Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-13
2003-07-15
Feild, Lynn D. (Department: 2839)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
active
06594143
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal module mounting structure, and more particularly to a structure for mounting a liquid crystal module serving as a display to a mobile terminal such as a note type personal computer.
A liquid crystal module mounted to a note type personal computer will be described.
FIG. 1
is a perspective view illustrative of a note type personal computer mounted with a liquid crystal module serving as a display. The note type personal computer comprises a body
202
and a cover
203
, A liquid crystal module
200
serving as a display of the computer is mounted to the cover
203
. The liquid crystal module
200
has a peripheral region surrounding a display area, and this peripheral region has a plurality of screw holes
201
. The cover
203
also has screw holes
205
at positions corresponding to the screw holes
201
of the liquid crystal module
200
. The liquid crystal module
200
is fixed to the cover
203
by screws
204
which are driven tightly into the screw holes
201
and the screw holes
205
. The display area of the liquid crystal module
200
is smaller in size than an entire part of the liquid crystal module
200
by the peripheral region on which the screw holes
201
are formed. Namely, it is difficult to enlarge the display area of the liquid crystal module
200
without enlargement of the cover
203
.
Further, a thickness of the liquid crystal module
200
is decided dependent upon the necessary length of the screws
201
on the basis of the necessary strength in tightly fixing the liquid crystal module
200
to the cover
203
. Namely, it is difficult to reduce the thickness of the liquid crystal module
200
with keeping the necessary fixing strength.
In order to have solved the above problems with the conventional liquid crystal module mounting structure of
FIG. 1
, a side mount type liquid crystal module has been proposed.
FIG. 2
is a perspective view illustrative of decomposed side mount type liquid crystal module mounting structure. A liquid crystal module
301
has two opposite side faces which are vertical to a display surface
301
a
of the liquid crystal module
301
. Each of the two opposite side faces has two screw holes
300
which axes are parallel to the display surface
301
a
. The liquid crystal module
301
is engaged within inside walls of a bottom frame
303
. The bottom frame
303
has two opposite side faces, each of which has two screw holes
304
at positions corresponding to the screw holes
300
of the liquid crystal module
301
. The liquid crystal module
301
is engaged within the bottom frame
303
, whereby the screw holes
300
of the liquid crystal module
301
are aligned to the corresponding screw holes
304
of the bottom frame
303
. Screws
305
are driven tightly into the screw holes
300
and the screw holes
304
, so as to tightly fix the liquid crystal module
301
to the bottom frame
303
. A top frame
302
is placed on the bottom frame
303
.
The above side mount type liquid crystal module has the following disadvantage.
FIG. 3
is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrative of a mounting structure of a side mount type liquid crystal module to an outside frame. A liquid crystal module
303
is engaged within an outside frame
303
b
, wherein a distance “d” is present between an inside wall of the outside frame
303
b
and a side face of a back-light portion
303
c
of the liquid crystal module
303
, so that a screw
305
is driven into screw holes to penetrate the outside frame
303
b
and enters into the side portion of the liquid crystal module
303
. The distance “d” is necessary as a margin for driving the screw
305
. This distance “d” as the screw margin results in widening the liquid crystal module
303
.
FIG. 4
is a fragmentary cross sectional elevation view illustrative of a side portion having a screw hole of an outside frame shown in FIG.
3
. In view of securing a sufficient strength, a screw hole formation region for forming a screw hole for a screw
305
is made of a metal material, which is heavy more than a resin of a body of the outside frame
303
b
. The metal screw hole formation region of the outside frame
303
b
results in increase in weight of the mobile terminal.
With reference back to
FIG. 3
, a head of the screw
305
projects from the side face of the outside frame
303
b
in a horizontal direction or a width direction, whereby a distance or margin “s” is present between the head of the screw
305
and the side face of the back-light portion
303
c
of the liquid crystal module
303
. This distance or margin “s” widens the width of the liquid crystal module
303
, whereby the width of the mobile terminal is also widen.
Furthermore, a display area of the display surface of the liquid crystal module is smaller than the area of the cover of the mobile terminal by the length of the screw extending in the parallel direction to the display surface of the liquid crystal module.
Moreover as shown in
FIG. 4
, the screw formation region for forming the screw hole has a side or dimension “D” which is defined by a sum of a diameter “r” of the screw
305
, and first and second margins “m
1
” and “m
2
”, for which reason a reduction in thickness of the liquid crystal module is limited by the dimension “D”.
The above described side mount liquid crystal module has a further disadvantage that if the mobile terminal mounted with the side mount liquid crystal module receives an external shock, then a mechanical stress due to the received shock is concentrated to the screw formation region of the outside frame. This mechanical stress concentration may provide damages to the liquid crystal panel and the outside frame.
As described above, the screw formation region of the outside frame is made of a metal material, for which reason when the screw is driven through the screw hole in the screw formation region made of the metal material, then it is possible that a metal broken piece is generated, whereby the metal broken piece may form a short circuit on an electronic circuit.
The above screw formation region of the side mount type liquid crystal module is required to be formed to avoid a driver IC provided on the module. This means that a freedom in design of signal lines of the driver IC is reduced. The screw formation region of the side mount type liquid crystal module makes it difficult to obtain an optimum layout of the signal lines of the driver IC.
The cover of the mobile terminal has the screw receiving portion for receiving the screw, for which reason a slide mold is necessary to form the cover. This means that the cost for forming the manufacturing line is high.
The screw receiving portion of the cover comprises a recessed portion which extends from the side face to an inside portion of the cover. The extension of the recessed portion as the screw receiving portion makes widen the width of the cover.
The side mount type liquid crystal module is inconvenient in removing the liquid crystal module from the cover by removing the screws in side direction.
The screw receiving portions are provided on side portions of the cover, for which reason the screw hole formation region is required to have a high strength by use of a high strength metal such as Mg allow which is, however, expensive and heavy and has a low formability.
In the above circumstances, it had been required to develop a novel liquid crystal module mounting structure for a mobile terminal free from the above problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel liquid crystal module mounting structure free from the above problems.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel liquid crystal module mounting structure which allows a reduction in thickness of a liquid crystal module mounted on a mobile terminal.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a novel liquid crystal module mounting structure which improves a reliability.
It is yet a further object of the p
Baba Masatake
Fujishiro Fumihiko
Fukuyoshi Hirokazu
Kato Katsuhiro
Mikami Kazuaki
Feild Lynn D.
Le Thanh-Tam
McGinn & Gibb PLLC
NEC Corporation
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