초록 ▼

A one-piece expansion card retainer may be installed in either of two positions to accommodate both full-height and low-profile expansion cards. The bi-positional expansion card retainer exerts flexional force on an expansion card to help maintain the expansion card in its proper position during sh

A one-piece expansion card retainer may be installed in either of two positions to accommodate both full-height and low-profile expansion cards. The bi-positional expansion card retainer exerts flexional force on an expansion card to help maintain the expansion card in its proper position during shipment of an electronic device.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. An expansion card retainer, comprising: a one-piece, chassis-mountable arm comprising an attachment end, a distal end, and a flexing portion between the attachment end and the distal end; wherein the attachment end is adapted to attach to a chassis in one of a first position

What is claimed is: 1. An expansion card retainer, comprising: a one-piece, chassis-mountable arm comprising an attachment end, a distal end, and a flexing portion between the attachment end and the distal end; wherein the attachment end is adapted to attach to a chassis in one of a first position and a second position to accommodate full-height and low-profile expansion cards, respectively, and the distal end exerts flexional force produced by the flexing portion on an edge of an expansion card with which the distal end is in contact, when the attachment end is attached to the chassis; and wherein the attachment end comprises a rigid portion and a flexible spring portion that can be flexed toward the rigid portion, the rigid portion having opposing first and second hooks. 2. The expansion card retainer of claim 1, wherein the first hook engages with a cutout in the chassis when the attachment end is attached to the chassis in the first position, and the second hook engages with the cutout when the attachment end is attached to the chassis in the second position, and the flexible spring portion being adapted to hook a lip in the chassis to secure the attachment end to the chassis. 3. The expansion card retainer of claim 2, wherein the expansion card retainer bears indicia indicating that the first hook is associated with full-height expansion cards and that the second hook is associated with low-profile expansion cards. 4. The expansion card retainer of claim 2, wherein the flexible spring portion has a finger tab that is laterally offset with respect to the rigid portion. 5. The expansion card retainer of claim 4, wherein the flexible spring portion and the finger tab are configured such that the expansion card retainer may be attached to the chassis adjacent to like expansion card retainers. 6. The expansion card retainer of claim 1, wherein the distal end has a set of substantially parallel ridges that define a set of substantially parallel slots and the edge of the expansion card contacts the distal end within one of the substantially parallel slots. 7. The expansion card retainer of claim 1, wherein the expansion card retainer can be attached to the chassis and detached from the chassis without tools. 8. The expansion card retainer of claim 1, wherein the one-piece, chassis-mountable arm comprises molded plastic. 9. An electronic device, comprising: a chassis defining an interior of the electronic device; an expansion slot mounted within the interior; an expansion card electrically connected with the expansion slot, the expansion card being one of a full-height and a low-profile expansion card; and an expansion card retainer, comprising: a one-piece, chassis-mountable arm comprising an attachment end, a distal end, and a flexing portion between the attachment end and the distal end; and wherein the attachment end is attached to the chassis in one of a first position and a second position to accommodate the height of the expansion card and the distal end exerts flexional force produced by the flexing portion on an edge of the expansion card with which the distal end is in contact to bias the expansion card in its position in which it is electrically connected with the expansion slot; and wherein the attachment end comprises a rigid portion and a flexible spring portion that can be flexed toward the rigid portion, the rigid portion having opposing first and second hooks. 10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the first hook engages with a cutout in the chassis when the attachment end is attached to the chassis in the first position, and the second hook engages with the cutout when the attachment end is attached to the chassis in the second position, and the flexible spring portion being adapted to hook a lip in the chassis to secure the attachment end to the chassis. 11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the expansion card retainer bears indicia indicating that the first hook is associated with full-height expansion cards and that the second hook is associated with low-profile expansion cards. 12. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the flexible spring portion has a finger tab that is laterally offset with respect to the rigid portion. 13. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the distal end has a set of substantially parallel ridges that define a set of substantially parallel slots and the edge of the expansion card contacts the distal end within one of the substantially parallel slots. 14. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the one-piece, chassis-mountable arm comprises molded plastic. 15. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the electronic device comprises a computer. 16. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the expansion card retainer is configured to remain securely attached to the chassis when the expansion card is absent from the expansion slot. 17. An expansion card retainer, comprising: means for attachment to a chassis, the means for attachment to a chassis being adapted to attach to the chassis in one of a first position and a second position to accommodate full-height and low-profile expansion cards, respectively; and means for contacting an edge of an expansion card, the means for contacting an edge of an expansion card being adapted to exert flexional force on the expansion card, when the means for attachment to a chassis is attached to the chassis; and wherein the means for attachment to a chassis comprises a rigid portion and a flexible spring portion that can be flexed toward the rigid portion, the rigid portion having opposing first and second hooks. 18. The expansion card retainer of claim 17, wherein the first hook engages with a cutout in the chassis when the means for attachment to a chassis is attached to the chassis in the first position, and the second hook engages with the cutout when the means for attachment to a chassis is attached to the chassis in the second position, and the flexible spring portion being adapted to hook a lip in the chassis to secure to the chassis the means for attachment to a chassis. 19. The expansion card retainer of claim 18, wherein the expansion card retainer bears indicia indicating that the first hook is associated with full-height expansion cards and that the second hook is associated with low-profile expansion cards. 20. The expansion card retainer of claim 18, wherein the flexible spring portion has a finger tab that is laterally offset with respect to the rigid portion. 21. The expansion card retainer of claim 20, wherein the flexible spring portion and the finger tab are configured such that the expansion card retainer may be attached to the chassis adjacent to like expansion card retainers. 22. The expansion card retainer of claim 17, wherein the means for contacting an edge of an expansion card has a set of substantially parallel ridges that define a set of substantially parallel slots and the edge of the expansion card contacts the means for contacting an edge of an expansion card within one of the substantially parallel slots. 23. An electronic device, comprising: a chassis defining an interior of the electronic device; an expansion slot mounted within the interior; an expansion card electrically connected with the expansion slot, the expansion card being one of a full-height and a low-profile expansion card; and an expansion card retainer, comprising: means for attachment to the chassis, the means for attachment to the chassis being adapted to attach to the chassis in one of a first position and a second position to accommodate the height of the expansion card; and means for contacting an edge of the expansion card, the means for contacting an edge of the expansion card being adapted to exert flexional force on the expansion card to bias the expansion card in its position in which it is electrically connected with the expansion slot; wherein the means for attachment to the chassis comprises a rigid portion and a flexible spring portion that can be flexed toward the rigid portion, the rigid portion having opposing first and second hooks. 24. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein the first hook engages with a cutout in the chassis when the means for attachment to the chassis is attached to the chassis in the first position, and the second hook engages with the cutout when the means for attachment to the chassis is attached to the chassis in the second position, and the flexible spring portion being adapted to hook a lip in the chassis to secure to the chassis the means for attachment to the chassis. 25. The electronic device of claim 24, wherein the expansion card retainer bears indicia indicating that the first hook is associated with full-height expansion cards and that the second hook is associated with low-profile expansion cards. 26. The electronic device of claim 24, wherein the flexible spring portion has a finger tab that is laterally offset with respect to the rigid portion. 27. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein the means for contacting an edge of the expansion card has a set of substantially parallel ridges that define a set of substantially parallel slots and the edge of the expansion card contacts the means for contacting an edge of the expansion card within one of the substantially parallel slots. 28. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein the electronic device comprises a computer. 29. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein the expansion card retainer is configured to remain securely attached to the chassis when the expansion card is absent from the expansion slot.