Portable electronic apparatus having a frame supporting functional components

• US 6,101,088 A
• Filed: 12/04/1997
• Issued: 08/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishida, Yasuhiro, Nakajima, Yuji, Kaji, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, TUNG M
• Application Number:
  US08/985,627
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 361/683, 361/686, 361/681, 361/724, 361/727, 361/797, 361/730, 312/223.2
• US Class Current: 361/679.55
• 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 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• 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 1/1658 related to the mounting of internal components, e.g. disc drive or any other functional module
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/184 Mounting of motherboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/187 Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/125 the apparatus comprising a plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. modular arrangements, arrays of disc drives
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/127 Mounting arrangements of constructional parts onto a chassis
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/128 of the plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. disk drives, onto a chassis

Abstract

A portable electronic apparatus has a housing and a frame incorporated within the housing. A lower half of the housing has a bottom wall and first wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall. The first wall defines a first receptacle for containing a first functional component in said lower half. The frame has a second wall opposing the first wall. The second wall defines a second receptacle for containing a second functional component within said frame. The second wall further defines a third receptacle for containing a third functional component within the lower half along with the first wall.

Claims

1. A portable electronic apparatus having first to third functional components, comprising:

a housing shaped like a flat box and comprised of a lower half having a bottom wall and a first wall extending upwardly from said bottom wall, and an upper half connected to said lower half, said first wall defining a first receptacle in the housing and surrounding and supporting the first functional component;

a frame set within said housing, said frame having a keyboard supporting section located adjacent to said first receptacle and opposing said bottom wall and a second wall extending downwards from said keyboard supporting section and opposing said first wall in the housing, said second wall defining a second receptacle in said housing and surrounding and supporting the second functional component, said bottom wall, said first wall, said second wall and said keyboard supporting section defining a third receptacle in said housing, and surrounding and supporting the third functional components;

a circuit board which is provided in said housing and to which said first, second and third functional components are electrically connected; and

a keyboard provided on said keyboard supporting section of the frame.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said frame is fastened to the bottom wall of said housing by a plurality of screws, and said bottom wall has a plurality of bosses holding the screws.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first, second and third receptacles are arranged side by side in said housing.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said frame is made of metal and has a board-supporting section adjacent to said keyboard supporting section supporting edges of said circuit board, and wherein said circuit board has a grounding wiring pattern set in contact with said board-supporting section.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit supported by said frame and electrically connected to said circuit board, for displaying data input by operating said keyboard.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said display unit is rotatable between a closed position and an open position, and covers said upper half while remaining at the closed position and exposes said upper half while remaining at the open position.

7. A portable electronic apparatus comprising:

a housing comprised of a lower half having a bottom wall and a plurality of side walls extending upwards from opposing sides of said bottom wall and defining corners of said housing, and an upper half connected to said lower half, said side walls having a plurality of first projections extending into said lower half and arranged at intervals along a periphery of said housing;

a frame incorporated within said housing, said frame being fitted firmly in said lower half, having peripheral portions opposing said side walls, set in contact with distal ends of said first projections, and having a plurality of second projections butting on an inner surface of said side walls;

a keyboard provided on said frame and exposed outside said housing; and

a plurality of functional components supported by said frame and incorporated within said housing.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said housing has a first wall extending upwardly from said bottom wall, said first wall defining a first receptacle in said housing and surrounding and supporting one of said functional components, said housing frame having a keyboard supporting section adjacent to said first receptacle and opposing said bottom wall, and a second wall extending downwards from said keyboard supporting section and opposing said first wall in the housing, said second wall defining a second receptacle in said housing and surrounding and supporting one of said functional components, and said bottom wall, said first wall, said second wall and said keyboard supporting section defining a third receptacle in said housing, surrounding and supporting one of said functional components.