Apparatus and methods for mounting information handling system hardware components

1. An information handling system comprising a chassis with an internal cavity defined therein, the information handling system further comprising a substrate disposed in the internal cavity and having a surface, said substrate surface having a first set of substrate features disposed thereon, which first set of substrate features comprises:

a first tang support extending upwardly from said substrate; and

a first tang attached to said first tang support, said first tang being oriented substantially parallel to said substrate;

where the first set of substrate features further comprise at least one receiver positioned and dimensioned to removably engage with a bracket to retain the bracket in an engaged relationship with the substrate features;

where the information handling system further comprises the bracket removably engaged with the first set of substrate features, the bracket comprising:

a first member having a top surface, bottom surface, first end, second end, and a central portion disposed between said first and second ends, said first member comprising an attachment point,

at least one additional member attached to said first member, the additional member extending laterally with respect to said central portion, and

at least one retainer disposed in or on at least one of said first member or said at least one additional member,

where said at least one additional member resides on a spatial plane that is located beneath said bottom surface of said first member.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 , where the first member comprises an elongate member having a first retainer; and where the apparatus further comprises:

a second retainer disposed in or on said at least one additional member laterally with respect to said central portion; and

a third retainer disposed in or on said at least one additional member laterally with respect to said central portion, and on the opposite side of said central portion from said second retainer;

where said second and third retainers reside substantially on the same spatial plane, which plane is located beneath said bottom surface of said elongate member.

3. The information handling system of claim 2 , wherein said at least one additional member comprises a first side member portion disposed laterally with respect to said central portion, and a second side member portion disposed laterally with respect to said central portion, wherein said second retainer resides on said first side member portion, and wherein said third retainer resides on said second side member portion.

4. The information handling system of claim 2 , wherein each of said first, second, and third retainers are protrusions on the surfaces of said first and additional members; and wherein said attachment point comprises a threaded hole.

5. The information handling system of claim 2 , where the first set of substrate features comprises:

a second tang support extending upwardly from said substrate;

a second tang attached to said second tang support at a position spaced apart from the first tang by a region of the substrate defined to extend between the first and second tangs, said second tang being oriented substantially parallel to said substrate; and

a receiver disposed in or on said substrate at a location within the region defined to extend between said first tang and said second tang;

where to retain the bracket in an engaged relationship with the substrate features said second retainer of the bracket is dimensioned to removably engage with a receiver of said first tang, said third retainer of the bracket is dimensioned to removably engage with a receiver of said second tang, and said first retainer of the bracket is dimensioned to removably engage with said receiver of said substrate.

6. The information handling system of claim 1 ,

where the substrate features further comprise at least one receiver dimensioned to removably engage with the at least one retainer of the bracket to retain the bracket in an engaged relationship with the substrate features.

7. The information handling system of claim 6 , wherein the region at which said receiver of said substrate is disposed is an area that is of higher relief than adjacent areas on said substrate.

8. The information handling system of claim 6 , further comprising a second set of said substrate features present in a different location on said substrate, said second set of substrate features having the same characteristics of said first set of substrate features and having at least one different receiver dimensioned to removably engage with the at least one retainer of the bracket to retain the bracket in an engaged relationship with the substrate features in the same fashion as said first set of substrate features but in a different position relative to the substrate.

9. The information handling system of claim 6 , further comprising a hardware component attached to said bracket at the attachment point.

10. The information handling system of claim 6 , wherein said substrate is a component of a solid-state drive (SSD) enclosure having dimensions corresponding to a hard disk drive (HDD).

11. The information handling system of claim 6 , wherein said substrate comprises a keyboard bracket of a portable information handling system.

12. An information handling system comprising a chassis with an internal cavity defined therein, the information handling system further comprising a substrate disposed in the internal cavity and having a surface, said substrate surface having a set of substrate features disposed thereon, which first set of substrate features comprises:

a first tang support extending upwardly from said substrate; and

a first tang attached to said first tang support, said first tang being oriented substantially parallel to said substrate;

where the substrate features further comprise at least one receiver defined as a recess within the substrate and positioned and dimensioned to removably engage with a first retainer of a bracket to retain the bracket in an engaged relationship with the substrate features.

13. A method, comprising interchanging a hard disk drive (HDD) with a solid state drive (SSD) within an internal cavity of an information handling system according to claim 12 , comprising the steps of:

decoupling the HDD from electrical coupling or connection with circuitry of the information handling system;

dismounting and removing said HDD from a HDD mounting location within the internal cavity of said information handling system;

mounting a SSD holder having substrate features according to claim 12 to the same HDD mounting location within the internal cavity of the information handling system in place of the removed HDD;

attaching the SSD to said bracket at said attachment point; and

electrically coupling or connecting the SSD to the circuitry of the information handling system.

14. The method of claim 13 , where the step of decoupling the HDD from the electrical coupling or connection with the circuitry of the information handling system comprises decoupling the HDD from a mating connector of the information handling system; and where the step of electrically coupling or connecting the SSD to the circuitry of the information handling system comprises electrically coupling or connecting a card edge connector of the SSD to the circuitry of the information handling system by coupling or connecting a signal transfer card between the card edge connector of the SSD and the mating connector of the information handling system with the card edge connector of the SDD being inserted into a socket connector of the signal transfer card.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising mechanically coupling a cover to the SSD holder with the attached SSD disposed therebetween and the SSD holder mounted to the HDD mounting location within the internal cavity of the information handling system, the cover having outer dimensions corresponding to the outer dimensions of a HDD carrier of the removed HDD.

16. The information handling system of claim 12 , where the set of substrate features further comprises at least one receiver defined as a recess within the first tang and positioned and dimensioned to removably engage with a second retainer of the bracket to retain the bracket in the engaged relationship with the substrate features.

17. The information handling system of claim 12 , where the set of substrate features further comprises:

a second tang support extending upwardly from said substrate; and

a second tang attached to said second tang support at a position spaced apart from the first tang by a region of the substrate extending between the first and second tangs, said second tang being oriented substantially parallel to said substrate;

where the at least one receiver defined as a recess within the substrate is defined as a recess within the region of the substrate extending between said first tang and said second tang; and

where the set of substrate features further comprises:

at least one receiver defined as a recess within the first tang and positioned and dimensioned to removably engage with a second retainer of the bracket to retain the bracket in the engaged relationship with the substrate features, and

at least one receiver defined as a recess within the second tang and positioned and dimensioned to removably engage with a third retainer of the bracket to retain the bracket in the engaged relationship with the substrate features.

18. The information handling system of claim 12 , further comprising the bracket removably engaged with the set of substrate features with the first retainer of the bracket removably engaged with the recess defined within the substrate to retain the bracket in the engaged relationship with the substrate features.

19. An information handling system comprising a chassis with an internal cavity defined therein, the information handling system further comprising a substrate disposed in the internal cavity and having a surface, said substrate surface having a first set of substrate features disposed thereon, which first set of substrate features comprises:

a first tang support extending upwardly from said substrate; and

a first tang attached to said first tang support, said first tang being oriented substantially parallel to said substrate;

where the first set of substrate features further comprise at least one receiver positioned and dimensioned to removably engage with a bracket to retain the bracket in an engaged relationship with the substrate features; and

where the information handling system further comprises the bracket removably engaged with the first set of substrate features, the bracket comprising:

a first member having a top surface, bottom surface, first end, second end, and a central portion disposed between said first and second ends, said first member comprising an attachment point, and

at least one additional member attached to said first member, the additional member extending laterally with respect to said central portion, and

at least one retainer disposed in or on at least one of said first member or said at least one additional member,

where said at least one additional member resides on a spatial plane that is located beneath said bottom surface of said first member, and

where said at least one receiver of the first set of substrate features is removably engaged with the at least one retainer of the bracket to retain the bracket in an engaged relationship with the substrate features.

20. The information handing system of claim 19 , where the first set of substrate features comprises:

a second tang support extending upwardly from said substrate;

a second tang attached to said second tang support at a position spaced apart from the first tang by a region of the substrate defined to extend between the first and second tangs, said second tang being oriented substantially parallel to said substrate; and

a receiver of said substrate disposed at a location within the region defined to extend between said first tang and said second tang;

where the first member of the bracket comprises an elongate member having a first retainer, and where the bracket comprises:

a second retainer disposed in or on said at least one additional member laterally with respect to said central portion; and

a third retainer disposed in or on said at least one additional member laterally with respect to said central portion, and in or on the opposite side of said central portion from said second retainer;

where said second and third retainers reside substantially on the same spatial plane, which plane is located beneath said bottom surface of said elongate member;

where said second retainer is removably engaged with said first tang;

where said third retainer is removably engaged with said second tang;

where said first retainer is removably engaged with said substrate; and

where said information handling system further comprises a first solid state drive (SSD) removably attached to said bracket at said attachment point and electrically coupled or connected to circuitry of the information handling system.

21. A method for changing a SSD present in an information handling system of claim 19 , the information handling system further including a second set of said substrate features present in a different location on said substrate from the first set of substrate features, said second set of substrate features having the same characteristics of said first set of substrate features, and said method comprising the steps of:

detaching a first solid state drive (SSD) from said bracket and removing the first SSD from electrical coupling or connection with circuitry of the information handling system;

removing said first SSD from said information handling system;

removing said bracket from said first set of substrate features;

then either one of:

i) rotating said bracket 180 degrees about its Z-axis, and re-engaging said bracket in a new position relative to said first set of substrate features, or

ii) re-engaging said bracket in a new position with said second set of substrate features; and

providing a second and different SSD and having a different length than the first SSD;

attaching said second SSD to said bracket while it is engaged in the new position; and

electrically coupling or connecting the second SSD to the circuitry of the information handling system.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein said second SSD comprises a different amount of memory storage space than said first SSD; and wherein at least one of said first and second SSDs comprises an M.2 2242 SSD, and the other of the SSDs comprises a M.2 2230 SSD or a M.2 2280 SSD.

23. The method of claim 21 , where each of the first and second SSDs comprises a card edge connector; and where the card edge connector of each given one of the first and second SSDs is disposed at a distance from the edge of a same mating socket connector of an adjacent substrate when each given one of the first and second SSDs is attached to the bracket at the attachment point of the bracket so that the card edge connector of each given one of the first and second SSDs is inserted into the same mating socket connector of the adjacent substrate to electrically couple the given first or second SSD to circuitry of the information handling system.