IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,477,681
Granted Patent B2
US 12,477,681 · App. 17/821,279 · Granted Nov 18, 2025

Damper for an electronic equipment rack

Inventors: Chad Albertson (Rochester, MN); Eric J. Campbell (Rochester, MN); Nicholas Ollerich (Rochester, MN); Kevin O'Connell (Rochester, MN)
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
H05K7/18H05K7/1492
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,477,681
App. No.
17/821,279
Granted
Nov 18, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided is a damper system for an electronic equipment rack. The damper system may include an electronic equipment rack, a battery back-up unit, and a plurality of rails disposed within the electronic equipment rack. The battery back-up unit is slidably secured to the plurality of rails and tuned to dampen seismic oscillations of the electronic equipment rack during an earthquake. The battery back-up unit is also able to provide power to the electronic equipment disposed in the rack during a power outage.

Claims (27)

1 . A damper system for an electronic equipment rack comprising:

an electronic equipment rack;

a battery back-up unit; and

a plurality of rails disposed in a removably secured drawer within the electronic equipment rack, wherein the battery back-up unit is slidably secured to the plurality of rails and tuned to dampen seismic oscillations of the electronic equipment rack,

wherein a first rail of the electronic equipment rack includes a safety disconnect configured to deactivate the power supply to the drawer when the drawer is removed from the electronic equipment rack.

2 . The damper system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of rails comprises a set of multi-axis rails that allow the battery back-up unit to slide in an x-y plane.

3 . The damper system of claim 1 , wherein the battery back-up unit supplies power to one or more electronic devices disposed in the electronic equipment rack in response to a loss of power.

4 . The damper system of claim 3 , wherein the battery back-up unit supplies power to the one or more electronic devices directly via the plurality of rails disposed in the removably secured drawer within the electronic equipment rack.

5 . The damper system of claim 1 , wherein power is supplied to the battery back-up unit through a connection between a first rail of the electronic equipment rack and a wheel of the drawer to recharge the battery back-up unit.

6 . A damper system for a server rack comprising:

an electronic equipment rack;

a battery back-up unit; and

a plurality of rails disposed in a removably secured drawer within the electronic equipment rack, wherein the battery back-up unit is slidably secured to the plurality of rails and tuned to dampen seismic oscillations of the electronic equipment rack,

wherein power is supplied to the battery back-up unit through a connection between a first rail of the electronic equipment rack and a wheel of the drawer to recharge the battery back-up unit.

7 . The damper system of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of rails comprises a set of multi-axis rails that allow the battery back-up unit to slide in an x-y plane.

8 . The damper system of claim 6 , wherein the battery back-up unit supplies power to one or more electronic devices disposed in the electronic equipment rack in response to a loss of power.

9 . The damper system of claim 8 , wherein the battery back-up unit supplies power to the one or more electronic devices directly via the plurality of rails disposed in the removably secured drawer within the electronic equipment rack.

10 . The damper system of claim 6 , wherein a first rail of the electronic equipment rack includes a safety disconnect configured to deactivate the power supply to the drawer when the drawer is removed from the electronic equipment rack.

11 . A damper system for an electronic equipment rack comprising:

an electronic equipment rack;

a battery back-up unit; and

a plurality of rails disposed in a removably secured drawer within the electronic equipment rack, wherein the plurality of rails comprises a set of multi-axis rails that allow the battery back-up unit to slide in an x-y plane within the drawer,

wherein the battery back-up unit is slidably secured to a first pair of rails of the set of multi-axis rails and tuned to dampen seismic oscillations of the electronic equipment rack.

12 . The damper system of claim 11 , wherein the battery back-up unit supplies power to one or more electronic devices disposed in the electronic equipment rack in response to a loss of power.

13 . The damper system of claim 11 , wherein the battery back-up unit supplies power to the one or more electronic devices directly via the plurality of rails.

14 . The damper system of claim 13 , wherein power is supplied to the battery back-up unit through a connection between a first rail of the electronic equipment rack and a wheel of the drawer to recharge the battery back-up unit.

15 . The damper system of claim 11 , wherein a first rail of the electronic equipment rack includes a safety disconnect configured to deactivate the power supply to the drawer when the drawer is removed from the electronic equipment rack.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 22, 2022
From: ALBERTSON, CHAD; CAMPBELL, ERIC J.; OLLERICH, NICHOLAS; O'CONNELL, KEVIN
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 060858/0030 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240064926A1 · Feb 22, 2024
References Cited (23)
US 7249442B2 · Pellegrino · 2007 [cited by examiner]
US 7464109B2 · Modi · 2008 [cited by examiner]
US 7556271B2 · Robbins et al. · 2009 [cited by applicant]
US 7611157B2 · Robbins et al. · 2009 [cited by applicant]
US 7628409B2 · Robbins et al. · 2009 [cited by applicant]
US 8335080B2 · Huang · 2012 [cited by examiner]
US 8967392B1 · Czamara · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 9485885B2 · Czamara et al. · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 9986658B2 · Sarti · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 10624230B2 · Chen et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 10774558B2 · Martin Hernandez · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 11313434B2 · Schubert · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 11549564B2 · Geiss · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 11737233B2 · Gao · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20020162808A1 · Jordan · 2002 [cited by applicant]
US 20070119794A1 · Hidaka · 2007 [cited by examiner]
CN 204009711U · 2014 [cited by applicant]
CN 211047636U · 2020 [cited by applicant]
JP 2019096296A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
KR 102050497B1 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
WO 2013021738A1 · 2013 [cited by applicant]
Tesolution, “Principle of Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) Technology—Pendulum type,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzMuF-LMGaM, Aug. 30, 2016, printed May 31, 2022, 3 pgs. [cited by applicant]
International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Nov. 10, 2023 from International Application No. PCT/EP2023/070813 filed Jul. 27, 2023. [cited by applicant]