Low profile expansion card for a system
View Patent ↗A space-conscious system utilizes a low profile expansion card for providing a physical and electrical interface between a larger scale board, such as a motherboard, and an external component. The expansion card is mounted in a perpendicular orientation relative to the larger scale board, despite dimensional limitations with regard to such an orientation. The expansion card includes an input/output circuit board and a “signal-conduction extender” for enabling coupling to an external wall of the housing in which the expansion card and larger scale board are contained. In one possible embodiment, the housing is compatible with the 1U standard, the expansion card is an Ethernet card, and there is an adapter board at the front wall of the housing for routing connections from the expansion card to an exposed port. The invention allows a number of the expansion cards to be mounted in parallel within the same container.
1. A system comprising:
a 1U chassis having a front wall and a back wall;
a circuit board having a plurality of connectors for releasably seating circuit cards adjacent to said back wall in an orientation that is generally perpendicular to said circuit board, said circuit board being housed within said 1U chassis;
a plurality of input/output cards, each said input/output card being seated to one of said connectors to maintain said orientation; and
an adapter board fixed at said front wall of said 1U chassis, said adapter board having a plurality of input/output ports, each said input/output port being coupled to an associated said input/output card to enable signal exchanges between said circuit board and an external system via said associated input/output card.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein said circuit board is a standard motherboard.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein each said input/output card is an Ethernet card, said Ethernet card being coupled to said associated input/output port by a cable.
4. The system of claim 3 wherein said Ethernet card is without a signal-exchange capability at said back wall of said 1U chassis, said back wall having a plurality of ports that are unrelated to said Ethernet card.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein said input/output card includes an edge connector configured to mate with said connectors of said circuit board.
6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of additional 1U standard components mounted within a rack.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein said circuit board includes circuitry and programming for enabling spam filtering for email messages.
8. A rack mounted system comprising:
a rack having slides arranged to secure computer sub-systems housed within 1U chasses, said rack having a front side through which said computer sub-systems are received; and
a stack of said computer sub-systems secured within said rack so as to remain within a closely spaced arrangement, wherein at least some of said computer sub-systems house:
(a) a motherboard that is oriented perpendicular to said front side of said rack;
(b) a low profile expansion card for providing an interface between said motherboard and an external component, said expansion card being a circuit board seated within a connector of said motherboard to extend perpendicular to said motherboard; and
(c) a signal-conduction extender having a first end connected to said circuit board and having a second end spaced apart from said circuit board and said motherboard for enabling an off-board connection at a wall of said computer sub-system in which said signal-conduction extender is housed.
9. The rack mounted system of claim 8 wherein said signal-conduction extender is connected to an adapter board at a front wall of said computer sub-system in which said signal-conduction extender is housed, said front wall being exposed at said front side of said rack.
10. The rack mounted system of claim 8 wherein at least one said computer sub-system includes a plurality of low profile expansion cards in a side-by-side relationship, each said low profile expansion card being connected to a separate said signal-conduction extender.
11. The rack mounted system of claim 10 wherein said separate signal-conduction extenders connect to ports at said wall of said computer sub-system in which said separate signal-conduction extenders are housed.
12. The rack mounted system of claim 8 wherein said low profile expansion card is an Ethernet card that is specific to providing an Ethernet interface.
13. The rack mounted system of claim 12 wherein said Ethernet card is configured to be received within a slot connector of said motherboard and wherein said signal-conduction extender is attached to a port that is exposed at said front side of said rack.
14. The rack mounted system of claim 8 wherein said circuit board of each said low profile expansion board includes programming and circuitry for enabling spam filtering for email messages.