IP Library › Granted Patent US 12696418

Granted Patent B2

US 12696418 · App. 18/137,451 · Granted Jul 28, 2026

Information handling system device bay and retention system

Inventors: Walter R. Carver (Round Rock, TX); Owen Kidd (Cedar Park, TX)

Assignee: Dell Products L.P.

H05K7/1489

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12696418
App. No.: 18/137,451
Granted: Jul 28, 2026
Kind: B2

External Links

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Abstract

A device bay. The device bay includes a housing, the housing comprising a card connector positioned along a side wall of the housing and a hinged structural side wall, the hinged structural side wall being configured to pivot between an opened position and a closed position, the opened position allowing insertion and removal of a card into the device bay, the closed position retaining the card within the device bay.

Claims (45)

1 . A device bay, comprising:

a housing, the housing comprising a card connector positioned along a side wall of the housing and a corresponding slot, the card connector being mounted horizontally to an inside of the side wall of the housing, the card connector and the corresponding slot of the housing being configured to receive a card from a side of the housing opposite the side wall of the housing, the side wall of the housing including a receiver component positioned along an outside of the side wall of the housing, the receiver component being configured to mate with a projection extending from an inside wall of a void of an information handling system to hold the device bay in place when the device bay is installed within the void; and,

a hinged structural side wall, the hinged structural side wall being configured to pivot between an opened position and a closed position, the opened position allowing insertion and removal of the card into the device bay, the closed position retaining the card within the device bay; and wherein

the device bay is configured to be installed and removed from the void;

the void is located at a front of the information handling system to allow the card to be serviced from outside of the information handling system; and,

the side wall of the housing is positioned along an inside wall of an outermost side wall of the void when the device bay is installed in the void and the hinged structural wall is positioned along an inner side wall of the void when the device bay is installed in the void.

2 . The device bay of claim 1 , wherein:

the side wall of the housing having the card connector is positioned opposite to the hinged structural side wall.

3 . The device bay of claim 1 , wherein:

the hinged structural side wall comprises a fastener, the fastener fastening the hinged structural side wall to the housing.

4 . The device bay of claim 1 , wherein:

the housing includes an extended portion, the extended portion vertically extending from a front edge of a main body of the housing opposite the side wall of the housing such that the extended portion extends vertically from a top of the void to a bottom of the void and is contiguous with the inner side wall of the void when the device bay is installed in the void; and,

the hinged structural side wall is coupled to the extended portion via a hinge, the extended portion allowing full access to the housing when the card is installed and removed from the housing.

5 . The device bay of claim 1 , wherein:

at least one of the housing and the hinged structural wall include a spring component, the spring component projecting from the at least one of the housing and the hinged structural wall to ground the device bay to an information handling system when the device bay is mounted within the information handling system.

6 . The device bay of claim 1 , wherein:

the hinged structural side wall includes a spring feature, the spring feature compressing against the card when the hinged structural wall is in the closed position to hold the card in place.

7 . The device bay of claim 1 , wherein:

the card is configured to plug in to the card connector from a side of the device bay when the device bay is outside of the information handling system.

8 . The device bay of claim 1 , wherein:

the card comprises a peripheral component interconnect express PCIe type card.

9 . A system comprising:

a processor;

a data bus coupled to the processor;

a device bay mounted within the system, the device bay being capable of translating laterally out of a front portion of the system, the device bay comprising:

the device bay is configured to be installed and removed from a void;

the void is located at a front of the system to allow the card to be serviced from outside of the system; and

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein:

the side wall of the housing having the card connector is positioned opposite to the hinged structural side wall.

11 . The system of claim 9 , wherein:

the hinged structural side wall comprises a fastener, the fastener fastening the hinged structural side wall to the housing.

12 . The system of claim 9 , wherein:

the hinged structural side wall is coupled to the extended portion via a hinge, the extended portion allowing full access to the housing when the card is installed and removed from the housing.

13 . The system of claim 9 , wherein:

14 . The system of claim 9 , wherein:

the hinged structural side wall includes a spring feature, the spring feature compressing against the card when the hinged structural wall is in the closed position to hold the card in place.

15 . The system of claim 9 , wherein:

the card is configured to plug in to the card connector from a side of the device bay when the device bay is outside of the system.

16 . The system of claim 9 , wherein:

the card comprises a peripheral component interconnect express PCIe type card.