Francis A Felcman

6362955, Mar 26, 2002

Mar 11, 1998

09/038643

Francis A. Felcman - Rosenberg TX
Donald J. Hall - Houston TX

Compaq Computer Corporation - Houston TX

G06F 116

361683, 361685, 3122231

A computer may be easily user re-configured between desktop and tower housing orientations, with the computers front side drive units being horizontally disposed in each orientation, using specially designed drive unit support and a reconfigurable front bezel. A square opening is formed in the front exterior wall of the housing, and the support apparatus includes spaced apart channel structures extending inwardly into the housing from the four sides of the wall opening, with opposing pairs of the channel structures being adapted to slidably receive corresponding projections on opposite side edge portions of the drive units. In this manner, each front side drive unit can be supported at the opening in a first orientation in which the drive unit will be horizontally oriented with the computer in a desktop orientation, or a second orientation in which the drive unit will be horizontally oriented with the computer in a tower orientation. When the bezel is secured to the outer side of the front housing wall an opening in the bezel body outwardly overlies the housing wall opening. A frame portion of the bezel is provided with a snap-in blank off plate to cover a portion of the housing wall opening unoccupied by drive units, and the frame portion may be removably installed on the bezel body in mutually perpendicular orientations to accommodate the selected desktop or tower configuration of the computer housing.

6618247, Sep 9, 2003

Jan 22, 2002

10/053848

Francis A. Felcman - Rosenberg TX
Donald J. Hall - Houston TX

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, LP. - Houston TX

G06F 116

361685, 361683, 361686, 3122231

A computer may be easily user re-configured between desktop and tower housing orientations, with the computers front side drive units being horizontally disposed in each orientation, using specially designed drive unit support and a reconfigurable front bezel. A square opening is formed in the front exterior wall of the housing, and the support apparatus includes spaced apart channel structures extending inwardly into the housing from the four sides of the wall opening, with opposing pairs of the channel structures being adapted to slidably receive corresponding projections on opposite side edge portions of the drive units. In this manner, each front side drive unit can be supported at the opening in a first orientation in which the drive unit will be horizontally oriented with the computer in a desktop orientation, or a second orientation in which the drive unit will be horizontally oriented with the computer in a tower orientation. When the bezel is secured to the outer side of the front housing wall an opening in the bezel body outwardly overlies the housing wall opening. A frame portion of the bezel is provided with a snap-in blank off plate to cover a portion of the housing wall opening unoccupied by drive units, and the frame portion may be removably installed on the bezel body in mutually perpendicular orientations to accommodate the selected desktop or tower configuration of the computer housing.

54032083, Apr 4, 1995

May 11, 1990

7/522362

Francis A. Felcman - Rosenberg TX
Guy M. Gladden - Santa Clara CA
Robert J. Johnson - Cupertino CA
Geoffrey G. Moyer - Portola Valley CA
James P. Paschal - Spring TX
Heinz Piorunneck - Trumbull CT
Douglas M. Thom - Woodside CA

Burndy Corporation - Norwalk CT
Compaq Computer Corporation - Houston TX
Hewlett-Packard Company - Palo Alto CA

H05K 100

439633

A card edge connector for printed circuit boards is disclosed which employs a double-decker design. The connector may have the same length and width as conventional connectors used on Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) personal computers but is deeper. Conventional 8- and 16-bit ISA accessory circuit boards may be plugged into a corresponding socket which is also disclosed herein until they reach a stop upon which they rest, working as they would in an ISA personal computer. 32-bit Extended Industry Standard Architecture accessory circuit boards have a second row of connectors and a notch so they slide farther down into the socket, lining up with a second row of contacts. This design uses less physical space for connectors, allowing more room for logic circuitry on the motherboard.

59739185, Oct 26, 1999

Jun 16, 1997

8/876972

Francis A. Felcman - Rosenberg TX
Juan M. Perez - Tomball TX

Compaq Computer Corporation - Houston TX

H05K 700
G06F 116

361683

A system for automatically electrically connecting electronic components, such as an input/output board and a power supply, with a motherboard includes attaching in a tray with electronic components with a frame. In one embodiment, a tray is pivotably attached to a computer housing frame and a connector extends from the under side of the tray. As the tray is pivoted about its axis, the connector is engaged or disengaged from a connector fixedly mounted on the motherboard. The connector on the motherboard has a flexible funneled opening to facilitate insertion of the pivoting connector. In another embodiment, a tray with electronic components can be quickly disconnected from the motherboard by lifting the tray straight up guided by frame tracks. By lifting the tray, a series of leads mounted on the tray are disengaged from the slot connector mounted on the motherboard. Advantageously, a method for disconnecting electronic components from a motherboard in a computer frame is disclosed.

51269104, Jun 30, 1992

May 10, 1990

7/521603

James A. Windsor - Tomball TX
Mustafa A. Hamid - Houston TX
Roy E. Thoma - Houston TX
James P. Paschal - Spring TX
Francis A. Felcman - Rosenberg TX

Compaq Computer Corporation - Houston TX

H02H 320
G11C 504

361 42

A memory expansion board capable of holding up to 16 Mbytes of memory devices, using primarily 1 Mbit chips, in 2 Mbyte module increments, on a single IBM PC/AT compatible size board. The circuit board is so designed that when the memory expansion board is populated by modules and placed in a computer system it does not interfere with any of the other expansion slots within the computer system, all of the expansion slots being normally spaced apart. The memory expansion board also includes a means of protecting the memory expansion board and modules from damage due to misalignment when inserting the board and/or modules. When certain of the modules are inserted rotated 180 degrees the circuit board cannot be properly installed in the system board because of physical interference. Lastly, the memory expansion board includes a means for providing reduced length addressing memory lines to memory devices appearing on opposite sides of a circuit board.

63077477, Oct 23, 2001

Jul 8, 1999

9/349908

Arthur K. Farnsworth - Houston TX
Francis A. Felcman - Rosenberg TX
Donald J. Hall - Houston TX

Compaq Computer Corporation - Houston TX

H05K 720

361704

In a computer processor module/heat sink assembly, a spring clip member is used to resiliently hold a heat-generating die portion of the processor against the heat sink. Spaced retaining pins are secured to the processor module and extend through holes in the heat sink, with outer end portions of the retaining pins being captively retained in slots in the spring clip member, and portions of the clip member adjacent the outer pin ends being resiliently deformed toward the outer side of the heat sink to thereby resiliently press the processor die portion against the underside of the heat sink. The clip member may be quickly installed on and removed from the outer pin ends without the use of tools of any sort. In an alternate embodiment of the processor module/heat sink assembly, the retaining pins are secured to the heat sink and extend through holes in the processor module, with outer ends of the pins being captively and removably secured to the spring clip which is positioned on the outer side of the processor module.

52775917, Jan 11, 1994

May 11, 1990

7/522364

Francis A. Felcman - Rosenberg TX
Guy W. Gladden - Santa Clara CA
Robert L. Johnson - Cupertino CA
Geoffrey G. Moyer - Portola Valley CA
James P. Paschal - Spring TX
Heinz Piorunneck - Trumbull CT
Douglas M. Thom - Woodside CA

Burndy Corporation - Norwalk CT
Compaq Computer Corporation - Houston TX
Hewlett-Packard Company - Palo Alto CA

H05K 320

439 60

A card edge connector for printed circuit boards is disclosed which employs a double-decker design. The connector may have the same length and width as conventional connectors used on Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) personal computers but is deeper. Conventional 8- and 16-bit ISA accessory circuit boards may be plugged into a corresponding socket which is also disclosed herein until they reach a stop upon which they rest, working as they would in an ISA personal computer. 32-bit Extended Industry Standard Architecture accessory circuit boards have a second row of connectors and a notch so they slide farther down into the socket, lining up with a second row of contacts. This design uses less physical space for connectors, allowing more room for logic circuitry on the motherboard.

52187608, Jun 15, 1993

May 1, 1992

7/877464

James H. Colton - Houston TX
Francis A. Felcman - Rosenberg TX

Compaq Computer Corporation - Houston TX

H01R 914

29845

A supportive ground clip for a computer system board mounted in a computer chassis and a method for installing a grounded printed circuit board in a computer shassis using the supportive ground clip. The supportive ground clip includes a base member for providing a grounding connection with the chassis, flexible support members attached to opposite ends of the base member and ascending vertical members attached to the flexible support members for mounting the supportive ground clip to the computer system board. Each of the flexible support members includes a contact point for providing a grounding connection with the bottom side of the computer system board and each of the ascending vertical members includes a contact point for providing a grounding connection with the top side of the computer system board. The first and second flexible support members are shaped such that compressive forces exerted on the supportive ground clip support the computer system board within the chassis. To install the computer system board, at least one electrically conductive grounding clip is mounted in an aperture provided in the board such that the grounding clip is positioned to engage grounding pads electrically connected to the board's components and such that at least part of the grounding clip extends below the board.