Portable computer with an LCD which can be rotated within 360 degrees

• US 6,493,216 B1
• Filed: 12/09/1999
• Issued: 12/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Flextronics Computing Mauritius Ltd. (Flex, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Arima Computer (Texas) Corporation (Arima Communications Corporation)
• Inventors: Lin, Wen-Cheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Lynn D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Datskovsky, Michael
• Application Number:
  US09/457,076
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 361/680, 361/681, 361/683, 361/679, 361/687, 364/705.01, 364/708.01, 312/223.1, 312/223.2, 345/905, 248/917, 163/42, 163/66, 163/78, 163/79, 163/54, 163/21, 163/41
• US Class Current: 361/679.27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1618 the display being foldable up to the back of the other housing with a single degree of freedom, e.g. by 360° rotation over the axis defined by the rear edge of the base enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/905 Display device with housing structure

Abstract

A portable computer comprises a machine body approximately rectangular in shape comprising a front end, a rear end, a top face and a bottom face; a liquid crystal display approximately rectangular in shape comprising an upper end and a lower end; and a connecting device comprising a front end and a rear end. The front end of the connecting device is fixed to the rear end of the machine body in a rotatable manner, and the rear end of the connecting device is fixed to the lower end of the liquid crystal display. The connecting device enables the liquid crystal display to be folded upon the top face of the machine body by a forward rotation or upon the bottom face of the machine body by a backward rotation.

Claims

1. A portable computer comprising:

a machine body approximately rectangular in shape comprising a front end, a rear end, a top face and a bottom face;

a liquid crystal display approximately rectangular in shape comprising an upper end and a lower end;

a connecting device comprising a front end and a rear end, the front end of the connecting device fixed to the rear end of the machine body in a rotatable manner, the rear end of the connecting device fixed to the lower end of the liquid crystal display;

wherein the connecting device enables the liquid crystal display to be folded upon the top face of the machine body by a forward rotation or upon the bottom face of the machine body by a backward rotation; and

a base with a recession installed on a top of the base wherein when the liquid crystal display is folded towards the bottom face of the machine body by a backwards rotation, the front end of the machine body is capable of being vertically inserted into the recession of the base so that the liquid crystal display is capable of being hung from the machine body vertically.

2. The portable computer of claim 1 wherein a computer circuit is installed inside the machine body, and a keyboard is installed on the top face of the machine body and electrically connected to the computer circuit.

3. The portable computer of claim 2 wherein a forward-facing LCD panel is installed in the liquid crystal display, and the LCD panel is electrically connected with the computer circuit in the machine body to display images transmitted from the computer circuit.

4. The portable computer of claim 3 wherein the liquid crystal display further comprises a button connected with the computer circuit used for controlling the orientation of the images displayed by the LCD panel.

5. The portable computer of claim 4 wherein when the button is pressed the computer circuit will reverse the orientation of the images displayed by the LCD panel.

6. The portable computer of claim 1 wherein the connecting device comprises at least one connecting module, and the connecting module comprises:

a connecting piece;

a first shaft fixed to the front end of the connecting piece in a rotatable manner used for connecting to the rear end of the machine body; and

a second shaft fixed to the rear end of the connecting piece in a rotatable manner used for connecting to the lower end of the liquid crystal display.

7. The portable computer of claim 6 wherein the connecting device comprises two connecting modules separately installed at the left and right side of the rear end of the machine body used for connecting the rear end of the machine body with the lower end of the liquid crystal display.

8. The portable computer of claim 7 wherein each of the first shaft and the second shaft comprises two ends, one end of the first shaft and one end of the second shaft are separately fixed to the front end and rear end of the connecting piece, and the other end of the first shaft and the other end of the second shaft are separately fixed to the rear end of the machine body and the lower end of the liquid crystal display.

9. The portable computer of claim 6 wherein the connecting device comprises a connecting module installed in the center portion of the rear end of the machine body used for connecting the rear end of the machine body with the lower end of the liquid crystal display.

10. The portable computer of claim 9 wherein the center portions of the first shaft and the second shaft are separately fixed to the front end and rear end of the connecting piece, and the two ends of the first shaft and the two ends of the second shaft are separately fixed to the rear end of the machine body and the lower end of the liquid crystal display.

11. The portable computer of claim 6 further comprising a latching device used for fixing the connecting piece of the connecting module to the rear end of the machine body so that the first shaft of the connecting module can not be rotated and the liquid crystal display can only utilize the second shaft of the connecting module to rotate forward and backward.