GB2569525A - Improvements in network server cabinets and racking enclosures - Google Patents

Abstract

A computer server, data, telecommunications or network cabinet has a central body section 1 and movable sliding sections 2 and 5 located on opposite sides of the main body. Each sliding section may be withdrawn or pulled out to an extended position Figures 1,5,6 or pushed in to a retracted or closed position Figures 2- 4, 7. The cabinet may be located on castors or wheels 9, 11, 12, 14 and sliding rail brackets Figure 6, 33E, 36E, 46E. Access doors 7, 16 are provided as is an air ventilation means Figure 4, 21. The sliding sections telescope to allow the volume of the cabinet to be altered to suit the size of the contents and to allow for future expansion. Cable routing and mounting means are also provided. Clamping screws may be fitted, Figure 4, 20, 23-25.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN NETWORK SERVER CABINETS AND RACKING ENCLOSURES

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cabinet or housing for racked computer and server system components. In particular a cabinet which can expand in capacity and depth to support deeper equipment and hardware without having to replace the rack.

Background

A computer server or network rack is a standardized frame or enclosure for mounting multiple electronic equipment modules. Each module in this example has a front panel that is standard to 600 - 800. The dimension includes the edges, or ears, that protrude on each side which allow the module to be fastened to the rack frame with screws. Common uses include server, audio, and scientific lab equipment. Equipment designed to be placed in a rack is typically described as rack-mount, a rack-mount instrument, a rack mounted server system, a rack mount chassis, subrack, rack mountable, or occasionally simply shelf. The height of the electronic modules is also standardized as multiples of 1.752 inches (44.50 mm) or one rack unit or U (less commonly RU). The industry standard rack cabinet is 42U tall. In this embodiment these range from 6U to 48U.

Rack-mountable equipment is traditionally mounted by bolting or clipping its front panel to the rack. Within the IT industry, it is common for network/communications equipment to have multiple mounting positions, including table-top and wall mounting, so rack mountable equipment will often feature L-brackets that must be screwed or bolted to the equipment prior to mounting in a rack. With the prevalence of 23-inch racks in the Telecoms industry, the same practice is also common, but with equipment having 19-inch and 23-inch brackets available, enabling them to be mounted in existing racks.

A key structural weakness of front-mounted support is the shear stress placed on the mounting rails and the leading edge of the equipment. As a result, 4-post racks have become common, with such racks featuring a mirrored pair of rear mounting posts. Since the spacing between the front and rear mounting posts may differ between rack vendors and/or the configuration of the rack (some racks may incorporate front and rear rails that may be moved forwards and backwards, i.e. APC SX-range racks), it's common for equipment that features 4-post mounting brackets, to have an adjustable rear bracket. Servers and deep pieces of equipment are often mounted using rails that are bolted to the front and rear posts (as above, it's common for such rails to have an adjustable depth), allowing the equipment to be supported by four posts, while also enabling it to be easily installed and removed.

Although there is no standard for the depth of equipment, nor specifying the outer width and depth of the rack enclosure itself (incorporating the structure, doors and panels that contain the mounting rails), there is a tendency for 4-post racks to be 600 mm (23.62 in) or 800 mm (31.50 in) wide, and for them to be 600 mm (23.62 in), 800 mm (31.50 in) or 1,010 mm (39.76 in) deep.

This of course varies by manufacturer, the design of the rack and its purpose, but through common constraining factors (such as raised floor tile dimensions), these dimensions have become quite common. The extra width and depth enables cabling to be routed with ease (also helping to maintain bend-radius for fibre and copper cables) and deeper equipment to be utilised. A common feature in IT racks are mounting positions for Zero-U accessories, such as PDU (power distribution units) and vertical cable managers/ducts, that utilise the space between the rear rails and the side of the rack enclosure.

The strength required of the mounting posts means they are invariably not merely flat strips but actually a wider folded strip arranged around the corner of the rack. The posts are usually made of steel of around 2 mm thickness (the official standard guide recommends a minimum of 1.9 mm), or of a slightly thicker aluminium.

Heavy equipment or equipment which is commonly accessed for servicing, for which attaching or detaching at all four corners simultaneously would pose a problem, is often not mounted directly onto the rack but instead is mounted via rails (or slides). A pair of rails is mounted directly onto the rack, and the equipment then slides into the rack along the rails, which support it. When in place, the equipment may also then be bolted to the rack. The rails may also be able to fully support the equipment in a position where it has been slid clear of the rack; this is useful for inspection or maintenance of equipment which will then be slid back into the rack. Some rack slides even include a tilt mechanism allowing easy access to the top or bottom of rack mounted equipment when it is fully extended from the rack. Slides or rails for computers and other data processing equipment such as disk arrays or routers more often need to be purchased directly from the equipment manufacturer, as there is usually no standardization on such equipment's thickness (measurement from the side of the rack to the equipment) or means for mounting to the rail. A rails kit may include a cable management arm (or CMA), which folds the cables attached to the server and allows them to expand neatly when the server is slid out, without being disconnected.

Computer servers designed for rack-mounting can include a number of extra features to make the server easy to use in the rack. The sliding rails can lock in various extended positions to prevent the equipment from moving when extended out from the rack for service. The server itself might have locking pins on the sides that just drop into slots on the extended rail assembly, in a manner similar to a removable kitchen drawer. This permits very easy server installation and removal since there is no need for the server to be held in mid-air while someone fastens each rail to the sides of the server with screws. Some manufacturers of rack-mount hardware include a folding cable tray behind the server, so that the cables are held into a neat and tidy folded channel when inside the rack, but can unfold out into a long strip when pulled out of the rack, allowing the server to continue to be plugged in and operating normally even while fully extended and hanging in mid-air in front of the rack. This piece of equipment thus simplifies maintenance, but at the cost of providing a restriction to airflow. Rack-optimized servers might duplicate indicator lights on the front and rear of the rack to help identify a machine needing attention, or provide separate identify LED indicators on both sides of the server (which can be turned on in software or by pushing an associated button). Since some configurations permit over fifty 1U servers in a single rack, this provides a simple method to determine exactly which machine is having a problem when at the rear of the rack. A handle may be provided at the rear of the server rails, to help pull or push the server without having to pull on the cables.

When there are large numbers of computers in a single rack, it is impractical for each one to have its own separate keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Instead, a KVM switch or LOM software is used to share a single keyboard/video/mouse set amongst many different computers. Since the mounting hole arrangement is vertically symmetric, it is possible to mount rack-mountable equipment upsidedown. However, not all equipment is suitable for this type of mounting. For instance, most optical disc players will not work upside-down because the driving motor mechanism does not grip the disc.

The racking of the systems rely on the amount of internal space available within the cabinet or housing. As companies expand and the amount of server or network equipment increases the need to purchase more individual cabinets to house the system components becomes apparent. Many companies find themselves having to purchase and install many racking cabinets to provide for this system expansion, which can include the need for more business space or further rooms being used.

It is therefore the aim of the present invention to provide a computer network cabinet which can allow for the increasing number of network or server racks required by a company and eliminate or reduce the amount of additional individual cabinets required by them.

Summary of the invention

According to the present invention there is provided a cabinet enclosure which is a vertical cuboid with a hollow interior. The cabinet has means to house one or more sliding sections which can expand from within its hollow interior, as shown in Figure 1. The sliding sections have sufficient space provided within the cabinet enclosure, to be fully retracted within it when initial use begins. A user can install racks of computer equipment for server and network requirements within the sliding sections and access is made via door openings provided to the more narrowed frontal areas of each sliding section, as shown.

The racks and equipment are installed and attached to the sliding section interiors via known means of rails and brackets, which offer the ability to easily access the equipment by sliding it outwards toward the user, individually as required. With both cabinet sliding sections closed or retracted inside the vertical cabinet, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the user may install deep sections of racked equipment and as more space is required, for further system hardware, the one or more internal sliding sections of the cabinet are pulled outward by the user and expanded, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

The sliding sections are precisely engineered to fit within a narrow millimetre measurement between the interior central body of the vertical cabinet, these being transported by rails and brackets which are provided from an interior frame. As shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7. The interior frame is derived of a number of vertical longitudinal metal lengths and a plurality of horizontal transverse cross members forming a caged structure which is attached to the vertical cabinet interior and to the interior faces of the sliding sections thereto.

Four vertical metal corner battens are more narrowed and form corner posts of the wider static central body section of the vertical cabinet, these are formed as an eight corner vertical cuboid rectangular frame, by way of horizontal members located and fixed to the ends of each of them, to the top and bottom of the frame ensemble. This frame fits exactly within the central main body of the vertical cabinet. To each side of the four vertical corner battens are five horizontal transverse cross members, which are planar and equally spaced to each side, providing a total of ten. Six of these also having installed rail and bracket sliding units which are designed in the known way.

The three rail and sliding brackets to each side extend and slide outward and have a single long vertical panel attached to each of their ends, this panel bolts onto the exterior planar surface of the extending cabinet sections, at four locations, two to each side of a sliding sections, using hole and bolt methods or a similar fixture. Therefore four long vertical panels are presented with two to each sliding cabinet section interior. As the rail and brackets slide outward, the sliding cabinet sections also slide outward as they are one with them as fixtures, as described.

A supporting set of at least two opposing cabinet wheels or castors are to the underside of the expanding cabinet section, to ease the sliding open and extension of them, the user pulling them outward using handle means located to the expandable cabinet framework.

By extending each sliding cabinet section outward, more depth is provided toward the interior of the central cabinet body, to enable a greater number or larger sized computer system racking components to be added over time. This enables the vertical cabinet to expand and grow as the user requires more racking and installation space for system and network hardware thereto.

Venting for air cooling of internal components is provided in the known way to the top and other areas of the cabinet as required.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be clearly understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the Patent Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved computer server and network cabinet which has all the advantages of the prior art computer server and network cabinets and none of the disadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new computer server and network cabinet which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved computer server and network cabinet, which is of a durable and reliable construction.

An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved computer server and network cabinet which is susceptible of a suitable cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labour, and which accordingly is then susceptible to a balanced sale price to the consuming public, thereby making such a product available to the buying public.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved computer server and network cabinet which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and detailed descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

Brief description of figures

Figure 1 shows a side view of the computer server and network cabinet with two sliding sections expanded.

Figure 2 shows a side view of the computer server and network cabinet with one of the two sliding sections withdrawn into the cabinet.

Figure 3 shows a side view of the computer server and network cabinet with two sliding sections withdrawn into the cabinet.

Figure 4 shows a plan view of the computer server and network cabinet with two sliding sections withdrawn.

Figure 5 shows a side view of the internal frame and sliding rails of the computer server and network cabinet, with one side of the frame expanded.

Figure 6 shows a side view of the internal frame and sliding rails of the computer server and network cabinet, with two sides of the frame expanded.

Figure 7 shows a side view of the internal frame and sliding rails of the computer server and network cabinet, with two sides of the frame withdrawn.

Figure 8 shows an end elevation of the computer server and network cabinet double door.

Detailed description of figures

A typical embodiment of the improved computer server and network cabinet is shown in Figure 1.

In the preferred embodiment it comprises a centre body section 1 which has two sliding sections 2 and 5 which pass within centre body 1, outwardly and inwardly. Guide bars 3 and 4 aid sliding guidance of sliding section 2 and 5. The cabinet has doors 7 and 16 which are hinged 6, 8, 15 and 17 thereto.

Lower guide bars 10 and 13 aid sliding guidance of sliding section 2 and 5.

Wheels 9, 11, 12 and 14 are provided to the cabinet, the sliding sections 2 and 5, are aided by wheels 9 and 14.

Figure 2 shows the sliding section 5A retracted inside the centre body 1 A.

Figure 3 shows sliding section 2B and 5B both retracted inside the central body 1B. A plan view from above is shown in Figure 4 wherein, the central body 1C has sliding sections 2C and 5C shown in retracted position.

An outer panel 19 and 22 provides guidance to sliding sections 2C and 5C which are perpendicular to it. These can be held in place by screw threaded knob 20, 23, 24 and 25, which tightens through holes in 19 and 22 to contact with the upper surface of sliding sections 2C and 5C, holding them and preventing unwanted sliding.

Doors 7C, 16C and 18 are provided to the frontal opening areas of the sliding sections 2C and 5C for access to internally stored network hardware. Venting 21 is provided to the sliding section 5C for cooling of internal hardware, as shown in Figure 4.

The internal frame of the cabinet has four longitudinal vertical frame sections shown in Figure 4 as 32 and 39 in this one side view. Perpendicular to these are the horizontally opposed top section 30 and bottom section 47. These are held together by nutserts, bolts and welding.

A horizontal frame section 29 is transversely affixed between vertical frame sections 32 and 39. To this horizontal frame section 29, is provided a bracket housing with a rail 28, into which a sliding bracket 27 is engaged for extension and retraction when required. This is attached to a longitudinal vertical panel 54, which is planar, via bracket end section 26.

The vertical panel 54 thus moves inward and outward along with the bracket sections 26 and 27 which are attached to it.

The vertical panel 54 is attached to the interior surface of sliding section 2 and thus when sliding section 2 is pulled outward to be extended, the sliding bracket 26 and 27 slides outward in its bracket housing with a rail 28, extending the sliding section 2 outward.

The bracket to sliding section ensemble and action is provided at a further two equally appointed areas of each of the four expanding frame areas.

Shown on this side view in Figure 5 as, 40, 41 and 42, located to horizontal frame section 35. A lower ensemble as 43, 44 and 45 is located to horizontal frame section 38. Other horizontally opposed frame sections 34 and 37 are provided between these, as shown in the Figure.

A closed inner frame section is shown to the opposing side of the extended section, in Figure 5, with a vertical panel 31 having closed sliding rail brackets 33, 36 and 46.

Figure 6 shows the opposing open section of the internal frame on this side of the cabinet, with vertical frame section 32E having horizontal section 29E transversely affixed, providing the sliding bracket 33E to the vertical panel 31E.

Further sliding rail and brackets 36E and 46E are shown and fixture holes for component fitting 48 are also depicted. These holes appear throughout many areas of the panels and provide means for through fittings to hold the frame to the external cabinet’s surfaces and panels and internal fitting options for racking.

An example of the cabinet’s internal frame with both sliding frame sections closed is shown in Figure 7.

Components of the closed frame and fittings are shown with horizontal section 29F providing movable means for sliding brackets 27F and 33F. The horizontal section 35F providing movable means for sliding brackets 36F and 40F and horizontal section 38F providing movable means for sliding brackets 43F and 46F.

Two vertical panels 31F and 54F are shown on this single side view as retracted inside the frame and therefore the cabinet. The sliding sections have access doors 7G and 18G, shown as double doors in Figure 8. This may also be a single door opening. Hinges shown are 6G, 8G, 49 and 50 with two applied to each door 7G and 18G. Sliding sections 2G and 53 are shown inside the centre body section 1G and 52, with the accompanying top guide bar 4G.

Wheels 51 and 9G are provided to aid movement of the sliding section 2G and 53

Claims (11)

Claims

1) A computer server and network cabinet constituted by:

A centre body section, two extending cabinet sections, vertical panels, bracket housings with rail, sliding bracket sections, vertical longitudinal lengths, transverse horizontal frame sections, guide bars, cabinet wheels, bottom sections, fixture holes, a top section, threaded knobs, air venting, door openings, door hinges.

2) A computer server and network cabinet as set forth in claim 1 wherein, a centre body section has a through opening into which sliding sections are inserted at opposing ends of its panel body.

3) A computer server and network cabinet as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 2 wherein, two extending sections are housings for computer network and server equipment and have means to slide inward and outward of a centre body section to expand the internal storage capacity of said cabinet, to add equipment as required.

4) A computer server and network cabinet as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 3 wherein, vertical panels are located and attached to both planar panel sides of the extending cabinet sections, providing connection to sliding means from further frame mounted rails and brackets.

5) A computer server and network cabinet as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 4 wherein, sliding means for vertical panels are provided by sliding brackets which horizontally extend inward and outward and are housed within a rail bracket on a central vertical cuboid frame, located inside the centre body of the cabinet and are attached to the vertical panels thereto.

6) A computer server and network cabinet as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 5 wherein, said rail brackets are each located to transverse horizontal frame sections which are equally spaced between two vertical longitudinal lengths on each side of the interior frame, providing an eight cornered frame structure.

7) A computer server and network cabinet as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 6 wherein, extending cabinet sections are extended by them being pulled outward from their location inside the centre body section and use guide bars and cabinet wheels located to three bottom sections, to aid movement.

8) A computer server and network cabinet as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 7 wherein, fixture holes are provided throughout the surface of the internal frame, for the fixture of the internal frame to the extending cabinet sections and centre body section and for attachment of network components or server hardware racking and shelving.

9) A computer server and network cabinet as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 8 wherein, extending cabinet sections are held in place, when retracted inside the centre body section, by means of threaded knobs which screw through holes and purchase to the surface or pass into holes of the extending cabinet sections, holding them.

10) A computer server and network cabinet as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 9 wherein, air venting is provided to the top of the cabinet sections and to other desired areas for air flow and cooling of interior components.

11) A computer server and network cabinet as set forth in claim 1 and claimed in claim 10 wherein, doors and openings mounted on hinges provide access to internally housed computer network and server racking components when in use.