Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-07
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, C439S377000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06222726
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a portable personal computer, particularly a pocket or palm-sized computer, and more particularly an arrangement for connecting an expansion or add-on card to a socket therein.
2. Related Art
Personal computers (PCs) are classified on the basis of size and portability. Personal computers that can be placed on top of a desk but are not very portable are called desktop computers. Portable computers are those personal computers that are light enough to be easily transported. Portable personal computers that are small enough to be set on the lap of a user are called laptop computers; notebook computers are approximately the size of a book. Portable personal computers that can be put in a pocket are called pocket or palm-sized computers. The palm-sized computer includes a wallet PC, PDA (Personal Digital Assistance) and HPC (Hand-held Personal Computer).
The expansion or add-on card is a card on which electronic devices are mounted, and is inserted in a socket formed in such a portable personal computer in order to improve its performance or functionality. Recently, the expansion card widely has been standardized including PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) card and CF card (Compact Flash) such as memory card, fax/modem card, LAN card, etc. However, the expansion card used in the notebook computer is usually incompatible with the palm-sized computer because of the considerable size difference between these computers.
Examples of the contemporary art dealing with arrangements of expansion cards in computers is seen, for example, in the following U.S. Patents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,571, to Shieh, entitled Portable Hard Disk Drive Connector With A Parallel (Printer) Port Control Board And A U-Shaped Frame, describes a device having a casing, within which is a control card with a hard disk connector provided at both ends with a rack thereby forming a U-shaped frame, into which a hard disk drive with a PCMCIA is connected. The device itself is not a portable computer, and the arrangement of this device has the hard disk drive extending out from the housing to allow manipulation. Such an arrangement is not suitable for a palm-sized computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,606, to Blaney, entitled Computer Plug-In Module And Interconnection System For Wireless Applications, describes a system for coupling wireless technologies to a computer. A card connector provides a radiofrequency connector positioned above a 68-pin connector. As in other PCMCIA devices, the plug-in module is of a size and arrangement which is not ideal for a palm-sized computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,607, to Dittmer, entitled PCMCIA Card And Associated Support And Circuitry Augmenting Apparatus And Methods, describes a PCMCIA card apparatus in which a PCMCIA card and an attachment section are inserted into a dual PCMCIA card slot. This apparatus, however, does not provide an expansion card arrangement suitable for a palm-sized computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,259, to Ma, entitled Arrangement for connecting An Expansion Card To A Connector Socket In A Personal Computer, describes an expansion card arrangement with a frame disposed on a substrate board of a notebook computer, contact pins within the frame and connected to the motherboard, and also having a connecting socket on the substrate board. This arrangement of a conventional PCMCIA card requires separate access for the connecting socket, and offers no advantage in size reduction.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,840, to Kikinis et al., entitled Micro Personal Digital Assistant, describes a digital assistant device having an inserted function module which is a Type 2 PCMCIA having dimensions corresponding to PCMCIA standards. This apparatus is of notebook computer size and holds several standard PCMCIA cards.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,922, to Shen et al., entitled Portable Computer Having Insertable Module Containing Expansion Units And Connected To A Socket Secured On The Maincircuit Board, describes a multi-unit module of a personal computer, having a personal computer housing and a module casing. Expansion units such as disk drives can be inserted and stacked in the module casing. This apparatus is also of notebook computer size, and does not address the problem of size reduction for a palm-sized computer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved palm-sized computer.
It is a further object of the invention to reduce the size of a palm-sized computer having an expansion card.
It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide a palm-sized computer having an arrangement for connecting a new type of expansion card which is totally enclosed by the housing of the computer.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a palm-sized computer with an arrangement for connecting an expansion card in which the expansion card is resiliently supported in the socket.
It is a yet still further object of the present invention to provide a palm-sized computer in which an expansion card is guided into the socket.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the housing of a palm-sized computer consists of a top housing part having an upper surface, side surfaces and an opened bottom and a bottom housing part for covering the opened bottom to enclose an electronic circuit board. The housing is provided with an expansion card arrangement for electrically connecting an expansion card with the electronic circuit board, which comprises an card insertion opening formed on one side of the housing for inserting the expansion card into the housing, a socket formed on the electronic circuit board to electrically connect the expansion card with the electronic circuit board, the opening of the socket directly facing the card insertion opening, and a guide support integrally formed with the housing between the card insertion opening and the socket so as to guide and support the expansion card inserted through the card insertion opening into the socket.
Preferably, a cover may be detachably attached to the card insertion opening to protect the expansion card. The card insertion opening is formed by a first cut formed in the bottom housing part and a second cut formed in one side surface of the top housing part, and the cover consists of two parts respectively connected to the top and bottom housing parts. The guide support is inclined from the card insertion opening towards the socket, resiliently supporting and guiding the expansion card into the socket. The guide support further comprises a pair of first support faces respectively extended from both ends of the card insertion opening towards the socket to support both sides of the expansion card, and a pair of second support faces respectively extended from the first support faces to respectively support the parts of the lower surface of the expansion card adjacent to both sides thereof. The second support faces are inclined from the card insertion opening towards the opening of the socket, resiliently supporting the expansion card.
The present invention will now described more specifically with reference to the drawings attached only by way of examples.
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Bushnell , Esq. Robert E.
Lea-Edmonds Lisa
Picard Leo P.
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
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