Electronic apparatus

Details Electronic apparatus Electronic apparatus

2002-04-17

2004-02-10

Schuberg, Darren (Department: 2835)

Electricity: electrical systems and devices

Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...

For electronic systems and devices

C361S689000, C361S689000, C360S099020, C360S097020, C369S075110, C369S075210

Reexamination Certificate

active

06690574

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technical field of an electronic apparatus and, more particularly to a technical field of an electronic apparatus equipped with a front panel movably supported to the electronic apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, an electronic apparatus such as an audio or navigation device has been widely used as mounted in a vehicle such as an automobile.
The cabinet itself of such an electronic apparatus is typically mounted inside a dashboard of the vehicle, so that because of a necessity of space saving and design restrictions an operation switch for setting operation of the electronic apparatus, a display screen for displaying the operation thereon, etc. are generally disposed on the front panel of the electronic apparatus.
Furthermore, in the case of such an electronic apparatus, its insertion slot for inserting a recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc) or MD (mini Disc) is disposed on such an inner wall surface of this electronic apparatus as to be exposed by moving the front panel thereof, a typical configuration of which electronic apparatus is shown in FIG.
7
.
An electronic apparatus
10
shown in
FIG. 7
comprises: a front panel
12
disposed movable over a housing position (which is shown in
FIG. 7A
) in a recess shaped front holder
11
b
provided at the front portion of a cabinet
11
and a expansion position (which is shown in
FIG. 7B
) at which an inner wall surface
11
a
of the front holder
11
b
is exposed on the front side of the electronic apparatus
10
; an insertion slot
13
provided on the inner wall surface
11
a
for inserting a recording medium such as a CD or MD; an upper end support member
14
attached in a rotary manner to the cabinet
11
for supporting an upper end of the front panel
12
and moves the front panel
12
; and a moving support member
15
attached to the cabinet
11
in such a manner as to move in the back-and-forth direction of the electronic apparatus
10
for supporting a lower end of the front panel
12
.
The upper end support member
14
has its one end portion
14
a
attached to the cabinet
11
so that it may be attached in a rotary manner to the cabinet
11
with that one end portion
14
a
acting as a supporting point. Moreover, the upper end support member
14
has it's the other end portion
14
b
attached to the upper end of the front panel
12
so that it can support the upper end of the front panel
12
in such a manner that when it has turned around the one end portion
14
a
as the supporting point, a rear part of the front panel
12
may be inclined backward with respect to the electronic apparatus
10
(or that the front panel
12
inclined may be erected).
The moving support member
15
has its one end portion
15
a
attached to the lower end of the front panel
12
so that it may support the lower end of the front panel
12
in such a manner as to turn it around the one end portion
15
a
as a rotary axis while it moves as driven by a drive portion not shown in the back-and-forth direction of the electronic apparatus
10
.
In the electronic apparatus
10
having such a configuration, the lower end of the front panel
12
at the housing position can be pushed as turning to the front side of the electronic apparatus
10
when the moving support member
15
moves to the front side of the electronic apparatus
10
. Then, the upper end support member
14
is adapted to turn around the one end portion
14
a
as a supporting point to thereby incline the rear part of the front panel
12
backward with respect to the electronic apparatus
10
. Therefore, front panel
12
is moved to the expansion position.
Furthermore, when the front panel
12
is at the expansion position, the inner wall surface
11
a
hidden by the front panel
12
hitherto is exposed on the front side of the electronic apparatus
10
, so that this inner wall surface
11
a
is provided with the insertion slot
13
for inserting a recording medium therethrough, thus improving the utilization efficiency of the space in front of the electronic apparatus
10
.
In these years, on the other hand, a small sized card type recording medium referred to as a memory card has been used commonly, while recently such card type recording medium is adapted to store data used in the above-mentioned type of electronic apparatus so that the data may be used commonly by this electronic apparatus and a personal computer in the home or by a plurality of electronic apparatuses.
In an electronic apparatus having the above-mentioned configuration, however, as shown in
FIG. 8
, there is a restriction imposed on the exposed space (space where the insertion slot can be disposed) when the front panel
12
is moved to the expansion position and also a restriction imposed on the positional relationship between the insertion slot
13
and a mechanism portion
21
such as the reproduction mechanism portion of a recording medium disposed in the cabinet
11
. It is, therefore, difficult to dispose the insertion slot
13
for inserting a recording medium such as a CD or MD and also an insertion slot for inserting a card type recording medium in the inner wall surface
11
a.
That is, to dispose the insertion slot for inserting a card type recording medium as well as the insertion slot
13
, it is necessary to have the exposed space more in the inner wall surface
11
a
and, taking into account a positional relationship between the insertion slot for inserting a card type recording medium and a mounting portion for mounting the card type recording medium, it is also necessary to increase a movement distance of the front panel
12
.
For example, as shown in
FIG. 9
, it is necessary to dispose in the inner wall surface
11
a
both the insertion slot
13
for inserting a recording medium such as a CD or MD and an insertion slot
22
for inserting a card type recording medium such as a memory card in such a manner that when they are positioned vertically one over the other, the front panel
12
may be moved as protruding out of the range where the electronic apparatus
10
is mounted inside the dashboard, that is, a range of the external profile of the electronic apparatus
10
.
In this case, however, there occurs such a problem that the front panel
12
as protruded out of the external profile of the electronic apparatus
10
may hit any other apparatus is mounted inside the dashboard.
Furthermore, for example, as shown in
FIG. 10
, even if the movement distance of the front panel
12
is increased without protruding it out of the external profile of the electronic apparatus
10
as much as possible, the operation switch etc. on the front surface of the front panel
12
interferes with the movement, thus giving rise to a problem of poor workability in insertion/ejection of the card type recording medium at the insertion slot
22
.
To solve these problems, there is a method for attaching a mounting portion, which mounts a card type recording medium, to the moving support member
15
. The mounting portion mounts the card type recording medium so that when the moving support member
15
has moved to the front side of the electronic apparatus
10
, the insertion slot in the mounting portion itself may be exposed on the front side of the electronic apparatus
10
. Such a configuration example of the electronic apparatus
10
is described below.
In
FIGS. 11A
,
11
B,
11
C, and
11
D, the electronic apparatus
10
is provided, at the side end portion of the moving support member
15
on the side of the front panel
12
, with an inclined support member
24
that has a predetermined length and that is inclined upward with respect to the front panel
12
in such a configuration that the tip portion
15
a
of this inclined support member
24
is a little shifted toward upward from the lower end of the front panel
12
. In this configuration, when the moving support member
15
moves to the front side of the electronic apparatus
10
, the lower end of the front panel
12
turns around the

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