Liquid crystal cells – elements and systems – Particular structure – Holder – support – frame – or housing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-15
2004-06-08
Kim, Robert H. (Department: 2871)
Liquid crystal cells, elements and systems
Particular structure
Holder, support, frame, or housing
C361S689000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06747713
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure for mounting a liquid crystal module, as a display device, which is mounted on a cover of a portable data terminal or information processing equipment, such as a laptop personal computer or a notebook-type personal computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in
FIG. 1
, a liquid crystal module
1
is mounted as a display device on a cover of a laptop personal computer, a notebook-type personal computer or the like. The module
1
is fixed on the cover by inserting screws
2
into screw-inserting portions
1
b
of the module
1
, which are projected from right and left side ends of the liquid crystal module
1
outwardly and parallel to a display face
1
a
and then driving the screws
2
in fixing portions
3
.
In the above-mentioned conventional liquid crystal module
1
fixed on the cover as described above, the area ratio of the display face
1
a
in the total area of the cover becomes small by the length that the screw-inserting portions
1
b
are projected outwardly from the side ends. For example, therefore, in the case that the size of the cover is restricted, it is difficult to adopt any liquid crystal module having a large display face. Alternatively, in the case that a liquid crystal module having a large display face is adopted, there arises a problem that the cover becomes large.
Moreover, in the conventional liquid crystal module, the screws are inserted from the display face side in the thickness direction of the cover. Therefore, this liquid crystal module has a problem that the thickness of the cover is decided by the length of the screws satisfying the fixing strength of the liquid crystal module so that the thickness of the cover unfavorably becomes large.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, therefore, in order to overcome the above-mentioned problem, there is used a liquid crystal module
1
, in a side-mount style, whose right and left end faces have screw-fixing portions
4
. In the side-mount style, the liquid crystal module
1
is arranged on a lower frame
5
in the state that a display face
1
a
faces upward, and screws
6
are inserted into through-holes
5
a
made in a side edge of the lower frame
5
. The screws
6
are driven in the screw-fixing portions
4
, so that the liquid crystal module
1
is fixed to the lower frame
5
with the screws
6
. This causes an improvement about the width in the right and left direction of the cover and the thickness thereof, as compared with the prior art.
As shown in
FIG. 3
, however, in the liquid crystal module in the side-mount style, it is necessary to separate an outside frame
7
from a back light (B/L) portion
8
by the distance d for a space where the tips of the screws
6
are driven and inserted. Therefore, the width in the right and left directions of the liquid crystal module
1
becomes large, so as to cause a problem that the chassis of the laptop computer gets large. The area ratio of the display face
1
a
to the total area of the liquid crystal module
1
get s small by the space between the outside frame
7
and the B/L portion
8
. Thus, in the case that the liquid crystal module
1
is mounted on the cover, there arises a problem that the area ratio of the display face
1
a
to the total area of the framework gets small.
As shown in
FIG. 4
, in the liquid crystal module in the side-mount style, it is necessary that the width D of the screw-fixing portion
4
in the thickness direction has not only the diameter r of the screw
6
but also a length for room, i.e., length (m
1
+m
2
). For this reason, the liquid crystal module cannot be made thinner than a given thickness.
Besides, in order to drive a liquid crystal device in the liquid crystal module in the side-mount style, it is necessary to form the screw-fixing portion to keep away from a driver IC (integrated circuit) mounted in the module. Thus, the flexibility of design becomes low. That is, signal lines of the driver IC cannot be laid out into a more appropriate form.
In the cover of the portable data terminal equipment on which a liquid crystal module in the side-mount style is mounted, through-holes through which screws penetrate are formed in parallel to its display face in its lower frame. In the process for producing it, therefore, a slide mold is necessary, so that costs for producing process rise.
In the portable data terminal equipment in the side-mount style, the screw-driving position is present on the end face of the cover. Accordingly, in the case that the liquid crystal module is put on and taken off, working efficiency thereof is lower than in the case that screws are driven from the display face side. Thus, there arises a problem that working efficiency of fabrication falls.
Furthermore, in the portable data terminal equipment in the side-mount style, the through-holes through which the screws penetrate are formed in the side edge having a narrow width. Thus, it is necessary to raise the strength of this side edge. When a metal having a high strength, such as magnesium alloy, is used as low material of the cover in order to improve the strength, costs for the low material rise. Processing efficiency of the molding step drops because of the improved strength. The weight of the cover also increases.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a structure for mounting a liquid crystal module that makes it possible to make compact a cover of a portable data terminal or information processing equipment in which the liquid crystal module is mounted and built as a display unit, the cover being fitted to a body rotatably, and to improve working efficiency upon the assembly of the cover and simplify the production process thereof; and a portable data terminal or information processing equipment on which this structure is mounted.
The structure of a first aspect of the invention comprises a cover that covers at least one face of a body of a computer, and a rectangular liquid crystal module built in the cover, and which is for mounting the liquid crystal module of a portable data terminal equipment on the cover.
The structure comprises: a bottom plate which is put on the back side of a display face of the liquid crystal module, an outside frame which is put on the side of the display face of the liquid crystal module and has an opening from which the display face can be exposed, a projected portion for fitting the liquid crystal module between the bottom plate and the outside frame, the projected portion being made in at least one of upper and lower edges of the liquid crystal so as to be projected in the direction parallel to the display face, a through-hole which is formed in the projected portion and extends through the projected portion in the thickness direction of the liquid crystal module, and a connection portion which is formed in the bottom plate and the outside frame and connects the two through the through-hole.
In this liquid crystal module, the projected portion is formed in at least one of the upper and lower edges of the liquid crystal so as to be projected in the direction parallel to the display face, and the through-hole is formed in the projected portion to extend through the projected portion in the thickness direction of the liquid crystal module. The bottom plate and the outside frame are connected to each other through this through-hole, so that the liquid crystal module, the bottom plate and the outside frame are integrated with the cover of the body of the computer. It becomes unnecessary to make screw-fixing portions or the like at right and left edges of the liquid crystal module as seen in the side-mount style. For this reason, the width in the right and left direction of the liquid crystal module can be made small. It is also unnecessary that any screw-fixing portion is made at the side faces of the bottom plate and the outside frame, so that the width in the right and the left direction of the chassis can be made small. Moreover, it is unnecessary to make any screw-fixi
Chung David Y.
Katten Muchin Zavis & Rosenman
Kim Robert H.
NEC LCD Technologies Ltd.
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