BACKGROUND  
       [0001]     The interior of an electronic system, such as a computer system, must be accessible to a user of the system. Such accessibility is necessary so that the user can service, change or reconfigure internal components of the system. If it is difficult or time consuming to open the system, then the system may be undesirable for the user&#39;s needs. This undesirability may be particularly significant in an enterprise having many systems, such as a computer server “farm,” since the user may have to open several systems at a time to service or upgrade each system at once. In such a situation, a time consuming system-opening procedure may result in significant time and cost for the user or the owner of the systems. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0002]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary rack-mounted system having an exemplary electronic system incorporating an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0003]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of another exemplary electronic system incorporating an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0004]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of portions of the exemplary electronic system shown in  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0005]      FIG. 4  is a side cross section of a portion of the electronic system shown in  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0006]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged perspective view of another portion of the electronic system shown in  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0007]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the electronic system shown in  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0008]      FIG. 7  is another side cross section of a portion of the electronic system shown in  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0009]      FIG. 8  is another perspective view of portions of the exemplary electronic system shown in  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 9  is yet another perspective view of portions of the exemplary electronic system shown in  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 10  is still another perspective view of portions of the exemplary electronic system shown in  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 11  is another side cross section of a portion of the electronic system shown in  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a component drawer for use in the exemplary electronic system shown in  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 13  is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the electronic system shown in  FIG. 1  according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0015]     An exemplary electronic system  100  incorporating an embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1  within an exemplary rack-mounted system  102 . The rack-mounted system  102  may have additional devices  104  and  106  installed therein for a variety of purposes. The electronic system  100  may be a computerized device, or other appropriate rack-based electronic device having some or all of the features and functions described herein. An alternative exemplary electronic system  108  incorporating an embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 2 . The electronic system  108  may also be a computerized device, such as a desktop computer, or other appropriate electronic device having some or all of the features and functions described herein.  
         [0016]     The electronic systems  100  and  108  generally have a variety of elements, including, but not limited to, an optional display  110 , an optional keyboard  112  and a housing  114 . The interior of the housing  114  contains optional device bays  116 , various electronic/mechanical components and a sliding extendible/insertable component drawer  118 . At least some of the various electronic/mechanical components are disposed in the interior of the component drawer  118 .  
         [0017]     The components within the component drawer  118  are relatively easily accessible for the user, because a latch mechanism  120  on the component drawer  118  quickly allows for the release of both a handle (for pulling the component drawer  118  at least partially out of the housing  114 ) and a door (for shielding the components within the component drawer  118 ), as described below. In this manner, access to at least a portion of the interior of the electronic system  100  or  108  is quickly and easily achieved, so that the user can service, change or reconfigure internal components of the electronic system  100  or  108 .  
         [0018]     Although the present invention is described herein with respect to its use in the electronic system  100  or  108 , which is shown as a rack-based or desktop computer system, it is understood that the invention is not so limited. Rather, the present invention may be used in any appropriate electronic system that includes a sliding extendible/insertable component drawer, regardless of any other elements included or not included in the electronic system. For ease of description, only the electronic system  100  will be referred to hereafter.  
         [0019]     The latch mechanism  120 , as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , has a pivoting portion  122  that has a hooked end  124  and a protruding end  126  and a point  128  about which it pivots between various positions. ( FIG. 4  is a cross section taken along section lines  4 - 4  in  FIG. 3 .) At the pivot point  128 , the pivoting portion  122  is attached to a door  130  by a hinge  132 . The latch mechanism  120  also has a latch spring portion  134  with a fixed end  136 , a distal end  138  and protruding portions  140 . The latch spring portion  134  is fixed to a base portion  142  of the component drawer  118  at  144  and  146 .  
         [0020]     The component drawer  118  includes a handle  148 . The handle  148  has a gripping portion  150  and two arms  152  that extend to a pivot point  154 . At the pivot point  154 , the handle  148  is hingedly attached to the base portion  142  of the component drawer  118 . The hooked end  124  of the pivoting portion  122  of the latch mechanism  120 , in the “first” position shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , can engage the handle  148  at a hooking portion  156  to secure the handle  148  in the position shown. The handle  148  is, thus, in a stowed position.  
         [0021]     When the handle  148  is in the position shown in  FIGS. 3, 4  and  5 , hooks  158 , or other appropriate shapes, at the bottom of the arms  152  can engage holes  160  in a base  162  of the housing  114 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . ( FIG. 5  is an enlargement of a portion  5  of  FIG. 3 ) In this manner, the hooks  158  and the holes  160  prevent the component drawer  118  from moving forward (direction of arrow A) in the housing  114 . Additionally, a component (not shown) in the component drawer  118  may be frictionally engaged in a receiving receptacle in the housing  114 , thereby preventing the component drawer  118  from moving backward (opposite direction of arrow A) in the housing  114 . Thus, the hooks  158  secure the component drawer  118  against the receiving receptacle in the housing  114  to prevent movement of the component drawer  118  relative to the housing  114 .  
         [0022]     The connection between the component and the receiving receptacle may also serve as a communications connector between the electronic components in the component drawer  118  and other components in the housing  114 . For example, the component drawer  118  may have an I/O board with a first communications connector, and the housing  114  may have a system  1 / 0  board with a mating second communications connector that aligns with and receives the first communications connector when the component drawer  118  is inserted into the housing  114 .  
         [0023]     The door  130  includes a top portion  164  and a front portion  166 . The front portion  166  has a vented front panel  168  attached thereto. The top portion  164  of the door  130 , in the position shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , shields the interior of the component drawer  118 . The protruding portions  140  of the latch spring portion  134  of the latch mechanism  120  engage the front portion  166  of the door  130  at holes therein. In this manner, the door  130  is held secure in the position shown, since the protruding portions  140  do not permit the door  130  to move upward.  
         [0024]     Upon manipulation of the pivoting portion  122  of the latch mechanism  120  in the direction of arrow B, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the hooked end  124  of the pivoting portion  122  clears the hooking portion  156  of the handle  148 , as shown in  FIG. 7 , to release the handle  148 . The pivoting portion  122  is, thus, pivoted about pivot point  128  in the direction of arrow C from the first position shown in  FIG. 4  to the “second” position shown in  FIG. 7 . In this position of the pivoting portion  122 , the handle  148  is free to pivot about pivot point  154  in the direction of arrow D in  FIG. 7  (arrow E in  FIG. 8 ). Additionally, the protruding end  126  of the pivoting portion  122  may engage the distal end  138  of the latch spring portion  134  to slightly bend the distal end  138  in the direction of arrow F. In doing so, however, the protruding portions  140  of the latch spring portion  134  do not clear the holes in the front portion  166  of the door  130 , so the door  130  is not released, but remains secured.  
         [0025]     Upon release of the handle  148 , a bent spring  170  (visible in  FIG. 9 ) attached to the front portion  166  of the door  130  pushes on the arms  152  of the handle  148  to push the handle  148  at least partially in the direction of arrow E, as shown in  FIG. 8 . With the handle  148 , thus, at least partially shifted away from the stowed position to an operable position, the user can grip the gripping portion  150  of the handle  148  to operate the handle  148  to extend the component drawer  118  in the direction of arrow G, as shown in  FIG. 9 . The component drawer  118  is, thus, extended at least partially out of the housing  148 , as shown in  FIG. 10 .  
         [0026]     The component drawer  118  may be mounted on rails, tracks, grooves or other appropriate guiding mechanisms  172  within the housing  114  to guide the component drawer  118  into and out of the housing  114  and to secure the component drawer  118  from side-to-side movement. Alternatively, the housing  114  may have a fixed cage surrounding the inserted position of the component drawer  118 . The fixed cage may confine the component drawer  118  to prevent side-to-side or up-down movement. The fixed cage may also have an appropriate guiding mechanism to guide the component drawer  118  in front-to-back movement.  
         [0027]     Additionally, pressing down on the handle  148  to the operable position shown in  FIG. 9  causes the hooks  158  at the bottom of the arms  152  to press against the holes  160  in the base  162  of the housing  114 . Thus, the component drawer  118  is cammed slightly forward. This camming action gives additional leverage for the component (not shown) in the component drawer  118  to be frictionally disengaged from the receiving receptacle in the housing  114 . In this manner, the component drawer  118  is released from the inserted position in the housing  114 , so the user can easily extend the component drawer  118  at least partially out of the housing  114 .  
         [0028]     Although, it is shown that the component drawer  118  extends horizontally straight out of a front of the housing  114 , it is understood that the invention is not so limited. Instead, the component drawer  118  may also extend vertically up or down or extend horizontally out of a side or a rear of the housing  114  or extend rotationally out of the housing  114 .  
         [0029]     Upon extending the component drawer  118  to the position shown in  FIG. 10 , the component drawer  118  may remain physically connected to and cantilevered out from the housing  114 . Alternatively, the component drawer  118  may be completely removed from the housing  114  and carried by the handle  148 .  
         [0030]     To open the component drawer  118 , the user manipulates the pivoting portion  122  from the first or second position shown in  FIG. 4  or  7 , respectively, to the “third” position shown in  FIG. 11 . In other words, the pivoting portion  122  is further pivoted about pivot point  128  in the direction of arrow H. (The handle  148  is not shown in  FIG. 11  for clarity.) In doing so, the protruding end  126  of the pivoting portion  122  engages the distal end  138  of the latch spring portion  134  to bend the distal end  138  in the direction of arrow I. In this manner, the protruding portions  140  of the latch spring portion  134  clear the holes in the front portion  166  of the door  130 , so the door  130  is released and free to pivot about pivot point  176 . Lifting up on the pivoting portion  122  or on any part of the door  130  then raises the door  130  from the closed position shown in  FIG. 10  to about the open position shown in  FIG. 12 . The interior of the component drawer  118  and components  178  therein are thus exposed. Such components  178  may be any appropriate electrical or mechanical elements, such as CPU (central processing unit) modules, VRMs (voltage regulator modules), PPMs (processor power modules), memory modules, power supplies, expansion cards, etc. The door  130  may then be held up by any appropriate means, while the user accesses the interior of the component drawer  118 .  
         [0031]     After opening the door  130 , the user may release the pivoting portion  122  of the latch mechanism  120 . When the pivoting portion  122  is released, a hinge spring  180  ( FIGS. 8, 9 ,  10  and  12 ) mounted about hinge  132  forces the pivoting portion  122  back to the first position shown in  FIG. 4 . The latch spring  134  is, thus, also released to return to the position shown in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0032]     After the user is finished accessing the interior of the component drawer  118 , the door  130  is lowered back onto the base portion  142  of the component drawer  118 . In so doing, the front portion  166  of the door  130  slides down on a tapered forward edge of the protruding portions  140  of the latch spring  134 , so that the distal end  138  bends slightly backward until the holes in the front portion  166  align with the protruding portions  140 . Thus, the protruding portions  140  reengage the front portion  166  at the holes therein and secure the door  130  in the closed position.  
         [0033]     Once the door  130  has been lowered back onto the base portion  142  of the component drawer  118 , the user can push the component drawer  118  back to about the inserted position. The handle  148  can then be raised back up to the stowed position. In so doing, the hooking portion  156  of the handle  148  pushes on a tapered forward side of the pivoting portion  122  to slightly pivot the pivoting portion  122  up until the hooking portion  156  aligns with the hooked end  124  of the pivoting portion  122 . The force of the hinge spring  180  then snaps the pivoting portion  122  down onto the handle  148 , so the handle  148  is secured in the stowed position, as shown in  FIG. 4 . Additionally, raising the handle  148  to the stowed position provides leverage for the hooks  158  at the bottom of the arms  152  to engage the holes  160  in the base  162  of the housing  114  to cam the component drawer  118  into frictional engagement with the receiving receptacle in the housing  114 . In this manner, the component drawer  118  is returned to the inserted position within the housing  114  of the exemplary electronic system  100 .  
         [0034]     In an alternative embodiment, a latch guard  182  reduces access to the latch mechanism  120  when the latch guard  182  is in the position shown in  FIG. 13 . When the latch guard  182  is in this position, it is difficult to grip the pivoting portion  122  of the latch mechanism  120  in order to manipulate the pivoting portion  122 . When the latch guard  182  is manipulated to a downward position in the direction of arrow J, access to the latch mechanism  120  is uninhibited, so the pivoting portion  122  can then be manipulated in the direction of arrow K as described above. The latch guard  182 , thus, guards against accidental manipulation of the pivoting portion  122 .
An interior of an electronic system is accessed by manipulating a latch mechanism to release a handle attached to a drawer disposed within a housing of the electronic system; operating the handle to extend the drawer at least partially out of the housing; further manipulating the latch mechanism to release a door that obscures an interior of the drawer; and shifting the door to expose the interior of the drawer.