Electronic apparatus having a housing

• US 6,972,946 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2004
• Issued: 12/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Hamada, Tomohiro, Tatemichi, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Lynn
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pape, Zachary
• Application Number:
  US10/821,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20050041378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: 361/680, 361/725, 361/686, 312/223.2, 312326-329, 292/116, 292/148, 292/156, 292/137, 292/302, 292/31, 292/120, 292/150
• US Class Current: 361/679.01
• 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 1/1656 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 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 takes precedence

Abstract

An electronic apparatus has a housing, a cover detachably supported on the housing, a lock mechanism which is covered with the cover and which locks the cover in the housing, and an operation portion which allows to access the lock mechanism from the outside of the housing and the cover, in order to unlock the cover from the housing.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a housing;

a cover detachably supported on the housing;

a lock mechanism which is covered with the cover and which locks the cover to the housing; and

an operation portion which allows to access the lock mechanism from the outside of the housing and the cover, in order to unlock the cover from the housing,

wherein the lock mechanism unlocks the cover from the housing when a part of the lock mechanism is pressed in a direction from the cover toward the lock mechanism through the operation portion.

2. An electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lock mechanism includes a claw arranged in the cover and a convex portion arranged in the housing, and the claw and the convex portion are engaged each other under the lock condition.

3. An electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the claw is elastically displaced between an engagement position where the claw is engaged with the convex portion and an unlocked position where the claw is released from the convex portion.

4. An electronic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the claws includes a press portion, and the operation portion has a hole formed in the cover in order to expose the press portion of claw to the outside of the cover and to allow the claw to displace to the unlocked position.

5. An electronic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the cover is slidably between a first position and a second position with respect to the housing, and the claw is engaged with the convex portion when the cover is slid from the first position to the second position.

6. An electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes a storing portion that detachably holds one of a plurality of functional units, and the cover detachably covers the storing portion.

7. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a housing having a keyboard support portion arranged on the upper surface thereof;

a keyboard detachably mounted to the keyboard support portion;

a cover detachably covering the upper surface of the housing and having a holding portion which holds a part of the keyboard with the keyboard support portion, the cover adapted to be positioned in either a first position or a second position with respect to the housing;

a lock mechanism partially arranged on the cover and covered by the cover, the lock mechanism engaged with the housing to lock the cover on the housing; and

an operation portion which allows to access the lock mechanism in order to unlock the cover from the housing from the outside of the housing and the cover,

wherein the lock mechanism is engaged with the housing when the cover is slid from the first position to the second position and is unlocked when a part of the lock mechanism is pressed in a direction from the cover toward the lock mechanism through the operation portion.

8. An electronic apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising;

a functional unit; and

a storing portion formed in the housing and which holds the functional unit,

wherein the cover covers the storing portion.

9. An electronic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the keyboard support portion and the storing portion are located on the upper surface of the housing and next to each other.

10. An electronic apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the holding portion is located between the keyboard support portion and the storing portion.

11. An electronic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the lock mechanism includes a claw arranged in the cover and a convex portion arranged in the housing, and the claw and the convex portion are engaged each other during locking.

12. An electronic apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the claw is elastically displaced between an engagement position where the claw is engaged with the convex portion and an unlocked position where the claw is released from the convex portion.

13. An electronic apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the claws includes a press portion, and the operation portion has a hole formed in the cover in order to expose the press portion of the claw to the outside of the cover and to allow the claw to displace to the unlocked position.

14. An electronic apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the housing has a plurality of engagement holes, and the cover has a plurality of engagement projections corresponding to the engagement holes so that the engagement projections are coupled to the engagement holes when the cover is slid from the first position to the second position, thereby holding the cover at a predetermined position with respect to the housing.

15. An electronic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the lock mechanism is interposed between the cover and the housing.

16. An electronic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the keyboard has a tongue portion that extends from an edge to the upper surface of the housing, and the cover holds the tongue portion with the housing.

17. An electronic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the cover is detachably fixed to the housing at a position different from that of the lock mechanism through a screw.

18. An electronic apparatus, comprising:

a housing;

a cover detachably supported on the housing, the cover including a hole; and

a lock mechanism attached to an inner surface of the cover, the lock mechanism locking the cover to the housing at an engagement position, the lock mechanism including a press portion at a position corresponding to the hole of the cover and being unlocked when the press portion is pressed in a direction from the cover toward the lock mechanism through the hole.

19. An electronic apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the lock mechanism includes a claw arranged in the cover and a convex portion arranged in the housing, the claw and the convex portion becoming engaged when the lock mechanism is placed in a lock condition.

20. An electronic apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the claw includes the press portion, and is elastically displaced between an engagement position where the claw is engaged with the convex portion and an unlocked position where the claw is released from the convex portion when the press portion is pressed.