US20070130879A1

US20070130879A1 - Fastening member

Info

Publication number: US20070130879A1
Application number: US11/393,069
Authority: US
Inventors: Lin-Wei Chang; Yung-Chin Hsu
Original assignee: Inventec Corp
Current assignee: Inventec Corp
Priority date: 2005-12-12
Filing date: 2006-03-29
Publication date: 2007-06-14
Also published as: TWM291675U

Abstract

A fastening member is provided. The fastening member is formed with a plurality of positioning portions, a plurality of coupling portions, a plurality of protruding portions, and a plurality of fastening portions. The fastening member is assembled and disassembled without using tools, and made of low-cost material that is cheaper than metal material, so as to overcome the drawbacks in the prior art.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fastening members, and more particularly, to a fastening member for fastening a panel structure to a hard disk.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In this digital era, information that was once provided in hard-copy format is now digitalized. Meanwhile, having the Internet booming along with a flood of information, all enterprises around the world have to constantly reconfigure or upgrade their hardware in order to meet the dramatic increase in information storage.
Nowadays, storage capacity of a hard disk is either tens or hundreds of gigabytes (GB); however, even with such a large storage capacity, a single hard disk still cannot satisfy the need for dramatically increasing data storage. Therefore, a server for an enterprise customer or a service provider must be configured with a plurality of hard disks for enormous information storage or data retrieval. Nevertheless, a lot of companies still need to install additional hard disks or replace the old one with the new one every few months, so as to maintain or match the equilibrium of data retrieval and storage. Accordingly, due to the need of frequent installation or removal of hard disks, a fast and convenient assembling or disassembling process becomes extremely important for server maintenance.
However, in current technology, a panel structure coupling to a transmission joint of a hard disk, requires tools to fasten wing screws to a casing of the server for firmly coupling to the transmission joint of the hard disk. For users who have to frequently disassemble or assemble the hard disk, arrangement as such makes the whole disassembling or assembling process inefficient and inconvenient. In addition, for manufacturers that produce casings for the servers, a way for them to reduce the cost of production is to decrease the amount of wing screws used for fastening the panel structures to each casing of the servers.
Therefore, the problem to be solved herein is to provide low-cost fastening members that can be assembled and disassembled fast and conveniently without using tools, for fastening panel structures to hard disks

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve the problems of the prior art, a primary objective of the present invention is to provide a fastening member, which can be assembled or disassembled without using tools, so as to solve problems of having an inconvenient and time-consuming assembly or disassembly process.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a fastening member that is a low-cost product, thereby reducing the cost of production.
In order to achieve the above and other objectives, the present invention proposes the fastening member of the present invention at least comprises a plurality of positioning portions, a plurality of coupling portions, a plurality of protruding portions, and a plurality of fastening portions, so as to fasten a panel structure to a casing of an electronic device. The positioning portions are formed at a side of the casing, and the coupling portions are formed at a side of the panel structure at position corresponding to the positioning portions. The positioning portion may be a J-shaped hook-like structure. The coupling portion is formed with at least an opening for coupling to the positioning portion. The protruding portions are formed at the inner surface of the base of the casing so as to secure and prevent the panel structure from undesired movement. The fastening portions are formed abutting the panel structure and casing, wherein each fastening portion has a first fastening structure for securing the panel structure, a second fastening structure and a third fastening structure corresponding to the second fastening structure for securing the casing.
Assembly or disassembly of the fastening member of the present invention could be done without using tools; and the design of the present invention allows the fastening member to be assembled or disassembled by single-hand operation. In the prior art, tools are required to fasten or remove wing screws to or from the casing of the electronic device, which is a time-consuming and inconvenient process and could even prolong the assembling or disassembling time, if dropping or losing the screws under environmental restriction during assembling or disassembling. However, as above discussed, the foregoing drawbacks could be resolved by the present invention.
Moreover, as the fastening member of the present invention could be employed for all current models of the casings of the electronic device, the casings would not need to be redesigned, thereby saving time and cost in developing new casings. Further, the materials of the fastening member could be selected from cheap materials such as plastic materials, instead of metal materials, thereby forming a low-cost product and reducing the cost of production.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment, with reference made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a fastening member in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIGS. 2A to 2D are enlarged schematic views showing portions of a fastening member in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the structure of a fastening portion of the present invention; and
FIGS. 4A to 4C are schematic views showing the process of assembling the fastening member in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 to 3, are schematic views showing the structure of a fastening member according to the present invention. As shown in the diagrams, the fastening member of the present invention comprises a plurality of positioning parts 11, coupling portions 12, protruding portions 13 and fastening portions 14, so as to fasten a panel structure 3 to a casing 2 of an electronic device. The panel structure 3 and the casing 2 of the electronic device may be varied and adapted depend upon demand and need, however, the design and arrangement of the present invention allows the fastening member to be employed for current models or new design models of panel structures, electronic devices and the casings thereof.
It should be noted that drawings in this specification are simplified schematic diagrams, in order to simplify but clarify the features of the present invention, thus only those parts directly related to the present invention are shown in the diagrams.
The structure, number, shape and size of the panel structure 3, fastening member, casing 2 and the like are not limited to that described and illustrated in the present invention. The configurations of practical implementation may be more complicated.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a fastening member in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2A to 2D are enlarged schematic views showing portions of a fastening member in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the diagrams, the fastening member of the present invention at least comprises a plurality of positioning portions 11, a plurality of coupling portions 12, a plurality of protruding portions 13, and a plurality of fastening portions 14. The positioning portions 11 are formed at a side of the casing 2, and the coupling portions 12 are formed at a side of the panel structure 3 at position corresponding to the positioning portions 11. Each coupling portion 12 comprises an opening 121 for fastening to the positioning portion 11, wherein the size of the opening 121 is larger than that of the positioning portion 11.
The positioning portion 11 described above may be a J-shaped hook-like structure. The J-shaped hook-like structure may be a narrow but thick J-shaped hook, or a wide but flat J-shaped hook. Since the shape and size of the opening 121 are corresponding to that of the positioning portion 11, the opening 121 may be varied depended upon the shape and size of the positioning portion 11. For instance, the opening 121 may be a narrow opening or a wide opening to match the positioning portion 11. Moreover, the components or arrangement of the fastening member may be varied depended on the structure of the casing 2, for example, one or more fastening member may be employed.
A plurality of protruding portions 3 are formed at the inner surface of the base of the casing 2, wherein each protruding portion 13 is a protruding structure for securing and preventing the panel structure 3 from undesired movement. A plurality of the fastening portions 14 are formed abutting the panel structure 3 and casing 2, wherein each fastening portion 14 may be a flexible structure and have a first fastening structure 141, a second fastening structure 142 and a third fastening structure 143 corresponding to the second fastening structure 142. The second fastening structure 142 and the third fastening structure 143 are employed for fastening the casing 2.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the structure of a fastening portion of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the fastening portion 14 of the present invention at least comprises the first fastening structure 141, the second fastening structure 142 and the third fastening structure 143. The second fastening structure 142 and the third fastening structure 143 are hook-like strip structures that are corresponding to each other, and either one is relatively longer than the other. The second fastening structure 142 and the third fastening structure 143 are employed to fasten the casing 2. The first fastening structure 141 may be a L-shaped plate with a slant face, wherein the slant face of the L-shaped plate is employed for fastening the panel structure 3 so as to position the panel structure 3. In addition, each fastening portion 14 further comprises at least a blocking member 144 formed between the first fastening structure 141 and the second fastening structure 142 or between the first fastening structure 141 and the third fastening structure 143 for blocking the casing 2, so as to prevent the fastening portion 14 from entering too deep, in order to fulfill purposes of securing and separating the casing 2 and the structure 3.
FIGS. 4A to 4C are schematic views showing the process of assembling the fastening member in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, a hard disk 4 is placed into a compartment of the casing 2 of the electronic device, then, the panel structure 3 is placed into the casing 2, wherein the positioning portions 11 would be pressed and drew toward the direction of the casing 2 due to forces applied to the installation of the panel structure 3 in a downward direction, so that the positioning portion 11 s and the coupling portions 12 would be mutually fastened. When the panel structure 3 is positioned, that is, after it had been installed in the casing 2, the fastening portion 14 would be rebounded and returned to a secured state. Therefore the third fastening structure 143 of the fastening portion 14 would be fastened to the panel structure 3 tightly so as to install and secure the panel structure 3 in the casing 2 firmly.
Further, the panel structure 3 could be easily removed from the casing 2, simply by pressing the J-shape structure of the positioning portion 11 toward the opposite direction of the panel structure 3, in other words, pressing toward the direction of the casing 2 so as to disassemble the panel structure 3.
Assembly or disassembly of the fastening member of the present invention could be done without using tools; and the design of the present invention allows the fastening member to be assembled or disassembled by single-hand operation. In the prior art, tools are required to fasten or remove wing screws to or from the casing of the electronic device, which is a time-consuming and inconvenient process and could even prolong the assembling or disassembling time, if dropping or losing the screws under environmental restriction during assembling or disassembling. However, as above discussed, the foregoing drawbacks could be resolved by the present invention.
Moreover, as the fastening member of the present invention could be employed for all current models of the casings of the electronic device, the casings would not need to be redesigned, thereby saving time and cost in developing new casings. Further, the materials of the fastening member could be selected from cheap materials such as plastic materials, instead of metal materials, thereby forming a low-cost product and reducing the cost of production.
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 fastening member for fastening a panel structure to a casing of an electronic device, comprising:

a plurality of positioning portions formed at a side of the casing;

a plurality of coupling portions formed at a side of the panel structure and corresponding to the positioning portions, wherein the coupling portions comprise openings for being coupled and fastened to the positioning portions;

a plurality of protruding portions formed on a base of the casing; and

a plurality of fastening portions formed between the panel structure and the casing, wherein each of the fastening portions has a first fastening structure for securing the panel structure, a second fastening structure, and a third fastening structure corresponding to the second fastening structure for securing the casing.

2. The fastening member of claim 1, wherein each of the positioning portions is a J-shaped hook structure.

3. The fastening member of claim 1, wherein the openings of the coupling portions are larger in size than the positioning portions.

4. The fastening member of claim 1, wherein the protruding portions comprise protruding structures.

5. The fastening member of claim 1, wherein the fastening portions are flexible structures.

6. The fastening member of claim 1, wherein the first fastening structure is a L-shaped plate with a slant face.

7. The fastening member of claim 1, wherein the second fastening structure is a hook-shaped strip structure.

8. The fastening member of claim 1, wherein the third fastening structure is a hook-shaped strip structure.

9. The fastening member of claim 1, wherein each of the fastening portions comprises a blocking member for blocking the casing.