“Anti-Earthquake Server Rack” in Patent Application Approval Process (USPTO 20190159358)

2019 JUN 10 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Information Technology Business Daily -- A patent application by the inventors CHEN, Chao-Jung (Taoyuan City, Taiwan); CHEN, Chih-Ming (Taoyuan City, Taiwan); LIAO, Wen-Lung (Taoyuan City, Taiwan); CHEN, Ta-Chih (Taoyuan City, Taiwan), filed on April 3, 2018, was made available online on May 23, 2019, according to news reporting originating from Washington, D.C., by NewsRx correspondents.

This patent application is assigned to Quanta Computer Inc. (Taoyuan City, Taiwan).

The following quote was obtained by the news editors from the background information supplied by the inventors: “An earthquake is what happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another. Sometimes an earthquake has foreshocks, which are smaller earthquakes that happen in the same place as the larger earthquake that follows. The largest, or main earthquake is called the mainshock. Mainshocks always have aftershocks that follow. All of these seismic events are hereinafter referred to as earthquakes, whether technically classified as foreshocks, mainshocks or after-shocks.

“Data centers are increasing rapidly throughout the world to support the increasing use of servers in many different forms of electronic commerce, from the buying and selling of securities, insurance, selling and delivery of manufactured goods, produce and other foodstuffs, telecommunications and other forms of electronic commerce. In order to facilitate this explosion in the number of servers supporting this electronic commerce, data centers are being built in geographic areas known to have been the setting for earthquakes. Inside these data centers, the numerous servers are contained in cabinets or ‘racks’ that hold multiple servers in proximity one above the other. These servers usually rest upon the floor of the data centers, where the floor comprises a base floor usually made of cast concrete, or an upper floor of the data center formed of precast concrete, wood, or composites of metal and concrete. When subjected to an earthquake, all the floors of a data center can be vibrated, lifted, undulated or otherwise subject to a shift in position, notwithstanding that the floors are formed of a relatively rigid and non-compressible material, such as concrete.

“The server cabinets or racks are likewise subjected to vibration, movement and a shift in position when occupying a position on the data center floors. The servers contained within these cabinets or racks are likewise subject to vibration, shifting and displacement from the racks due to a combination of inertia and the shocks of the earthquake.

“Heretofore, there was no manner of protecting the server cabinet or racks from the effects of an earthquake or reducing damage to servers contained with the rack. Existing rack designs do not reduce the effect of an earthquake on the servers.

“It is from this environment, that the present inventors conceived of this disclosure and protected server cabinets or racks, and the servers contained therein, from the effects of earthquakes.”

In addition to the background information obtained for this patent application, NewsRx journalists also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent application: “In one embodiment of this disclosure is provided a server cabinet or rack comprising at least an upper rack frame to house a plurality of servers therein and a lower rack frame. The lower rack frame comprises linear modules, as well as spring and damper modules, which permit the upper rack frame to have relative displacement in relation to the lower rack frame.

“In another embodiment is provided a method of protecting a plurality of servers from the effects of an earthquake by providing a server cabinet comprising at least an upper rack frame in which to house a plurality of servers in a stacked relationship with one another. The upper rack frame is permitted to have relative displacement with regard to a lower rack frame which is constructed so as to have linear displaceable portions as well as spring and damper portions, such that the upper rack frame can move with regard to the lower rack frame.

“In a further embodiment, the upper rack frame, and the servers contained therein can experience a relative displacement with relation to a lower rack frame. The lower rack frame absorbs seismic energy through the provision of linear guides, springs and a damper section that protects the servers contained in the upper rack frame.

“These and other embodiments will now be described in relation to the appended drawings and a detailed description of the preferred embodiments.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. An earthquake protective server rack for housing servers, said server rack comprising: an upper server rack frame; the upper server rack frame comprising a housing for at least one server; a lower server rack frame, the lower server rack frame comprising at least two linear modules that permit movement along two perpendicular axes; and a dampening layer, said dampening layer being situate between said at least two linear modules.

“2. The earthquake protective server rack of claim 1, wherein said lower rack frame further comprises rollers and feet for contact with a floor.

“3. The earthquake protective server rack of claim 1, further comprising a locking element to relatively lock the upper server frame and the lower server frame to each other.

“4. The earthquake protective server rack of claim 1, wherein the dampening layer comprises an elastomeric material.

“5. The earthquake protective server rack of claim 1, wherein the dampening layer comprises a spring.

“6. The earthquake protective server rack of claim 1, wherein the dampening layer comprises an inflatable bladder.

“7. The earthquake protective server rack of claim 2, wherein the feet are relatively moveable with regard to the upper frame rack whereby upper movement of the feet relatively locks the upper server frame to the lower server frame.

“8. The earthquake protective server rack of claim 2, wherein the feet are relatively moveable with regard to the upper frame rack whereby upper movement of the feet permits the lower rack frame to be supported solely on the rollers.

“9. The earthquake protective server rack of claim 1, wherein the linear modules each comprise a respective guide rail and carriage structure.

“10. The earthquake protective server rack of claim 1, wherein the two perpendicular axes comprise an X- and a Y-axis; wherein one of the at least two linear modules provides for relative movement along an X-axis, and another of the at least two linear modules provides for displacement along the Y-axis.

“11. The earthquake protective server rack of claim 1, wherein the dampening module dissipates the energy of an earthquake along the Z-axis, wherein the Z-axis is perpendicular to each of the X- and Y-axes.

“12. A method of protecting a server rack from the vibrations and movement caused by an earthquake comprising: mounting the server rack on a lower sever rack frame, the lower server rack frame comprising at least two linear modules that permit movement along two perpendicular axes; wherein the server rack comprises: an upper server rack frame; the upper server rack frame comprising a housing for at least one server; and a dampening layer, said dampening layer being situate between said at least two linear modules.

“13. The method of claim 12, wherein the lower server rack frame can dissipate the energy of an earthquake by movement in both the X- and Y-axes, while at the same time dampening the movement in the Z-axis, and wherein the dampening of movement in the Z-axis is effected by one member from the group consisting of an elastomeric material, a spring, or an air cushion.

“14. The method of claim 12, further comprising relatively locking the server rack to the lower server rack frame.

“15. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing rollers on the lower server rack frame and moving the server rack and the lower server rack frame together as a unit.”

URL and more information on this patent application, see: CHEN, Chao-Jung; CHEN, Chih-Ming; LIAO, Wen-Lung; CHEN, Ta-Chih. Anti-Earthquake Server Rack. Filed April 3, 2018 and posted May 23, 2019. Patent URL: http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220190159358%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20190159358&RS=DN/20190159358

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)