Method for CPU/heatsink anti-tip and socket damage prevention

1. An information handling system (IHS) comprising:

a heatsink retention apparatus comprising:

a heatsink base having peripheral, spaced apertures;

a board having at least two peripheral, spaced loading screws mounted thereon, the loading screws received respectively in a corresponding pair of the peripheral, spaced apertures of the heatsink base;

at least two latching mechanisms comprising:

a mounting portion mounted to the board and received respectively in another corresponding pair of the peripheral, spaced apertures of the heatsink base;

a first pair of spring-loaded latch arms pinned for pivoting movement on opposite sides of the heatsink base on each end of a first lateral side of the heatsink base and aligned for rotational movement about a first horizontal axis that is parallel to the first lateral side; and

a latching surface that is mounted to one of (i) the heatsink base to engage the mounting portion extending through the corresponding peripheral, spaced aperture as the heatsink base is lowered to an engagement height relative to the board and (ii) a terminal portion of the mounting portion to engage an upper edge of the corresponding peripheral, spaced aperture of the heatsink base; and

at least two peripheral, spaced loading nuts that engage for loading a corresponding one of the at least two peripheral, spaced loading screws, the at least two peripheral, spaced loading screws each sized to be engageable by the at least two peripheral, spaced loading nuts when the heatsink base is positioned not higher than the engagement height, the engaged at least two latching mechanisms preventing tipping of the heatsink base during loading of the at least two peripheral, spaced loading screws with the at least two spaced apart loading nuts.

2. The IHS of claim 1 , wherein the mounting portion of each of the at least two latching mechanisms comprises a continuous mechanical cantilever beam having a first end mounted on the board and a second end that includes a ramped point distal to the latching surface, the continuous mechanical cantilever beam elastically urge the latching surface into engagement with the upper edge surrounding the corresponding peripheral, spaced aperture.

3. The IHS of claim 2 , further comprising at least two mounting studs mounted on the board and received by an additional pair of corresponding peripheral, spaced apertures on opposite sides of the heatsink base;

wherein the two continuous mechanical cantilever beams are simultaneously disengageable from the upper edge from the heatsink base enabling removal of the heatsink base from the board guided by the at least two mounting studs.

4. The IHS of claim 1 , wherein:

the latching surface comprises a spring-loaded latch arm pivotally attached to the heatsink base and biased into engagement with an engagement feature of a mounting stud mounted on the board.

5. The IHS of claim 1 , wherein the at least two latching mechanisms comprise:

a first actuator lever member attached between the first pair of spring-loaded latch arms and movable to simultaneously engage and disengage each of the first pair of spring-loaded arms from a corresponding engagement feature of a corresponding one of a pair of mounting studs mounted on the board.

6. The IHS of claim 1 , wherein the at least two latching mechanisms further comprise:

a second pair of spring-loaded latch arms pinned for pivoting movement on the opposite sides of the heatsink base on each end of a second lateral side of the heatsink base and aligned for rotational movement about a second horizontal axis that is parallel to the second lateral side and the first horizontal axis; and

a second actuator lever member attached between the second pair of spring-loaded latch arms and movable to simultaneously engage and disengage each of the second pair of spring-loaded arms from a corresponding engagement feature of a corresponding one of a pair of mounting studs mounted on the board.

7. A heatsink retention apparatus comprising:

a heatsink base having peripheral, spaced apertures;

at least two peripheral, spaced loading screws mounted on a board of an information handling system (IHS) and received respectively in a corresponding pair of the peripheral, spaced apertures of the heatsink base;

at least two latching mechanisms comprising:

a mounting portion mounted to the board and received respectively in another corresponding pair of the peripheral, spaced apertures of the heatsink base;

a first pair of spring-loaded latch arms pinned for pivoting movement on opposite sides of the heatsink base on each end of a first lateral side of the heatsink base and aligned for rotational movement about a first horizontal axis that is parallel to the first lateral side; and

a latching surface that is mounted to one of (i) the heatsink base to engage the mounting portion extending through the corresponding peripheral, spaced aperture as the heatsink base is lowered to an engagement height relative to the board and (ii) a terminal portion of the mounting portion to engage an upper edge of the corresponding peripheral, spaced aperture of the heatsink base; and

at least two peripheral, spaced loading nuts that engage for loading a corresponding one of the at least two peripheral, spaced loading screws, the at least two peripheral, spaced loading screws each sized to be engageable by the at least two peripheral, spaced loading nuts when the heatsink base is positioned not higher than the engagement height, the engaged at least two latching mechanisms preventing tipping of the heatsink base during loading of the at least two peripheral, spaced loading screws with the at least two spaced apart loading nuts.

8. The heatsink retention apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the mounting portion of each of the at least two latching mechanisms comprises a continuous mechanical cantilever beam having a first end mounted on the board and a second end that includes a ramped point distal to the latching surface, the continuous mechanical cantilever beam elastically urge the latching surface into engagement with the upper edge surrounding the corresponding peripheral, spaced aperture.

9. The heatsink retention apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising:

at least two mounting studs mounted on the board and received by an additional pair of corresponding peripheral, spaced apertures on opposite sides of the heatsink base; and

wherein the two continuous mechanical cantilever beams are simultaneously disengageable from the upper edge from the heatsink base enabling removal of the heatsink base from the board guided by at the least two mounting studs.

10. The heatsink retention apparatus of claim 7 , wherein:

the mounting portion of each of the at least two latching mechanisms comprises a mounting stud having an engagement feature that is exposed above the corresponding peripheral, spaced aperture with the heatsink base at the engagement height; and

the latching surface comprises a spring-loaded latch arm pivotally attached to the heatsink base and biased into engagement with an engagement feature of the mounting stud mounted on the board.

11. The heatsink retention apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the at least two latching mechanisms comprise:

a first actuator lever member attached between the first pair of spring-loaded latch arms and movable to simultaneously engage and disengage each of the first pair of spring-loaded arms from a corresponding engagement feature of a corresponding one of the mounting studs.

12. The heatsink retention apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the at least two latching mechanisms further comprise:

a second pair of spring-loaded latch arms pinned for pivoting movement on the opposite sides of the heatsink base on each end of a second lateral side of the heatsink base and aligned for rotational movement about a second horizontal axis that is parallel to the second lateral side and the first horizontal axis; and

a second actuator lever member attached between the second pair of spring-loaded latch arms and movable to simultaneously engage and disengage each of the second pair of spring-loaded arms from the corresponding engagement feature of the corresponding one of the mounting studs.

13. A method of automated assembling of an information handling system (IHS) board, the method comprising:

forming peripheral, spaced apertures in a heatsink base;

attaching at least two peripheral, spaced loading screws around a processor on a board of an IHS and positioned to be received respectively in a corresponding pair of the peripheral, spaced apertures on opposite sides of the heatsink base;

attaching a mounting portion of a respective one of at least two latching mechanisms to the board positioned to be received respectively in another corresponding pair of the peripheral, spaced apertures on opposites sides of the heatsink base;

pinning for pivoting movement a first pair of spring-loaded latch arms on opposite sides of the heatsink base, on each end of a first lateral side of the heatsink base, and aligned for rotational movement about a first horizontal axis that is parallel to the first lateral side;

making a latching surface of the respective one of at least two latching mechanisms by a selected one of:

(i) attaching the latching surface to the heatsink base to engage the mounting portion extending through the corresponding peripheral, spaced aperture as the heatsink base is lowered to an engagement height relative to the board; and

(ii) forming the latching surface on a terminal portion of the mounting portion to engage an upper edge of the corresponding peripheral, spaced aperture of the heatsink base;

positioning the heatsink base over the processor to an engagement position wherein the latching surface is engaged; and

engaging at least two peripheral, spaced loading nuts to a corresponding one of the at least two peripheral, spaced loading screws, the at least two peripheral, spaced loading screws each sized to be engageable by the at least two peripheral, spaced loading nuts when the heatsink base is positioned not higher than the engagement height, the engaged at least two latching mechanisms preventing tipping of the heatsink base during loading of the at least two peripheral, spaced loading screws with the at least two spaced apart loading nuts.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the mounting portion of each of the at least two latching mechanisms comprises a continuous mechanical cantilever beam having a first end mounted on the board and a second end that includes a ramped point distal to the latching surface, the continuous mechanical cantilever beam elastically urge the latching surface into engagement with the upper edge surrounding the corresponding peripheral, spaced aperture.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising mounting at least two mounting studs mounted on the board positioned to be received by an additional pair of corresponding peripheral, spaced apertures on opposite sides of the heatsink base.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising deflecting the two continuous mechanical cantilever beams to simultaneously disengage from the upper edge from the heatsink base while raising the heatsink base away from the board guided by the at least two mounting studs for replacing the heatsink base.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein:

mounting the mounting portion comprises forming a mounting stud having an engagement feature that is exposed above the corresponding peripheral, spaced aperture with the heatsink base at the engagement height; and

attaching the latching surface comprises pivotally attaching the spring-loaded latch arm to the heatsink base and biasing the spring-loaded latch arm into engagement with the engagement feature of the mounting stud.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein attaching the at least two latching mechanisms comprises:

attaching a first actuator lever member between the first pair of spring-loaded latch arms and movable to simultaneously engage and disengage each of the first pair of spring-loaded arms from the corresponding engagement feature of the corresponding one of the mounting studs.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein attaching the at least two latching mechanisms further comprises:

pinning for pivoting movement a second pair of spring-loaded latch arms on opposite sides of the heatsink base, on each end of a second lateral side of the heatsink base, and aligned for rotational movement about a second horizontal axis that is parallel to the first lateral side and parallel to the first horizontal axis; and

attaching a second actuator lever member between the first pair of spring-loaded latch arms and movable to simultaneously engage and disengage each of the second pair of spring-loaded arms from the corresponding engagement feature of the corresponding one of the mounting studs.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising replacing a mounted heatsink by:

unlocking a pair of loading nuts to disengage loading screws from the heatsink base; and

deflecting the first actuator lever members toward the heatsink to disengage the spring-loaded latch arms from the engagement feature of the corresponding one of the mounting studs while simultaneously removing the heatsink base to replace a heatsink.