CA2168942A1 - Impact-resistant notebook computer - Google Patents

Abstract

An improved portable personal computer preferably configured to facilitate outdoor field-use has an impact attenuating case, a sealed keyboard, and a sealed mouse which facilitate use of the computer in harsh environments. The case has a impact attenuating covering in which is housed a hard drive on a shock-isolated mount and a display further mounted in the case in a resilient shock-isolated manner. The case, hard drive mount, and display mount cooperate to attenuate shock-induced damage resulting from impacts and sudden accelerations of the computer caused during rugged use. Furthermore, the sealed keyboard and mouse assemblies prevent any damage which might result from liquids migrating within the case and into the computer components.

Claims (41)

1. A sealed keyboard assembly configured for mounting on a case of a portable personal computer comprising:
a keyboard having a key tray supporting a plurality of keys and a keyboard circuit board, the keyboard mounted to a keyboard mounting face in a wall of the case;
a contiguous sheet of water impervious resilient elastomeric material interposed between the key tray and the keyboard circuit board, the sheet of material extending beyond an outer periphery of the keyboard circuit board having a sealable circuitous face portion formed therealong configured to seal in engagement with a complementary corresponding portion of the keyboard mounting face so as to envelope the keyboard circuit board therebetween; and a sheet retainer configured to substantially encircle said keyboard having an engaging face portion constructed and arranged to forcibly engage the circuitous face portion of the sheet in downward sealing engagement with the keyboard mounting face so as to positively bias and seal the elastomeric sheet of material with the keyboard mounting face of the case and seal and encase the keyboard circuit board therebetween.

2. The keyboard of claim 1 wherein the sheet of material is configured to provide the spring between each key and the keyboard circuit board.

3. The keyboard assembly of claim 2 further comprising a raised dimple formed from the sheet of material such that when positioned in assembled relation with the key tray and circuit board, the dimple is provided between a key and a corresponding circuit board key circuit element so as to form a resilient spring interposed therebetween.

4. The keyboard assembly of claim 1 wherein the sheet of material is formed from a silicon synthetic rubber material.

5. The keyboard assembly of claim 1 wherein the circuitous face portion is formed by an outer peripheral edge portion of the sheet of material.

6. The keyboard assembly of claim 6 further comprising a t-shaped peripheral edge having a top and a bottom face provided on the sheet of material, the top face providing an abutment for engaging in assembly with the sheet retainer engaging face portion, and the bottom face providing a seal for sealing in assembly with the keyboard mounting face.

7. The keyboard assembly of claim 1 further comprising an encircling rib formed about a fastener hole provided through the sheet of material, wherein a corresponding fastener hole is provided in the circuit board and a corresponding internally threaded bore is provided in the back of the key tray such that a threaded fastener is received through the circuit board and sheet of material and threaded within the key tray so as to retain the circuit board, sheet of material, and key tray together in nested relation, and seal the sheet of material to the key tray back face by forcibly engaging the encircling rib about the membrane fastener hole.

8. The keyboard assembly of claim 7 wherein the key tray, sheet of material, and circuit board are preassembled to form the keyboard, wherein the keyboard is subsequently mounted in sealing engagement with the keyboard mounting face at least partially by the sheet retainer.

9. The keyboard assembly of claim 1 wherein the sheet retainer is formed by a keyboard bezel having an inner lip edge forming the engaging face portion, wherein the bezel is forcibly engaged with the circuitous face portion of the sheet of material so as to seal the sheet in engagement with the keyboard mounting face.

10. A weather sealed mouse assembly configured for use in the case of a portable personal computer, the case including a plurality of walls in edge contiguous communication therebetween, the mouse assembly provided in a face portion of one of the walls, the mouse assembly comprising:
at least one mounting port formed in the case face portion having a through-hole and a gasket face encircling the through-hole;
a pointer mouse having a finger-engagable wand movable to impart two-dimensional planar motions of a mouse cursor in computer memory in response to tactile motion of the wand and at least one clicker button movable in response to tactile input by an operator to select a position of the cursor in memory such that the wand and mouse clicker are mounted within the case so as to extend through the at least one hole in an assembled state to facilitate finger engaging manipulation by a user from outside the case;
a weather sealed covering of resilient elastomeric material having a first depression for receiving the wand, a second depression for receiving the clicker button, and a circumferentially extending lip edge contiguously formed along the open end of the covering forming a bottom face configured to completely encircle the port and mate in sealing engagement with the mounting port gasket face;
a retainer configured to substantially encircle the covering lip edge, the retainer having an engagement face sized in relation to the covering lip edge so as to forcibly bias the lip edge in sealing engagement with the mounting port gasket face; and means for engaging the retainer engagement face against the covering lip-edge to positively seal the cover with the port in the case;
wherein the weather sealed mouse when implemented on a portable personal computer is configured to facilitate outdoor field use of the computer.

11. The mouse assembly of claim 10 wherein the retainer is formed by a bezel having an inner lip edge forming the engaging face portion, wherein the bezel is mounted in forcible engagement with the circuitous face portion of the covering of material so as to seal the sheet in engagement with the encircling gasket face.

12. The mouse assembly of claim 11 wherein the means for engaging the bezel inner lip edge comprise fasteners configured to forcibly mate the bezel lip edge into engagement with the covering of material by fastening the bezel relative to the case face portion.

13. The mouse assembly of claim 11 wherein the bezel is integrally formed in combination with a keyboard bezel configured to encircle a neighboring keyboard mounted to the case face portion along which the keyboard and mouse are assembled.

14. The mouse assembly of claim 10 wherein the means for engaging the retainer engagement face with the covering lip edge comprise a plurality of threaded fasteners configured to retain the retainer in forcible engagement with the case face portion.

15. The mouse assembly of claim 10 wherein the gasket face comprises an encircling prominence raised from the case face portion and sized to ensure forcible engagement in a final assembled state of the retainer, the covering lip edge, and the encircling prominence and sealing engagement between the covering and the mounting port.

16. The mouse assembly of claim 15 wherein a first encircling prominence is formed about the mouse wand and a second encircling prominence is formed about the mouse clicker button such that the wand and clicker button are sealed between separate portions of the covering and the mounting port.

17. The mouse assembly of claim 16 further comprising a second mouse clicker button including a third encircling prominence formed about the second clicker button further sealing the second clicker button between separate portions of the covering and the mounting port.

18. The mouse assembly of claim 10 wherein the weather sealed covering further comprises a plastic wand casing and a plastic clicker button casing, wherein the wand casing and the button casing are in-molded within a molded skirt of the resilient elastomeric material.

19. The mouse assembly of claim 10 wherein the weather sealed covering is formed substantially from a synthetic rubber material.

20. The mouse assembly of claim 19 further comprising a first in-molded casing forming the first depression for receiving the wand and a second in-molded casing forming the second depression for receiving the button, the first and second casings molded in sealed flexible relation with a skirt of the elastomeric material, wherein the skirt forms the lip edge and bottom face for sealing with the mounting port gasket face.

21. The mouse assembly of claim 20 wherein the wand casing is formed in a central portion of the covering and a pair of button casings are formed in a bilateral arrangement about the wand casing so as to facilitate sealing of a mouse having a centrally positioned wand configured in relation to a pair of bilaterally arranged clicker buttons.

22. An impact resistant case assembly for use with a portable personal computer including a top case and a bottom case, a mother board having a hard drive including a central processing unit and memory modules, and a keyboard assembly including a keyboard supported along a top face of the bottom case, wherein a screen is supported within the top case and the top case is rotatably carried by the bottom case, the impact resistant case assembly comprising:
a covering formed from an impact attenuating resilient elastomeric material constructed and arranged to mount to the case and configured to substantially overlay the case such that an inner face of the covering substantially conforms to an outer face of the case;
wherein the improved impact attenuating case construction facilitates outdoor field use of a portable computer.

23. The impact resistant case assembly of claim 22 wherein the covering comprises a first covering member configured to substantially overlay a bottom wall and a plurality of side walls of the bottom case, and a second covering member configured to substantially overlay a top wall and a plurality of side walls of the top case.

24. The impact resistant case assembly of claim 23 wherein the first covering member further comprises a peripheral outer wall member constructed and arranged to encircle at least a plurality of side walls of the case, the member having an inner and an outer face, the inner face mating with the outer surface of the case, the inner face having a top and bottom edge each forming an inner face lip-edge trench, wherein the resulting top and bottom trenches are configured in opposed mouth-facing relation to one another along the cover member inner face, and the bottom case further comprises complementarily arranged upturned and downturned lip edges along a top and a bottom end, respectively, of the at least a plurality of side walls of the case, wherein the resulting upturned and downturned lip edges mate in assembled engagement with the cover trenches so as to retain the cover member to the case about an outer periphery.

25. The case assembly of claim 24 wherein the cover trench comprises a plurality of discrete mortises and the case lip edge comprises a plurality of discrete tenons such that in assembly each tenon mates in interdigitating engagement with a complementary mortise so as to oppose any tendency of the cover to unzip from the case in the event a portion of the cover disengages with the case.

26. The case assembly of claim 25 wherein the first cover member further comprises a plurality of feet depending from the cover member so as to overlay at least a portion of the bottom of the case, such that the feet support the case in shock isolated relation with a support surface on which the computer is engaged.

27. The case assembly of claim 23 wherein the second cover member further comprises a peripheral outer wall member constructed and arranged to encircle at least an outer periphery of the top of the case and a plurality of side walls of the case, the member having an inner face and an outer face, the inner face mating with the outer surface of the case, the inner face having a lip edge mating with a peripheral portion of a screen face on the top case forming an inner face lip-edge trench, and the screen face of the case further comprises a complementarily arranged bead lip formed along the peripheral portion of the case, wherein the resulting cover trench and bead lip mate in assembled engagement to retain the cover to the top case.

28. The case assembly of claim 26 wherein the cover trench comprises a plurality of discrete mortises and the case bead lip comprises a plurality of discrete tenons such that in assembly each tenon mates in interdigitating engagement with a complementary mortise so as to oppose any tendency of the cover to unzip from the case in the event a portion of the cover disengages with the case.

29. The case assembly of claim 26 further comprising a trim cover including fastening means configured to mount the cover to the top face of the top case, wherein a lip edge of the second cover member forms a receiving surface for supporting the trim cover in spaced apart relation with the top of the case such that the cover is mounted in shock isolated relation to the top case.

30. An impact resistant portable personal computer having a housing including a top case and a bottom case, a mother board having a hard drive assembly and a central processing unit in combination with memory modules, and a keyboard assembly including a keyboard supported along a top face of the bottom case, wherein a screen is supported within the top case and the top case is rotatably carried by the bottom case, the computer comprising:
a covering formed from an impact attenuating resilient elastomeric material configured to at least partially overlay the housing of the computer such that the inner face of the covering substantially conforms to the outer face of the case;
a hard drive;
a mounting bridge configured to support the hard drive within the computer bottom case having at least one mounting aperture configured to receive an isolation grommet having a through-hole for receiving a fastener to mount the bridge via the fastener to the inside of the case in resiliently retained relation so as to secure the hard drive within the case in a compliant and impact attenuating manner;
wherein the resulting impact attenuating housing and bridge mounted hard drive facilitate use of the portable computer under harsh conditions.

31. The computer of claim 30 wherein the hard drive is a 1.8 inch diameter hard drive having a mass sized in relation to the bending stiffness of the bridge so as to reduce any mass-induced decelerations from the hard drive resulting when the case is subjected to impact-induced shock loading.

32. The computer of claim 30 further comprising at least one hinge having a first face configured for mounting to the top case and a second face rotatably carried by the first face and configured for mounting to the bottom case, the bottom case further comprising a mounting well provided within a surface of the bottom case configured to receive the hinge second face in pocketed relation therein so as to provide enforced resistance to any forces produced therebetween as a result of impact-induced shock loading to the housing.

33. The computer of claim 30 wherein a plurality of shells comprising the computer housing are substantially formed from magnesium.

34. The computer of claim 30 wherein the top case comprises a back shell and a front shell, the front shell having a screen bezel therein in which the front face of the screen in assembly can be viewed by a user, and the bottom case comprises a top shell and a bottom shell, the top shell providing the keyboard top face upon which the keyboard is retained.

35. The computer of claim 30 further comprising a mobile telephone having an antenna and a modem configured to enable the computer to remotely transmit and receiver information over the mobile telephone.

36. The computer of claim 35 further comprising a speaker and a microphone configured in the bottom face of the bottom case, wherein the covering partially covers the bottom face so as to provide a gap between the speaker and microphone in relation to a surface on which the computer is supported in use which enables audible sound transmission therebetween.

37. The computer of claim 34 wherein at least one circumferentially extending resilient seal is provided along an outer peripheral portion of the screen such that the screen is sandwich-mounted in resilient isolated relation with the front shell and back shell so as to frictionally retain the screen therebetween in an impact induced shock attenuating manner.

38. The computer of claim 30 further comprising a tray provided in the bottom case configured to receive a battery and including a plurality of elongate blade electrical contacts constructed and arranged to electrically engage with corresponding battery electrical contacts during assembly.

39. A portable personal computer configured for remote use by a user to communicate with other devices, the computer comprising:
a housing including a top case and a bottom case, a mother board having a hard drive assembly and a central processing unit in combination with memory modules, and a keyboard assembly including a keyboard supported along a top face of the bottom case, wherein a screen is supported within the top case and the top case is rotatably carried by the bottom case;
a mobile telephone configured in the housing; and a modem configured in the housing in relation to the mother board and the telephone so as to enable the computer to remotely transmit and receive information over the mobile telephone.

40. The computer of claim 39 further comprising an antenna provided in the top case of the housing and configured with the telephone so as to facilitate transmission and reception of information therefrom.

41. The computer of claim 40 wherein the screen is provided in the top case and the antenna further comprises an opening provided in a front face of the top case adjacent the screen in which the antenna is configured and in which a resilient elastomeric boot is mated in sealing engagement within the opening so as to substantially seal the opening thereabout.