Combination laptop and pad computer

• US 5,200,913 A
• Filed: 02/14/1992
• Issued: 04/06/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Grid Systems Corporation
• Inventors: Daly, John J., Hawkins, Jeff C.
• Primary Examiner(s): MALZAHN, DAVID H
• Application Number:
  US07/839,004
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: 364/708, 340/707, D14/106, D18/6, D18/7
• US Class Current: 361/679.09
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1615 with several enclosures having relative motions, each enclosure supporting at least one I/O or computing function constructional details of portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts H04M1/0206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• 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

Abstract

A portable lightweight combination laptop and pad computer has a display mounted on a main housing for movement between a closed position and an open position. In the closed position, a keyboard is covered by the undersurface of the display and the display viewing surface remains visible so that the computer may be used in the pad mode with a conductive stylus for data and command entry. In the open position, the keyboard is exposed so that the computer may be used in a laptop or desk top mode, or in a combined mode including the pad mode. The display is mounted to the housing by a four bar hinge mechanism, and a pair of latches are provided approximately mid-way between the front and rear portions of the housing along the side margins to securely latch the display in the closed position for storage, transit or use in the pad mode.

A removable power pack, which attaches to the rear of the housing, carries battery power and a charging circuit for supplying power to the computer elements contained within the housing.

Claims

1. A portable computer comprising:

a computer housing;

a keyboard carried by said computer housing;

a display device having an obverse viewing surface and a reverse surface; and

a four bar hinge mechanism for mounting said display device to said computer housing,

said display device being slidable between a closed position in which the display device covers the keyboard with said reverse surface and an open position in which the keyboard is uncovered and the display device is positioned rearwardly of the keyboard at a viewing angle.

2. A portable coputer comprising:

a computer housing having a front portion, a rear portion and first and second side margins extending therebetween;

a keyboard carried by said computer housing;

a display device having an obverse viewing surface and a reverse surface and opposing sides; and

mounting means for pivotally mounting said display device to said computer housing, said mounting means including a first hinge member for pivotally coupling one side of said display device to said computer housing adjacent the first side margin and a second hinge member for pivotally coupling the other side of said display device to said computer housing adjacent the second side margin, whereby said display device is slidable between a closed position in which the display device covers the keyboard with said reverse surface and an open position in which the keyboard is uncovered and the display device is positioned rearwardly of the keyboard at a viewing angle.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said first and second hinge members are each coupled to the respective side of said display device adjacent a forward corner thereof.

4. The invention of claim 2 wherein each of said housing margins is provided with a slotted wall for receiving the corresponding one of said hinge members.

5. A portable computer housing assembly comprising:

a computer housing having a top and a bottom;

a keyboard mounted to the top of the computer housing;

a display housing including a display housing top and a display housing bottom;

a pad computer display carried by the display housing; and

a connection assembly movably mounting the display housing to the coputer housing for slidable movement between a closed position, with the display housing bottom covering the keyboard, and an open position, with the display housing at an inclined orientation relative to the computer housing, the pad computer display facing generally directly away from the keyboard when the display housing is in the closed position and facing away from the keyboard at an angle when the display housing in the open position so that the pad computer display is accessible by a user at both of said positions,

the computer housing and the display housing each having left and right lateral sides, front ends and rear ends, and the connection assembly including left and right hinge arms connecting the left lateral sides to one another and the right lateral sides to one another, respectively.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the connection assembly includes a rear hinge link having a first end pivotally connected to the computer housing at said rear end thereof and a second end pivotally connected to the display housing at a position located generally centrally between said front and rear ends thereof.

7. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the left and right hinge arms are each pivotally connected to the display housing at said front end thereof, and are each pivotally connected to the computer housing at first and second positions located a first distance from said front end thereof.

8. The assembly of claim 7 wherein the keyboard extends from the front end of the computer housing to a third position located a second distance from said front end thereof, said second distance being at least about equal to said first distance.

9. A portable coputer housing comprising:

a computer keyboard housing assembly including a generally rectangular coputer housing having a front end, a back end and lateral sides, and an upwardly facing keyboard mounted to the computer housing;

a display housing assembly including a generally rectangular display housing having a top, a bottom, a front end, a back end and lateral sides, and a pad computer display mounted on the display housing;

said keyboard being positioned at the front end of the computer housing and extending a keyboard distance towards the back end of the keyboard housing; and

hinge means for mounting the display housing assembly to the computer keyboard housing assembly for slidable movement between open and closed positions, said hinge means including hinge arms pivotally connecting the lateral sides of the display housing adjacent the front end thereof to positions along the lateral sides of the computer housing, said positions being generally about one-half of said keyboard distance from the front end of the computer housing,

said display housing assembly lying adjacent the computer keyboard housing assembly to cover the keyboard in the closed position,

said display housing assembly positioned at an angle to the computer keyboard housing assembly to expose the keyboard in the open position,

said pad computer display facing away from the keyboard, so as to be accessible by a user, when the display housing is in both the closed position and in the open position,

whereby said portable computer can be used as a pad computer when the display housing assembly is in either the open or in the closed position and as a keyboard computer when the display housing assembly is in the open position.

10. The computer of claim 9 wherein the hinge means includes a rear hinge plate pivotally connecting the back end of the computer housing to a hinge position on the display housing.

11. The computer of claim 10 wherein the hinge position is medially between the front and back edges of the display housing.

12. A portable computer comprising:

a computer housing having a front portion, a rear portion and first and second side margins extending therebetween;

a keyboard carried by said computer housing;

a display device having a viewing surface and an opposing surface and opposing sides; and

means for mounting said display device to said computer housing, said mounting means including a first hinge member for pivotally coupling one side of said display device to said computer housing adjacent the first housing margin and a second hinge member for pivotally coupling the opposite side of said display means to said computer housing adjacent the second housing margin, said first and second hinge members each being coupled to the respective side of said display device adjacent a forward corner thereof, each of said housing margins being provided with a slotted wall for receiving the corresponding one of said hinge members, said mounting means further including rear hinge means coupled to said display device opposing surface and said computer housing at a position rearwardly of said keyboard, so that said display device is moveable between a closed position in which the display device covers the keyboard with said opposing surface and an open position in which the keyboard is uncovered and the display device is positioned rearwardly of the keyboard at a viewing angle.

13. The invention of claim 12 wherein said rear hinge means comprises a relatively rigid sheet having a top edge coupled to said display means and a bottom edge coupled to said computer housing.

14. A portable computer comprising:

a computer housing;

a keyboard carried by said computer housing;

a display device including a display operable in conjunction with a stylus; and

means including a four bar linkage for mounting said display device to said computer housing in a moveable manner between a closed position in which the display device covers the keyboard and an open position in which the keyboard is uncovered, a first bar of said four bar linkage comprising said housing, a second bar of said four bar linkage comprising a rear hinge, a third bar of said four bar linkage comprising a portion of said display, and a fourth bar of said four bar linkage comprising a front hinge having first and second pivots.

15. The computer as recited in claim 14 wherein said front hinge comprises an angled plate, said angled plate folding to a position substantially between an upper plane of said display and a lower plane of said housing when said display is in said closed position.

16. The computer as recited in claim 14 wherein said rear hinge is a plate which folds to a substantially flat position between said display and said housing when said display is in said closed position.

17. The computer as recited in claim 16 wherein said rear hinge plate holds electrical conductors from said display to said housing.

18. The computer as recited in claim 17 wherein said rear hinge plate comprises first and second walls, said conductors being located between said first and second walls.

19. The computer as recited in claim 17 wherein said electrical conductors are adhered to a surface of said rear hinge plate.

20. A laptop computer adapted for input from both a keyboard and a stylus, said computer comprising a housing, a keyboard carried by said housing, a display mounted to said housing and connected to said housing by a four bar linkage, said four bar linkage adapted to slidably move said display from a first position to a second position, said display adapted for input to said computer from the stylus on a display surface thereof, said display surface exposed for input with the stylus and covering said keyboard in said first position, and exposing said keyboard in a second position.