Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Patent
1995-06-02
1997-04-15
Picard, Leo P.
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
3647081, 3122232, H05K 714, G06F 116
Patent
active
056216122
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a microcomputer having a computer case, a monitor and a keyboard, which are interlinked and have at least one main connector.
There are two different types of casings for microcomputers at present, namely desktop casings and casings for upright position. Desktop casings present the advantage, that the disk drives are easily accessible, but they have the disadvantage, that the desktop case takes away quite a lot of space of the usable surface of a desk. This disadvantage is not relevant for stand up casings, of course, but they have the disadvantage, that the openings of the disk drives are difficult to access, the same holds for further operating elements of the computer casing.
The computer casing of a microcomputer of the kind mentioned above houses the components of a microcomputer, which are relevant for data processing, especially the motherboard (main board), power-supply, at least one drive for interchangeable dater carriers, for the most part a hard disk, the accompanying controllers and cards, as for example graphic cards, which are located in slots of the main board provided therefore. Furtheron signalling lamps are arranged in the computer case informing about the on-state, the function of one or more drives. Finally some computers have a reset push button for easily initiating a system reset.
It is the aim of the invention, to further develop a microcomputer of the kind mentioned above in such a way, that on one hand the control elements of the computer casing are within easy reach of a user, as generally is the case for a desktop unit, but without having to accept the disadvantages of the desktop casing, that is without the desk space required for a desktop casing. The invention aims at the idea to combine the advantages of a desktop casing with those of a stand-up casing, without having to accept the disadvantages of both.
This object is solved by a microcomputer having an additional control case.
The main and important control elements are taken away from the computer casing and are arranged in the control case, which is small in relation to the computer casing. Only those elements remain in the computer casing, which do not need a separate access from outside, i.e. the motherboard with cards inserted therein, power supply, hard disk drive etc. The drives, which accept a disk or an interchangeable data carrier are arranged in the control case. There they occupy most of the space available. Furtheron the connectors for the keyboard, a mouse and a microphone are arranged in the control case. The microcomputer is switched on and off by a mains switch, which is arranged in the control case. By this means a user does not need to have access to the computer casing during normal use of a microcomputer, no manipulations at the computer casing are necessary then. All operating steps are preformed at the control case. This control case (also called control unit) is made small enough to fit under the base of a commercial monitor. The control case being smaller in weight than the computer casing can be carried by normal swivel supports for monitors. A computer case provides a support for the monitor, which is put atop of the upper face thereof.
In a further and especially preferred embodiment the control case forms a foot of a monitor, i.e. has on it's upper face all the necessary equipments for locating and tilting a monitor, preferably the upper face of the control case is a base portion of a monitor.
As the size of the control case is mainly determined by the number of drives, which are to be arranged in the control case, and as a control case should be as small as possible, a maximum size is aimed at, which is sufficient for accommodating four drives. For the further discussion the reference-size will be the size of a 51/4 inch drive. Preferably the control case can accommodate a maximum of four drives. In praxis they are CD-ROM, 31/2 inch and 51/4 inch drives.
In a preferred embodiment a single trunk connects the control case and the computer casing. This simplifies the set
REFERENCES:
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin Vo. 36 No. 09A Sep. 1993.
BYTE, Dec. 1992 "Desktop Multimedia" p. 72.
Feild Lynn D.
Picard Leo P.
Vobis Microcomputer AG
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