Liquid crystal cells – elements and systems – Particular structure – Holder – support – frame – or housing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-31
2001-09-25
Malinowski, Walter J. (Department: 2164)
Liquid crystal cells, elements and systems
Particular structure
Holder, support, frame, or housing
C174S050000, C361S801000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06295103
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic part protecting structure and process for protecting electronic parts such as a liquid crystal display element, a substrate of a drive circuit for driving the liquid crystal display element and a light source of the liquid crystal display element by a pair of cases.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display device includes electronic parts such as a liquid crystal display element, a substrate of a drive circuit for driving the liquid crystal display element and a light source of the liquid crystal display element. The liquid crystal display element, drive circuit substrate and light source are arranged between and protected by a pair of cases when they are used. Thus, the electronic parts are protected from the surrounding circumstance by the cases.
FIG. 13A
is an exploded perspective view showing a structure of the liquid crystal display device of a first prior art, and
FIG. 13B
is a section of the same. One
11
of a pair of cases
11
and
12
for arranging the electronic parts therebetween is made larger than the other
12
. In a side face
11
a
of the case
11
, there is formed an opening
13
. In a side face
12
a
of the case
12
, there is formed a pawl
14
which is directed outward of the case
12
and given substantially the same height as the depth of the opening
13
. The electronic parts, as arranged between the cases
11
and
12
, are assembled by covering the case
12
with the case
11
to fit the opening
13
and the pawl
14
to each other.
FIG. 14
is a section showing a structure of the liquid crystal display device of a second prior art. A pair of cases
15
and
16
are fastened and assembled together with electronic parts
18
by tapping screws
17
.
In a first structure, the cases
11
and
12
can be opened to extract the electronic parts by forming a gap between the side faces
11
a
and
12
a
and can be assembled again to restore with no trace of disassembly. In a second structure, the cases
15
and
16
can also be opened to extract the electronic parts by loosening the tapping screws
17
and can be assembled again to restore with no trace of disassembly. From the liquid crystal display device to be applied to a play machine such as an electronic control type pinball machine and used publicly, therefore, the electronic parts can be extracted and reconstructed so that the liquid crystal display device can be restored without leaving no trace and can be illegally used.
As a countermeasure for preventing the reconstruction of the electronic parts, there is disclosed a device for detecting the opening of cases in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3020870. In the technique disclosed, the opening of the cases is electrically detected by a sealing apparatus
1
, as shown in FIG.
15
. Specifically, this sealing apparatus
1
includes a memory circuit
2
, an oscillator
3
, a frequency divider
4
, a display/output circuit
5
and an erase circuit
6
. When the case opening is detected in the memory circuit
2
by a sensor SE, its detection signal is stored in a flip-flop FF. These sensor SE and flip-flop FF are supplied at all times with the supply voltage from an internal power supply C
1
. As a result, the storing action is continued even if the external power voltage is interrupted. The external power voltage is supplied to activate the oscillator
3
, the frequency divider
4
and the display/output circuit
5
thereby to divide a signal SO from the oscillator
3
by the frequency divider
4
, to generate a display signal by using frequency dividing signals S
1
and S
2
and to flash a light emitting diode LED
1
. The flashing pattern of the light emitting diode LED
1
is switched according to the output of the flip-flop FF so that the opening of the cases is quickly reported in terms of the flashing state of the light emitting diode LED
1
.
In Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication JP-U 4-72054(1992), on the other hand, there is disclosed a protective cover mounting structure for protecting a display device in a vehicle. The display device is so buried in the dash board that it can be pulled out. Specifically, a slider
21
, as shown in
FIG. 16
, is buried in the dash board, and the display device is arranged in the slider
21
and pulled out together with the slider
21
. In the inner circuit of a protective cover
22
attached to the leading end of the slider
21
for protecting the display of the display device, there is formed a groove
25
which encloses the side face of the slider
21
when attached to the slider
21
. A plurality of holes
23
are formed in the leading end of the slider
21
. A welded portion
24
is formed by covering the leading end of the slider
21
with the protective cover
22
and by spot-welding the groove portion of the protective cover
22
enclosing the holes
23
from the inside of the slider.
When the opening of the cases is to be electrically detected by the apparatus shown in
FIG. 15
, the many components including the sensor SE, the flip-flop FF, the internal power supply C
1
and the light emitting diode LED
1
are required to enlarge and complicate the structure thereby to make it expensive. When the mounting structure shown in
FIG. 16
is applied to the structure for protecting the electronic parts, one or both of the cases cannot be reused, if once opened when the electronic parts are defective, to lower the using efficiency of the parts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a small-sized, simple and inexpensive electronic part protecting structure and process capable of preventing a case from being opened and blocking reconstruction of electronic parts.
The invention provides an electronic part protecting structure for protecting electronic parts, comprising a pair of cases between which the electronic parts are arranged,
one of the pair of cases being provided with a through hole,
the other case being provided with a projecting piece to be inserted into the through hole,
wherein a deformed portion is provided at a leading end of the projecting piece which deformed portion is made larger than the through hole and deformed to be unrestorable.
According to the invention, the electronic parts are arranged between the one case having the through hole and the other case having the projecting piece. The deformed portion which is larger than the through hole and deformed to be unrestorable, is provided at the leading end of the projecting piece, which is to be inserted into the through hole. The one and other cases cannot be easily opened by that deformed portion. As a result, the electronic parts can be prevented from being extracted and reconstructed. This protecting structure can be realized at a reasonable cost with a relatively small number of components only by a mechanical working to make the structure simple and small.
In the invention, moreover, the case having the projecting piece is made of a metal or resin.
According to the invention, when the case having the projecting piece is made of a metal or resin, the projecting piece is inserted into the through hole and can be easily deformed at its leading end by heat or pressure to provide the deformed portion. When the resin has a relatively low thermal conductivity, on the other hand, it is possible to shield the heat which is transferred at the deforming time to the electronic parts to be protected. In the metal or resin case having the projecting piece, therefore, the deformed portion can be easily made by the heat or pressure. In the case made of a resin having a relatively low thermal conductivity, on the other hand, the electronic parts to be protected can be protected against the heat.
In the invention, moreover, the projecting piece is loosely fitted in the through hole.
According to the invention, the projecting piece is loosely fitted in the through hole so that the cases are not adhered to each other. When the electronic parts to be protected are defective, therefore, the def
Matsumoto Takumi
Sumida Youko
Yamatani Takuji
Malinowski Walter J.
Nixon & Vanderhye PC
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
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