Removable guide apparatus for a rail-mounted device employed in a computer

Claim 1

A drive mounting structure for use in a computer to receive rail-mounted drives therein comprising: a frame including a bay adapted to receive therein one first height drive or two second height drives which exhibit a lesser height than said first height drive, said first and second height drives each including first and second opposed sides on which respective side rails are situated, said bay including first and second opposed side walls situated in spaced apart relationship; first and second stationary rail receiving guides integrally formed into said first and second side walls, respectively, to mate with the side rails of said first height disk drive; said first and second side walls including respective first and second guide receiving channels integrally formed therein; said first and second side walls including first and second slots laterally situated along a portion of said first and second guide receiving channels respectively, said first and second slots being spaced apart from said first and second stationary rail receiving guides, respectively, by a predetermined distance, and first and second removable rail guides each including a rail receiving groove formed integrally therein along a lengthwise dimension thereof, each further including a flexible latching member for removably attaching said first and second removable guides to said first and second side walls, respectively, at said first and second slots in the first and second guide receiving channels, whereby two second height drives are situable in said bay when said first and second removable rail guides are attached to said first and second side walls, respectively, one of said two second height drives being situable between said removable rail guide and the other of said two second height drives being situable between said first and second stationary rail receiving guides, and alternatively, said first height drive being situable in said bay between said first and second stationary rail receiving guides when said first and second removable rail guides are removed from said first and second side walls, respectively.