Ergonomic portable computer

• US 6,381,128 B1
• Filed: 07/17/2000
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Russel G. Kramer
• Original Assignee: Russel G. Kramer
• Inventors: Kramer, Russel G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, YEAN HSI
• Application Number:
  US09/617,631
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679, 361/682-686, 361/724-733, 361/735, 361/736, 361/737, 361/740, 361/741, 361/742, 361/747, 361/748, 361/752, 361/753, 361/756, 361/759, 312/223.1, 312/223.2, 364/708.1, 364/708
• US Class Current: 361/679.55
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• 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 1/1666 Arrangements for reducing the size of the integrated keyboard for transport, e.g. foldable keyboards, keyboards with collapsible keys G06F1/1664 takes precedence
• 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 computer having a main computer body and a keyboard unit slidably attached to the main computer body and movable to various positions in front of the main computer body. A display unit is also slidably attached to the main computer body and movable to various positions up and away from the computer main body.

Claims

1. An ergonomic portable computer, comprising:

a main computer body having a top, bottom, front, rear, right side, left side, an exterior surface and an interior, said computer body front and rear defining a computer body length, said computer body right side and left side defining a computer body width, said computer body interior containing conventional computer electronics such as central processor unit, memory, hard drive, driver electronics, bus, diskette and CD-ROM drives, wherein said computer body front has a generally rectangular aperture formed therein, opening into the computer body interior;

a keyboard unit electrically connected and slidably attached to said main computer body, said keyboard unit movable to various positions in front of the main computer body, said keyboard unit having a top, bottom, front, rear and two opposite sides interconnecting said front, rear, top and bottom, wherein said keyboard unit is inserted into said front aperture, wherein said keyboard unit front lies in the same general plane as the computer body front, wherein said keyboard unit rear is positioned within the computer body interior;

a display unit electrically connected and slidably attached to said main computer body, said display unit movable to various positions up and away from said main computer body, said display unit being a planar, generally rectangular element comprised of a liquid-crystal display, said display unit having a front viewing surface, a rear, a top, a bottom, and two sides;

a cover positioned over the computer main body top;

wherein said keyboard unit is positioned to the computer main body front and said display unit is positioned to the computer main body top and rear;

a generally flat, rectangular, horizontal, interface element protruding into the computer body interior, and attached to said key board unit rear and bottom, said interface element being mechanically and slidably attached to the computer body interior within a computer body interior interface channel, said computer body interface channel being comprised of two, spaced, parallel, curved elements extending from near the computer body front and bottom to the computer body rear and top, each said curved element having a bottom-front, top-rear, top surface, bottom surface, inner side and outer side, said inner sides being those curved element sides facing each other, the space between the curved element inner sides defining the interface channel.

2. An ergonomic portable computer as recited in claim 1, wherein:

said keyboard interface element being a generally flat, rectangular, horizontal, element lying in a plane generally parallel to the computer body bottom, said interface element having a flat upper surface, a flat lower surface and two short, interconnecting sides, said interface element being adapted to slide into the interface channel between the curved element bottom fronts and beneath a plane formed by the curved element bottom surfaces.

3. An ergonomic portable computer as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

a spring locking system comprised of a series of apertures formed in the interface element sides, a locking peg slidably mounted on one of the curved element bottom surfaces and terminating at one end in a knob protruding externally through a computer main body side, and a spring having two opposite ends fitted about the locking peg, said spring being attached at one end to an adjacent interface element side, said other spring end being attached to said knob;

wherein said spring is adapted to draw said knob toward the interface element thereby forcing the peg toward the interface element side, said locking peg being adapted to slide into a desired interface element side aperture;

wherein pulling the knob outward from the computer body side will cause the locking peg to slide out of an interface element aperture;

wherein releasing said knob will allow the spring to force the locking peg to reseat into one of the apertures.

4. An ergonomic portable computer, comprising:

a main computer body having a top, bottom, front, rear, right side, left side, an exterior surface and an interior, said computer body front and rear defining a computer body length, said computer body right side and left side defining a computer body width, said computer body interior containing conventional computer electronics such as central processor unit, memory, hard drive, driver electronics, bus, diskette and CD-ROM drives;

a keyboard unit electrically connected and slidably attached to said main computer body, said keyboard unit movable to various positions in front of the main computer body, said keyboard unit having a top, bottom, front, rear and two opposite sides interconnecting said front, rear, top and bottom;

a display unit electrically connected and slidably attached to said main computer body, said display unit movable to various positions up and away from said main computer body, said display unit being a planar, generally rectangular element comprised of a liquid-crystal display, said display unit having a front viewing surface, a rear, a top, a bottom, and two sides;

a cover positioned over the computer main body top;

wherein said keyboard unit is positioned to the computer main body front and said display unit is positioned to the computer main body top and rear;

a display interface subsystem slidably interfaced with a computer body interior interface channel, said computer body interface channel being comprised of two, spaced, parallel, curved elements extending from near the computer body front and bottom to the computer body rear and top, each said curved element having a bottom-front, top-rear, top surface, bottom surface, inner side and outer side, said inner sides being those curved element sides facing each other, the space between the curved element inner sides defining the interface channel, said interface subsystem comprising;

a curved display interface element slidably positioned within said interface channel, said interface element being a flat, elongated, curved element having a bottom-front, top-rear, top surface, bottom surface, and two opposing sides, said bottom-front and top-rear defining a longitudinal axis of the element, said interface element having a curvature approximately equal to the curvature of the two, spaced, parallel, curved elements forming the interface channel, said interface element sides abutting the curved element inner sides, said interface element sides having a series of apertures formed therein, said display interface element being positioned within the computer body interior interface channel and adapted to slide into the interface channel between the curved element inner sides;

two, spaced, parallel, elongated, hollow, interface clamping elements joining the interface element to the display;

a block protrusion formed on the element top surface abutting the element top-rear, said block having opposing sides parallel to the element sides, said block having a side-to-side width equal to less than half the side-to-side width of the element top surface, said block sides each have two pegs protruding therefrom;

a spring locking system in combination with said interface element side apertures comprised of a locking peg slidably mounted through the sides of one of the curved elements and terminating in a knob mounted externally on a side of the computer body, and a spring having two opposite ends, said spring being fitted about the locking peg, said spring being attached at one end to an adjacent interface element side and said other spring end being attached to the knob, said spring tending to draw the knob toward the interface element thereby forcing the peg toward the interface element side, said locking peg being adapted to slide into a desired interface element side aperture;

wherein pulling the knob outward from the computer body side will cause the locking peg to slide out of an interface element aperture; and

wherein releasing the knob will allow the spring to force the locking peg to reseat into one of the apertures.

5. An ergonomic portable computer as recited in claim 4, wherein:

each said clamping element has a curved shape with the same approximate curvature as the display interface element, each said clamping element having a length approximately equal to the length of the display interface element each clamping element having a bottom-front, top-rear, top surface, bottom surface, open inner side and open outer side, said inner sides being those sides facing each other, each said clamping element bottom-front and top-rear define the general longitudinal axis of each clamping element, said openings in the sides extending from inner side to outer side and being corrugated with transverse slots along the clamping element longitudinal axis;

wherein said display interface element block pegs engage the clamping element side openings and rest within a desired transverse slot.

6. An ergonomic portable computer as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

an elongated, beveled slit channel formed in the top surface of each clamping element;

a series of transverse wedge-shaped protrusions formed along the clamping element longitudinal axis within each said channel.

7. An ergonomic portable computer as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

a generally rectangular, interface block fixedly attached to the display rear, said interface block having a top surface, bottom surface, top side, bottom side, and opposing sides interconnecting said top and bottom surfaces and top and bottom sides said interface block top surface being adapted to be fixedly attached to said display rear;

two, parallel, spaced, beveled protrusions formed on said interface block bottom surface, said protrusions adapted to being inserted into said clamping element top surface beveled slits, said beveled protrusions having bottom surfaces formed into wedges compatible with the clamping element, slit channel, wedge-shaped protrusions.

8. An ergonomic portable computer as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

a compression spring placed about an upper portion of the beveled protrusion adjacent the interface block bottom surface.