Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-28
2002-05-21
Picard, Leo P. (Department: 2835)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S689000, C361S689000, C345S905000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06392871
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable computer system and more particularly, to a portable computer system termed as laptop or notebook-type computer, which is equipped with a display subsystem movably connected to a computer body and an auxiliary device such as a speaker and a visual indicator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1
schematically shows a conventional, typical portable computer system
100
termed a laptop or notebook-type computer. This computer system
100
is comprised of a rectangular-plate-shaped computer body
110
and a rectangular-plate-shaped display subsystem
120
movably attached to the body
110
through two hinges
160
. These two hinges
160
are provided at the rear end of the body
110
to be apart from one another.
The computer body
110
includes a keyboard
111
, known disk drives and devices (not shown), a visual information indicator
112
, and two speakers
113
. The indicator
112
, which visually displays specific information such as the ON/OFF state of the computer system
100
and the remaining electric power of a built-in battery (not shown), is located at a narrow, elongated area between the hinges
160
. In other words, the indicator
112
is located at the curved inter-hinge part of the body
110
. The speakers
113
are provided at an unoccupied area
114
of the body
110
between the keyboard
111
and the front end of the body
110
. The speakers
113
are apart from one another. The mouths of the speakers
113
are exposed from the area
114
, as shown in FIG.
1
.
The display subsystem
120
includes a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panel
121
to display necessary information on its rectangular screen according to the instructions from a main subsystem (not shown) of the computer system
100
. The display subsystem
120
, which serves as a lid of the computer system
100
, is able to be pivoted forward and backward around a lateral pivot axis formed by the two hinges
160
.
When a human operator uses the conventional computer system
100
, the system
100
is usually placed on a desk or table, or the operator's laps and then, the display subsystem
120
is pivoted backward around the hinges
160
, thereby opening the display subsystem
120
. Subsequently, the electric power of the system
100
is turned on to thereby start the computer operation. As a result, specific information is displayed on the screen of the LCD panel
121
provided at the display subsystem
120
and simultaneously, specific information is displayed on the indicator
112
provided at the body
110
. Also, specific sounds are emitted by the speakers
113
provided at the body
110
as necessary.
With the conventional portable computer system
100
described above, however, there is a problem that not only the degree of freedom in designing the computer system
100
is low but also usability for the operator is not satisfactory.
Specifically, as shown in
FIG. 1
, the speakers
113
are located in the unoccupied area
114
of the body
110
, in other words, the speakers
113
are located near the front end of the body
110
. On the other hand, the operator is opposed to the screen of the LCD panel
121
of the display subsystem
120
near the front end of the body
110
. Therefore, the speakers
113
will be excessively near to the operator and accordingly, the operator tends to be difficult to catch the sounds emitted from the speakers
113
.
Also, due to this location of the speakers
113
, the mouths of the speakers
113
tend to be covered with or closed by the operator's hand or a paper or document prepared by the operator. Thus, the operator tends to be difficult to catch the sounds emitted from the speakers
113
due to this reason.
Additionally, it has been unusual that a speaker is arranged at a narrow area where the operator is difficult to catch the sounds from the speaker, such as the side or rear face of the computer body
110
. Therefore, the speaker needs to be very compact.
On the other hand, since the indicator
112
is located at the narrow, elongated area between the hinges
160
in the conventional computer system
100
shown in
FIG. 1
, the indicator
112
need to be very compact. Thus, not only the location of the indicator
112
but also the geometric shape and size thereof are conspicuously restricted, thereby lowering the degree of freedom in designing the indicator
112
.
Moreover, due to the location, shape, and size of the indicator
112
, the operator will be difficult to recognize the information visually displayed by the indicator
112
.
In recent years, the indicator
112
has been formed by a compact LCD unit capable of displaying various information instead of Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs). In this case, the characteristic and convenience of the LCD unit are unable to be effectively utilized in the conventional computer system
100
.
The Japanese Non-Examined Utility Model Publication No. 5-36523 published in May 1993 discloses a supporting structure for a display unit of a laptop computer. In this structure, the display unit is attached to a computer body by an intermediate supporting member so that the height and angle of the display unit is optionally adjustable with respect to the computer body. The lower end of the supporting member is pivotably connected to the computer body by a first set of hinges, allowing the supporting member to pivot around the axis of the first set of hinges. The upper end of the supporting member is pivotably connected to the display unit by a second set of hinges, allowing the display unit to pivot around the axis of the second set of hinges. The axes of the first and second sets of hinges are typically parallel to one another.
With the conventional supporting structure disclosed in the Japanese Non-Examined Utility-Model Publication No. 5-36523, however, the above-described problem is unable to be solved. This is because this conventional supporting structure is a structure allowing simply the height and angle of the display unit to be adjustable. No reference about speakers and visual indicators is disclosed in this Publication.
Also, in this conventional supporting structure disclosed in the Japanese Non-Examined Utility Model Publication No. 5-36523, when the computer is not used, the angle between the display unit and the intermediate supporting member is set as approximately 180° so that the display unit and the intermediate supporting member extend along the upper surface of the computer body. As a result, there arises a problem that the screen of the display unit becomes narrower due to existance of the intermediate supporting member as long as the size of the computer body is not enlarged.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a portable computer system that makes it possible to increase the area for an auxiliary device such as a visual indicator and a speaker.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable computer system in which the location and attitude of an auxiliary device such as a visual indicator and a speaker are adjustable with respect to a computer body.
The above objects together with others not specifically mentioned will become clear to those skilled in the art from the following description.
A portable computer system according to the present invention is comprised of a computer body having a first pivot axis, and a display subsystem pivotably connected to the body around the first pivot axis. The display subsystem includes first and second units, one of which is provided with an auxiliary device and the other of which is provided with a display device. The second unit is pivotably connected to the body around the first pivot axis and capable of being held at a desired first pivot angle with respect to the body. The first unit is pivotably connected to the second unit around a second pivot axis and capable of being held at a desired second pivot angle with respect to the second unit.
With the portable computer system according t
Ostrolenk, Faber, Gerb & Soffen, LL
Picard Leo P.
Vortman Anatoly
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