Electronic device having half mirror on front face

• US 7,237,916 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2005
• Issued: 07/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Orion Electric (Orion Denki KK)
• Original Assignee: Orion Electric (Orion Denki KK)
• Inventors: Mitomori, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang; Hung Xuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARTINEZ, JOSEPH P
• Application Number:
  US11/166,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20060001976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 359/848, 359/871, 359/877, 174/366, 174/367, 200/511, 338/114, 361/220, 361/287, 361/290, 361/291, 349/60
• US Class Current: 359/871
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0243 for decorative purposes

Abstract

The invention provides a method for preventing a half mirror used as a decorative panel of an electronic device from being burned by charged static electricity and having deteriorated appearance, by providing a practical method for providing a ground connection of the half mirror using a soft elastic conductive member to prevent the half mirror from being damaged and to enable easy connection with a rough size accuracy. An electronic device comprises a conductive chassis and a half mirror constituting at least a portion of a decorative panel formed on a front face thereof, wherein an elastic conductive member compressed between a vapor deposited layer formed to an inner surface of the half mirror and a contact surface of the chassis is arranged so that a static electricity charged in the half mirror is conducted via the elastic conductive member toward the conductive chassis.

Claims

1. An electronic device having a half mirror on a front face comprising:

a conductive chassis for mounting various electronic components;

a decorative panel disposed on a front face of the chassis, at least a portion of the decorative panel formed of a half mirror;

an elastic conductive member compressed between and in contact with a vapor deposited layer formed on an inner side of the half mirror and a contact surface of the chassis, the elastic conductive member arranged so that a static electricity charged in the half mirror is conducted via the elastic conductive member to the conductive chassis, and wherein the area ratio of the elastic conductive member to the half mirror is approximately 5% or greater, preferably 9% or greater.

2. The electronic device having a half mirror on a front face according to claim 1, wherein the decorative panel has a through hole for the elastic conductive member and a guide panel projected from the through hole toward the chassis, wherein the guide panel is formed of a pair of left and right side walls for supporting left and right sides of the elastic conductive member and an upper wall projected longer toward the chassis than the side walls, and wherein the elastic conductive member passed through the through hole is adhered to the vapor deposited layer of the half mirror via a conductive two-sided adhesive tape or a conductive adhesive paste.

3. The electronic device having a half mirror on a front face according to claim 2, wherein the contact surface is composed of a conductive mounting panel formed either integrally with the chassis or separately from the chassis and connected thereto, the mounting panel capable of mounting an electronic component such as an external connecting terminal, and wherein the elastic conductive member is pressed against the mounting panel to conduct the static electricity charged in the half mirror to the conductive chassis.

4. The electronic device having a half mirror on a front face according to claim 3, wherein when the elastic conductive member is pressed against the mounting panel, a portion of the elastic conductive member is partially overhung from an end of the mounting panel, and a compressed end of the compressed elastic conductive member is positioned in an inner side of the electronic device from the mounting panel.

5. The electronic device having a half mirror on a front face according to claim 1, wherein the contact surface is composed of a conductive mounting panel formed either integrally with the chassis or separately from the chassis and connected thereto, the mounting panel capable of mounting an electronic component such as an external connecting terminal, and wherein the elastic conductive member is pressed against the mounting panel to conduct the static electricity charged in the half mirror to the conductive chassis.

6. The electronic device having a half mirror on a front face according to claim 5, wherein when the elastic conductive member is pressed against the mounting panel, a portion of the elastic conductive member is partially overhung from an end of the mounting panel, and a compressed end of the compressed elastic conductive member is positioned in an inner side of the electronic device from the mounting panel.