Electronic device with lighting apparatus

• US 9,447,952 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2012
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scienbizip Consulting (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ShenZhen Treasure City Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Ming-Chang, Bo, Qi-Lin
• Primary Examiner(s): Husar, Stephen F
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALLEN, DANIELLE NICOLE
• Application Number:
  US13/710,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20140071686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,379 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/14 Adjustable mountings
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0001 specially adapted for lighting devices or systems lighting or signalling on vehicles using light guides B60Q1/00; lighting devices for vehicle dashboards B60Q3/10; lighting devices for vehicle interior using light guides B60Q3/62; lighting devices mounted on the vehicle rear part using light guides F21S43/235; measuring arrangements having light conducting pointers G01D13/265; illumination of liquid crystal displays G02F1/1336; illuminated signs G09F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0091 of the light source relative to the light guide G02B6/0021 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0095 Light guides as housings, housing portions, shelves, doors, tiles, windows, or the like

Abstract

An electronic device includes a base, and a lighting apparatus mounted to the base. The lighting apparatus includes a bracket mounted to the base, a pivoting member pivotably attached to the bracket, and a lighting unit fixed in the pivoting member. The pivoting member is pivoted out of the bracket to expose and turn on the lighting unit. The pivoting member is pivoted into the bracket to cover and turn off the lighting unit.

Claims

1. A lighting apparatus, comprising:

a bracket comprising a main wall defining an opening, two mounting plates extending from the main wall and respectively located at opposite sides of the opening, each mounting plate defining a slide slot in a first side of the mounting plate, and a first notch and a second notch in an inner surface of a second side of the mounting plate;

a pivoting member movably attached to the bracket, wherein the pivoting member comprises a base board and two opposite side boards extending from opposite ends of the base board, a sliding block extends from a first end of an outer surface of each side board, a tab is attached to a second end of the outer surface of each side board; and

a lighting unit fixed in the pivoting member between the side boards;

a light guiding unit, wherein the light guiding unit is fixed in the pivoting member and abuts against the lighting unit;

wherein the light guiding unit comprises a transparent guiding body and two clipping members attached to opposite ends of the transparent guiding body, the tab extends from an outer surface of each clipping member, each side board defines a through hole through which the tab extends out of the side board;

wherein the sliding blocks of the pivoting member are slidably engaged in the corresponding slide slots of the bracket, when the lighting unit is to be used, the pivoting member is pivoted out of the bracket until the tabs engage in the corresponding first notches to expose the lighting unit; and

when the lighting unit is to be folded into the bracket, the pivoting member is pivoted into the bracket until the tabs engage in the corresponding second notches to cover the lighting unit.

2. The lighting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lighting unit comprises a circuit board fixed between the side boards, and a lighting element and a controlling element arranged on the circuit board, the controlling element comprises a switch, the pivoting member is pivoted into the bracket to make the switch turn off the lighting element, the pivoting member is pivoted out of the bracket to make the switch to turn on the lighting element.

3. The lighting apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the lighting element is a light-emitting diode (LED).

4. The lighting apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein two arc-shaped raised portions extend up and out from opposite ends of the circuit board, a round cutout is defined in each end of the circuit board above the corresponding raised portion, a locking slot is defined in each side board, a guiding slope is formed on each side board above the locking slot, the lighting unit is pressed down between the side boards, until the raised portions are deformed to ride over the corresponding guiding slopes and restored to engage into the corresponding locking slots.

5. The lighting apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the transparent guiding body and the clipping members are made of flexible material.

6. The lighting apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein each side board forms a blocking plate, the lighting unit is located among the blocking plates and the light guiding unit.

7. The lighting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein two blocks extend outward from an inner surface of one side of the base board, the two blocks are blocked by a portion of an inner surface of the main wall adjacent to the opening.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

a base; and

a lighting apparatus mounted to the base, the lighting apparatus comprising;

a bracket mounted to the base, wherein the bracket comprises a main wall defining an opening, two mounting plates extending from the main wall and respectively located at opposite sides of the opening, each mounting plate defining a slide slot in a first side of the mounting plate, and a first notch and a second notch in a second side of the mounting plate;

a pivoting member movably attached to the bracket, wherein the pivoting member comprises a base board and two opposite side boards extending from opposite ends of the base board, a sliding block extends from a first end of an outer surface of each side board, a tab is attached to a second end of the outer surface of each side board; and

a lighting unit fixed in the pivoting member between the side boards;

a light guiding unit, wherein the light guiding unit is fixed in the pivoting member and abuts against the lighting unit;

wherein the light guiding unit comprises a transparent guiding body and two clipping members attached to opposite ends of the transparent guiding body, the tab extends from an outer surface of each clipping member, each side board defines a through hole through which the tab extends;

wherein the sliding blocks of the pivoting member are slidably engaged in the corresponding slide slots of the bracket, the pivoting member is pivoted out of the bracket until the tabs engage in the corresponding first notches to expose and turn on the lighting unit;

the pivoting member is pivoted into the bracket until the tabs engage in the corresponding second notches to cover and turn off the lighting unit.

9. The electronic device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the lighting unit comprises a circuit board fixed between the side boards, and a lighting element and a controlling element arranged on the circuit board, the controlling element comprises a switch, the base comprises a back plate, the pivoting member is pivoted into the bracket to make the switch abut against the back plate to turn off the lighting element, the pivoting member is pivoted out of the bracket to make the switch disengage from the back plate to turn on the lighting element.

10. The electronic device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the lighting element is a light-emitting diode (LED).

11. The electronic device as claimed in claim 9, wherein two arc-shaped raised portions extend up and out from opposite ends of the circuit board, a round cutout is defined in each end of the circuit board above the corresponding raised portion, a locking slot is defined in each side board, a guiding slope is formed on each side board above the locking slot, the lighting unit is pressed down between the side boards, until the raised portions are deformed to ride over the corresponding guiding slopes and restored to engage into the corresponding locking slots.

12. The electronic device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the transparent guiding body and the clipping members are made of flexible material.

13. The electronic device as claimed in claim 12, wherein each side board forms a blocking plate, the lighting unit is located among the blocking plates and the light guiding unit.

14. The electronic device as claimed in claim 8, wherein two blocks extend outward from an inner surface of one side of the base board, the two blocks are blocked by a portion of an inner surface of the main wall adjacent to the opening.

15. The electronic device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the base is a notebook computer and comprises a computer base and a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor pivotably attached to the computer base, the lighting apparatus is mounted to a side of the LCD monitor opposite to the computer base, the LCD monitor comprises a cover, the back plate is located inside the cover, the bracket comprises a flange, the flange is engaged between an inner side of the cover and a top portion of the back plate.

16. An electronic device, comprising:

a base; and

a lighting apparatus mounted to the base, the lighting apparatus comprising;

a bracket mounted to the base, wherein the bracket comprises a main wall defining an opening, two mounting plates extending from the main wall and respectively located at opposite sides of the opening, each mounting plate defining a slide slot in a first side of the mounting plate, and a first notch and a second notch in a second side of the mounting plate;

a pivoting member movably attached to the bracket, wherein the pivoting member comprises a base board and two opposite side boards extending from opposite ends of the base board, a sliding block extends from a first end of an outer surface of each side board, a tab is attached to a second end of the outer surface of each side board; and

a lighting unit fixed in the pivoting member between the side boards;

a light guiding unit, wherein the light guiding unit is fixed in the pivoting member and abuts against the lighting unit;

wherein the light guiding unit comprises a transparent guiding body and two clipping members attached to opposite ends of the transparent guiding body, the tab extends from an outer surface of each clipping member, each side board defines a through hole through which the tab extends;

wherein the sliding blocks of the pivoting member are slidably engaged in the corresponding slide slots of the bracket, the pivoting member is pivoted out of the bracket until the tabs engage in the corresponding first notches to expose and turn on the lighting unit;

the pivoting member is pivoted into the bracket until the tabs engage in the corresponding second notches to cover and turn off the lighting unit; and

wherein the lighting unit comprises a circuit board fixed between the side boards, and a lighting element and a controlling element arranged on the circuit board, the controlling element comprises a switch, the base comprises a back plate, the pivoting member is pivoted into the bracket to make the switch abut against the back plate to turn off the lighting element, the pivoting member is pivoted out of the bracket to make the switch disengage from the back plate to turn on the lighting element.