US 5,262,923 · Granted 1993-11-16
The Disc Drive Rail That Kept 1990s Computers Grounded
This is a metal bracket that slides a hard drive into a computer tower while also zapping away static electricity. It's like a tiny safety rail with spring-loaded tabs that flexes as you insert and remove the drive, preventing the whole thing from getting fried by invisible electrical shocks.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a rectangular mounting rail designed to attach to the side of a disc drive with several key features: a connector member on one end that bends and moves flexibly, grounding tabs that stick up from the body with bent-down tips to guide smooth installation, a protruding latch to lock the drive in place, a stopping flap, and a secondary stop on the opposite end. What's protected here is the specific configuration of these springs and tabs working together to both physically mount the drive and electrically ground it at the same time.
Why it matters
In the early 1990s, static electricity was a genuine hazard inside computer towers—a single zap could permanently destroy a hard drive, costing hundreds of dollars. This patent solved a real problem by designing a rail that safely guides a drive into its bay while simultaneously grounding it through conductive tabs. It represented the kind of thoughtful engineering detail that separated reliable computers from ones that died mysteriously in the field.
Real-world use
Every time someone opened a desktop computer in the 1990s and slid a new hard drive into its slot, this grounding rail protected both the drive and the installer from static damage.
Original USPTO abstract
A device adapted for attachment to the side of a disc drive for mounting the disc drive into a computer consists of a rectangular body having a connector member on one end. The connector member is bent to enable it to resiliently move relative to the body. Grounding tabs disposed on the body are bent up from the body to enable them to resiliently move relative thereto, and their tips are bent down to facilitate smooth installation and removal of the disc drive. A protruding latch member and stopping flap are disposed on the connector end. A secondary stop is disposed on the end of the body opposite the connector member.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,262,923
- Filing date
- 1991-06-21
- Grant date
- 1993-11-16
- Assignee
- Tandon Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- BATTA; KRISHAN K., BEJER; GENE, SHAKIBAI; GHODRATOLLAH
- CPC class
- H05K7/1421
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