Apparatus and method for housing electronic equipment and increasing floor space utilization in a secure environment

Abstract

A secure electronic equipment rack allows electronic equipment to be hung vertically to save space for deep components. This is done by providing a vertical rack apparatus with horizontal side panels on which components are mounted vertically. The side panels of the rack are shorter than the depth of the components to be mounted on, to, or within the panels, thus allowing space to be saved. The rack can be expanded based on user's equipment growth. The apparatus can be mounted on a wall or on a standard EIA relay rack. The apparatus has cable management for equipment that fits into wire channels and allows having a patch panel mounted without taking up a “U” space in the apparatus itself. The apparatus can include a built-in level for ease of mounting, and an integrated earth grounding stud. A secure version can include tamper resistance by adding baffling of ventilation areas, for example in both top and bottom vent patterns, and can be designed to be assembled in an overlapping fashion which allows no exposed hardware with the last piece to be assembled being the first to be removed in sequence.

1 . A rack for electronic equipment, comprising:
 a back panel mount, including a back plate and a pair of walls extending from the back plate;   a vertical mounting surface located on edges of the pair of walls, spaced apart from the back plate; and   two brackets extending from the pair of walls at a location below the vertical mounting surface, each bracket including a horizontal mounting surface, wherein the horizontal mounting surface extends normal to the vertical mounting surface of the back panel.   
     
     
         2 . The rack for electronic equipment of  claim 1 , wherein the vertical mounting surface includes a non-zero amount of mounting space that is 2U or less. 
     
     
         3 . The rack for electronic equipment of  claim 1 , wherein the horizontal mounting surface includes a non-zero amount of mounting space that is 10U or less. 
     
     
         4 . The rack for electronic equipment of  claim 1 , wherein the two brackets are integrally formed with the pair of walls. 
     
     
         5 . The rack for electronic equipment of  claim 1 , wherein the two brackets are removable from the pair of walls. 
     
     
         6 . A rack for electronic equipment, comprising:
 a back panel mount, including a back plate and a pair of walls extending from the back plate;   a vertical mounting surface located on edges of the pair of walls, spaced apart from the back plate;   a number of cooling holes located in the pair of walls;   two brackets extending from the pair of walls at a location below the vertical mounting surface, each bracket including a horizontal mounting surface, wherein the horizontal mounting surface extends normal to the vertical mounting surface of the back panel; and   a cooling fan located below the brackets.   
     
     
         7 . The rack for electronic equipment of  claim 6 , wherein the cooling fan is mounted substantially horizontally. 
     
     
         8 . The rack for electronic equipment of  claim 7 , wherein the cooling fan is positioned to be mounted below electronic equipment when in use. 
     
     
         9 . The rack for electronic equipment of  claim 6 , wherein the number of cooling holes are located in an upper portion of the pair of walls. 
     
     
         10 . The rack for electronic equipment of  claim 6 , further including a lateral mounting surface on a side of at least one of the pair of walls. 
     
     
         11 . A rack for electronic equipment, comprising:
 a back panel mount, including a back plate and a pair of walls extending from the back plate;   a vertical mounting surface located on edges of the pair of walls, spaced apart from the back plate;   two brackets extending from the pair of walls at a location below the vertical mounting surface, each bracket including a horizontal mounting surface, wherein the horizontal mounting surface extends normal to the vertical mounting surface of the back panel; and   a locking cover configured to secure both the vertical mounting surface and the horizontal mounting surface.   
     
     
         12 . The rack for electronic equipment of  claim 11 , further including a front panel covering a front of the two brackets, and a bottom panel to substantially enclose electronic equipment when in use. 
     
     
         13 . The rack for electronic equipment of  claim 12 , further including a cooling fan located in the bottom panel. 
     
     
         14 . The rack for electronic equipment of  claim 11 , wherein the vertical mounting surface includes a non-zero amount of mounting space that is 2U or less. 
     
     
         15 . The rack for electronic equipment of  claim 11 , wherein the horizontal mounting surface includes a non-zero amount of mounting space that is 10U or less.