Camera mounting mechanism for supporting an electronic camera on a portable computer

• US 6,118,653 A
• Filed: 06/03/1998
• Issued: 09/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Jung-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUI, TUNG M
• Application Number:
  US09/089,944
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 361/683, 361/681, 361/686, 361/682, 312/223.1, 364/705.01
• US Class Current: 361/679.23
• 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 1/1679 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 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera

Abstract

A portable computer, provided with an apparatus capable of easily mounting a small size camera to a display panel hinged to the main body of a portable computer, is disclosed. The portable computer has a camera designed for inputting picture information into the portable computer, a camera receiving body and a camera receiving room. The camera receiving body is hinged to the upper portion of the display panel at a position opposite to the hinge portion of the display panel in order to fold the main body and the display panel. The camera receiving room is defined in the camera receiving body in such a manner that a lens of the camera is exposed to the exterior of the portable computer through a hole formed on the camera receiving body at a desired position.

Claims

1. A camera mounting mechanism for mounting an electronic camera onto a display unit of a computer system, comprising:

a camera receiving body adapted to be pivoted on a top surface the display unit of the computer system, supporting the electronic camera operatively connected to internal circuitry of the computer system;

a camera receiving room defined in said camera receiving body having a lens of the electronic camera exposed to the exterior of the computer system through an aperture formed on a front side of said camera receiving body at a desired position; and

a latch mechanism mounted onto said camera receiving body accommodating fastening of said front side of said camera receiving body with a front side of a main body of the computer system placing the computer system in a closed position where the display unit is parallel with the main body, the main body having an input device on a top side and pivotally hinged with a bottom surface of the display unit, the front side of the main body being perpendicular to the top side of the main body.

2. The mechanism of claim 1, further comprised of said camera receiving body having a cable recess for supporting a cable line electrically connecting the electronic camera to the internal circuitry of the computer system.

3. The mechanism of claim 1, wherein:

both sides of a bottom portion of said camera receiving body being pivotally hinged to the first side of the display unit; and

said latch mechanism mounted on to a top side of said camera receiving body.

4. The mechanism of claim 1, further comprised of said latch mechanism comprising:

a latch body adjustably positioned on the camera receiving body accommodating a direct contact with a user allowing a movement of said latch body within said camera receiving body;

a latch hook formed on a front wall of said latch body for hooking onto a latch groove of the computer system, said front wall on a same side as said front side of said camera receiving body;

a guide protrusion formed on a bottom surface of said latch body for insertion into a guide hole of a partition; and

an elastic member mounted between said partition and said guide protrusion of the latch body, for permitting said latch hook to be elastically engaged with and released from said latch groove of the computer system.

5. The mechanism of claim 4, wherein a top portion of said camera receiving body having a recess exposing a top portion of said latch body, a length of said latch body being greater than a length of the recess preventing said latch body from escaping said camera receiving body.

6. The mechanism of claim 4, further comprising:

two protrusions on a bottom portion of said camera receiving body, each one of said protrusions being on opposite sides of said camera receiving body; and

two hinge portions mounted on the display unit with each one of said hinge portions having a hole accommodating each one said protrusions allowing said camera receiving body to pivot with the display unit.

7. The mechanism of claim 4, further comprising:

two protrusions on a bottom portion of said camera receiving body, each one of said protrusions being on opposite sides of said camera receiving body;

a first seat having a step shape formed on the display unit with both sides of said seat having a hole accommodating each one of said protrusions allowing said camera receiving body to pivot with the display unit; and

a second seat having a step shape formed on the main body and accommodating said latched hook of said camera receiving body.

8. The mechanism of claim 7, wherein said camera receiving body being flush with the display unit and the main body when said camera receiving body is latched to the main body placing the computer in a closed position.

9. A computer system, comprising:

a base panel having on a front side a latch groove of a predetermined width a top side of said base panel accommodating an input device, said front side of said base panel being perpendicular to said top side of said base panel;

a display panel pivotally mounted on said base panel for movement between a closed position when said display panel pivots to cover said base panel, and an open position when said display panel pivots to open said base panel; and

a camera mounting mechanism having a pair of hinge protrusions on opposite sides pivotally mounted on a top surface of said display panel, accommodating an electronic camera having an aperture accommodating a lens of the electronic camera on a front side of said camera mounting mechanism operatively connected to internal circuitry of said base panel via said display panel, and locking said display panel when said display panel is folded onto said base panel in the closed position, said camera mounting mechanism comprising a main body having a latch member mounting room accommodating flexibly supporting a latch member accommodating latching the front side of said camera mounting mechanism onto the latch groove of said front side of said base panel to lock said display panel while said display panel is in the closed position.

10. The computer system of claim 9, further comprised of said latch member comprising:

a latch body adjustably positioned in said latch member mounting room accommodating a direct contact with a user allowing a movement of said latch body within said camera receiving body;

a latch hook formed on a front wall of said latch body for hooking onto the latch groove of said base panel, said front wall on a same side as said front side of said camera receiving body;

a guide protrusion formed on a bottom surface of said latch body for insertion into a guide hole of a partition; and

an elastic member mounted between said partition and said guide protrusion of the latch body, for permitting said latch hook to be elastically engaged with and released from said latch groove of the base panel.

11. The computer system of claim 9, further comprised of said display panel having said hinge protrusions provided on the top surface permitting said camera mounting mechanism with the latch hook on said front side of said camera mounting mechanism to pivot between a release position when the latch hook is released from the latch groove of said front side of said base panel and a latch position when the latch hook is hooked to the latch groove of said base panel.

12. The computer system of claim 9, further comprised of said display panel having a slot between the hinge protrusions provided on the top surface permitting an electric cable to connect the electronic camera to the internal circuitry of said base panel.

13. A computer system, comprising:

a base panel having a first seat in a stair shape accommodating a camera mounting mechanism and a latch groove of a predetermined width formed at a bottom of the first seat;

a display panel pivotally mounted on said base panel accommodating movement between a closed position when the display panel pivots to cover said base panel, and an open position when said display panel pivots to open said base panel, said display panel having a second seat in a stair shape on a top surface accommodating said camera mounting mechanism; and

said camera mounting mechanism pivotally mounted on opposite walls of the second seat of said display panel, supporting an electronic camera on a front side operatively connected to internal circuitry of said base panel via said display panel, and said camera mounting mechanism locking said display panel when said display panel is folded onto said base panel in the closed position, said camera mounting mechanism comprising a main body having a latch member mounting room flexibly supporting a latch member accommodating latching onto the latch groove of said base panel to lock said display panel while said display panel is in the closed position, said camera mounting mechanism having a flat back side opposite the front side and being flush with said display panel and said base panel when in the closed position.

14. The computer system of claim 13, further comprised of said latch member comprising:

a latch body adjustably positioned in said latch member mounting room accommodating a direct contact with a user allowing a movement of said latch body within said camera mounting mechanism;

a latch hook formed on a front wall of said latch body for hooking onto the latch groove of said base panel, said front wall being on same side as said front side of said camera mounting mechanism;

a guide protrusion formed on a bottom surface of said latch body for insertion into a guide hole of a partition; and

an elastic member mounted between said partition and said guide protrusion of said latch body, for permitting said latch hook to be elastically engaged with and released from the latch groove of said base panel.

15. The computer system of claim 14, further comprised of said second seat of said display panel having a slot provided on the top surface for permitting an electric cable to connect electronic camera to the internal circuitry of said base panel.

16. A method, comprising the steps of:

pivotally attaching a back side of a display unit with a back side of a main body of a portable computer, said display unit having a front surface providing variable video display, said main body accommodating an input device and electrical components controlling said portable computer;

forming a pair of first holes on a top side of said display unit;

forming a slot between the pair of first holes;

forming a camera receiving body with a width not greater than the distance between the first holes of said display unit;

installing a camera within the housing of said camera receiving body;

forming an aperture on a front side of said camera receiving body accommodating a lens of said camera;

forming a first slot on a bottom side of said camera receiving body;

attaching a cable from said camera through the first slot and into the first hole of said display unit electrically connecting said camera with the electrical components of said portable computer;

forming two hinge pins on opposite sides of said camera receiving body and being perpendicular to a field of view of said camera;

attaching each one of said two hinge pins to each one said first holes allowing said camera receiving body to be pivotally attached to said display unit;

forming an opening on a top side of said camera receiving body;

forming a partition in an internal space of said camera receiving body creating a barrier between said camera installed in said camera receiving body and the opening formed on a top side of said camera receiving body;

installing a latch body inside of said camera receiving body in a region between said partition and said top side of said camera receiving body, a top side of said latch body being exposed through the opening in said camera receiving body accommodating a user to push down on said latch body;

forming a latch hook on a front side of said latch body and being exposed through the opening in said camera receiving body, the front side of said latch being the same side exposing said lens of said camera;

forming a protrusion on a bottom side of said latch body;

forming a second hole on said partition accommodating said protrusion;

installing a resilient member circumscribing said protrusion and residing between said bottom side of said latch body and said partition, said resilient member providing a force opposing the downward pushing force made by the user on said top side of said latch body;

pivoting said camera receiving body perpendicular to the front surface of the display unit; and

fastening said latching hook to a corresponding latch groove formed on a side surface of the main body, fastening said latching hook placing said portable computer in a closed position where said display unit is parallel with said main body.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of forming a pair of hinge protrusions on said top side of said display unit accommodating the pair of first holes that are accommodating said hinge pins of said camera receiving body, said hinge protrusions allowing said camera receiving body to rotate about said hinge pins at least 180 degrees.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

forming a step shaped first seat on said top side of said display unit, two walls of said first seat on opposite sides within said first seat having each one accommodating each one of the pair of first holes, the first holes allowing the pivoting of said camera receiving body within said seat when each one of said hinge protrusions are inserted into each one the first holes; and

forming a step shaped second seat on a front side of said main body accommodating said latch groove and accommodating said camera receiving body, said camera receiving body being flush with said display unit and said main body when said camera receiving body is latched to said main body, the side of camera receiving body having the aperture facing a front side of the main body when being latched, the front side of the main body being perpendicular with a ground.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said camera receiving body forming a space between a ground surface and said latch body when said camera receiving body being latched to said main body, the space accommodating a user to release said latch by pushing upwardly said latch body.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said camera receiving body pivoting at least 90 degrees about said hinged protrusions.