Electronic apparatus having a slidable pawl for removably connecting a display housing to a base housing

• US 5,168,429 A
• Filed: 03/19/1992
• Issued: 12/01/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Hosoi, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phillips, Michael W.
• Application Number:
  US07/853,855
• Time in Patent Office: 257 Days
• Field of Search: 439/164, 439/165, 439/345, 439/347, 364/708, 361/380, 361/390, 361/391, 361/392, 361/393, 361/394, 361/395, 361/399
• US Class Current: 361/679.09
• 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 1/1654 the display being detachable, e.g. for remote use
• 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 1/1683 for the transmission of signal or power between the different housings, e.g. details of wired or wireless communication, passage of cabling

Abstract

The portable electronic apparatus comprises a body, a display unit, rotary shaft and a slide shaft. The body includes a keyboard, a main power supply for supplying a voltage, a first connector electrically connected to the main power supply and a top cover having a connector hole for exposing the first connector. The display unit includes a second connector electrically and mechanically connected to the first connector and a flat panel display supplied the voltage from the main power supply through the first connector and the second connector. The rotary shaft rotates the display unit between a first position for covering the keyboard and a second position for operating the keyboard. The slide shaft engages the rotary shaft and mechanically connects the display unit to the body in a third position and releases the engagement and mechanical connection between the display unit and the body in a fourth position. The apparatus has good carrying ability and portability when the display unit is detached from the body, is excellent in producibility of the apparatus, and has less chance of electric shock to the operator and less electric shock to the apparatus.

Claims

1. An electrical apparatus, comprising:

a housing including a keyboard, a first electrical connector, and a mounting surface, the mounting surface including an indented portion defining opposing inside side surfaces and a hole containing the first electrical connector, each opposing inside side surfaces including a rotatable shaft, respectively;

a display body having a first portion disposed within the indented portion and including a second electrical connector releasably connecting to the first electrical connector, the first portion of the display body including opposing slide pawls, each slide pawl connecting to a corresponding one of the rotatable shafts; and

means for retracting the slide pawls into the display body and releasably away from the corresponding rotatable shafts.

2. An electrical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first electrical connector has an upper portion substantially flush with the mounting surface.

3. An electrical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the rotatable shafts has an end portion substantially flush with the corresponding inside side surface.

4. An electrical apparatus, comprising:

a body including a base and a top cover attaching to the base, the top cover including an indented portion, a pair of shaft holders and an upper surface, the indented portion defining a pair of opposing inside side surfaces each having an axial hole, respectively, and an indented mount surface having a connector hole, the indented bottom surface being lower than the upper surface;

a first connector disposed in the connector hole and exposed to the indented mount surface;

a pair of rotatable shafts each attaching to one of the shaft holders and having an engaging edge and an axis of rotation, respectively, each of the engaging edges being exposed to one of the opposing inside side surfaces, respectively;

a display unit including a display storing portion and a connection section having a pair of slide shaft storing portions and a connector storing portion, the connection section being removably disposed in the indented portion and having a pair of outside side surfaces, each of the outside side surfaces having a slide pawl hole opposing one of the axial holes, respectively;

a flat panel display stored in the display storing portion;

a second connector stored in the connector storing portion and removably connecting to the first connector; and

a pair of slide shafts each stored in one of the slide shafts storing portions and having a slide pawl, respectively, each of the slide pawls being disposed in a corresponding one of the slide pawl holes and being slidable in a direction of the axis of rotation of the rotatable shafts between a projecting position for projecting from the corresponding slide pawl hole and mechanically engaging with a corresponding one of the engaging edges to rotatably connect the display unit to the body and a retracted position in the slide pawl hole for releasing the slide pawl from the corresponding engaging edge to enable the display unit to be removed from the body.

5. An electrical apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the connection section includes a pair of guiding grooves, each of the guiding grooves guiding one of the slide pawls between the projecting position and the retracted position, respectively.

6. An electrical apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each of the slide shafts further comprises a spring for forcing the corresponding slide pawl to the projecting position, respectively.

7. An electrical apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the connection section further comprises a pair of stopper grooves, each of the stopper grooves being continuous with one of the guiding grooves and maintaining the corresponding slide pawl in the retracted position respectively.

8. An electrical apparatus according to claim 7, wherein each of the slide shafts further comprises a hole therein corresponding to one of the stopper grooves, respectively, and a slidable knob disposed in the hole, each of the slidable knobs being slidable in the corresponding hole to engage with the corresponding one of the stopper grooves, respectively.

9. An electrical apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first connector is substantially flush with the mount surface.

10. An electrical apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each of the engaging edges is substantially flush with the corresponding inside side surface, respectively.

11. An electrical apparatus comprising:

a body including a base and a top cover attaching to the base, the top cover having a mount surface having a connector hole, an upper surface higher than the mount surface and an inside side surface connecting the upper surface and the mount surface, the inside side surface having an axial hole and a base slide shaft storing portion therein;

a removable display unit including a display storing portion and a connection section having a connector storing portion and a slide shaft storing portion, the connection section disposed on the first upper surface and having an outside side surface, the outside side surface having a slide pawl hole opposing the axial hole;

a first connector disposed in the connector hole and exposed to the mount surface;

a second connector disposed in the connector storing portion and releasably connected to the first connector;

a flat panel display disposed in the display storing portion;

a rotatable shaft disposed in one of the base slide shaft storing portion and slide shaft storing portion, the rotatable shaft having an axis of rotation and an engaging edge disposed in a corresponding one of the axial hole and the slide pawl hole;

a slide shaft having a slide pawl, the slide shaft being disposed in the base slide shaft storing portion when the rotatable shaft is disposed in the slide shaft storing portion storing portion and being disposed in the slide shaft storing portion when the rotatable shaft is disposed in the base slide shaft storing portion; and

a knob, coupled to the slide pawl, for sliding the slide pawl in a direction of the axis of rotation of the rotatable shaft between a projected position for projecting the slide pawl from a corresponding one of the axial hole and the slide pawl hole to engage the slide pawl with the engaging edge and a retracted position for disengaging the slide pawl from the engaging edge and retracting the slide pawl into a respective one of the base slide shaft storing portion and slide shaft storing portion.

12. An electrical apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the connecting section further comprises a guiding groove for guiding the knob in the direction of the axis of rotation of the rotatable shaft between a first position for positioning the slide pawl in the retracted position and a second position for positioning the slide pawl in the projected position.

13. An electrical apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the slide shaft further comprises spring means for forcing the slide pawl toward the projected position.

14. An electrical apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the connection section further comprises a stopper groove, continuous with the guiding groove, for maintaining the knob in a third position to maintain the slide claw portion in the retracted position.