Shock isolated portable mass storage device

Claim 2

An assembly for shock isolating a portable mass storage device of the type removably mountable with a computer chassis comprising, in combination: a mass storage device; a canister for housing said mass storage device and adapted to be removably and operatively mounted in association with the computer chassis; means associated with said canister for enabling the same to be grasped thereby permitting manual handling and transport of said mass storage device housed therein when operatively disassociated with the computer chassis; and shock-isolation means for mounting said mass storage device within said canister in shock-isolated relationship therewith, said shock isolation means comprising; (i) a pair of mounting brackets each of which is rigidly attached to a respective side of said mass storage device; (ii) first and second pairs of elastomeric shock isolators, said first and second pairs being mounted to and between first and second ones of said mounting brackets and an adjacent side wall of said canister, respectively, so as to mount said mass storage device in spaced relation to said canister, and said first and second pairs of elastomeric shock-isolators being the sole means of support for said mass storage device within said canister and arranged approximately symmetrically with respect to tl:e mass storage device's center of gravity.

Claim 3

An assembly as in claim 1, further comprising: a circuit board housed within said canister and adapted for receiving pin connectors associated with said computer chassis so as to operatively interconnect said mass storage device with the computer when the former is mounted in said chassis, means for electrically connecting said circuit board to said mass storage device; and means for resiliently mounting said circuit board to said canister to allow said circuit board to be resiliently displaced in response to mounting of said canister in said computer chassis thereby assisting the alignment of the pin connectors therewith.

Claim 4

An assembly as in claim 2, wherein said means for mounting said circuit board includes elastomeric mounting means connected to and between said circuit board and a bottom wall of said canister for allowing said circuit board to be resiliently displaced in response to mounting of said canister in said computer chassis.

Claim 5

An assembly as in claim 1, wherein each said elastomeric shock isolator includes an elastomeric body, means at one end of said body for facilitating connection to said respective bracket, and a threaded bore at the other end of said body for facilitating connection to said adjacent canister side wall by threaded bolt means.

Claim 6

An assembly as in claim 4, wherein said means at said one end of said body is in the form of a transverse mounting flange.

Claim 7

An assembly as in claim 4, wherein said means at said other end of said body is in the form of a nipple axially projecting from said other end of said body and defining an axially threaded bore.

Claim 8

An assembly as in claim 4, wherein said body includes a cylindrical section, and a truncated conical section integrally extending from said cylindrical section,

Claim 9

An assembly as in claim 7 wherein said one end of said body includes said cylindrical section and said other end of said body includes said truncated conical section.

Claim 10

An assembly as in claim 8, wherein said means at said one end of said body is in the form of a transverse mounting flange.

Claim 11

An assembly as in claim 8, wherein said means at said other end of said body is in the form of a nipple axially projecting from said other end of said body and defining an axially threaded bore.

Claim 12

11 An assembly as in claim 1 wherein each said bracket includes means for providing increased structural rigidity thereto.

Claim 13

12 An assembly as in claim 11, wherein said means for providing increased structural rigidity includes an integral flange bent at substantially a right angle with respect to said bracket.

Claim 14

The combination comprising a computer chassis and at least one assembly as in claim l operatively mounted thereto.

Claim 15

The combination as in claim 13, further comprising: power supply means associated with said chassis for supplying electrical power to said mass storage device; and means for disconnecting said electrical power supplied to said mass storage device in response to removal of said canister from said chassis, wherein said means of disconnecting said electrical power includes: (a) connector means having multiple pins for establishing electrical communication between said power supply means and said mass storage device when said canister is opertively positioned in said chassis; (b) at least some of said pins of said connector having a shorter length as compared to other longer ones of said pins so that said shorter pins are disconnected prior to said longer pins during removal of said canister from said chassis: and (c) sensing and disconnecting means operatively connected between said power supply means and said shorter and longer pins of said connector means for (i) sensing said prior disconnection of said shorter pins, and in response thereto (ii) disconnecting said power supplied to said longer pins, whereby said power supplied to said mass storage device is disconnected.

Claim 16

The combination as in claim 14, wherein said sensing and disconnecting means includes a field effect transistor.

Claim 17

The combination as in claim 14 wherein said shorter pins are about 2 mm shorter in length as compared to said longer pins.

Claim 18

The combination as in claim 14, wherein said sensing and disconnecting means includes; field effect transistor switch means having an input connected to said power supply means and an output connected to a predetermined one of said longer pins, said field effect transistor switch means disconnecting said power supply means and said predetermined one of said longer pins in response to receiving a first predetermined voltage potential; means operatively connected between said shorter pins and said field effect transistor means for normally supplying a second predetermined voltage potential to said field effect transistor means when said cansister is operatively associated with said chassis, and for supplying said first predetermined voltage potential to said field effect transistor means in response to said prior disconnection of said shorter pins during removal of said cannister from said chassis.

Claim 19

The combination as in claim 17, wherein said means for normally supplying said second predetermined voltage potential to said field effect transistor means includes: a flip-flop circuit which supplies said second predetermined potential to said field effect transistor means when said canister is operatively associated with said chassis; and means for driving said flip-flop circuit in response to said prior disconnection of said shorter pins to cause said flip-flop circuit to output said first predetermined voltage potential to said field effect transistor means,

Claim 20

In a mass storage device of the type which is removably mountable within the chassis of a computer so that the device is capable of being used in operative association with the computer when mounted in the chassis, yet capable of being dismounted therefrom so as to be transported to a different location until it is desired to again operatively mount the same within the computer chassis, the improvement wherein said mass storage device includes means for shock isolating the same at all times during said operative association within said computer chassis and also during said transport thereof to said different location, and wherein said means for shock-isolating includes: a canister having at least at opposing pair of side walls, and opposing front and rear walls, said side, front and rear walls col)ectively laterally bounding said mass storage device while leaving an open sway space therebetween; a pair of mounting brackets each rigidly attached to a respective side of said mass storage device; and shock-isolating means mounted to, and between, said mounting brackets and a respective adjacent one of said side walls for mounting said mass storage device in spaced relation to said canister, wherein said shock isolating means includes first and second pairs of elastomeric shock-isolators attached to one and the other of said mounting brackets, respectively, each said shock isolator having a cylindrical section adjacent said respective mounting bracket, and a truncated conical section integrally extending from said cylindrical section towards said adjacent side wall.

Claim 21

In a mass storage device of the type which is removably mountable within the chassis of a computer so that the device is capable of being used in operative association with the computer when mounted in the chassis, yet capable of being dismounted therefrom so as to be transported to a different location until it is desired to again operatively mount the same within the computer chassis, the improvement wherein said mass storage device includes means for shock isolating the same at all times during said operative association within said computer chassis and also during said transport thereof to said different location, and wherein said means for shock-isolating includes: a canister having at least at opposing pair of side walls, and opposing front and rear walls, said side, front and rear walls col)ectively laterally bounding said mass storage device while leaving an open sway space therebetween; a pair of mounting brackets each rigidly attached to a respective side of said mass storage device; and shock-isolating means mounted to, and between, said mounting brackets and a respective adjacent one of said side walls for mounting said mass storage device in spaced relation to said canister, wherein said shock isolating means includes first and second pairs of elastomeric shock-isolators attached to one and the other of said mounting brackets, respectively, each said shock isolator having a cylindrical section adjacent said respective mounting bracket, and a truncated conical section integrally extending from said cylindrical section towards said adjacent side wall.

Claim 22

In a mass storage device as in claim 19, the improvement wherein said canister includes handle means attached to said front wall for permitting said canister to be manually grasped and transported to said different location.

Claim 23

In a mass storage device as in claim 19, the improvement further comprising: a circuit board housed within said canister and adapted for receiving pin connectors associated with said computer chassis so as to operatively interconnect said mass storage device with the computer when the former is mounted in said chassis, means for electrically connecting said circuit board to said mass storage device; and means for resiliently mouting said circuit board to said canister to allow said circuit board to be resiliently displace in response to mounting of said canister in said computer chassis thereby assisting the alignment of the pin connectors therewith.

Claim 24

In a mass storage device as in claim 21, the improvement further comprising said means for mounting said circuit board including elastomeric mounting means connected to and between said circuit board and a bottom wall of said canister for allowing said circuit board to be resiliently displaced in response to mounting of said canister in said computer chassis.

Claim 25

A shock-isolated mass storage assembly comprising: a chassis having a power supply; a mass storage device; a canister for housing said mass storage device and adapted to be removably and operatively mounted in association with said chassis; shock isolation means mounted between said mass storage device and said canister for shock-isolating said mass storage device within said canister; and means for disconnecting electrical power supplied to said mass storage device in response to removal of said canister from said chassis, wherein said means for disconnecting said electrical power includes; (a) connector means associated with said canister and having multiple pins for establishing electrical communication between said power supply and said mass storage device when said canister is operatively positioned in said chassis; (b) at least some of said pins of said connector having a shorter length as compared to other longer ones of said pins so that said shorter pins are disconnected prior to disconnection of said longer pins during removal of said canister from said chassis; and (c) sensing and switching means operatively connected between said power supply and said shorter and longer pins of said connector means for (i) sensing said prior disconnection of said shorter pins, and in response thereto (ii) disabling said power supplied to said longer pins, whereby said power supplied to said mass storage device is disconnected.

Claim 26

A shock-isolated mass storage assembly comprising: a chassis having a power supply; a mass storage device; a canister for housing said mass storage device and adapted to be removably and operatively mounted in association with said chassis; shock isolation means mounted between said mass storage device and said canister for shock-isolating said mass storage device within said canister; and means for disconnecting electrical power supplied to said mass storage device in response to removal of said canister from said chassis, wherein said means for disconnecting said electrical power includes; (a) connector means associated with said canister and having multiple pins for establishing electrical communication between said power supply and said mass storage device when said canister is operatively positioned in said chassis; (b) at least some of said pins of said connector having a shorter length as compared to other longer ones of said pins so that said shorter pins are disconnected prior to disconnection of said longer pins during removal of said canister from said chassis; and (c) sensing and switching means operatively connected between said power supply and said shorter and longer pins of said connector means for (i) sensing said prior disconnection of said shorter pins, and in response thereto (ii) disabling said power supplied to said longer pins, whereby said power supplied to said mass storage device is disconnected.

Claim 27

A mass storage assembly as in claim 23, wherein said sensing and disabling means includes a field effect transistor.

Claim 28

The combination as in claim 23 wherein said shorter pins are about 2 mm shorter in length as compared to said longer pins.

Claim 29

The combination as in claim 23, wherein said sensing and disabling means includes; field eftect transistor swi tch means having an input connected to said power supply and an output connected to a predetermined one of said longer pins, said field effect transistor switch means disconnecting said power supply means and said predetermined one of said longer pins in response to receiving a high voltage potential; means operatively connected between said shorter pins and said field effect transistor means for normally supplying a low voltage potential to said field effect transistor means when said cansister is operatively associated with said chassis, and for supplying a high voltage potential to said field effect transistor means in response to said prior disconnection of said shorter pins during removal of said cannister from said chassis.

Claim 30

The combination as in claim 26, wherein said means for normally supplying a low voltage potential to said field effect transistor means includes; flip-flop circuit means which supplies a low voltage potential to said field effect transistor means when said canister is operatively associated with said chassis; and means for driving said flip-flop circuit means in response to said prior disconnection of said shorter pins to cause said flip flop circuit means to output a high voltage potential to said field effect transistor means.

Claim 33

A system as in claim 28, wherein one of said first and second connector means is a multiple pin male connector and the other of said first and second connector means is a female connector adapted to matably receive the pins of said male connector, and wherein said sensing means includes; (a) at least one male/female connector pair being shorter in length as compared to other male/female connector pairs such that said at least one shorter pair is disconnected prior to disconnection of said other longer pairs in response to relative separable movement between said male and female connectors; and (b) sensing and disabling means operatively sensing said prior disconnection and, in response thereto, disabling said power supply to said other longer pairs.

Claim 34

A system as in claim 28 or 29, wherein said sensing and disabling means includes a field effect transistor.

Claim 35

A system as in claim 29 wherein said at least one shorter pin is about 2 mm shorter in length as compared to said other longer connector contacts.

Claim 36

A system as in claim 29, wherein said sensing and disabling means includes; field effect transistor switch means having an input connected to said power source and an output connected to a predetermined one of said longer connector contacts said field effect transistor switch means disconnecting said power source and said predetermined one of said longer connector contacts in response to receiving a first predetermined potential; means operatively connected between said at least one shorter connector contacts and said field effect transistor means for normally supplying a second predetermined voltage potential to said field effect transistor means when said first and second connector means are operatively connected to one another, and for supplying said first predetermined voltage potential to said field effect transistor means in response to said prior disconnection of said at least one shorter connector contacts during separable movement of said first and second connectors.

Claim 37

The combination as in claim 32, wherein said means for normally supplying said second predetermined voltage potential to said field effect transistor means includes; flip-flop circuit means which supplies said second predetermined voltage potential to said field effect transistor means when said first and second connector means are operatively connected to one another: and means for driving said flip flop circuit means in response to said prior disconnection of said at least one shorter connector contacts to cause said flip-flop circuit means to output said first predetermined voltage potential to said field eftect transistor means.