Equipment having openable cover

• US 6,034,866 A
• Filed: 10/30/1997
• Issued: 03/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Goto, Katsuichi, Kamikakoi, Hideaki, Kawasaki, Kazuo, Nobuchi, Atsunobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEA EDMONDS, LISA S
• Application Number:
  US08/961,151
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 361/681, 361/680, 361/727, 312/223.1, 312/223.2, 312/712, 364/7.2, 364/708.1, D18/6, D18/8, D18/11, D14/113, D14/102, D14/107, 248/917-924, 248/298.1, 248/286.1, 248/918, 345/169, 345/905, 345/168, 345/173, 349/58, 235/383, 235/385, 235/472.01
• US Class Current: 361/679.26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/166 related to integrated arrangements for adjusting the position of the main body with respect to the supporting surface, e.g. legs for adjusting the tilt angle
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1634 Integrated protective display lid, e.g. for touch-sensitive display in handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/918 Ancillary device support associated with a video display screen
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/905 Display device with housing structure

Abstract

An electronic equipment has a body with a cover which is easily openable and closable and which body can be maintained at a tilted state by the opened cover, enhancing use of the equipment. The equipment includes a body having a display panel and first and second cover members, mounted to the body and guided in a slidable and pivotable manner between first (closed) and second (opened) positions. The second cover member is pivotably coupled at one end to the first cover member, the first and second cover members cooperating with each other to cover the display panel in respective first and third positions thereof. In respective second and fourth positions thereof, the second cover member is rotated about an end of the body and extends below a rear surface of the body to maintain the body in a tilted state.

Claims

1. An equipment having an openable cover, comprising:

a body having a display panel;

a first cover member mounted on the body and guidable in a slidable and pivotable manner between a first position and a second position relatively to the body;

a second cover member mounted on the body and guidable in a slidable and pivotable manner between a third position and a fourth position relatively to the body, the second cover member being pivotably coupled at an interior end thereof to an adjacent, interior end of the first cover member; and

the first and second cover members in the respective first and third positions thereof being in a substantially coplanar relationship, parallel to the display panel and cooperating with each other to cover the display panel, and the second cover member moving to the fourth position thereof, adjacent an end of the body and being pivoted about the end of the body so as to project an exterior end thereof below the rear surface of the body and maintain the body in a tilted state at the second pivoted position of the second cover member, the first and second cover members concurrently pivoting relatively to each other at their pivotally coupled interior ends and the first cover member moving to the second position thereof with an exterior end thereof adjacent the end of the body and pivoted relatively to the body about the end thereof, so as to expose the display panel in the tilted state of the body.

2. The equipment claimed in claim 1, wherein the interior end of the first cover member is pivotably coupled to the interior end of the second cover member by a hinge member.

3. The equipment claimed in claim 2, wherein the hinge member is a flexible sheet.

4. The equipment claimed in claim 1, wherein the second cover member further comprises a stop element contacting the rear surface of the body in the open position of the first and second cover members to establish and maintain the tilted state of the body.

12. The equipment claimed in claim 2, wherein the second end of the first cover member is pivotably coupled to the first end of the second cover member by a hinge member disposed so that a pivot axis of the hinge member is parallel to the pair of pins at the first end of the first cover member and the pair of pins in the pivots of the second cover member.

13. The equipment claimed in claim 12, wherein the hinge member is a flexible film sheet.

5. An equipment having an openable cover, comprising:

a body having upper and lower main surfaces with corresponding side edges and front and rear edges interconnected by respective side walls and front and rear end walls, the upper main surface having a display panel thereon;

a pair of first guides in the pair of side walls, respectively, extending by a first distance between first and second end positions respectively adjacent the front and rear end walls, parallel to the display and to each other;

a pair of second guides in the pair of side walls, respectively, parallel to the pair of first guides and extending by a second distance, less than the first distance, between third and fourth end positions, the third end positions being intermediate the first distance and the fourth end positions being adjacent the rear wall;

a first cover member having first and second ends and a second cover member having third and fourth ends, the second and third ends being pivotally coupled, opposite sides of the first cover at the first end thereof being slidably and pivotally received in and guided by the first pair of guides, respectively, for movement between the respective first and second end positions thereof, and opposite sides of the second cover member at intermediate positions between the third and fourth ends thereof being slidably and pivotally received in and guided by the second pair of guides, respectively, for movement between the respective third and fourth end positions thereof;

the first and second cover members lying in a common plane parallel to, and covering, the display when pivotally coupled to the respective first and second pairs of guides in the respective first and third end positions thereof, and the first and second covers being slidably movable in the respective first and second guides from the first and third, and toward the second and fourth, respective end positions thereof, the second cover member further being rotatable, when coupled to the second guides at the respective fourth end positions thereof, about the rear end wall of the body so as to extend at an angle relatively to the upper and lower main surfaces of the body and below the bottom main surface of the body, thereby to support the body at a tilted state.

6. An equipment claimed in claim 5, wherein the pair of first guides comprises a pair of guide grooves in the respective side walls of the body, with which are slidably and pivotably engaged a pair of first pins provided at opposite sides of the first end of the first cover member.

7. The equipment claimed in claim 6, wherein the first cover member further comprises:

a pair of side walls depending downwardly from the opposite side edges thereof, the pair of first pins extending in common axial and opposed, inward relationship from the respective pair of side walls.

8. The equipment as defined by claim 5, wherein:

the second cover member further comprises an end wall depending from the fourth end of the second cover member and a pair of side walls depending downwardly from the opposite sides, respectively, of the second cover member and extending from the fourth end of the second cover member to an intermediate position along the respective sides thereof, a pair of second pivots extending in common axial and opposed, inward relationship from the respective pair of side walls adjacent the intermediate position thereof.

9. The equipment claimed in claim 8, wherein:

the second cover member further comprises a partial wall parallel to the second cover member and connected to the end and side walls of the second cover and having an interior edge, the interior edge of the second cover member engaging the bottom main surface of the body in the opened positions of the first and second cover members and thereby supporting the body in the tilted state.

10. The equipment claimed in claim 9, wherein the pair of pivots of the second cover member comprises a pair of pins projecting inwardly, opposite to each other, and pivotiably engageable with a respective pair of pivot holds provided at free ends of the pair of guide bars.

11. The equipment claimed in claim 10, wherein on the opposite sides of the equipment body, a pair of second guide grooves is provided in parallel to the pair of guide grooves and engaged with the pair of pivots.

14. The equipment claimed in claim 5, wherein the second cover member comprises a stop element which contacts the rear surface of the body in the open position of the first and second cover members.

15. An equipment having an openable cover, comprising:

a body having upper and lower main surfaces, with corresponding side edges and front and rear edges interconnected by respective side walls and front and rear end walls, the upper main surface having a display panel thereon;

a pair of guides in the pair of sidewalls, respectively extending by a first distance between first and second end positions respectively adjacent the front and rear end walls, parallel to the display and to each other;

a pair of second guides in the pair of side walls, respectively, parallel to the pair of first guides and extending by a second distance, less than the first distance, between third and fourth end positions being intermediate the first distance and the fourth end positions being adjacent the rear wall;

a first cover member having first and second ends and a second cover member having third and fourth ends, the second and third ends being pivotally coupled, opposite sides of the first cover member at the first end thereof being slidable and pivotally received in and guided by the first pair of guides, respectively for movement between the respective first and second end positions thereof, and opposite sides of the second cover member at intermediate positions between the third and fourth ends thereof being slidably and pivotally received in and guided by the second pair of guides, respectively, for movement between the respective third and fourth end positions thereof;

the first and second cover members lying in a common plane parallel to, and covering the display when pivotally coupled to the respective first and second pairs of guides in the respective first and third end positions thereof, and the first and second covers being slidably movable in the respective first and second guides from the first and third, and toward the second and fourth, respective end positions thereof, the second cover member further being rotatable, when coupled to the second guides at the respective fourth end positions thereof, about the rear end wall of the body so as to extend at an angle relatively to the upper and lower main surfaces of the body and below the bottom main surface of the body, thereby to support the body at a tilted state.

21. The housing claimed in claim 15, wherein the second cover member further comprises a stop element contacting the bottom surface of the body in the open position of the bifurcated cover.

16. The housing, comprising:

a body having upper and lower main surfaces, a pair of side walls extending between corresponding side edges of the upper and lower main surfaces and a pair of side walls extending between corresponding front and rear end edges of the upper and lower main surfaces;

a bifurcated cover of first and second cover members having respective, opposite side edges and respective, opposite interior and remote end edges, the first cover member having a first pair of pivots defining a first axis of rotation and connected to the opposite side edges thereof, respectively, adjacent the remote end edge thereof and received a respectively in a first pair of guides in the pair of sidewalls of the base, the first pair of guides extending for a first distance, substantially equal to an entire length of the sidewalls, between a first position adjacent the front end wall and a second position adjacent the rear end wall of the base, the second cover member having a second pair of pivots defining a second axis of rotation and connected to the opposite side edges thereof, respectively intermediate the interior and remote end edges thereof and received respectively in the second pair of guides in the pair of sidewalls of the base, the second distance, less than the first distance, from corresponding first positions extending for a second distance, less than the first distance, from corresponding first positions intermediate the length of the sidewalls of the base to respective second positions adjacent the rear end wall of the base; and

a hinge interconnecting the adjacent, interior edges of the first and second cover members and defining a third axis of pivotal rotation; and

the first and second cover members being disposed in a common planar relationship in a closed condition, covering the first main surface of the base with the respective first and second pairs of pivots thereof in the first and third positions of the first and second guides and, by translation of the first and second pairs of pivots from the first from the first and third end positions, to the second and fourth end positions of the respective first and second guides and by rotation of the first and second cover members about the respective first and second axes of rotation relatively to the base and about the third axis of rotation relatively to each other, the second cover member thereby being rotated to an angular relationship relatively to the upper and lower main surfaces and extending below the lower main surface to support the base at a tilt position and the first cover member being translated, guided by the pair of first guides, and rotated relatively to the base to expose the upper main surface of the base.

17. The housing claimed in claim 16, wherein:

the pair of second guide further comprise a pair of elongated second guide grooves, respectively, in the sidewalls of the base and a corresponding pair of elongated guide bars received in the side grooves and having respective pivot holes therein adjacent free ends thereof.

18. The housing claimed in claim 17, wherein the pair of second guide grooves is provide in parallel to the pair of sidewalls, respectively, of the base and receive therein the second pair of pivots, respectively.

19. The housing claimed in claim 16, wherein the first, second and third axes are parallel to each other.

20. The housing claimed in claim 16, wherein the hinge is flexible sheet.

22. A housing, comprising:

a body having upper and lower main surfaces, a pair of sidewalls and a pair of front and rear end walls;

a bifurcated cover of first and second cover members pivotally connected to each other and slidably and pivotally mounted to the pair of sidewalls of the body and movable from a first position, coplanar with each other and parallel to and covering the first surface of the body, to a second position, in an angular and confronting relationship with each other at the rear end wall, exposing the upper main surface of the body and with the second cover member pivoted about the rear end wall of the body and extending, in part, below the rear surface of the body to support the body at a tilt angle.

23. The housing claimed in claimed 22, further comprising:

a pair of first guides in the pair of sidewalls, respectively, extending a first distance, from adjacent the front endwall to adjacent the rear end wall of the body;

a pair of first pivotal and slidable mounts, received in the pair of first guides, respectively, and connected to respective opposite side edges of the first cover member adjacent a free end thereof;

a pair of second guides in the pair of sidewalls, respectively, extending a second distance, from intermediate the front and rear end walls of the body to adjacent the rear end wall of the body; and

a pair of second pivotal and slidable mounts received in the pair of second guides, respectively, and connected to respective opposite side edges of the second cover member intermediate front and rear ends thereof.