Electricity: conductors and insulators – Covers or face plates
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-29
2004-06-29
Patel, Dhiru R (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Covers or face plates
C174S067000, C220S241000, C220S242000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06756542
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a front-cover assembly for an information apparatus and an information apparatus having the same.
For the information apparatuses of personal computers and the like placed on a table to be used, an easy to use configuration and a pleasant design are required.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG.
1
A and
FIG. 1B
show the conventional information apparatus
10
. The information apparatus
10
is configured to be easily usable with each type of terminal provided on the front face, and at the same time, is configured to cover the terminals
11
with lid members
12
and
13
when not in use to take the outer appearance into account. The information apparatus
10
has a housing
15
and a front-cover assembly
16
on the front side, is set on a pedestal
17
, and placed height-wise on the table to be used. The front-cover assembly
16
has a front-cover
18
, and the lid members
12
and
13
attached on left and right sides, respectively, of the front-cover
18
so as to be opened and closed. The front-cover
18
and the lid members
12
and
13
are molded components of synthetic resin.
When the information apparatus
10
is not in use, the lid members
12
and
13
are closed and the terminals
11
are hidden, as shown in FIG.
1
A. When the information apparatus
10
is in use, the lid members
12
and
13
are turned and opened and the terminals
11
are exposed, as shown in FIG.
1
B. The task of connecting the plugs to the terminals
11
is carried out from a front side of the information apparatus
10
, and the information apparatus is easy to use. In addition, an operation of opening the lid members
12
and
13
is carried out by a user hooking and pulling the lid members
12
and
13
with fingertips of the user.
The lid member
12
has, as shown in
FIG. 2
, a lid body
12
a
, arm parts
12
b
and
12
c
projecting from a vicinity of opposite ends of the lid body
12
a
, and an engaging convex part
12
d
. The arm parts
12
b
and
12
c
have C-shaped bearing parts
12
b
1
and
12
c
1
on the leading ends thereof.
In correspondence to an above shape of the lid member
12
, the front-cover
18
has, on a front face
18
a
, an opening
18
b
through which the arm
12
b
enters, an opening
18
c
through which the arm part
12
c
enters, an opening
18
d
through which the engaging convex part
12
e
enters, and also shaft parts
18
e
and
18
f
in an inner part of the openings
18
b
and
18
c
. On an inner circumference of the opening
18
d
, a concave part
18
d
1
is formed.
The lid member
12
, as shown in
FIG. 1B
, is turnably attached with respect to the shaft parts
18
e
and
18
f
with the arm parts
12
b
and
12
c
in the respective openings
18
b
and
18
c
, and the C-shaped bearing parts
12
b
1
and
12
c
2
fitted to the respective shaft parts
18
e
and
18
f
. A size of the openings
18
b
and
18
c
are a size corresponding to a range of movement of the arm parts
12
b
and
12
c
when the lid member
12
is being opened or is being closed. The lid member
12
is, in the opened state, clickly locked with the engaging convex part
12
d
resiliently fitted to the convex part
18
d
1
.
The shape of the other lid member
13
and a relationship with the front-cover
18
are the same as those for the lid member
12
described above.
No problem arises when the lid members
12
and
13
are in the closed state, as shown in
FIG. 1A
, but when they are turned and in the opened state, as shown in
FIG. 1B
, a plurality of openings
18
b
and
18
d
for attachment of the lid members
12
are exposed and furthermore, the arm parts
12
b
and
12
c
as well as the engaging convex part
12
d
are exposed, making the design unattractive.
Furthermore, when assembling the front-cover assembly
16
in a factory, an attachment of the lid members
12
and
13
to the front-cover
18
is, as shown in
FIG. 3
, done by pushing the C-shaped bearing part
12
b
1
(
12
c
1
) hard into the shaft part
18
e
(
18
f
) as depicted with an arrow A, resiliently widening the C-shaped bearing part
12
b
1
(
12
c
1
) once and then fitting them to the shaft part
18
e
(
18
f
). In order for the attached lid members
12
and
13
to not easily detach, the C-shaped bearing parts
12
b
1
and
12
c
1
are made thick and strong, making the task of attaching the lid members
12
and
13
to the front-cover
18
in the factory difficult. Since the task of pushing and fitting the bearing part
12
b
1
(
12
c
1
) to the shaft part
18
e
(
18
f
) is carried out by holding the lid body
12
a
in hand, force is applied to a root of the arm parts
12
b
and
12
c
with respect to the lid body
12
a
and there is a risk of the arm parts
12
b
and
12
c
breaking.
Furthermore, the engaging convex part
12
e
is provided in a middle of the lid body
12
a
in a longitudinal direction, and when the lid body
12
a
is deflected, a position of the engaging convex part
12
d
is influenced by a deflection of the lid body
12
a
and is displaced. Therefore, a turning position of the lid member
12
when the lid member
12
is clickly locked readily varies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved front-cover assembly that overcomes the conventional problems mentioned above and to provide an information apparatus having the same.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a front-cover assembly in which, even if the front-cover is formed so as to have corner parts angularly projecting in the left and the right sides between the front face and the side face, the turning lid member can move without touching the corner part.
In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention has a lid member attached to the front-cover of the information apparatus so as to be opened and closed, so that the orientation with respect to the flange of the lid body is defined by having the distance between the turning center and the leading head in the turning direction when closing be different from the distance between the turning center to the leading head in the turning direction when opening.
By defining the orientation with respect to the flange of the lid body to an angle shifted in the direction of the tangent line when closing the lid member, the portion of the lid body on the side of the leading head along the turning direction moves away from the turning center and moves outside of the corner part having an angular shape.
A more specific object of the present inventin is to provide a front-cover assembly in which the lid member is click locked accurately in the closed position and the opened position.
In order to achieve this object, the present invention forms the raised part for click lock of the lid member on the periphery portion of the flange of the lid member attached to the front-cover of the information apparatus so as to be opened and closed, and engages the raised part to the concave part of the front-cover.
With such configuration, the position of the raised part is not shifted even if the lid body is deflected, and the raised part is not influenced by the deflection of the lid body. Thus, the click lock is carried out accurately when the lid member is in the closed position and the opened position.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a front-cover assembly capable of having a more sophisticated design when the lid member is in the opened state and the closed state.
In order to achieve this object, the present invention configures the shape of the flange of the lid member attached to the front-cover of the information apparatus so as to be opened and closed to correspond to the shape of the front-cover.
When the lid member is in the opened state, the flange blocks the gap between the front-cover and the cap making the above gap unnoticeable, and thus the design seen from the front face of the front-cover assembly is more sophisticated. Similarly, when the lid member is in the closed state, the flange block
Fujita Hiroyuki
Ishikawa Masaki
Konno Tsutomu
Fujitsu Limited
Patel Dhiru R
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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