Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-29
2001-04-24
Picard, Leo P. (Department: 2835)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S689000, C361S689000, C312S223100, C312S223200, C248S371000, C248S346010, CD14S140400, CD14S140400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06222735
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to computers, and, more particularly, to minitower computers and housings for minitower computers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Personal computer systems are typically small systems that have a computer or processing unit, a display, and several input devices. The computer has a housing and a plurality of internal hardware components in the housing. The internal hardware components typically include a processor, memory devices, power supplies, fans, buses and many other internal components. The display and input devices are coupled to the computer. In most applications, the input devices are a keyboard to transmit alphanumeric commands to the computer and a mouse, track-ball or joystick to control items shown on the display.
Minitower computers are a popular type of personal computer for desktop and other applications. In contrast to conventional low-profile desktop computers, the height of a minitower computer is significantly larger than the width. A typical minitower computer housing includes a front panel; a rear panel spaced rearwardly from the front panel; first and second side panels extending along first and second sides of the front and rear panels; a top panel extending between the top portions of the front and rear panels; and a bottom panel extending between the bottom portions of the front and rear panels. The panels define a cavity in which the internal hardware components are enclosed. Several housings for minitower computers also have a plurality of feet depending from the bottom panel to support the computers on a floor, shelf, desktop, table or other support surface. The front panel of the computer housing is also configured to receive external hardware components (e.g., CD-ROM drives, tape drives and external disk drives). The external hardware components, for example, are typically received in a plurality of bays in the front panel. Additionally, the front panel, the rear panel, the bottom panel and/or one of the first or second side panels can also have openings to vent the cavity.
One drawback of minitower computers is that it is difficult to operate some of the external components in the front panel of the housing. For example, when a minitower computer is placed on a support surface below the user (e.g., a floor or low shelf), it can be cumbersome to close the tray of a CD-ROM drive because the CD-ROM control buttons are often underneath the tray. The control buttons in this situation are not only difficult to reach, but they are often obstructed from view, thus making it even more difficult to operate CD-ROM drives. Many users can also have difficulty with handling floppy disks in external disk drives for similar reasons. In other applications in which a minitower computer is supported by a desktop, it can be cumbersome to correctly position compact disks in the CD-ROM drive. Therefore, one drawback of conventional minitower computers is that it can be inconvenient to operate the external hardware components at the front panel of the housing.
Another drawback of minitower computers, as well as conventional low-profile desktop computers, is that they are noisy and often acoustically annoying. Most personal computers have fans to cool the high performance processors. The fans, however, produce a constant, relatively high-pitched tone that can be annoying and even disruptive in a quiet environment. The openings in the housing, moreover, typically channel the fan-noise toward the user or a wall that reflects the fan noise toward the user. Therefore, another drawback of personal computers is that they are noisy and even annoying.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed toward minitower computers and housings for minitower computers that protect the internal and external hardware components. In one embodiment, a minitower computer housing includes a component panel, an under section extending rearwardly from the component panel, and a cover section connected to the component panel and the under section. The housing of this embodiment also includes a first tilt member depending from the under section, and the first tilt member includes a vent facing away from a location of a user. The first tilt member tilts the front panel either upwardly or downwardly, and the vent provides airflow through the computer housing.
The component panel, more particularly, can have an upper portion and a lower portion. The under section can accordingly have a first segment at the lower portion of the component panel and a second segment spaced apart from the first segment toward the rear of the housing. The cover section extends from the upper portion of the component panel and along the under section such that the component panel, the under section and the cover section define a cavity that is vented by the vent in the tilt member.
The first tilt member can depend from the under section proximate to either the first segment or the second segment to tilt the component panel either upwardly or downwardly, respectively. In one particular embodiment, the first tilt member depends downwardly from the first segment of the under section, and the first tilt member extends across the full width of the housing. The first tilt member of this embodiment accordingly tilts the component panel upwardly and rearwardly to provide better access to the external hardware components. The first tilt member in this embodiment also has a forward surface directed toward the user location and a back surface directed away from the user location. The vent can be positioned in the back surface of the first tilt member to direct sound waves downwardly and rearwardly away from the user location. Therefore, this embodiment of the minitower computer housing is also expected to reduce the decibel level of noise forwardly of the computer housing.
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U.S. Ser. No. 09/363,202, Lehman et al., filed Jul. 29, 1999.
Gagne Jacques
Gradwohl Ray
Hartley Philip
Leman Michael
Lea-Edmonds Lisa
Micron Electronics Inc.
Perkins Coie LLP
Picard Leo P.
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