U.S. patent application number 12/191977 was filed with the patent office on 2009-11-05 for protective device, and assembly of the protective device and a notebook computer.
This patent application is currently assigned to Wistron Corporation. Invention is credited to Hsiang-Jui Cheng, Wei-Hsin Lin.
Application Number | 20090272662 12/191977 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41256396 |
Filed Date | 2009-11-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090272662 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lin; Wei-Hsin ; et
al. |
November 5, 2009 |
Protective Device, And Assembly Of The Protective Device And A
Notebook Computer
Abstract
A protective device is used to contain a notebook computer, and
includes a first cover body, a second cover body, a closure
component, and a circuit board. The second cover body is coupled to
the first cover body, and cooperates with the first cover body to
define a containing space for containing the notebook computer. The
second cover body is movable relative to the first cover body
between a closing position and an open position. The closure
component is disposed between the first and the second cover
bodies, and is operable to retain the second cover body at the
closing position relative to the first cover body. The circuit
board is disposed in the containing space, is adapted to
electrically connect with the notebook computer, and includes a
plurality of transmission interfaces for transmission of one of
data and signals.
Inventors: |
Lin; Wei-Hsin; (Taipei
Hsien, TW) ; Cheng; Hsiang-Jui; (Taipei Hsien,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SHEPPARD, MULLIN, RICHTER & HAMPTON LLP
990 Marsh Road
Menlo Park
CA
94025
US
|
Assignee: |
Wistron Corporation
Taipei Hsien
TW
|
Family ID: |
41256396 |
Appl. No.: |
12/191977 |
Filed: |
August 14, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/320 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45C 11/18 20130101;
A45C 2011/003 20130101; A45C 2011/188 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/320 |
International
Class: |
B65D 85/00 20060101
B65D085/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 30, 2008 |
TW |
097207465 |
Claims
1. A protective device adapted for containing a notebook computer,
said protective device comprising: a first cover body; a second
cover body coupled to said first cover body, cooperating with said
first cover body to define a containing space adapted for
containing the notebook computer, and movable relative to said
first cover body between a closing position and an open position; a
closure component disposed between said first and said second cover
bodies and operable to retain said second cover body at the closing
position relative to said first cover body; and a circuit board
disposed in said containing space, adapted to electrically connect
with the notebook computer, and including a plurality of
transmission interfaces for transmission of one of data and
signals.
2. The protective device as claimed in claim 1, the notebook
computer including a first electrical connector, wherein said
circuit board further includes a second electrical connector, and
said protective device further comprises a transmission line
adapted to electrically connect said second electrical connector to
the first electrical connector.
3. The protective device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first
cover body has an inner surface, and includes a plurality of
positioning belts mounted to said inner surface for retaining said
circuit board in said containing space.
4. The protective device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first
and said second cover bodies are made of an explosion-proof
material selected from industrial plastic materials, aluminum alloy
materials, and stainless steel materials.
5. The protective device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first
and said second cover bodies are made of a bulletproof material
containing aromatic polyamide fibers.
6. The protective device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said first
cover body has an inner surface, and includes a plurality of
positioning belts mounted to said inner surface for retaining said
circuit board in said containing space.
7. The protective device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said first
and said second cover bodies are made of an explosion-proof
material selected from industrial plastic materials, aluminum alloy
materials, and stainless steel materials.
8. The protective device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said first
and said second cover bodies are made of a bulletproof material
containing aromatic polyamide fibers.
9. The protective device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said
closure component is a zipper.
10. The protective device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
transmission interfaces include at least one of an expansion slot,
a plurality of Universal Serial Bus port, a S-Video port, a card
reader, a PCMCIA slot, an audio line-in port, an audio line-out
port, a microphone port, a HDMI port, an RJ11 connector, an RJ45
connector, and an audio-video transmission port.
11. An assembly of a protective device and a notebook computer,
comprising: a notebook computer; and a protective device for
containing said notebook computer, said protective device including
a first cover body, a second cover body coupled to said first cover
body, cooperating with said first cover body to define a containing
space for containing said notebook computer, and movable relative
to said first cover body between a closing position and an open
position, a closure component disposed between said first and said
second cover bodies and operable to retain said second cover body
at the closing position relative to said first cover body, and a
circuit board disposed in said containing space, electrically
connected to said notebook computer, and including a plurality of
transmission interfaces for transmission of one of data and
signals.
12. The assembly of a protective device and a notebook computer as
claimed in claim 11, wherein said notebook computer includes a
first electrical connector, said circuit board further includes a
second electrical connector, and said protective device further
includes a transmission line for electrically connecting said
second electrical connector to said first electrical connector.
13. The assembly of a protective device and a notebook computer as
claimed in claim 11, wherein said first cover body has an inner
surface, and includes a plurality of positioning belts mounted to
said inner surface for retaining said circuit board in said
containing space.
14. The assembly of a protective device and a notebook computer as
claimed in claim 11, wherein said first and said second cover
bodies are made of an explosion-proof material selected from
industrial plastic materials, aluminum alloy materials, and
stainless steel materials.
15. The assembly of a protective device and a notebook computer as
claimed in claim 11, wherein said first and said second cover
bodies are made of a bulletproof material containing aromatic
polyamide fibers.
16. The assembly of a protective device and a notebook computer as
claimed in claim 12, wherein said first cover body has an inner
surface, and includes a plurality of positioning belts mounted to
said inner surface for retaining said circuit board in said
containing space.
17. The assembly of a protective device and a notebook computer as
claimed in claim 16, wherein said first and said second cover
bodies are made of an explosion-proof material selected from
industrial plastic materials, aluminum alloy materials, and
stainless steel materials.
18. The assembly of a protective device and a notebook computer as
claimed in claim 16, wherein said first and said second cover
bodies are made of a bulletproof material containing aromatic
polyamide fibers.
19. The assembly of a protective device and a notebook computer as
claimed in claim 16, wherein said closure component is a
zipper.
20. The assembly of a protective device and a notebook computer as
claimed in claim 11, wherein said transmission interfaces include
at least one of an expansion slot, a plurality of Universal Serial
Bus ports, a S-Video port, a card reader, a PCMCIA slot, an audio
line-in port, an audio line-out port, a microphone port, a HDMI
port, an RJ11 connector, an RJ45 connector, and an audio-video
transmission port.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority of Taiwanese application
no. 097207465, filed on Apr. 30, 2008.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates to a protective device, and an
assembly of the protective device and a notebook computer, more
particularly to a protective device adapted for containing a
notebook computer, and an assembly of the protective device and a
notebook computer.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional notebook computer 1 having
a slim design. In accordance with the slim design, a length and a
width of each side edge 111 of a body section 11 of the
conventional notebook computer 1 are cut down, resulting in a
corresponding reduction in volume of a containing space 112 within
the body section 11. The above-described size reductions have an
adverse effect of limiting the area over which various quantities
and types of transmission interfaces such as Universal Serial Bus
ports 12, card readers, or audio-visual transmission interfaces can
be installed. In particular, due to the shortened length of the
side edges 111, a large quantity of transmission interfaces cannot
be mounted directly in the side edges 111. Similarly, it is not
possible to mount directly larger devices such as optical disk
drives or CD burners due to the reduced volume of the containing
space 112. Therefore, devices designed to connect externally must
be selected for use with the conventional notebook computer 1.
[0006] The selection of transmission interfaces available to a user
during operation of the conventional notebook computer 1 is thus
limited. Moreover, when carrying the conventional notebook computer
1 for outdoor use, it is necessary to carry an external optical
disk drive, CD burner, etc. as well, and set up the aforesaid
devices prior to use, which is inconvenient.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide
a protective device that is adapted for containing a notebook
computer and that is capable of providing the notebook computer
with a variety of transmission interfaces for convenient use.
[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide an
assembly of a protective device and a notebook computer. The
protective device is adapted for containing the notebook computer
and is capable of providing the notebook computer with a variety of
transmission interfaces for convenient use.
[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a protective device adapted for containing a notebook
computer. The protective device comprises a first cover body, a
second cover body, a closure component, and a circuit board.
[0010] The second cover body is coupled to the first cover body,
and cooperates with the first cover body to define a containing
space adapted for containing the notebook computer. The second
cover body is movable relative to the first cover body between a
closing position and an open position. The closure component is
disposed between the first and the second cover bodies, and is
operable to retain the second cover body at the closing position
relative to the first cover body. The circuit board is disposed in
the containing space, is adapted to electrically connect with the
notebook computer, and includes a plurality of transmission
interfaces for transmission of one of data and signals.
[0011] In an embodiment of the invention, the notebook computer
includes a first electrical connector, the circuit board further
includes a second electrical connector, and the protective device
further comprises a transmission line adapted to electrically
connect the second electrical connector to the first electrical
connector.
[0012] In an embodiment of the invention, the first cover body has
an inner surface, and includes a plurality of positioning belts
mounted to the inner surface for retaining the circuit board in the
containing space.
[0013] In an embodiment of the invention, the first and the second
cover bodies are made of an explosion-proof material selected from
industrial plastic materials, aluminum alloy materials, and
stainless steel materials.
[0014] In an embodiment of the invention, the first and the second
cover bodies are made of a bulletproof material containing aromatic
polyamide fibers.
[0015] In an embodiment of the invention, the closure component is
a zipper.
[0016] In an embodiment of the invention, the transmission
interfaces include at least one of an expansion slot, a plurality
of Universal Serial Bus port, a S-Video port, a card reader, a
PCMCIA slot, an audio line-in port, an audio line-out port, a
microphone port, a HDMI port, an RJ11 connector, an RJ45 connector,
and an audio-video transmission port.
[0017] Since the protective device of the present invention
includes a circuit board equipped with the plurality of
transmission interfaces, the protective device can provide a
notebook computer having a slim design with a variety of
transmission interfaces for convenient use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] Other features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent in the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings,
of which:
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a conventional
notebook computer having a slim design;
[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a protective
device according to the present invention, showing a second cover
body in a closing position relative to a first cover body;
[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the
preferred embodiment;
[0022] FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the
preferred embodiment viewed from another angle;
[0023] FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic view of the preferred
embodiment, showing an arrangement of transmission interfaces on a
circuit board; and
[0024] FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of the preferred
embodiment showing the second cover body in an open position
relative to the first cover body, and a transmission line
electrically connecting a notebook computer to the circuit
board.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0025] FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a preferred embodiment of a
protective device 300 according to the present invention. The
protective device 300 is adapted for containing a notebook computer
2 having a slim design. In this embodiment, the protective device
300 is a protective box. However, the protective device 300 can be
a protective bag or case.
[0026] Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the protective device 300 is
shown to comprise a first cover body 3, a second cover body 4, a
closure component 5, and a circuit board 6.
[0027] In this embodiment, the first and second cover bodies 3,4
are made of an explosion-proof material selected from industrial
plastic materials, aluminum alloy materials, and stainless steel
materials. A rear side of the first cover body 3 and a rear side of
the second cover body 4 are coupled together. The second cover body
4 cooperates with the first cover body 3 to define a containing
space 31 adapted for containing the notebook computer 2 and the
circuit board 6. Preferably, the first cover body 3 has an inner
surface, and includes four spaced apart positioning belts 32
mounted to corner portions of the inner surface for retaining the
circuit board 6 in the containing space 31. The second cover body 4
is movable relative to the first cover body 3 between a closing
position and an open position.
[0028] When the second cover body 4 is in the closing position
relative to the first cover body 3, the first and second cover
bodies 3,4, being made from the explosion-proof material, are able
to provide protection to the notebook computer 2 contained in the
containing space 31. However, the material from which the first and
second cover bodies 3,4 are made is not limited to what is
described above, and can be a bulletproof material containing
aromatic polyamide fibers such as Kevlar.RTM. in accordance with
user requirements.
[0029] In this embodiment, the closure component 5 is a zipper
disposed between right, left, and front sides of the first and
second cover bodies 3,4 and operable to retain the second cover
body 4 at the closing position relative to the first cover body
3.
[0030] The circuit board 6, as previously mentioned, is disposed in
the containing space 31, and includes a board body 61, and a
plurality of transmission interfaces installed on a bottom side of
the board body 61 for transmission of data or signals. The
transmission interfaces arranged along a right side of the board
body 61, proceeding from front to back of the board body 61,
include the following: a PCMIA slot 62, a plurality of Universal
Serial Bus connector 63, an audio line-in port 64, an audio
line-out port 65, a microphone port 66, a HDMI port 67, an RJ11
connector 68, an RJ45 connector 69, and an audio-video transmission
port 70. The transmission interfaces arranged along a left side of
the board body 61, proceeding from front to back of the board body
61, include the following: a card reader 71, an S-Video port 72,
two USB ports 63, and an expansion slot 73. In this embodiment, the
PCMIA slot 62 can be used to provide a PCMIA standard interface to
an inserted card. The card reader 71 is a many-in-one type card
reader that can read electronic cards of different standards, such
as an SD card, a MMC card, a CF card, an MD card, an SM card, an MS
card, and an XD card. The expansion slot 73 can be used for
mounting an optical disk drive, a CD burner, a hard disk, a
battery, or a communication module of the notebook computer 2.
[0031] In this embodiment, the notebook computer 2 includes a first
electrical connector 210 installed on a left side edge 211 of a
body section 21, the circuit board 6 further includes a second
electrical connector 74 installed at a back of the board body 61 to
the rear side of the expansion slot 73, and the protective device
300 further comprises a transmission line 8. The transmission line
8 is adapted to electrically connect the second electrical
connector 74 to the first electrical connector 210. Through the
transmission line 8, the notebook computer 2 is able to
electrically connect with each of the transmission interfaces of
the circuit board 6.
[0032] Referring to FIGS. 2, 4, and 6, when it is desired to use
the notebook computer 2, the closure component 5 is first operated
to release the second cover body 4 from the first cover body 3. The
second cover body 4 can then be moved from the closing position, as
shown in FIG. 2, to the open position, in which the second cover
body 4 can be tilted backward as shown in FIG. 6. The notebook
computer 2 is then revealed to be situated on top of the board body
61 of the circuit board 6, and the first electrical connector 210
of the notebook computer 2 is electrically connected to the second
electrical connector 74 of the circuit board 6 through the
transmission line 8. After the display panel 22 of the notebook
computer 2 is tilted back, the notebook computer 2 can be used.
[0033] Referring to FIG. 4, since the notebook computer 2 has the
slim design, lengths and widths of the left side edge 211, a right
side edge 212, a front side edge 213, and a rear side edge 214 of
the body section 21, are cut down. As a result, a volume of a
containing space (not shown) within the body section 21 is reduced.
The above-described size reductions limit the area over which
transmission interfaces can be installed in the notebook computer
2, consequently limiting a selection of transmission interfaces
available to the user. However, the user is able to access a
quantity and variety of transmission interfaces through the circuit
board 6 of the protective device 300 of the present invention.
Moreover, the expansion slot 73 included in the plurality of
transmission interfaces allows for direct mounting of larger
devices such as optical disk drives, CD burners, or hard disks,
thereby eliminating the need to carry and set up the aforesaid
devices, resulting in greater convenience. It should be noted that
the type and standard of the transmission interfaces can be varied
according to requirements, and are not limited to what are
described herein.
[0034] In sum, since the protective device 300 of the present
invention includes a circuit board 6 equipped with the plurality of
transmission interfaces, the protective device 300 can provide a
notebook computer 2 having the slim design with a variety of
transmission interfaces for convenient use.
[0035] While the present invention has been described in connection
with what is considered the most practical and preferred
embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to
the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various
arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest
interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and
equivalent arrangements.
* * * * *