SSD Enclosure Prying Structure With ESD-Blocking Stepped Path

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing prying structures in electronic devices, such as solid-state drives, expose sensitive components to electrostatic discharge (ESD) due to direct pathways through prying openings, leading to potential damage and performance degradation.

Innovation Solution

A prying structure design featuring a prying opening in the enclosure base and a corresponding stepped structure on the cover sidewall, forming a narrow pathway to inhibit ESD transfer, allowing safe prying while protecting internal components.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a direct prying opening is provided in the enclosure base, then ease of operation for prying is improved, but electrostatic discharge protection deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprying operationVSAvoidelectrostatic discharge

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A stepped structure is introduced as an intermediary element between the prying opening and the internal components. This stepped structure forces the prying tool to follow a specific path that does not directly expose sensitive components to electrostatic discharge, thereby mediating between the need for easy prying and ESD protection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The solution transitions from a simple planar opening to a three-dimensional stepped structure. By adding vertical dimensionality with multiple levels, the design creates a controlled pathway that maintains prying accessibility while preventing direct line-of-sight exposure to internal electronics, thus resolving the contradiction between operational ease and ESD protection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If a stepped structure is added to the cover sidewall, then electrostatic discharge protection is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveelectrostatic discharge protectionVSAvoidprying structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The stepped structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides ESD protection by blocking direct pathways, guides the prying tool along a safe path, and maintains structural integrity of the enclosure. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by delivering multiple benefits from a single structural feature

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The stepped structure divides the single opening space into multiple sequential levels or segments. This segmentation creates controlled stages that the prying tool must pass through, with each level providing progressively better ESD protection while maintaining the overall simplicity of the implementation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS12581602B2Enhanced prying structure for an electronic device

Publication Date: 2026.03.17 SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC

AI summary

In the context of an electronic device such as a solid-state drive, implementation of a prying opening in a sidewall of an enclosure base, and positioned adjacent to a corresponding stepped structure along a sidewall of an enclosure cover, enables an effective prying mechanism enabling the disassembling of the electronic device. A stepped structure surface extending beyond the prying opening of the base forms a narrow pathway with the sidewall of the base, thus providing a structural mechanism to inhibit the transfer of ESD to the sensitive components of the device.