U.S. patent application number 11/649417 was filed with the patent office on 2008-07-10 for universal laptop computer case.
Invention is credited to Fai Wing Luk, Chun Chee Tsang.
Application Number | 20080164790 11/649417 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39593664 |
Filed Date | 2008-07-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080164790 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tsang; Chun Chee ; et
al. |
July 10, 2008 |
Universal laptop computer case
Abstract
Universal computer case for a laptop computer, having an
adjustable base plate and a press device. The base plate is
bi-directionally adjustable in height and width to accommodate the
dimensions of the laptop. The pressure device is adjustable to the
thickness of the laptop, and applies pressure to the top of the
laptop, to prevent it from rattling in the case and to absorb
impact shock.
Inventors: |
Tsang; Chun Chee; (Kwai
Fong, HK) ; Luk; Fai Wing; (Kowloon, HK) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BOHAN MATHERS
PO BOX 17707
PORTLAND
ME
04112-8707
US
|
Family ID: |
39593664 |
Appl. No.: |
11/649417 |
Filed: |
January 4, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
312/223.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 1/1628 20130101;
G06F 1/1616 20130101; G06F 2200/1633 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/223.2 |
International
Class: |
A47B 81/00 20060101
A47B081/00 |
Claims
1: Computer case comprising: a rigid outer case having an upper lid
and a lower lid and a frame assembly mounted in said lower lid;
wherein said frame assembly is adjustable in a height dimension and
a width dimension, so as to accommodate the height and width
dimensions of a laptop computer.
2: The computer case of claim 1, said frame assembly comprising a
first adjustable slide assembly that is adjustable in width and a
second adjustable slide assembly that is adjustable in height.
3: The computer case of claim 2, wherein said first adjustable
slide assembly includes a width-adjustment slide with a latching
device, slidably captured in a latch bracket.
4: The computer case of claim 3, wherein said latching device is a
spring pawl and said latch bracket includes a series of notches for
receiving and retaining said spring pawl.
5: The computer case of claim 3, wherein said width-adjustment
slide includes a pair of slides, and wherein said pair of slides is
mounted in said frame, a first slide opposite a second slide.
6: The computer case of claim 5, wherein said first slide and said
second slide are actuatable independently of each other.
7: The computer case of claim 2, wherein said second adjustable
slide assembly includes a height-adjustment slide with a latching
device, slidably captured in a latch bracket, said
height-adjustment slide mounted on a rail, and wherein said
width-adjustment slide assembly has an outer end and said rail is
attached to said width-adjustment slide assembly.
8: The computer case of claim 7, wherein said height-adjustment
slide includes a pair of slides and a pair of rails, and wherein a
first slide and a second slide of said pair of slides are
actuatable independently of each other.
9: The computer case of claim 7, wherein said rail includes a
corner retainer that is adaptable for receiving and retaining said
laptop computer.
10: The computer case of claim 7, wherein said latching device is a
spring pawl and said latch bracket includes a series of notches for
receiving and retaining said spring pawl.
11: The computer case of claim 1 further comprising a press device
mounted in said case and having a press slide captured in a slide
track, wherein said press device, when moved to a pressure
position, is adapted to apply pressure to said laptop so as to
force said laptop against said frame when said computer case is
closed.
12: The computer case of claim 10, said press device further
comprising a biasing spring and a hinge, and a mounting panel,
wherein said hinge hingedly couples said mounting panel and said
slide track and said biasing spring biases said slide track to a
home position, wherein said mounting panel is affixed to said an
inner surface of said upper lid, and wherein said press slide is
selectively latchable between a home position and a maximum depth
position.
13: The computer case of claim 1, wherein said frame includes a
base plate that forms a central portion of said frame and wherein
said width-adjustment slide assembly is mounted on said base
plate.
14: The computer case of claim 13, wherein said base plate is
supported by a base-plate support mount that holds a lower surface
of said base plate a distance above an inner surface of said lower
lid.
Description
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to the field of cases. More
particularly, the invention relates to a size-adjustable case for a
laptop computer.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Laptop computers are ubiquitous today. Many users carry
their laptop in a special case, to protect it from impact shock and
secure it from theft or unauthorized use. Laptop computers come in
a wide variety of dimensions, thus, it is not unusual for a laptop
user to have to get a new carry case, when she acquires a new
laptop.
[0005] What is needed, therefore, is a universal laptop computer
case that will accommodate the dimensions of conventional laptops.
What is further needed is such a case that will securely hold the
laptop computer in the case and prevent it from rattling or
shifting in the case.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The invention is a universal computer case comprising a
frame that is width and height adjustable, so as to accommodate the
size of almost any laptop computer. The universal computer case
according to the invention has an upper and a lower lid. The frame
is attached to a base plate that is securely mounted in the lower
lid. The frame has a width-adjustment slide assembly and a
height-adjustment slide assembly. Corner retainers are provided on
the corners of the frame for retaining a computer. These slide
assemblies are adjusted to the size of the computer to be carried
in the case and ideally so, that the computer fits within the
corner retainers, without excess room. A press assembly is
assembled in the upper lid, which allows the user to adjust a
downward press slide. The press slide serves to hold the laptop
computer securely against the frame, when the case is closed, and
to prevent the computer from banging or rattling against the upper
lid, when the universal computer case is carried in a vertical
orientation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The present invention is described with reference to the
accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers
indicate identical or functionally similar elements. The drawings
are not drawn to scale.
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the universal computer case
according to the invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the base plate.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a top planar view a portion of the
height-and-width adjusting frame.
[0011] FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the spring pawl.
[0012] FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the latch
mechanism.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the press device,
disassociated from the upper lid for illustration purposes, with
the slide track pulled away from the mounting panel.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the press device of FIG. 5,
showing the slide track biased shut against the mounting panel.
[0015] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the press device of FIG. 5,
showing the underside of the device, with the soft pressure end and
the underside of the press slide.
[0016] FIG. 8 illustrates the raised and pressure positions of the
press device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] The present invention will now be described more fully in
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the
preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention
should not, however, be construed as limited to the embodiments set
forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure
will be complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention
to those skilled in the art.
[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a universal computer case
1000 according to the invention. The universal computer case 1000
comprises a hard case 100, an adjustable base plate 200 that is
placed within a lower lid 120, and a press device 300 mounted on
the inner surface of an upper lid 130 of the hard case 100. FIG. 2
is an enlarged view of the base plate 200, which comprises a pad
210 securely and fixedly mounted the base plate 200. A
height-and-width adjusting frame 220, which is adjustable in a
width dimension W and a height dimension H, as indicated by the
corresponding arrows in FIG. 2, is mounted on the pad 210. The
frame 220 includes a width-adjustment slide assembly 250 and a
height-adjustment slide assembly 230. The width-adjustment slide
assembly 250 includes a width-adjustment slide 252 with a latching
device 264; the height-adjustment slide assembly 230 includes a
rail 234 with a slide mechanism 236 mounted thereon. In the
embodiment shown, the width-adjustment slide assembly 250 includes
a pair of slides 252 with latching device 262. The combination of
the height-adjustment slide assembly 230 and the width-adjustment
slide assembly 250 enables bi-directional adjustment of the frame
220, so as to accommodate the dimensions of various types and
models of computers.
[0019] FIGS. 3, 4A, and 4B illustrate details of the
height-and-width adjusting frame 220. The pad 210 is formed as a
rigid plate and mounted in the lower lid 120. In the embodiment
shown, the pad 210 has a series of holes, for the purpose of
reducing the weight of the case. The width-adjustment slide
assembly 250 includes a pair of slide assemblies 250A and 250B that
are fixedly mounted on the pad 210. The width-adjustment slide
assembly 250 includes a width-adjustment rail 256 with a latch
mechanism 260. One embodiment of the latch mechanism 260, shown in
FIGS. 4A and 4B, comprises a latch 262 that is captured in a latch
bracket 264. The latch bracket 264 has a series of notches and the
latch 262 is a spring pawl 262A that catches in one of the notches.
Applying force to the latch 262 depresses the spring pawl 262A and
releases it from a latched position. An ideal pressure point is
identified in the embodiment shown with a visual and tactile cue
266. When the latch mechanism 260 is depressed, the
width-adjustment rail 256 may be slid to another position in the
latch bracket 264. In this way, the width of the height-and-width
adjusting frame 220 is adjusted to accommodate the width of a
computer to be stored in the universal computer case 1000. In the
particular embodiment shown, the pad 210 is supported on pad
supports 212, best seen in FIG. 2, that serve to raise the lower
surface of the pad 210 slightly above the surface of the lower lid
120 to provide the necessary space to accommodate a pull-out handle
(not shown) that is slidably recessed into the case. In cases
without the pull-out handle, it may still be desirable to raise the
pad 210 above the surface of the lower lid 120 to provide space for
the spring pawl 262A, although raising the pad 210 is not a
limiting feature of the invention.
[0020] The height-adjustment slide assembly 230 includes
height-adjustment rails 234 that are slidably captured in a
height-adjustment slide assembly 236, which is affixed to the
width-adjustment rail 256 at junction 237. The height-adjustment
slide assembly 236 comprises a latch assembly 238 that includes the
same latch mechanism as described above, that is, it has a latch
262 and a spring pawl 262A that catches in a latch bracket 264. In
the embodiment shown, the height-adjustment slide assembly 236 is a
double-ended bracket, each end containing the latch bracket 264.
The outer ends of the height-adjustment rails 234 are formed as
corner retainers 232 for receiving the corners of the computer to
be stored in the universal computer case 1000. The overall height
of the frame 220 is adjustable by depressing the latch 262 and
sliding the height-adjustment rail 234 at one or both ends of the
height-adjustment slide assembly 230 to the desired position. An
intermediate portion of the height-adjustment slide assembly 236
connects to an outer end 259 of the width-adjustment rail 256.
[0021] FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 illustrate the press device 300, which is
used to apply a shock-absorbing pressure to the computer when the
universal computer case 1000 is closed, to prevent the computer
from rattling or bumping in the case. The figures show the press
device, isolated from the universal computer case 1000, for
purposes of illustration. The press device 300 is a clamshell
device having a mounting panel 302 and a press slide 310 mounted on
a slide track 320. The mounting panel 302 and press slide 310 are
coupled to each other by means of a hinge 304.
[0022] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the upper lid 130 and
illustrates the function of the press device 300. The mounting
panel 302 is affixed to the inner surface of the upper lid 130,
preferably where an upper lid wall 130A and an upper lid sidewall
130B come together. A biasing spring forces the slide track 320
upwards toward the mounting panel 302. The slide track 320 is in a
raised position when the press slide 310 positioned at a first end
320A of the slide track 320. By raised position is meant, that the
press slide 310 is in its uppermost position, relative to the base
plate 200. Moving the press slide 310 up toward a second end 320B
of the slide track 320 forces the slide track 320 into a steeper
downward slant, to a pressure position. The undersurface of the
slide track 320 has a buffer pad 330, which is preferably a
shock-absorbing foam material that is adhesively affixed to the
slide track. When in the pressure position, the buffer pad 330
presses against the computer stored in the universal computer case
1000. This prevents the laptop from rattling in the case and also
serves to absorb impact forces.
[0023] It is understood that the scope of protection is not limited
to certain types of materials used for the various features of the
universal computer case 1000. In a preferred embodiment, the latch
mechanism 260 and height-adjustment slide assembly 230 and
width-adjustment slide assembly 250 are made of metal or
metal-coated hard plastic. The pad 210 is ideally made of a rigid
plastic material, as are the upper and lower lids of the hard case
100. The universal computer case 1000 may include additional
features, such as recessible or pull-out handles, storage frames
for storing CDs or memory sticks, etc., and padding on the inner
surfaces of the hard case 100.
[0024] It is understood that the embodiments described herein are
merely illustrative of the present invention. Variations in the
construction of the universal computer case may be contemplated by
one skilled in the art without limiting the intended scope of the
invention herein disclosed and as defined by the following
claims.
* * * * *