One inch notebook computer

• US 6,426,871 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2001
• Issued: 07/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Foster, Mark J., Bovio, Michele
• Primary Examiner(s): Gandhi, Jayprakash N.
• Application Number:
  US09/921,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20010043457A1
• Time in Patent Office: 362 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679-683, 429/100
• US Class Current: 361/679.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• 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

Abstract

A portable notebook computer having a thickness of only one inch is obtained by provision of a computer housing containing a keyboard assembly and a motherboard positioned directly below the keyboard assembly, the keyboard assembly and the motherboard thereby defining a region in the enclosure. The other components comprising the computer; i.e. a hard disk drive, a PCMCIA option slot, a trackball assembly, and a DC to DC convertor, are positioned in an adjacent and generally co-planar relationship with this region. A battery housing is mounted externally on the computer housing for supplying electrical power to the computer.

Claims

1. A notebook computer, comprising:

a computer housing with a generally rectangular configuration, including a top side, a bottom, a front side and a rear side, and sidewalls extending from the front side to the rear side with a substantially uniform height;

a keyboard assembly mounted in the top side of said computer housing;

a lid including a display mounted therein, said lid being rotatably attached to the top side of said computer housing near the rear side, and covering substantially the entire top side of said housing when closed;

a motherboard, including component chips mounted thereon, attached to the bottom of said computer housing, and wherein at least a portion of said motherboard is positioned underneath the keyboard assembly to define a region bounded on the upper and lower side by the keyboard assembly and the motherboard;

a hard disk drive positioned in said housing in an area outside of said region, and toward the front side of said housing; and

an input pointing device positioned in said housing in an area outside of said region, and toward the front side of said housing.

2. A notebook computer as in claim 1, wherein the input pointing device comprises a trackball device.

3. A notebook computer as in claim 2, wherein the input pointing device extends through the top side of said housing.

4. A notebook computer as in claim 1, further comprising a battery located in a battery housing, separate from said computer housing, said battery housing attaching to said computer housing along the rear side of said computer housing.

5. A notebook computer as in claim 4, wherein said battery housing is capable of accommodating multiple batteries.

6. A notebook computer as in claim 4, wherein said battery housing is capable of pivoting with respect to said computer housing.

7. A notebook computer as in claim 4, wherein said battery housing includes a narrow section flanked by two wide sections and said computer housing includes a central extended portion on the rear side.

8. A notebook computer as in claim 7, wherein said motherboard includes one or more input/output connectors accessible through the extended portion-on the rear side of said computer housing, and wherein said battery housing is rotatable about the rear side of said computer housing to expose said input/output connectors in an area defined by said narrow section.

9. A notebook computer as in claim 8, wherein said battery housing rotates about said rear side of said computer housing between an open and a closed position;

and

wherein said battery housing covers said input/output connectors when in a closed position, and exposes said input/output connectors when in an open position.

10. A notebook computer as in claim 1, wherein said notebook computer has a thickness not substantially greater than one inch when said lid is closed.

11. A notebook computer as in claim 10, wherein said notebook computer has a thickness of one inch or less when said lid is closed.

12. An ultra-thin notebook computer, comprising:

a computer housing including a top side, a bottom, a front side, rear side, and sidewalls extending from the front side to the rear side with a substantially uniform height;

a lid, including a display, rotatably attached to the top side of said computer housing near the rear side, said lid covering substantially the entire top side of said housing when closed;

a keyboard assembly mounted in the top side of said computer housing;

a motherboard, including component chips mounted thereon, mechanically coupled to the bottom of said computer housing and mounted completely within said computer housing, and wherein said motherboard is positioned beneath the keyboard assembly to define a region bounded by the keyboard assembly and the motherboard;

a hard disk drive positioned in said housing outside of said region, and in an area on the front side of said housing relative to said region; and

an input pointing device positioned in said housing in an area outside of said region, and toward the front side of said housing.

13. A notebook computer as in claim 12, further comprising a battery located in a battery housing separate from said computer housing, said battery housing rotatably coupling to said computer housing along the rear side of said computer housing.

14. An ultra-thin notebook computer, comprising:

a computer housing including a top side, a bottom, a front side and a rear side, and sidewalls extending from the front side to the rear side with a substantially uniform height;

a lid, including a display, rotatably attached to the top side of said computer housing near the rear side, said lid covering substantially the entire top side of said housing when closed;

a keyboard and keyboard base plate mounted on the top side of said computer housing;

a motherboard, including component chips mounted thereon, attached to the bottom of said computer housing, and wherein said motherboard is positioned underneath the keyboard base plate to define a region bounded by the keyboard base plate and the motherboard;

an input pointing device positioned in said housing in an area outside of said region, and toward the front side of said housing; and

a battery located in a battery housing separate from said computer housing, said battery housing rotatably attaching to said computer housing along the rear side of said computer housing.

15. A notebook computer as in claim 14, wherein said motherboard includes one or more input/output connectors exposed on the rear side of said computer housing, and wherein said battery housing is rotatable about said rear side of said computer housing between an open and a closed position;

and

wherein said battery housing covers said input/output connectors when in a closed position, and exposes said input/output connectors when in an open position.

16. A notebook computer as in claim 14, wherein said notebook computer has a thickness not substantially greater than one inch when said lid is closed.

17. A notebook computer as in claim 14, wherein said display has a surface area substantially greater than the surface area of the keyboard.

18. A notebook computer as in claim 14, wherein said motherboard is wholly contained within said computer housing.

19. A notebook computer as in claim 14, wherein said motherboard is positioned directly below said keyboard assembly.

20. A notebook computer, comprising:

a computer housing including a top side, a bottom, a front side and a rear side, and sidewalls extending from the front side to the rear side with a substantially uniform height;

a lid, including a display, rotatably attached to the top side of said computer housing near the rear side, said lid covering substantially the entire top side of said housing when closed;

a keyboard assembly mounted in the top side of said computer housing;

a motherboard, including component chips mounted thereon, attached to the bottom of said computer housing, and wherein said motherboard is positioned beneath the keyboard assembly to define a region bounded by the keyboard assembly and the motherboard;

a drive bay positioned in said housing in an area outside of said region; and

an input pointing device positioned in said housing in an area outside of said region, toward the front side of said housing.

21. A method of manufacturing a portable computer to minimize the thickness of the portable computer, comprising the following acts, performed in any order:

configuring a computer housing to include a top side, a bottom side, a front side and a rear side, with sidewalls extending from the front side to the rear side with a substantially uniform height;

attaching a lid to the top side of the computer housing near the rear side, said lid including a display that rotates to a closed positioned to cover substantially the entire top side of said computer housing;

mounting a motherboard, with circuitry mounted thereon, within the computer housing near the bottom side;

mounting a keyboard in an aperture in the top side of the computer housing, thereby defining a region bounded on the upper side by the keyboard and on the bottom side by the motherboard; and

arranging all drive bays outside of said region to thereby minimize the distance between the keyboard and the motherboard.

22. A method as in claim 21, further comprising the act of positioning an input pointing device outside of said region to thereby minimize the distance between the keyboard and the motherboard.

23. A method of designing a portable computer to minimize the height of the portable computer, comprising the comprising the following acts, performed in any order:

configuring a computer housing to include a top side, a bottom side, a front side and a rear side, with sidewalls extending from the front side to the rear side with a substantially uniform height;

attaching a lid to the top side of the computer housing near the rear side, said lid including a display that rotates to a closed positioned to cover substantially the entire top side of said computer housing;

positioning a motherboard, with circuitry mounted thereon, within the computer housing near the bottom side;

placing a keyboard in an aperture in the top side of the computer housing, thereby defining a region bounded on the upper side by the keyboard and on the bottom side by the motherboard; and

arranging all drive bays outside of said region to thereby minimize the distance between the keyboard and the motherboard.

24. A method as in claim 23, further comprising the act of arranging an input pointing device outside of said region to thereby minimize the distance between the keyboard and the motherboard.

25. A method as in claim 24, wherein the input pointing device is positioned on the top side of the computer housing, toward the front side of said region.