Notebook having combined touch pad and CD-ROM drive

• US 20060007167A1
• Filed: 06/02/2004
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventec Corporation
• Original Assignee: Inventec Corporation
• Inventors: Shih, Ching-Ching
• Granted Patent: US 7,233,314 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033

Abstract

The present invention is to provide a notebook having a mechanism for combining a touch pad and a CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) drive in which the CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) drive disposed on the notebook is combined with the touch pad disposed on a top surface of the CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) drive as a unit in order to eliminate the inconvenience of removing the cable and/or one or more peripheral devices in opening a CD-ROM (or DVD-ROM) drive in the notebook; save precious internal space of the housing of the notebook; and provide an aesthetic, circular touch pad assembly.

Claims

1. A notebook having a mechanism for combining a touch pad and a CD-ROM drive, comprising:

a display;

a housing including at least one pivot member coupled to the display, a manipulating section formed on a top surface of the housing, a keyboard provided on the manipulating section adjacent the pivot member, and at least one I/O port provided on one side of the housing;

a touch pad assembly provided on the manipulating section between the keyboard and a forward end of the housing, the touch pad assembly being circular and including a touch pad occupying a first portion, a first button occupying a second portion smaller than the first portion, and an adjacent second button occupying a third portion smaller than the first portion, and a second connecting member provided at an edge of the touch pad for pivotably coupling the touch pad to the manipulating section;

lock means including a first member provided in the touch pad assembly and a mated second member provided adjacent an edge of the touch pad assembly wherein the touch pad assembly is operative to pivot to position at an optimum angle with respect to the manipulating section by pivoting about the second connecting member; and

a CD-ROM drive provided under the touch pad assembly and including an internal disc receiving cavity, the disc receiving cavity being exposed by opening the touch pad assembly at a predetermined angle, and a read/write head provided on a bottom of the CD-ROM drive wherein a CD is adapted to fit onto the disc receiving cavity prior to closing the touch pad assembly onto the disc receiving cavity.

2. The notebook of claim 1, wherein the first member of the lock means is a hole and is disposed in a position of the touch pad assembly corresponding to the second member of the lock means with the edge of the touch pad assembly passing therebetween.

3. The notebook of claim 2, wherein the second member of the lock means is a sliding lock and including a button projected from a top surface of the manipulating section, an inclined end facing the first member of the lock means, and a resilient member urged against the other end of the second member of the lock means.

4. The notebook of claim 1, further comprising a positioning plate provided on a bottom of the touch pad assembly wherein the positioning plate is adapted to lower to hold the CD in the disc receiving cavity in place.

5. The notebook of claim 4, further comprising a touch control circuit board provided in the touch pad assembly adjacent the positioning plate, the touch control circuit board having a cable extended therefrom into the display for sending information thereto for showing.