IP Library Granted Patent US 9,380,727
Granted Patent B2
US 9,380,727 · App. 14/506,325 · Granted Jun 28, 2016

Modular information technology (IT) rack and air flow system

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,380,727
App. No.
14/506,325
Granted
Jun 28, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method for designing and assembling a modular IT rack includes a manufacturer designing and constructing lightweight, modular corrugated cardboard modules/segments and corresponding banding and corner components that can be used to assemble the modular IT rack. A user/assembler of the modular IT rack assembles modular tray grouping and enclosure (MTGE) casing units using a first set of cardboard modules. The user constructs trays using a second set of cardboard modules. The user affixes cable support components to the sides of sub-groups of the constructed trays. The user encloses sub-groups of trays having the affixed cable support components within the assembled MTGE casing units to create MTGE blocks. The user vertically stacks the MTGE blocks having the tray sub-groups and the affixed cable support components enclosed within. The user aligns and secures the vertically stacked MTGE blocks in a fixed position using banding and corner components.

Claims (67)

1. A modular information technology (IT) rack assembly for physically supporting at least one electronic component of an information handling system (IHS), the rack assembly comprising:

a stacked arrangement of modular tray grouping and enclosure (MTGE) blocks, each MTGE block having:

an exterior perimeter casing providing a volumetric, vertical space with lateral sides defining an interior space extending between a front opening and a rear opening of the casing, the casing created with defined foldable corners/edges that enable the casing to be flat packed for shipping and then reconfigured via the lateral sides to a vertical orientation that provides the volumetric space; and

a plurality of trays comprised of a lightweight material constructed with a contiguous surface material having foldable corners/edges that enable the tray to be (i) flat packed and (ii) extendable into a rectangular shaped volume within which an IT gear can be inserted, wherein the plurality of trays are stacked vertically within the volumetric, vertical space of the exterior perimeter casing;

a plurality of corner components positioned vertically at each of four corners of the stacked arrangement of mini rack modules and which provides vertical rigidity to the rack assembly; and

at least one banding component that extends horizontally around the perimeter of the stacked arrangement of mini rack modules to fixably hold each of the corner components in place and provide lateral support for the rack structure; and

wherein the at least one banding component and the plurality of corner components are positioned to respectively provide structural stability in a horizontal plane and vertical rigidity in a vertical plane.

2. The rack assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:

at least one cable management support component integrated into an external flange of the exterior perimeter casing.

3. The rack assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:

at least one air flow management ducting component attached to a rear of the modular IT rack assembly and which supports hot aisle and cold aisle separation.

4. The rack assembly of claim 3 , wherein:

the at least one air flow management ducting components includes a baffle having a plurality of air flow directing (AFD) sections that have flanges which direct exhaust air flow from heat dissipating IT gear located within the volumetric vertical space of the modular IT rack assembly; and

the baffle is attached to a rear section of the chassis of the modular IT rack system, wherein the AFD sections fold inward to be adhered to the rear section and to separate the cold air section from the hot exhaust air section.

5. The rack assembly of claim 1 , wherein:

the MTGE blocks, the trays and the perimeter casing are assembled using flat-packed cardboard modules that are constructed using a composite material, wherein the modules include at least one of (a) adhesive sections and (b) corrugated sections.

6. The rack assembly of claim 1 , wherein the corner components are substantially vertically running brackets positioned against an outer surface of the MTGE unit to provide alignment for the stacked MTGE blocks and further comprise:

first corner components which have flanges that are inserted into grooves provided within the cable support components; and

second corner components that are substantially 90 degree brackets that are physically abutted to an outer corner surface of side panels of the MTGE unit and to back panels of the rack assembly.

7. The rack assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:

horizontal panels which include:

intermediate horizontal panels placed between adjacent MTGE blocks;

top and bottom horizontal panels that provide a protective exterior surface enclosure for the MTGE blocks; and

wherein the intermediate horizontal panels and the bottom horizontal panel are weight-bearing panels that provide additional support for the weight of the internal components.

8. The rack assembly of claim 1 , wherein:

the banding component are extended around a horizontal panel and placed between vertically adjacent cable support extensions.

9. An information handling system (IHS) comprising:

at least one electronic component; and

a stacked arrangement of modular tray grouping and enclosure (MTGE) blocks, each MTGE block having:

an exterior perimeter casing providing a volumetric, vertical space with lateral sides defining an interior space extending between a front opening and a rear opening of the casing, the casing created with defined foldable corners/edges that enable the casing to be flat packed for shipping and then reconfigured via the lateral sides to a vertical orientation that provides the volumetric space; and

a plurality of trays comprised of a lightweight material constructed with a contiguous surface material having foldable corners/edges that enable the tray to be (i) flat packed and (ii) extendable into a rectangular shaped volume within which an IT gear can be inserted, wherein the plurality of trays are stacked vertically within the volumetric, vertical space of the exterior perimeter casing;

a plurality of corner components positioned vertically at each of four corners of the stacked arrangement of mini rack modules and which provides vertical rigidity to the rack assembly;

at least one banding component that extends horizontally around the perimeter of the stacked arrangement of mini rack modules to fixably hold each of the corner components in place and provide lateral support for the rack structure; and

wherein the at least one banding component and the plurality of corner components are positioned to respectively provide structural stability in a horizontal plane and vertical rigidity in a vertical plane.

10. The IHS of claim 9 , wherein the rack assembly further comprises:

at least one cable management support component integrated into an external flange of the exterior perimeter casing.

11. The IHS of claim 9 , wherein the rack assembly further comprises:

at least one air flow management ducting component attached to a rear of the modular IT rack assembly and which supports hot aisle and cold aisle separation.

12. The IHS of claim 11 , wherein:

the at least one air flow management ducting components includes a baffle having a plurality of air flow directing (AFD) sections that have flanges which direct exhaust air flow from heat dissipating IT gear located within the volumetric vertical space of the modular IT rack assembly; and

the baffle is attached to a rear section of the chassis of the modular IT rack system, where the AFD sections fold inward to be adhered to the rear section and to separate the cold air section from the hot exhaust air section.

13. The IHS of claim 9 , wherein:

the MTGE blocks, the trays and the perimeter casing are assembled using flat-packed cardboard modules that are constructed using a composite material, wherein the modules include at least one of (a) adhesive sections and (b) corrugated sections.

14. The IHS of claim 9 , wherein the corner components are substantially vertically running brackets positioned against an outer surface of the MTGE unit to provide alignment for the stacked MTGE blocks and further comprise:

first corner components which have flanges that are inserted into grooves provided within the cable support components; and

second corner components are substantially 90 degree brackets that are physically abutted to an outer corner surface of side panels of the MTGE unit and to back panels of the rack assembly.

15. The IHS of claim 9 , further comprising:

horizontal panels which include:

intermediate horizontal panels placed between adjacent MTGE blocks;

top and bottom horizontal panels that provide a protective exterior surface enclosure for the MTGE blocks; and

wherein the intermediate horizontal panels and the bottom horizontal panel are weight-bearing panels that provide additional support for the weight of the internal components.

16. The IHS of claim 9 , wherein:

the banding component are extended around at least two cable support components and a horizontal panel.

17. A method for constructing a modular IT rack assembly that supports air flow management for an information handling system (IHS), the method comprising:

assembling trays using corrugated cardboard modules;

affixing cable support components to sub-groups of trays;

assembling at least one rectangular shaped modular tray grouping and enclosure (MTGE) unit;

inserting within the at least one respective rectangular shaped MTGE unit respective trays and affixed cable support components to provide MTGE blocks;

vertically stacking the MTGE blocks; and

securely aligning the at least one vertically stacked MTGE blocks in a fixed position using banding and corner components.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

placing corner components vertically against corner edges of the stacked arrangement of MTGE blocks in order to provide vertical alignment for MTGE blocks; and

affixing banding components in a horizontal direction around a horizontal support panel and the corner components, wherein the banding components and corner components collectively provide stability in a horizontal plane.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

integrating cable management support components into an external flange of the exterior perimeter casing.

20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

attaching at least one air flow management ducting component to a rear of the modular IT rack assembly to provide hot aisle and cold aisle separation, wherein the at least one air flow management ducting components includes a baffle having a plurality of air flow directing (AFD) sections that have flanges which direct exhaust air flow from heat dissipating IT gear located within the volumetric vertical space of the modular IT rack assembly.

Assignments (15)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (045455/0001) Recorded May 20, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.); DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL USA L.P.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC CORPORATION (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO MAGINATICS LLC); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO MOZY, INC.); SCALEIO LLC
Reel/Frame 061753/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (040136/0001) Recorded Apr 26, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.); DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL USA L.P.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC CORPORATION (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO MAGINATICS LLC); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO MOZY, INC.); SCALEIO LLC
Reel/Frame 061324/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 3, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.; AVENTAIL LLC; CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL USA L.P.; DELL INTERNATIONAL, L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; DELL SYSTEMS CORPORATION; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; MAGINATICS LLC; MOZY, INC.; SCALEIO LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 058216/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053546/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 21, 2019
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049452/0223 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 21, 2016
From: ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.; AVENTAIL LLC; CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL USA L.P.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; DELL SYSTEMS CORPORATION; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; MAGINATICS LLC; MOZY, INC.; SCALEIO LLC; SPANNING CLOUD APPS LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 040136/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 21, 2016
From: ASAP SOFTWARE EXPRESS, INC.; AVENTAIL LLC; CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL USA L.P.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; DELL SYSTEMS CORPORATION; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; MAGINATICS LLC; MOZY, INC.; SCALEIO LLC; SPANNING CLOUD APPS LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 040134/0001 →
RELEASE OF REEL 034590 FRAME 0731 (NOTE) Recorded Sep 14, 2016
From: BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 040027/0070 →
RELEASE OF REEL 034591 FRAME 0391 (TL) Recorded Sep 14, 2016
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 040027/0719 →
RELEASE OF REEL 034590 FRAME 0696 (ABL) Recorded Sep 13, 2016
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 040016/0964 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 16, 2015
From: BAILEY, EDMOND I.; EMBLETON, STEVEN
To: DELL PRODUCTS, L.P.
Reel/Frame 035424/0051 →
SUPPLEMENT TO PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (ABL) Recorded Dec 10, 2014
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 034590/0696 →
SUPPLEMENT TO PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Dec 10, 2014
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 034590/0731 →
SUPPLEMENT TO PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (TERM LOAN) Recorded Dec 10, 2014
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL SOFTWARE INC.; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 034591/0391 →