Convertible Hard Drive Tray with Pivotable Side Wall
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional HDD trays require additional brackets or combination trays that become larger, making them incompatible with standard-sized bays when accommodating different HDD sizes, such as 2.5 inches and 3.5 inches.
Innovation Solution
A tray with a pivotable planar element that rotates from the bottom to the side, allowing the tray to adapt its opening size to accommodate different HDD sizes by forming a new side wall when the planar element is moved, enabling secure housing of both 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch HDDs within a standard bay.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a combination tray with stacked supports is used to accommodate different HDD sizes, then the tray can hold both 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch HDDs, but the tray becomes much larger (taller) and does not fit in a standard sized HDD bay
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the tray support structure movable rather than fixed. The support includes a first portion and a second portion that can be positioned in multiple configurations: (1) both portions extend from the base to accommodate a 3.5-inch HDD, (2) only the first portion extends to accommodate a 2.5-inch HDD, or (3) the second portion rotates relative to the first portion to accommodate smaller drives. This dynamic reconfiguration allows a single tray to adapt to different HDD sizes without increasing its overall volume beyond standard bay dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the tray support into separate modular portions - a first support portion and a second support portion - that can be independently positioned or configured. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized for specific drive sizes and enables flexible reconfiguration of the support structure to match different HDD dimensions without requiring a completely different tray design for each drive size.
2Adaptability or versatility
If an additional bracket is added to a 3.5-inch tray to hold a 2.5-inch HDD, then the tray can accommodate smaller drives, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the merging principle by integrating multiple support functions into a single unified tray structure. Instead of requiring a separate bracket to be added to a 3.5-inch tray for accommodating 2.5-inch drives, the invention combines both support capabilities into one tray with a multi-configurable support system. The first and second support portions work together as an integrated assembly that can be reconfigured for different drive sizes, eliminating the need for additional separate components and reducing overall device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment provides an apparatus, including: a processor; a hard drive operatively coupled to the processor; and a tray that houses the hard drive; said tray comprising a bottom, a first side, a second side, and a pivotable planar element; wherein the pivotable planar element rotates relative to the bottom to relocate from the bottom of the tray to a side of the tray. Other embodiments are described and claimed.