent from the following detailed description of representative embodiments and modes when combined with the accompanying drawings and the scope of the attached patent application. In view of the detailed description with reference to the drawings and various embodiments, the additional features of the present disclosure will be obvious to those with ordinary knowledge in the field, and a brief description of the drawings will be provided below.

Various embodiments are described with reference to the drawings, and similar reference signs are used to designate similar or equivalent elements throughout the drawings. The drawings are not drawn to scale, and the drawings are provided only to illustrate the present invention. It should be understood that many specific details, relationships, and methods have been elaborated to provide a comprehensive understanding. However, a person with ordinary knowledge in the field will easily think that various embodiments can be practiced without one or more specific details or in other methods. In other cases, well-known structures or operations are shown in detail to avoid obscuring certain features of various embodiments. The various embodiments are not limited to the order in which the actions or events are shown, for example, some actions may occur in a different order and/or simultaneously with other actions or events. In addition, not all actions or events shown are required to implement the method according to the present invention.

The disclosed elements and limitations, for example, in the abstract, new content, and implementation paragraphs, but not explicitly stated in the scope of the patent application, should not be incorporated into the scope of the patent application by implication, inference or other means individually or collectively . For the purpose of this embodiment, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the singular includes the plural and vice versa. The noun "including" means "including but not limited to." In addition, similar words such as "about (about, almost, substantially, approximately)" and similar words can mean "在(at)", "近于(near, nearly at)", "在3% Within 5% (within 3-5% of)", "within acceptable manufacturing tolerances" or any logical combination thereof.

FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of a prior art expansion card 10, which can be inserted into a corresponding slot of a computer system (for example, a server). The expansion card 10 in this example is a small form factor (SFF) card that conforms to the Open Compute Project (OCP) 3.0 specification. The expansion card 10 can be a network interface controller (NIC), a storage device, a processor device, or other devices. Figures 1B, 1C, and 1D show the front view, side view, and top view of the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card 10, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1D, the expansion card 10 includes a face plate 12, and the face plate 12 has a front plate 14 and a top plate 16. The front panel 14 has side panels 18 that extend from the outside of the front panel 14. The face plate 12 is vertically attached to the rectangular circuit board 20. The top electro-magnetic interference (EMI) finger 22 extends over the width of the expansion card 10 and is installed on the top board 16. The bottom electromagnetic interference finger 24 extends over the width of the expansion card 10 and is installed on the bottom of the front plate 14. Two electromagnetic interference side fingers 26 are attached to either side piece 18 of the front plate 14 by rivets. One side of the front plate 14 includes a thumbscrew 28, which can be rotated to fix the expansion card 10 to the chassis. The opposite side of the front plate 14 includes pull tabs 30 that extend from the front plate 14. The pull tab 30 is fixed to the face plate 12 by screws. The front plate 14 includes two openings 32 that allow modular components to be installed on the circuit board 20 to extend outward. The side area 34 of the front plate 14 is an end opposite to the end near the pull tab 30.

The circuit board 20 has a top surface 40 and a bottom surface 42 opposite to the top surface 40. The top surface 40 supports various electronic components, including a network interface controller module 44 with a heat sink 46. The insulating layer 48 may be attached to the bottom surface 42 of the circuit board 20. The network interface controller module 44 communicates with two small form factor pluggable modules 50 and 52. In this example, the two small form-factor pluggable modules 50 and 52 are four-channel small form-factor pluggable (Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable, QSFP) protocol (compact), thermally available Plug-in receiver. Each of the small form factor pluggable modules 50 and 52 has two sockets 54 facing the respective openings 32 of the front panel 14. The distal edge 60 of the circuit board 20 includes a connection area 62 with 168 golden finger connectors defining the edge connector 64.

The edge connector 64 defines a main connector, and the main connector includes a 168 golden finger connector. This allows up to 16 PCIe lane implementations of fast peripheral component interconnection channels. The edge connector 64 can be inserted into a straddle mount or right angle connector socket on the motherboard of the computer system. The main connector has 168 card edge golden fingers defined by the SFF-TA-1002 standard and compliant to the SFF-TA-1002 standard. In this example, the main connector is the "4C+" variable. The distal edge 60 of the circuit board 20 and the golden finger connector are implemented on the top surface 40 of the circuit board 20.

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional perspective view of the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card 10 in FIG. 1A installed on the motherboard 72 of the computer system chassis 70. Figure 2B-Figure 2C respectively show a perspective view of the open computing plan 3.0 expansion card 10 partially inserted into the slot of the computer system chassis 70, and the open computing plan 3.0 completely inserted into the slot of the computer system chassis 70 A perspective view of the expansion card 10. In this example, the computer system chassis 70 has a front panel 74 that includes a slot 76 that allows the expansion card 10 to be inserted from the front side of the computer system chassis 70. The sockets 54 of the small form factor pluggable modules 50 and 52 extend through the respective openings 32 in the front panel 14 of the expansion card 10 and are therefore usable from the front of the computer system chassis 70. When the small form factor expansion card 10 is completely inserted into the slot 76 as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2C, the edge connector 64 is connected to the straddle connector socket 80 on the motherboard 72. Since the opening 32 occupies a large area in the middle of the front plate 14 of the expansion card 10, the expansion card 10 is inserted by applying pressure to the pull tab 30 or the side area 34 on either side of the opening 32.

Figure 3A is a front perspective view of the exemplary insertion tool 100. The exemplary insertion tool 100 allows the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card 10 in Figure 1A-Figure 1D to pass through the computer system chassis 70 in Figure 2A-Figure 2C. The slot 76 is easily inserted and connected, and FIG. 3B is a rear perspective view of the exemplary insertion tool 100. As shown in FIG. The insertion tool 100 may be integrally formed from a durable material such as plastic or metal. The insertion tool 100 includes a head 110 and a handle 112, wherein the head 110 is coupled to the handle 112. The head 110 includes a front area 120, which has approximately the same area (length and width) as the cross-sectional area of the front plate 14 of the expansion card 10 in FIGS. 1A-1D. The head 110 includes a rear end 122. The rear end 122 is opposite to the front area 120 and is attached to the handle 112. The front area 120 has a roughly rectangular shape. The front area 120 is defined by two contact areas, and the two contact areas extend from the face of the front area 120 to contact, for example, the area of the front plate of the expansion card of the expansion card 10 in FIGS. 1A-1D. The two contact areas include the outer surface of the extension arm 124 extending from one of the sides of the head 110. The extension arm 124 contacts the side area 34 of the front plate 14 of the expansion card 10 in FIGS. 1A to 1D. The lateral rib 126 is arranged vertically from the extension arm 124. Therefore, the lateral rib 126 extends over one edge of the front region 120. The lateral rib 126 includes an outer surface 128 to provide a second, relatively thin contact area across the width of the front area 120. The outer surface 128 may contact the area of the front plate 14 to the top or bottom of the opening for the port.

The handle 112 has one end 130 connected to the head 110 and an opposite end 132. The handle 112 has an outer flat top surface 134 and an opposite bottom surface 136. The handle 112 has contoured side surfaces 138 and 140 to allow a user to grasp the handle 112 and apply force. Since the user can grasp the handle 112, when trying to push the pull tab 30 or the relatively small area of the side area 34 to insert the expansion card 10 in Figure 1A-Figure 1D into the slot, the user’s finger is injured. The risk is minimal.

4A-4C show the process of inserting the expansion card 10 using the insertion tool 100. In this example, the expansion card 10 is first aligned with the slot 76 of the computer system chassis 70, as shown in FIG. 4A. Then, the head 110 of the insertion tool 100 is aligned so that the extension arm 124 contacts the side area 34, and the opposite side of the head 110 is guided by the pull tab 30 on the expansion card 10, as shown in FIG. 4B. Therefore, the top surface 134 of the handle 112 is oriented on the top. The outer surface 128 of the rib 126 contacts the area of the front panel 14 under the opening 32. Once the head 110 is aligned as shown in FIG. 4B, the user can grasp the handle 112 of the insertion tool 100 and apply force to try to push the expansion card 10 into the channel 76. The force is distributed by the head 110 on the front panel 14 and the edge area 34 of the expansion card 10 in the area below the opening 32. In this manner, when the insertion tool 100 applies force to push the expansion card 10 into the slot 76, the port of the module extending from the opening 32 on the front plate 14 of the expansion card 10 is protected by the head 110. This force pushes the expansion card 10 into the slot 76 to allow the edge connector 64 to be inserted into the socket 54 on the motherboard of the computer system chassis 70, thereby placing the expansion card 10 in the insertion position shown in Figure 4C.

FIG. 5A is a front view of a server 500 with a front panel 510, which has several card slots 520, and each card slot 520 receives an Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card. In this example, the channels 520 are arranged in two rows. Figure 5A shows the Open Computing 3.0 expansion card 512 inserted into one of the slots in the top row of the slot 520, and the Open Computing 3.0 expansion card 514 inserted into one of the slots in the bottom row of the slot 520 . The expansion cards 512 and 514 each include a front plate 530 with a pull tab 532 and opposite side areas 534. The channels of the bottom row are reversed with respect to the channels of the top row, and therefore the components on the circuit boards of the expansion cards on the top and bottom rows face each other. The pull tab 532 of the expansion card in the bottom row is on the opposite side of the pull tab 532 of the expansion card in the top row.

FIG. 5B is a continuous image showing the use of the insertion tool 100 in FIGS. 3A-3B to insert the expansion card 512 into one of the top row slots 520 of the server 500. The expansion card 512 is partially inserted into the slot 520 by using the pull tab 532 on the adjacent right side. Then, the head 110 of the insertion tool 100 is placed in contact with the front plate 530 so that the side arm 124 contacts the side area 534 and the rib 126 contacts the edge area of the front plate 530 of the expansion card 512 (the top in Figure 5B). Therefore, the bottom surface 136 of the handle 112 is oriented facing upward. Then, the insertion tool 100 can be used by the user evenly applying sufficient force to push the expansion card 512 into the slot 520 completely.

Figure 5C is a continuous image showing the use of the insertion tool 100 in Figures 3A-3B to insert the expansion card 514 into one of the slots 520 in the bottom row of the server 500. FIG. 5C shows that the expansion card 512 has been inserted into one of the slots 520 in the top row of the server 500. Since the orientations of the expansion card 514 and the expansion card 512 are reversed, the expansion card 514 is partially inserted into the slot 520 when the pull tab 532 is adjacent to the left side. Then, the head 110 of the insertion tool 100 is placed in contact with the front plate 530 so that the side arm 124 contacts the side area 534 and the rib 126 contacts the edge area of the front plate 530 of the expansion card 514 (the bottom in Figure 5C). Therefore, the insertion tool 100 is turned over from the orientation in Figure 5B, and the top surface 134 of the handle 112 is oriented upward. Then, the insertion tool 100 can be used by the user uniformly applying sufficient force to push the expansion card 514 completely into the slot 520.

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of an exemplary insertion tool 100 for use with a four-channel small form factor pluggable (SFP) type Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card 600. The expansion card 600 includes a front plate 610 having a single rectangular opening 612. The expansion card 600 has a pull tab 614 and a side area 616 between the opening 612 and the locking screw 618. The expansion card 600 has a single transceiver 620 including four ports 622 extending from the opening 612. The expansion card 600 is partially inserted into the expansion slot of the computer system. The insertion tool 100 is placed so that the two contact areas (side arms and lateral ribs) of the head contact the side area 616 and the area of the front plate 610 below the port 622, respectively. Then, the insertion tool 100 can be used to apply sufficient force to push the expansion card 600 into the expansion card slot.

Figure 6B is a perspective view of an exemplary insertion tool 100 for use with a four-channel RJ45 connector type Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card 650. The expansion card 650 includes a front plate 660 having a single rectangular opening 662. The expansion card 650 has a pull tab 664 and a side area 666 between the opening 662 and the locking screw 668. The expansion card 650 has a single RJ45 transceiver 670, and the RJ45 transceiver 670 includes four RJ45 ports 672 extending from the opening. The expansion card 650 is partially inserted into the expansion slot of the computer system. The insertion tool 100 is placed so that the two contact areas (side arms and lateral ribs) of the head contact the side area 666 and the area of the front plate 660 below the port 672, respectively. Then, the insertion tool 100 can be used to apply sufficient force to push the expansion card 650 into the expansion card slot.

FIG. 7A is a front perspective view of another exemplary insertion tool 700. The insertion tool 700 can be used to insert an internal connection expansion card version of the Open Computing 3.0 standard. FIG. 7B is a rear perspective view of an exemplary insertion tool 700, which provides additional contact area with the front plate of the expansion card. It should be understood that the insertion tool 100 can also be used to insert an internal connection expansion card that meets the Open Computing 3.0 standard.

The exemplary insertion tool 700 has a head 710 and a handle 712. The handle 712 has contoured side surfaces to assist in grasping the handle 712. The head 710 has three spaced contact areas to contact the opposite ends of the front panel of the expansion card. In this example, the two contact areas are the two side arms 720 and 722. The side arms 720 and 722 extend from the head 710 and contact each of the side areas of the front panel of the internal locking version of the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card . The lateral rib 726 extends between the side arms 720 and 722 on one of the lateral edges of the head 710. The outer surface of the lateral rib 726 can contact the lateral edge of the front plate of the expansion card under the port.

Figures 8A-8C show different versions of the Open Computing Project 3.0 internal locking expansion card, which can be inserted into the computer system using the exemplary insertion tool 700 in Figures 7A-7B. Figure 8A shows an internally locked dual four-channel small form factor pluggable Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card 800 and an exemplary insertion tool 700. The expansion card 800 has two four-channel small form factor pluggable transceivers, and the four-channel small form factor pluggable transceivers have two ports extending from respective openings in the front panel 810. The front plate 810 has side regions 812 and 814 that widen the respective openings. The edge connector 816 with the 168 connector is located opposite to the front plate 810. The insertion tool 700 allows the side arms 720 and 722 to contact the side regions 812 and 814, respectively. The lateral rib 726 is also placed in contact with the bottom of the front plate 810 under the port. Therefore, the insertion tool 700 allows sufficient force to be applied from the side arms 720 and 722 to the side areas 812 and 814 and from the lateral rib 726 to the bottom of the front plate 810 to completely insert the expansion card 800 into the expansion card slot of the computer system. The insertion tool 700 facilitates the application of sufficient force to allow the edge connector 816 to be fully inserted into a right angle or straddle connection socket.

Figure 8B shows an internally locked four-channel small form factor pluggable Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card 830 and an exemplary insertion tool 700. The expansion card 830 has a transceiver, and the transceiver has four ports extending from the opening in the front panel 840. The front plate 840 has side regions 842 and 844 that widen the opening. The edge connector 846 with the 168 connector is located opposite to the front plate 840. The insertion tool 700 allows the side arms 720 and 722 to contact the side regions 842 and 844, respectively. The lateral rib 726 is also placed in contact with the bottom of the front plate 840 below the port. Therefore, the insertion tool 700 allows sufficient force to be applied from the side arms 720 and 722 to the side areas 842 and 844 and from the lateral rib 726 to the bottom of the front plate 840 to completely insert the expansion card 830 into the expansion card slot of the computer system. The insertion tool 700 facilitates the application of sufficient force to allow the edge connector 846 to be fully inserted into a right angle or straddle connection socket.

Figure 8C shows an internally locked four-channel RJ45 Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card 860 and an exemplary insertion tool 700. The expansion card 860 has an RJ45 transceiver, and the RJ45 transceiver has four ports extending from the opening in the front panel 870. The front plate 870 has side regions 872 and 874 that widen the opening. The edge connector 876 with the 168 connector is located opposite to the front plate 870. The insertion tool 700 allows the side arms 720 and 722 to contact the side regions 872 and 874, respectively. The lateral rib 726 is also placed in contact with the bottom of the front plate 870 below the port. Therefore, the insertion tool 700 allows sufficient force to be applied from the side arms 720 and 722 to the side areas 872 and 874, and from the lateral rib 726 to the bottom of the front plate 870 to fully insert the expansion card 860 into the expansion card slot of the computer system. The insertion tool 700 facilitates the application of sufficient force to allow the edge connector 876 to be fully inserted into a right angle or straddle connection socket.

Although the present invention has been shown and described with respect to one or more embodiments, a person with ordinary knowledge in the art will think of equivalents and modifications after reading and understanding the specification and the drawings. In addition, although the specific features of the present invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of the several embodiments, for any given or specific application, this feature may be combined with one or more of the other embodiments if required and advantageous. Other feature combinations.

Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they are presented in an exemplary and non-limiting manner. Various changes can be made according to the embodiments disclosed herein without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-mentioned embodiments. On the contrary, the scope of the present model should be defined according to the scope of the following patent applications and their equivalents.

10: Expansion card 12: face plate 14: Front panel 16: top plate 18: side piece 20: circuit board 22: Top electromagnetic interference finger 24: Bottom electromagnetic interference finger 26: Electromagnetic interference side finger 28: Thumbscrew 30: pull tab 32: opening 34: side area 40: top surface 42: bottom surface 44: Network Interface Controller Module 46: radiator 48: Insulation layer 50: Small size pluggable module 52: Small size pluggable module 54: Socket 60: Distal edge 62: connection area 64: Edge connector 70: computer system chassis 72: Motherboard 74: front panel 76: Groove 80: Span connector socket 100: Insert tool 110: head 112: handle 120: front area 122: backend 124: Extension arm 126: Lateral ribs 128: external surface 130: end 132: Opposite end 134: top surface 136: bottom surface 138: side surface 140: side surface 500: server 510: front panel 512: Expansion card 514: Expansion Card 520: Groove 530: front panel 532: pull tab 534: side area 600: Expansion card 610: front panel 612: open 614: pull tab 616: side area 618: Locking screw 620: Transceiver 622: Port 650: Expansion card 660: front panel 662: open 664: pull tab 666: side area 668: Locking Screw 670: Transceiver 672: Port 700: Insert tool 710: head 712: Handle 720: side arm 722: side arm 726: Transverse rib 800: Expansion card 810: front panel 812: side area 814: side area 816: Edge Connector 830: Expansion Card 840: front panel 842: side area 844: side area 846: Edge Connector 860: Expansion Card 870: front panel 872: side area 874: side area 876: Edge Connector

From the following description of exemplary embodiments in conjunction with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure and its advantages and accompanying drawings will be better understood. These drawings depict only exemplary embodiments, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the various embodiments or the scope of the patent application. Figure 1A is a perspective view of an exemplary prior-art Open Computing Project 3.0 dual four-channel small form factor pluggable (dual QSFP) expansion card with a pull-tab face plate. Figure 1B is a front view of the Prior Art Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card in Figure 1A. Figure 1C is a side view of the prior art Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card in Figure 1A. Figure 1D is a top view of the Prior Art Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card in Figure 1A. Figure 2A is a cross-sectional perspective view of the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card in Figure 1A installed on the motherboard of the computer system chassis. Figure 2B is a perspective view of the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card partially inserted into the slot of the computer system chassis in Figure 2A. Figure 2C is a perspective view of the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card fully inserted into the slot of the computer system chassis in Figure 2A. Figure 3A is a front perspective view of an exemplary insertion tool that facilitates the insertion of the pull-tab version of the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card into the chassis slot. Figure 3B is a rear perspective view of the exemplary insertion tool in Figure 3A. Figure 4A is a perspective view of the pull tab Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card partially inserted into the slot of the computer case. Figure 4B is a perspective view of an exemplary insertion tool in Figure 3A-Figure 3B of the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card in Figure 4A that is partially inserted in contact. Figure 4C is a perspective view of the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card fully inserted by the force applied from the exemplary insertion tool of Figure 3A-Figure 3B. Figure 5A is a front view of an exemplary server chassis with several slots for the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card. Figure 5B is a continuous image showing the use of the exemplary insertion tool in Figure 3A-Figure 3B to insert the pull-tab type Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card into the top of the exemplary server chassis in Figure 5A In one of the channels. Figure 5C is a continuous image showing the use of the exemplary insertion tool in Figure 3A-Figure 3B to insert the pull tab type Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card into the bottom channel of the exemplary server chassis in Figure 5A One of them. Figure 6A is an exemplary four-channel small form factor pluggable (SFP) Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card and an exemplary insertion tool of Figure 3A-Figure 3B. Figure 6B is an exemplary four-channel RJ45 Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card and an exemplary insertion tool of Figure 3A-Figure 3B. Figure 7A is a front perspective view of another exemplary insertion tool that can be used to insert the internally locked version of the Open Computing Project 3.0 expansion card. Figure 7B is a rear perspective view of the exemplary insertion tool in Figure 7A. Figure 8A is an exemplary dual four-channel small form factor pluggable open computing plan 3.0 internal locking expansion card and an exemplary insertion tool of Figure 7A-7B. Figure 8B is an exemplary four-channel small form factor pluggable (SFP) open computing project 3.0 internal locking expansion card and the exemplary insertion tool of Figures 7A-7B. Figure 8C is an exemplary four-channel RJ45 Open Computing Project 3.0 internal locking expansion card and an exemplary insertion tool of Figures 7A-7B. This disclosure is easy to make various modifications and alternative forms. Some representative embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings, and will be described in detail here. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not intended to be limited to the specific forms disclosed. Rather, this disclosure will cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative forms that fall within the spirit and scope of the new model as defined by the scope of the patent application.

100: Insert tool

110: head

112: handle

120: front area

122: backend

124: Extension arm

126: Lateral ribs

128: external surface

130: end

132: Opposite end

134: top surface

136: bottom surface

138: side surface

140: side surface

Claims (9)

A tool for assisting in inserting an expansion card into an expansion card slot, the expansion card has a front plate, opposite to a distal edge connector, the tool includes: No. 1; and A head is coupled to the handle, and the head has two contact areas in a vertical relationship with each other to contact the two contact areas of the front plate of the expansion card. Such as the tool of claim 1, where the expansion card is suitable for the Open Computing Project 3.0 network interface controller specification. Such as the tool of claim 1, wherein the handle includes one or more outlines for being grasped by the user. Such as the tool of claim 1, wherein the handle and the head are made of plastic materials. Such as the tool of claim 1, wherein the expansion card is a pull-tab type specification. The tool of claim 5, wherein one of the contact areas is on an extension arm, and wherein the other of the contact areas is on a lateral rib on the head. Such as the tool of claim 1, in which the expansion card has an internal locking specification. The tool of claim 1, wherein the two contact areas are on two extension arms on opposite sides of the head. Such as the tool of claim 1, wherein the expansion card is one of dual four-channel small size pluggable type, four-channel small size pluggable type, or four-channel RJ45 type.

Images