BACKGROUND

[0001] A processor is utilized in a computing system to interpret and execute instructions. More precisely, the processor is a hardware component within the computing system that carries out instructions of a computer program by performing the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The processor is generally positioned within a processor socket on the system's main printed circuit board (PCB), and is coupled to other components on the PCB via conductive traces.

[0002] The processor typically produces heat during operation. In order to keep this heat from disrupting processor operation and/or disrupting operation of other components internal to the computing system, a heatsink is commonly installed above the processor to dissipate heat into the surrounding air. Depending on the type, the heatsink may employ a fan and/or fins to dissipate the heat. Furthermore, in order to assist with drawing heat from the processor, thermal grease is often employed between the processor and heatsink. The thermal grease improves the heatsink efficiency by filing in air gaps located between the heatsink surface and the processor surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] Examples are described in the following detailed description and in reference to the drawings, in which:

[0004] Fig. 1 depicts an example processor socket protector in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0005] Fig. 2 depicts an example processor socket protector with heatsink and exposed thermal grease thereon in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0006] Fig. 3 depicts an example processor socket protector with heatsink and heatsink grease cover thereon in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0007] Fig. 4(a) depicts a perspective view of the top surface of an example processor socket protector in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0008] Fig. 4(b) depicts a perspective view of the bottom surface of an example processor socket protector in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0009] Fig. 5 depicts an example processor socket protector in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure; and

[00010] Fig. 6 depicts a process flow diagram of a method for manufacturing a computing system in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. NOTATION AND NOMENCLATURE

[00011] Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular system components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, computer companies may refer to components by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms "including" and "comprising" are used in an open- ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean "including, but not limited to... ." Also, the term "couple" or "couples" is intended to mean either an indirect or direct connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct electrical or mechanical connection, through an indirect electrical or mechanical connection via other devices and connections, through an optical electrical connection, or through a wireless electrical connection. Furthermore, the term "vertical" is intended to mean approximately perpendicular to the plane of the horizon. And the term "horizontal" is intended to mean approximately parallel to the plane of the horizon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[00012] The following discussion is directed to various examples of the disclosure. Although one or more of these examples may be preferred, the examples disclosed should not be interpreted, or otherwise used, as limiting the scope of the disclosure, including the claims. In addition, one skilled in the art will understand that the following description has broad application, and the discussion of any example is meant only to be descriptive of that example, and not intended to intimate that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to that example.

[00013] As discussed above, a computing system typically includes a processor disposed within a processor socket on a PCB/motherboard, and a heatsink is typically employed to dissipate heat produced by the processor. The heatsink is installed above the processor, and thermal grease is placed between the processor and the heatsink to increase the heat dissipation efficiency.

[00014] This architecture works well for various intended uses, but unfortunately may cause manufacturing complexity due to the manner in which the each component is received, assembled, and/or shipped. In particular, in situations where a PCB/motherboard is installed in the computing system's chassis without a processor in the processor socket, and the manufacturer desires to ship the chassis with a heatsink installed above the processor location (e.g., in the situation where there is not enough space in another portion of the chassis to temporarily locate the heatsink), problems may arise because there may not be enough space for both a processor socket protector to protect the processor socket and a heatsink grease cover to protect thermal grease on the heatsink. Stated differently, the heatsink may not be installed above the processor location on the processor socket because there is not adequate room for a protective cover for the processor socket and a protective cover for thermal grease. As a result, if both are left in place when the heatsink is installed above the processor location, the heatsink grease cover and/or processor socket protector may become damaged. This, in turn, may leave the processor socket vulnerable to contamination by the thermal grease. Moreover, if one of the heatsink grease cover or processor socket protector is removed, this may similarly leave the processor socket vulnerable to contamination by the thermal grease.

[00015] A common workaround to the above-discussed problem is to ship the heatsink in another portion of the chassis (e.g., in the location for the hard drive, optical drive, or in another location in the chassis), but this solution may not be possible in all chassis and/or may not be optimal for some scenarios. For example, in a small form factor chassis, there may not be an alternate location to place the heatsink within the computing system without potentially damaging components when a motherboard is installed in the computing system.

[00016] Aspects of the present disclosure may address at least the above- mentioned problem by providing a solution to enable a manufacturer to ship a chassis without a processor installed on the PCB/motherboard, and with a heatsink installed above the processor location without leaving the processor socket, heatsink, and/or motherboard vulnerable to contamination. In particular, a novel and previously unforeseen processor socket protector is provided which may enable receipt of a thermal grease cover and/or thermal grease without leaving the processor socket, heatsink, and/or motherboard vulnerable to contamination.

[00017] In one example in accordance with the present disclosure, a processor socket protector is provided. The processor socket protector comprises an outer frame portion, an inner central portion coupled to the outer frame portion, a retention mechanism coupled to the outer frame portion to detachably couple the processor socket protector to a processor socket, and a release tab coupled to the outer frame portion. The plane of the inner central portion is recessed below the plane of the outer frame portion (e.g., at least .15 mm below the plane of the outer frame portion), and the plane of the release tab does not extend vertically above the plane of the outer frame portion. In one implementation, the inner central portion may accommodate thermal grease that is applied to a heatsink when the heatsink is installed on the processor socket protector and protect the thermal grease from entering the processor socket. In another implementation, the inner central portion may accommodate a heatsink grease cover of a heatsink when the heatsink is installed on the processor socket protector.

[00018] In another example in accordance with the present disclosure, a processor socket protector is provided. The processor socket protector comprises an outer frame portion, an inner central portion coupled to the outer frame portion, and a plurality of support arms extending from the outer frame portion in a plurality of directions away from the inner central portion. Each of the plurality of support arms may include an extended washer portion to couple to a PCB and/or heatsink, and the extended washer portion and the plurality of support arms may distribute the force of the heatsink when the heatsink is installed on the processor socket protector. In addition, the plane of the inner central portion is recessed below the plane of the outer frame portion to accommodate thermal grease that is applied to a heatsink when the heatsink is installed on the processor socket protector (e.g., the plane of the recessed inner central portion is recessed between .15 mm and .4 mm below the plane of the outer frame portion). Furthermore, in addition to accommodating the thermal grease, the recessed inner central portion may accommodate a heatsink grease cover disposed over the thermal grease when the heatsink is installed on the processor socket protector.

[00019] In yet another example in accordance with the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing a computing system is provided. The method comprises installing a processor socket protector above a processor socket, wherein the processor socket comprises an outer frame portion and an inner central portion coupled to the outer frame portion, and wherein the plane of the inner central portion is recessed below the plane of the outer frame portion (e.g., the plane of the recessed inner central portion is recessed between .15 mm and .4 mm below the plane of the outer frame portion). The method further comprises installing a heatsink above the processor socket protector, wherein the heatsink includes thermal grease thereon, wherein the recessed inner central portion is to accommodate the thermal grease when the heatsink is installed above the processor socket protector, and wherein installing the processor socket protector above the processor socket and installing the heatsink above the processor socket protector occurs at the same manufacturing facility.

[00020] Fig. 1 depicts an example processor socket protector 100 in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. It should be readily apparent that the processor socket protector 100 is a generalized illustration and that other elements may be added or existing elements may be removed, modified, or rearranged without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Further, it should be readily apparent that the depiction is generalized and the scale, placement, orientation, and/or shapes shown may differ from those shown in some examples of the present disclosure.

[00021] The processor socket protector 100 includes an outer frame portion 110, an inner central portion 120, a retention mechanism 130, and a release tab 140. The inner central portion 120 is coupled to the outer frame portion 110. In addition, the plane of the inner central portion 160 is recessed below the plane of the outer frame portion 150. For instance, the plane of the inner central portion 160 may be recessed at least .15mm below the plane of the outer frame portion 150. In one example, the plane of the inner central portion 160 may be recessed between .15 mm and .4 mm below the plane of the outer frame portion 150. In another example, the plane of the inner central portion 160 may be recessed between .2 mm and .3 mm below the plane of the outer frame portion 150. By having the inner central portion 120 recessed below the outer frame portion 110, a "recessed bay" is formed in the processor socket protector 100. This recessed bay may accommodate thermal grease located on the heatsink (see, e.g. Fig.

2) and/or accommodate a heatsink grease cover located on the heatsink (see, e.g., Fig.

3) . As such, the processor socket protector 100 protects the thermal grease from entering the processor socket 170. Moreover, the processor socket protector 100 protects the thermal grease from entering the motherboard, heatsink, and/or other components of the computing system.

[00022] In addition to the above, the processor socket protector 100 includes a retention mechanism 130. The retention mechanism 130 may take various forms including, but not limited to, clips, clamps, fasteners, or any other mechanism to detachably couple to the processor socket protector 100 to the processor socket 170. Furthermore, the processor socket protector 100 includes a release tab 140 coupled to the outer frame portion 130. The release tab 140, when grasped and pulled, may detach the processor socket protector 100 from the processor socket 170. This may be accomplished with minimal or significant force, depending on the implementation. Additionally, as shown, the plane of the release tab portion 150 does not extend vertically above the plane of the outer frame portion 150. As such, the release tab portion does not interfere with a heatsink placed on top of the processor socket protector 100.

[00023] Turning now to Fig. 2, this figure depicts an example processor socket protector 100 with heatsink 180 and exposed thermal grease 190 thereon in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. More specifically, Fig. 2 is similar to Fig. 1 , but in Fig. 2 a heatsink 180 is installed on the processor socket protector 100. The heatsink 180 includes thermal grease 190 on the lower surface. The thermal grease 190 is exposed and does not include a heatsink grease cover thereon. As shown, the inner central portion 120 accommodates the exposed thermal grease 190 and thereby prevents the thermal grease 190 from corrupting the processor socket 170. Put another way, the recessed bay formed by the configuration of the inner central portion 120 and outer frame portion 110 enables the thermal grease 190 to be included on the heatsink 190 and be substantially encapsulated between the processor socket protector 100 and heatsink 180 such that it will not leak and potentially damage the processor socket 170.

[00024] Looking now at Fig. 3, this figure depicts an example processor socket protector 100 with heatsink 180 and heatsink grease cover 195 thereon in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. More particularly, Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 1 , but in Fig. 3 a heatsink 180 is installed on the processor socket protector 100. The heatsink 180 includes a heatsink grease cover 195 on the lower surface. The heatsink grease cover 195 shelters the thermal grease 190. As depicted, the inner central portion 120 accommodates the heatsink grease cover 195 and thereby does not damage the heatsink grease cover 195 when the heatsink 180 is installed on the processor socket protector 100. Because such damage is prevented, thermal grease 190 is prevented from leaking out and corrupting the processor socket 170. Stated differently, the recessed bay formed by the configuration of the inner central portion 120 and outer frame portion 110 enables the heatsink grease cover 195 to be included on the heatsink 190 and substantially encapsulated between the processor socket protector 100 and heatsink 180 such that it will not damage the processor socket 170 by leaking thermal grease 190.

[00025] Turning to Figs. 4(a) and 4(b), Fig. 4(a) depicts a perspective view of the top surface of an example processor socket protector 100, and Fig. 4(b) provides a perspective view of the bottom surface of the example processor socket protector 100 in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. As shown in the top view of Fig. 4(a), the inner central portion 120 is coupled to the outer frame portion 110, and the plane of the inner central portion 120 is recessed below the plane of the outer frame portion 110. Thus, the inner central portion 120 can accommodate either exposed thermal grease or a heatsink grease cover (not shown) when a heatsink is installed above the processor socket protector 100. Put another way, the inner central portion 120 forms a cavity to receive the thermal grease (or heatsink grease cover) and keep the thermal grease from leaking into the processor socket. It should be understood that while the border of the inner central portion 120 is a substantially square in Fig. 4(a), the border of the inner central portion may be another shape such as substantially rectangular or circular.

[00026] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 4(a), the plane of the release tab 140 is on the same plane and/or does not extend vertically above the plane of the outer frame portion 110. As a result, the release tab 140 does not interfere with the heatsink (not shown) when the heatsink is installed above the processor socket protector.

[00027] Looking at Fig. 4(b), this figure depicts a bottom view of the processor socket protector 100. From this bottom view, the inner central portion 120 appears raised from the outer frame portion 110. That is, when viewed from the bottom, the plane of the inner central portion 120 appears raised above the plane of the outer frame portion 110. Furthermore, from the bottom view, the retention mechanisms 130 are more apparent, and these are retention mechanisms 130 are coupled to the outer frame portion 110, and may be used to couple the processor socket protector 100 with a processor socket (not shown).

[00028] Turning to Fig. 5, this figure depicts an example processor socket protector 500 in accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure. Similar to Figs. 1-4, the processor socket protector 500 comprises an outer frame portion 110, an inner central portion 120, a retention mechanism 130, and a release tab 140. The inner central portion 120 is coupled to the outer frame portion 110, and the plane of the inner central portion 160 is recessed below the plane of the outer frame portion 150 (see, e.g., Fig. 1). For instance, the plane of the inner central portion 160 may be recessed at least .15 mm below the plane of the outer frame portion 150. In one example, the plane of the inner central portion 160 may be recessed between .15 mm and .4 mm below the plane of the outer frame portion 150. In another example, the plane of the inner central portion 160 may be recessed between .2 mm and .3 mm below the plane of the outer frame portion 150. By having the inner central portion 120 recessed below the outer frame portion 110, a "recessed bay" is formed in the processor socket protector 100. This recessed bay may accommodate thermal grease located on the heatsink (see, e.g. Fig.

2) and/or accommodate a heatsink grease cover located on the heatsink (see, e.g., Fig.

3) . As such, the processor socket protector 100 protects the thermal grease from entering the processor socket 540.

[00029] In addition to the above components, the processor socket protector 500 includes a plurality of support arms 510 extending from the outer frame portion 110 in a plurality of directions away from the inner central portion 120. Each of the plurality of support arms 510 includes an extended washer portion 520 at one end of the arm to couple to at least a printed circuit board 530. When a heatsink (not shown) is attached to the top of the processor socket protector 500, the arms 510 and the extended washer portions 520 may distribute the force of the heatsink when the heatsink is installed on the processor socket protector 500. More specifically, the arms 510 and the extended washer portions 520 may reduce the weight and force from the heatsink on the processor socket 540 by distributing the weight force to the arms 510 and extended washer portions 520 and to the printed circuit board 530. Furthermore, the processor socket protector 500 may vertically align the heatsink (not shown) with the processor socket 540 in the same manner/alignment as when a processor (not shown) is installed in the processor socket 540 and the heatsink is installed on the processor.

[00030] In some examples, the positioning of the arms 510 and extended washer portions 520 may be arranged such that screws, posts, or other similar objects may be inserted into hollow openings 550 within the extended washer portions 520. For instance, posts/screws on the heatsink (not shown) may be inserted through the hollow openings 550 on the extended washer portions 520 and couple to similarly spaced opening on the printed circuit board 530. Hence, a screw/post from the heatsink may go through the hollow opening 550 and through holes on the printed circuit board 530 to couple the heatsink with the processor socket protector 500 and printed circuit board 530.

[00031] While shown in Fig. 5 as arms 510 extending from the center of the processor socket protector 500 in the northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast directions, it should be understood that the arms 510 may extend in other directions, and may depend on the geometry of the heatsink. For example, the arms 510 may extend from the center of the processor socket protector 500 in the north, south, east, and west directions. Additionally, while four arms 510 are shown in Fig. 5, it should be understood that more or less arms 510 may be utilized than shown in various examples. Furthermore, in various examples, the plane of the arms 510 may not extend vertically above the plane of the outer frame portion so as to not impede heatsink installation.

[00032] Turning to Fig. 6, this figure depicts a process flow diagram of a method 600 for manufacturing a computing system in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. The method begins at block 610, where a processor socket protector is installed above a processor socket. The processor socket protector comprises an outer frame portion and an inner central portion coupled to the outer frame portion. The plane of the inner central portion is recessed below the plane of the outer frame portion (e.g., the plane of the recessed inner central portion is recessed between .15 mm and .4 mm below the plane of the outer frame portion). Further, in some examples, the processor socket protector includes a plurality of support arms extending from the outer frame portion in a plurality of directions away from the inner central portion, and each of the plurality of support arms includes an extended washer portion at one end of the arm to couple to at least a printed circuit board.

[00033] At block 620, a heatsink is installed above the processor socket protector. The heatsink may include thermal grease on one surface (e.g., the surface of the heatsink facing the processor socket protector). This thermal grease may be exposed or covered with a heatsink grease cover. Once installed above the processor socket protector, the inner central portion of the processor socket protector is to accommodate the thermal grease and/or heatsink grease cover. Consequently, the recessed inner central portion of the processor socket protector keeps the thermal grease from leaking out and potentially damaging the processor socket when the heatsink is installed on the processor socket and processor socket protector.

[00034] In various examples, the processes discussed above at block 610 and block 620 occur at the same manufacturing facility. Hence, at a single facility, a manufacturer may be able to install a processor socket protector above a processor socket that does not include a processor, and thereafter install a heatsink with exposed or covered thermal grease on the processor socket protector. As a result, a manufacturer does not have to ship the heatsink in a separate location within the chassis (e.g., within the hard drive or optical drive bay) when trying to ship the chassis without a processor installed in the processor socket. Put another way, a manufacturer may ship the chassis with a heatsink installed above the processor location without encountering the problem of there not being enough space for both a processor socket protector and a heatsink grease cover (or exposed grease). This is beneficial, for example, in small form factor chassis that may not include an alternate location to place the heatsink within the computing system without potentially damaging components when a motherboard is installed in the computing system.

[00035] While the above disclosure has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing examples, it should be understood that other forms, details, and implementations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure that is defined in the following claims.