Flat panel computer having an integrally housed flat panel display

• US 7,295,429 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2006
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Jackson, Jr., Louis R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vortman, Anatoly
• Application Number:
  US11/590,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20070041153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 378 Days
• Field of Search: 361/683, 361/681, 361/680, 361/686
• US Class Current: 361/679.27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1601 Constructional details related to the housing of computer displays, e.g. of CRT monitors, of flat displays constructional details related to flat displays integrated in a portable computer, e.g. laptop, handheld computer G06F1/1637; constructional details related to television receivers H04N5/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• 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 1/166 related to integrated arrangements for adjusting the position of the main body with respect to the supporting surface, e.g. legs for adjusting the tilt angle
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/181 Enclosures for portable computers G06F1/1613
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1631 Panel PC, e.g. single housing hosting PC and display panel
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/021 Arrangements integrating additional peripherals in a keyboard, e.g. card or barcode reader, optical scanner
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0213 Arrangements providing an integrated pointing device in a keyboard, e.g. trackball, mini-joystick for pointing devices integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/169; joysticks G05G9/047; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/917 Video display screen support
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/905 Display device with housing structure

Abstract

Certain embodiments of a personal computer system include a personal computer or a panel personal computer. For example, the computer may include a computer enclosure consisting essentially of a single panel shaped structure and a flat panel display integrally mounted inside the computer enclosure. By further example, the panel personal computer may include a flat panel display and a personal computer integrated at least substantially into one shared panel enclosure. Some embodiments of the computer have a center leg. In addition, some embodiments of the computer have substantially flat sides and faces that are substantially perpendicular to one another.

Claims

1. A personal computer system, comprising:

a personal computer, comprising;

a computer enclosure consisting essentially of a single panel shaped structure;

a flat panel display integrally mounted inside the computer enclosure, wherein a viewable area of the flat panel display is disposed on a front side opposite from a rear side of the computer enclosure;

a leg having a first elongated portion coupled to a second elongated portion to define a L-shaped cross-section in a plane, wherein the plane is oriented generally vertical relative to a base of the computer enclosure, the plane is horizontally centered between left and right sides of the computer enclosure, and the first and second elongated portions are both horizontally centered relative to the plane and relative to one another.

2. The personal computer system of claim 1, wherein the first elongated portion is coupled to the rear side and extends outwardly from the rear side in a first direction away from the rear side to a rear bottommost support position, the second elongated portion is coupled to the first elongated portion at the rear bottommost support position, and the second elongated portion defines a bottom of the L-shaped cross-section.

3. The personal computer system of claim 1, wherein the left side, the right side, the base, and a top of the computer enclosure are entirely flat between the front and rear sides and are entirely perpendicular relative to the front and rear sides.

4. The personal computer system of claim 1, comprising an optical drive disposed in a lateral side of the computer enclosure to enable insertion and removal of an optical disc in a direction parallel to the base of the computer enclosure.

5. The personal computer system of claim 1, comprising at least one wall mount opening extending into the rear side of the computer enclosure.

6. The personal computer system of claim 5, wherein the at least one wall mount opening comprises a keyhole shaped slot.

7. The personal computer system of claim 1, comprising a complementary leg having a V-shaped cross-section in another plane generally crosswise to the plane.

8. The personal computer system of claim 1, comprising a rotatable joint coupling the first elongated portion to the rear side at a joint position, wherein the joint position is horizontally centered relative to the plane, and the joint position is vertically intermediate the base and an opposite top of the computer enclosure.

9. The personal computer system of claim 1, wherein the leg is coupled to the rear side of the computer enclosure along a first rotational axis that is substantially parallel to the plane, such that the leg is rotatable leftward and rightward relative to the left and right sides of the computer enclosure.

10. The personal computer system of claim 9, comprising a complementary leg coupled to the rear side of the computer enclosure along a second rotational axis that is crosswise to the first rotational axis, such that the complementary leg is rotatable upward and downward relative to the base and opposite top of the computer enclosure.

11. The personal computer system of claim 1, wherein the leg consists essentially of a single material defining a L-shaped leg having only the first and second elongated portions.

12. A personal computer system, comprising:

a personal computer integrated at least substantially within a flat panel display having a single panel shaped housing configured to mount in a generally vertical orientation, wherein the single panel shaped housing has a front screen face, a rear face opposite the front screen face, a lop side, a bottom side opposite the top side, a left side, and a right side opposite the left side;

a center leg coupled to the rear face at a position directly centered between the left and right sides of the single panel shaped housing, wherein the center leg extends downwardly in a first direction generally from the top side toward the bottom side to a bottommost support portion, the center leg extends frontwardly in a second direction generally from the bottommost support portion toward the front screen face and the bottom side, and the first and second directions are disposed in a common plane; and

an optical disc drive disposed in the single panel shaped housing, wherein the optical disc drive comprises a disc receptacle configured to enable insertion and removal of an optical disc without insertion and removal of a supporting tray.

13. The personal computer system of claim 12, wherein the center leg is configured to support the single panel shaped housing in the generally vertical orientation via placement of the bottommost support portion on a work surface that is disposed underneath the bottom side of the single panel shaped housing.

14. The personal computer system of claim 12, wherein the center leg consists essentially of a generally upright elongated portion coupled to a generally horizontal elongated portion, wherein the generally upright elongated portion and the generally horizontal elongated portion extend lengthwise in directions disposed in the common plane.

15. The personal computer system of claim 14, wherein the generally upright elongated portion and the generally horizontal elongated portion are a single leg structure.

16. The personal computer system of claim 12, wherein the center leg consists essentially of a generally L-shaped structure horizontally centered in the common plane.

17. The personal computer system of claim 12, wherein the single panel shaped housing comprises an integral wall mount.

18. The personal computer system of claim 17, wherein the integral wall mount comprises a plurality of wall fastener slots.

19. The personal computer system of claim 12, wherein the front screen face of the single panel shaped housing has only a display screen of the flat panel display and a continuous wall surrounding the display screen.

20. The personal computer system of claim 12, wherein the left, right, and top sides of the single panel shaped housing are entirely flat and entirely perpendicular relative to the front screen face and the rear face of the single panel shaped housing, wherein the front and rear faces are entirely flat and entirely rectangular.

21. The personal computer system of claim 12, comprising a rotatable joint coupling the center leg to the rear face at a joint position, wherein the joint position is horizontally centered in the common plane, and the joint position is vertically intermediate the bottom and top sides of the single panel shaped housing.

22. The personal computer system of claim 12, wherein the center leg is coupled to the rear face along a first rotational axis that is substantially parallel to the common plane, such that the center leg is rotatable leftward and rightward relative to the left and right sides of the single panel shaped housing.

23. A personal computer system, comprising:

a panel personal computer having a flat panel display and a personal computer integrated at least substantially into one shared panel enclosure; and

a leg coupled to a rear side of the one shared panel enclosure, wherein the leg comprises a first portion extending from the rear side outwardly to a base position behind the rear side, the leg comprises a second portion extending from the base position in a direction toward a front side of the one shared panel enclosure, and the first and second portions extend lengthwise in crosswise directions along a substantially vertical plane directly centered between left and right sides of the one shared panel enclosure.

24. The personal computer system of claim 23, wherein the substantially vertical plane is substantially perpendicular to the rear side and is substantially parallel to the left and right sides.

25. The personal computer system of claim 23, wherein the first and second portions are a one-piece structure having a generally L-shaped structure horizontally centered in the substantially vertical plane.

26. The personal computer system of claim 23, wherein the leg is collapsible toward the rear side of the one shared panel enclosure.

27. The personal computer system of claim 23, comprising a computer disc drive disposed in a lateral side of the one shared panel enclosure to enable insertion and removal of a computer disc in a lateral direction substantially parallel to a bottom side of the one shared panel enclosure.

28. The personal computer system of claim 23, comprising an optical disc drive disposed in the computer enclosure, wherein the optical disc drive comprises a disc receptacle to enable insertion and removal of an optical disc without insertion and removal of a supporting tray.

29. The personal computer system of claim 23, wherein the left and right sides and a top side of the one shared panel enclosure are entirely flat and perpendicular relative to the front and rear sides of the one shared panel enclosure.

30. The personal computer system of claim 29, wherein the front and rear sides are entirely flat and rectangular.

31. The personal computer system of claim 30, wherein the front side of the one shared panel enclosure has only a display screen of the flat panel display and a continuous wall surrounding the display screen.

32. The personal computer system of claim 24, comprising at least one wall mounting slot extending into the rear side of the one shared panel enclosure.

33. The personal computer system of claim 23, wherein the first portion consists essentially of a first flat elongated strip of material, the second portion consists essentially of a second flat elongated strip of material, and the leg consists essentially of an L-shaped leg defined only by the first and second elongated strips of material.