IP Library Granted Patent US 10,649,505
Granted Patent B2
US 10,649,505 · App. 15/950,817 · Granted May 12, 2020

Adaptable graphics board with a reconfigurable I/O module board for use in information handling systems

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,649,505
App. No.
15/950,817
Granted
May 12, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system and method of implementing an adaptable graphics board comprising the adaptable graphics board including a graphics processor, graphics memory, and a reconfigurable I/O module interface are having a plurality of electrical contacts, a dual compression connector having a first array of compressible electrical spring contacts on a first side and a second array of compressible electrical spring contacts on a second side operatively coupled to the first side via a dual compression connector printed circuit board layer, the first side of the dual compression connector operatively coupled to the reconfigurable I/O module interface of the adaptable graphics board, and a reconfigurable I/O module board having external display data ports disposed along an edge, wherein the reconfigurable I/O module board is operatively coupled to the adaptable graphics board via the second side of the dual compression connector. The dual compression connector is oriented between the adaptable graphics board and the reconfigurable I/O module board in a first orientation selected from a plurality of available orientations to provide I/O connectivity between the graphics processor and the external display data ports aligned along a first edge of the adaptable graphics board.

Claims (50)

1. An adaptable graphics board comprising:

the adaptable graphics board including a graphics processor, graphics memory, and a reconfigurable I/O module interface are having a plurality of electrical contacts;

a dual compression connector having a first array of compressible electrical spring contacts on a first side and a second array of compressible electrical spring contacts on a second side operatively coupled to the first side via a dual compression connector printed circuit board layer;

the first side of the dual compression connector operatively coupled to the reconfigurable I/O module interface of the adaptable graphics board;

a reconfigurable I/O module board having external display data ports disposed along an edge, wherein the reconfigurable I/O module board is operatively coupled to the adaptable graphics board via the second side of the dual compression connector;

the dual compression connector oriented between the adaptable graphics board and the reconfigurable I/O module board in a first orientation selected from a plurality of available orientations to provide I/O connectivity between the graphics processor and the external display data ports aligned along a first edge of the adaptable graphics board; and

a flexible compression jumper connector having a first compression jumper pad, a second compression jumper pad, and a flexible jumper trace array cable between the first compression jumper pad and the second compression jumper pad for operatively coupling the adaptable graphics board to a motherboard via compression electrical contacts of the flexible compression jumper connector to provide lanes of data communication for the graphics processor.

2. The adaptable graphics board of claim 1 wherein the reconfigurable I/O module board external display data ports interface with a chassis side for mounting external display data ports along a first edge of the adaptable graphics board according to a first model specification of an information handling system.

3. The adaptable graphics board of claim 1 wherein the dual compression connector printed circuit board layer may operatively couple a first subset of compressible electrical spring contacts on the first side to a second subset of compressible electrical springs on the second side to operatively couple to external display data ports of the reconfigurable I/O module board to the adaptable graphics board in the first orientation.

4. The adaptable graphics board of claim 1 , further comprising:

the dual compression connector oriented between the adaptable graphics board and the reconfigurable I/O module board in a second orientation selected from the plurality of available orientations to provide I/O connectivity between the graphics processor and the external display data ports aligned along a second edge of the adaptable graphics board.

5. The adaptable graphics board of claim 4 wherein the second orientation of the dual compression connector is rotated relative to the first orientation to engage a new subset of compressible electrical spring contacts with the reconfigurable I/O module interface and the reconfigurable I/O module board is rotated to align at least one external display data port along the second edge of the adaptable graphics board and operatively couple the at least one external display data port to the new subset of compressible electrical spring contacts.

6. The adaptable graphics board of claim 4 wherein the reconfigurable I/O module board external display data ports interface with a chassis side for mounting external display data ports according to a second model specification of an information handling system.

7. The adaptable graphics board of claim 1 wherein the adaptable graphics board further comprises a graphics processor pin break out, data routing between the graphics processor and graphics memory, and power planes supplying the graphics processor and graphics memory that may be used with the plurality of orientations of the dual compression connector and reconfigurable I/O module board.

8. The adaptable graphics board of claim 1 , further comprising:

a compression screw disposed through the reconfigurable I/O module board and dual compression connector to a compression screw receiver mounted on, in, or behind the adaptable graphics board to compress the first array of compressible electrical spring contacts on the first side and a second array of compressible electrical spring contacts on second side of the dual compression connector to operatively couple the reconfigurable I/O module board to the adaptable graphics board.

9. An information handling system comprising:

a chassis supporting a motherboard having a processor and an adaptable graphics board including a graphics processor, graphics memory, and a reconfigurable I/O module interface, wherein the motherboard and the adaptable graphics board are adjacently aligned;

a dual compression connector having a first array of compressible electrical spring contacts on a first side and a second array of compressible electrical spring contacts on a second side;

the first side of the dual compression connector operatively coupled to the reconfigurable I/O module interface of the adaptable graphics board;

a reconfigurable I/O module board having external display data ports, the reconfigurable I/O module board operatively coupled to the adaptable graphics board via the second side of the dual compression connector, wherein the external display data ports of the reconfigurable I/O module board are configured to interface with an information handling system chassis of a first model specification in a first orientation selected from a plurality of orientations of the reconfigurable I/O module board; and

a flexible compression jumper connector having a first compression jumper pad, a second compression jumper pad, and a flexible jumper trace array cable between the first compression jumper pad and the second compression jumper pad to operatively couple the adaptable graphics board and the adjacent motherboard via compression electrical contacts of the flexible compression jumper connector to provide lanes of data communication between the processor and the graphics processor.

10. The system of claim 9 , further comprising:

a first clamping mechanism to compress the reconfigurable I/O module board to the adaptable graphics board via the dual compression connector.

11. The system of claim 9 , further comprising:

a second clamping mechanism to compress the first compression jumper pad of the flexible compression jumper to the adaptable graphics board; and

a third clamping mechanism to compress the second compression jumper pad of the flexible compression jumper to the motherboard.

12. The system of claim 9 , further comprising:

the dual compression connector having a printed circuit board layer to operatively couple a first subset of the first array of compressible electrical spring contacts on the first side to a first subset of the second array of compressible electrical springs on the second side to operatively couple to external display data ports of the reconfigurable I/O module board to the adaptable graphics board in the first orientation.

13. The system of claim 12 , further comprising:

the printed circuit board layer of the dual compression connector to operatively couple a second subset of the first array of compressible electrical spring contacts on the first side to a second subset of the second array of compressible electrical springs on the second side in a second orientation selected from the plurality of orientations of the reconfigurable I/O module board; and

the reconfigurable I/O module board in the second orientation to interface the external display data ports with a second information handling system chassis of a second model specification.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein the reconfigurable I/O module board and the dual compression connector are rotatable between the first orientation and a second orientation of the plurality of orientations to provide for alignment of external display data ports along a first edge of the adaptable graphics board in the first orientation or along a second edge of the adaptable graphics board in the second orientation.

15. A method of assembling an adaptable graphics board comprising:

selecting a first model specification selected from a plurality of model specifications for information handling systems in which an adaptable graphics board may be used;

choosing an orientation for a reconfigurable I/O module board to align external display data ports along a first edge of the adaptable graphics board with a chassis of the first model specification;

orienting a dual compression connector having a first array of compressible electrical spring contacts on a first side and a second array of compressible electrical spring contacts on a second side to operatively couple the adaptable graphics board to the reconfigurable I/O module board in a first orientation selected from a plurality of orientations;

aligning a first subset of the first array of compressible electrical spring contacts and a first subset of the second array of compressible spring contacts in the first orientation of the reconfigurable I/O module board and the dual compression connector on the adaptable graphics board; and

clamping the reconfigurable I/O module board to the adaptable graphics board via the dual compression connector to compress the first array of compressible electrical spring contacts to the adaptable graphics board and to compress the second array of electrical spring contacts to the reconfigurable I/O module board.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

selecting a second model specification selected from the plurality of model specifications for information handling systems in which the adaptable graphics board may be used; and

re-orienting the reconfigurable I/O module board to a second orientation selected from a plurality of orientations to align external display data ports along a second edge of the adaptable graphics board with a chassis of the second model specification;

re-orienting the dual compression connector to operatively couple the adaptable graphics board to the aligned external display ports via a second subset of the first array of compressible electrical spring contacts and a second subset of the second array of compressible spring contacts in the second orientation of the reconfigurable I/O module board and the dual compression connector on the adaptable graphics board.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

supporting the adaptable graphics board adjacent to a motherboard on the chassis of the first model specification, wherein the motherboard and the graphics board have aligned edges; and

operatively coupling the motherboard and adaptable graphics board via a flexible compression jumper connector having a first compression jumper pad operatively coupled to the mother board and a second compression jumper pad operatively coupled to the adaptable graphics board to provide lanes of data communication between the central processor and the graphics processor.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

operatively coupling external display data ports along the first edge of the adaptable graphics board with the chassis of the first model specification of an information handling system.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the adaptable graphics board includes a graphics processor, graphics memory, and a reconfigurable I/O module interface having a plurality of electrical contacts with which the reconfigurable I/O module board and dual compression connector may be operatively coupled in the plurality of orientations.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the adaptable graphics board includes a graphics processor pin break out, data routing between the graphics processor and graphics memory, and power planes supplying the graphics processor and graphics memory with which the reconfigurable I/O module board and dual compression connector may be coupled in the plurality of orientations.

Assignments (8)
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 (046366/0014) Recorded May 20, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060450/0306 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 046286 FRAME 0653 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 058298/0093 →
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 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (CREDIT) Recorded Jun 1, 2018
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 046286/0653 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Jun 1, 2018
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 046366/0014 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 11, 2018
From: SCHNELL, ARNOLD THOMAS; GUERRA, IVAN; HABIB, AHSAN
To: DELL PRODUCTS, LP
Reel/Frame 045912/0077 →