Housing for electronic apparatus having outer wall formed by injection molding

• US 20020126445A1
• Filed: 02/25/2002
• Published: 09/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Yasuyuki, Minaguchi, Hiroyuki, Tajima, Nobuyasu, Yokoyama, Naohiro
• Granted Patent: US 6,819,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/683
• CPC Class Codes: B22D 17/007 Semi-solid pressure die casting
• CPC Class Codes: B22D 17/22 Dies manufacture, see the appropriate class, e.g. B23P15/24; Die plates; Die supports; Cooling equipment for dies; Accessories for loosening and ejecting castings from dies
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4998 Combined manufacture including applying or shaping of fluent material

Abstract

The housing used in the electronic apparatus has an outer wall. The outer wall is formed by injecting a metal material from a plurality of gates into a molding space in a metal die. The outer wall includes a first end portion situated on an upstream end along a flowing direction of the metal material, a second end portion situated on a downstream end of the flowing direction of the metal material, and an injection portion formed on the first end portion where the plurality of gates of the metal die are situated, forming a space between the first end portion and the injection portion.

Claims

1. A housing used for an electronic apparatus, comprising:

an outer wall formed by injecting a metal material from a plurality of gates into a molding space in a metal die, wherein said outer wall includes a first end portion situated on an upstream end along a flowing direction of the metal material, a second end portion situated on a downstream end of the flowing direction of the metal material, and an injection portion formed on the first end portion where said plurality of gates of the metal die are situated, forming a space between the first end portion and the injection portion.

2. A housing according to claim 1, wherein the injection portion includes first and second edge portions that extend from the first end portion towards the second end portion and facing each other, and a third edge portion bridged between a distal end of the first edge portion and a distal end of the second edge portion.

3. A housing according to claim 1, wherein the metal material is a magnesium alloy and is injected in a half-molten state into the molding space of the metal die.

4. A housing according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of gates of the metal die are arranged at intervals along the first edge portion to the third edge portion.

5. A housing configured to house a functional part, comprising:

a support wall configured to support the functional part, and formed by injecting a metal material from a plurality of gates into a molding space in a metal die, wherein said support wall includes a first end portion situated on an upstream end along a flowing direction of the metal material, a second end portion situated on a downstream end of the flowing direction of the metal material, and an injection portion formed on the first end portion where said plurality of gates of the metal die are situated, forming a space between the first end portion and the injection portion.

6. A housing according to claim 5, wherein the functional part is situated between the first end portion and the second end portion of the support wall.

7. A housing according to claim 5, wherein the injection portion includes first and second edge portions that extend from the first end portion towards the second end portion and facing each other, and a third edge portion bridged between a distal end of the first edge portion and a distal end of the second edge portion.

8. A housing according to claim 5, wherein the metal material is a magnesium alloy and is injected in a half-molten state into the molding space of the metal die.

9. A housing according to claim 7, wherein the injection portion of the support wall is covered by a synthetic-resin made cover, and the cover is fixed to the support wall by a plurality of locations along the first edge portion to the third edge portion of the injection portion.

10. A housing, comprising:

a support wall configured to support a functional part; and

a pair of projecting portions projecting from the support wall at intervals, wherein, said support wall is formed by injecting a metal material from a plurality of gates into a molding space in a metal die, and said support wall includes a first end portion on which the projecting portions are situated, a second end portion situated on an opposite side to the first end portion, and an injection portion formed on the first end portion where said plurality of gates of the metal die are situated, forming a space between the first end portion and the injection portion.

11. A housing according to claim 10, wherein the first end portion of the support wall is situated on an upstream end along a flowing direction of the metal material, and the second end portion of the support wall is situated on a downstream end of the flowing direction of the metal material.

12. A housing according to claim 11, wherein the functional part is situated between the first end portion and the second end portion of the support wall.

13. A housing according to claim 10, further including:

a synthetic-resin-made cover configured to cover the injection portion of the support wall, the cover being fixed to the support wall and situated between the projecting portions.

15. A housing according to claim 14, further including:

a synthetic-resin-made cover configured to cover the injection portion of the housing, the cover being fixed to the housing.

17. A display unit according to claim 16, wherein the injection portion includes first and second edge portions that extend from the first end portion towards the second end portion and facing each other, and a third edge portion bridged between a distal end of the first edge portion and a distal end of the second edge portion.

18. A display unit according to claim 16, wherein the metal material is a magnesium alloy and is injected in a half-molten state into the molding space of the metal die.

19. A display unit according to claim 16, wherein the display panel is a liquid crystal display panel.

20. A display unit according to claim 17, wherein the injection portion of the support wall is covered by a synthetic-resin made cover, and the cover is fixed to the support wall by a plurality of locations along the first edge portion to the third edge portion of the injection portion.

14. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a housing configured to house a functional part, and formed by injecting a metal material from a plurality of gates into a molding space in a metal die, wherein said housing includes a first end portion situated on an upstream end along a flowing direction of the metal material, a second end portion situated on a downstream end of the flowing direction of the metal material, and an injection portion formed on the first end portion where said plurality of gates of the metal die are situated, forming a space between the first end portion and the injection portion.

16. A display unit, comprising:

a support wall formed by injecting a metal material from a plurality of gates into a molding space in a metal die, wherein said support wall includes a first end portion situated on an upstream end along a flowing direction of the metal material, a second end portion situated on a downstream end of the flowing direction of the metal material, and an injection portion formed on the first end portion where said plurality of gates of the metal die are situated, forming a space between the first end portion and the injection portion; and

a display panel situated between the first end portion and the second end portion of the support wall.

21. A portable computer system, comprising:

a support wall formed by injecting a metal material from a plurality of gates into a molding space in a metal die, wherein said support wall includes a first end portion situated on an upstream end along a flowing direction of the metal material, a second end portion situated on a downstream end of the flowing direction of the metal material, and an injection portion formed on the first end portion where said plurality of gates of the metal die are situated, forming a space between the first end portion and the injection portion;

a display panel situated between the first end portion and the second end portion of the support wall; and

a computer main body having a keyboard, the computer main body being in electric communication with the display panel.

22. A portable computer system according to claim 21, wherein the injection portion includes first and second edge portions that extend from the first end portion towards the second end portion and facing each other, and a third edge portion bridged between a distal end of the first edge portion and a distal end of the second edge portion.

23. A portable computer system according to claim 21, wherein the metal material is a magnesium alloy and is injected in a half-molten state into the molding space of the metal die.

24. A portable computer system according to claim 21, wherein the display panel is a liquid crystal display panel.

25. A portable computer system according to claim 22, wherein the injection portion of the support wall is covered by a synthetic-resin made cover, and the cover is fixed to the support wall by a plurality of locations along the first edge portion to the third edge portion of the injection portion.

27. The method according to claim 26, further including:

covering the injection portion of the support wall by a synthetic-resin made cover; and

fixing the cover to the support wall by a plurality of locations along the first edge portion to the third edge portion of the injection portion.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein the metal material is a magnesium alloy.

26. A method of forming a housing for an electronic apparatus, comprising:

providing a metal material to form a support wall of the housing;

heating the metal material into a half-molten state;

injecting the metal material from a plurality of gates into a molding space in a metal die; and

forming said support wall having a first end portion situated on an upstream end along a flowing direction of the metal material, a second end portion situated on a downstream end of the flowing direction of the metal material, and an injection portion formed on the first end portion where said plurality of gates of the metal die are situated, forming a space between the first end portion and the injection portion.