ELECTRONIC APPARATUS

• US 20080144267A1
• Filed: 11/21/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Tanaka, Hiroyuki, Kajiwara, Yoshifumi, Matsumoto, Yoshiya, Ishikawa, Takehisa, Yamamoto, Atsuko, Sakashita, Hiroaki, Murayama, Kazunori
• Application Number:
  US11/943,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20080144267A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/681
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1622 with enclosures rotating around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define or with ball-joint coupling, e.g. PDA with display enclosure orientation changeable between portrait and landscape by rotation with respect to a coplanar body enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1679 for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA G06F1/1681 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode

Abstract

An electronic apparatus of the clamshell type includes a hinge bracket receiving the back surface of a display enclosure. The hinge bracket takes a closed attitude, where the display enclosure is superposed on a main body enclosure, to an opened attitude, where the display enclosure is flipped to open relative to the main body enclosure. When the display enclosure is set at a specific angle position during establishment of the closed attitude of the hinge bracket, the screen of the display panel is partly uncovered outside the edge of the main body enclosure. The user of the electronic apparatus is allowed to look at an image or images on a partial screen. Such a partial screen provides the functions identical to those of a so-called sub-display panel. A conventional sub-display can be omitted. The electronic apparatus is allowed to enjoy a wide variety of design.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a main body enclosure;

a display enclosure superposed on a flat front surface of the main body enclosure on a front surface, the display enclosure defining a window opening in the front surface for exposing a screen of a display panel;

a hinge bracket coupled to the main body enclosure for relative rotation around a first rotation axis parallel to the flat front surface of the main body enclosure, the hinge bracket receiving a back surface of the display enclosure on a front surface, the hinge bracket allowed to change from a closed attitude, where the display enclosure is superposed on the flat front surface of the main body enclosure, to an opened attitude, where the display enclosure is flipped to open relative to the main body enclosure through rotation around the first rotation axis; and

a coupling mechanism coupling the display enclosure to the hinge bracket for relative rotation around a second rotation axis perpendicular to the flat front surface of the main body enclosure when the hinge bracket takes the closed attitude, the coupling mechanism allowing rotation of the display enclosure around the second rotation axis at least over a range of 90 degrees from a reference angle position where the window opening of the display enclosure is entirely covered with the main body enclosure, the coupling mechanism restraining the rotation of the display enclosure around the second rotation axis at a specific angle position shifted from the reference angle position by an angle smaller than 90 degrees, to uncover the screen of the display panel outside an edge of the main body enclosure.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific angle position is shifted from the reference angle position by 45 degrees.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hinge bracket has a contour aligned with a contour of the display enclosure when the display enclosure is set at the specific angle position during establishment of the closed attitude of the hinge bracket.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a magnet attached to one of the hinge bracket and the display enclosure;

a magnetic force sensor attached to other of the hinge bracket and the display enclosure, the magnetic force sensor opposed to the magnet when the display enclosure is set at the specific angle position during establishment of the closed attitude of the hinge bracket; and

a controller circuit outputting an instruction signal to clear display on the screen of the display panel when the controller circuit detects the display panel set at the reference angle position during establishment of the closed attitude of the hinge bracket in response to output from the magnetic force sensor, the controller circuit outputting an instruction signal to make a specific display appear on an uncovered screen of the display panel outside the edge of the main body enclosure when the controller circuit detects the display enclosure set at the specific angle position during establishment of the closed attitude of the hinge bracket in response to output from the magnetic force sensor.

5. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a main body enclosure;

a display enclosure superposed on a flat front surface of the main body enclosure on a front surface, the display enclosure defining a window opening in the front surface for exposing a screen of a display panel;

a hinge bracket coupled to the main body enclosure for relative rotation around a first rotation axis parallel to the flat front surface of the main body enclosure, the hinge bracket receiving a back surface of the display enclosure on a front surface, the hinge bracket allowed to change from a closed attitude, where the display enclosure is superposed on the flat front surface of the main body enclosure, to an opened attitude, where the display enclosure is flipped to open relative to the main body enclosure through rotation around the first rotation axis; and

a coupling mechanism coupling the display enclosure to the hinge bracket for relative rotation around a second rotation axis perpendicular to the flat front surface of the main body enclosure when the hinge bracket takes the closed attitude, the coupling mechanism allowing rotation of the display enclosure around the second rotation axis in normal and reverse directions at least over a range of 90 degrees, respectively, from a reference angle position where the window opening of the display enclosure is entirely covered with the main body enclosure, the coupling mechanism restraining the rotation of the display enclosure at specific angle positions shifted from the reference angle position by an angle smaller than 90 degrees in the normal and reverse directions, respectively, to uncover the screen of the display panel outside an edge of the main body enclosure.

6. The electronic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the specific angle positions are shifted from the reference angle position by ±

45 degrees, respectively.

7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the hinge bracket has a contour aligned with a contour of the display enclosure when the display enclosure is set at any of the specific angle positions during establishment of the closed attitude of the hinge bracket.

8. The electronic apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a magnet attached to one of the hinge bracket and the display enclosure;

a magnetic force sensor attached to other of the hinge bracket and the display enclosure, the magnetic force sensor opposed to the magnet when the display enclosure is set at the specific angle position during establishment of the closed attitude of the hinge bracket; and

a controller circuit outputting an instruction signal to clear display on the screen of the display panel when the controller circuit detects the display panel set at the reference angle position during establishment of the closed attitude of the hinge bracket in response to output from the magnetic force sensor, the controller circuit outputting an instruction signal to make a specific display appear on an uncovered screen of the display panel outside the edge of the main body enclosure when the controller circuit detects the display enclosure set at the specific angle position during establishment of the closed attitude of the hinge bracket in response to output from the magnetic force sensor.

9. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a main body enclosure;

a display enclosure superposed on a flat front surface of the main body enclosure on a front surface, the display enclosure defining a window opening in the front surface for exposing a screen of a display panel;

a first coupling mechanism coupling the display enclosure to the main body enclosure for relative rotation around a first rotation axis parallel to the flat front surface of the main body enclosure, the first coupling mechanism allowing change of an attitude of the display enclosure from a closed attitude, where the display enclosure is superposed on the flat front surface of the main body enclosure, to an opened attitude, where the display enclosure is flipped to open relative to the main body enclosure through rotation around the first rotation axis; and

a second coupling mechanism coupling the display enclosure to the main body enclosure for relative rotation around a second rotation axis perpendicular to the flat front surface of the main body enclosure when the display enclosure takes the closed attitude, the second coupling mechanism allowing rotation of the display enclosure around the second rotation axis at least over a range of 90 degrees from a reference angle position where the window opening of the display enclosure is entirely covered with the main body enclosure, the second coupling mechanism restraining the rotation of the display enclosure at a specific angle position shifted from the reference angle position by an angle smaller than 90 degrees, to uncover the screen of the display panel outside an edge of the main body enclosure.

10. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a main body enclosure;

an auxiliary enclosure superposed on a flat front surface of the main body enclosure on a front surface, the auxiliary enclosure defining a window opening;

a hinge bracket coupled to the main body enclosure for relative rotation around a first rotation axis parallel to the flat front surface of the main body enclosure, the hinge bracket receiving a back surface of the auxiliary enclosure on a front surface, the hinge bracket allowed to change from a closed attitude, where the auxiliary enclosure is superposed on the flat front surface of the main body enclosure, to an opened attitude, where the auxiliary enclosure is flipped to open relative to the main body enclosure through rotation around the first rotation axis; and

a coupling mechanism coupling the auxiliary enclosure to the hinge bracket for relative rotation around a second rotation axis perpendicular to the flat front surface of the main body enclosure when the hinge bracket takes the closed attitude, the coupling mechanism allowing rotation of the auxiliary enclosure around the second rotation axis at least over a range of 90 degrees from a reference angle position where the window opening of the auxiliary enclosure is entirely covered with the main body enclosure, the coupling mechanism restraining the rotation of the auxiliary enclosure around the second rotation axis at a specific angle position shifted from the reference angle position by an angle smaller than 90 degrees.