GB1572962A - Electronic calculators - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO ELECTRONIC CALCULATORS (71) We, TRIUMPH WERKE NURNBERG AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, a German company of 212 Further Strasse 212, D-8500 Nurnberg, Germany, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to electronic calculators in which all or some of the components thereof are removable modules so that numerous different calculators can be readily assembled from a basic set of component modules.

In recent years, electronic pocket calculators have been used by an increasingly wide public. Since the users of such devices have very varied requirements, industry has to meet a variety of needs. For example, pocket calculators have to be supplied to students and also have to meet the varied needs of businessmen or engineers. The result is a wide range of different devices, which have to be manufactured and kept in stock for sale, resulting in considerable and therefore expensive storage, particularly by dealers and retailers.

An object of the invention is to overcome or substantially reduce these disadvantages.

According to the invention, there is provided an electronic calculator comprising a computer chip, visual display means and a removable module comprising a keyboard, which module is electrically connected to said chip in a plug and socket connection.

Preferably, the visual display means is a removable module which is electrically connected to said chip via a plug and socket connection.

Conveniently, the computer chip is removably and electrically connected in said calculator by means of a plug and socket connection. In a preferred arrangement, the or each plug and socket connection connects with a circuit board.

The chip, visual display means and keyboard modules may be mounted in a housing with a removable power supply unit adapted to receive a power source such as a battery or batteries, the power supply unit being electrically connected to the circuit board.

An advantage of a calculator of the invention is that the manufacturer or dealer only has to store various small components and can assemble a pocket calculator in accordance with the customer's requirements.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a power supply unit containing batteries 2 housed in a trough-like bottom casing 1 which is electrically connected by wires 3 to a baseplate or circuit board 4 itself readily removable from the bottom part 1 of the housing. Known essential components 5 necessary for operation the calculator are permanently fixed or soldered in the baseplate 4, using the well known printed circuit techniques. The drawing shows.

sockets 6, 7, 8 of three plug and socket connections which are permanently mounted on baseplate 4. The specific subassemblies for meeting customer's requirements are the calculator module or computer chip 9, the indicating module or visual display means 10 and the keyboard module 11. The calculator is covered by a top housing part 12 having apertures 13 for keys 14 of the keyboard 11. It also has an aperture 15 through which the visual display module 10 can be seen.

If a customer wishes to buy a calculator which performs specific functions, the dealer can select the appropriate calculator module 9 and the associated keyboard module 11, for instance from details supplied by the manufacturer and set out on a chart. He then inserts the termirial pins of the plugs or plug and socket connections in module 9 and the keyboard 11 into their respective sockets 6 and 8. The same is done with the visual display means module 10, its terminal pins being inserted into the socket 7, the customer himself having chosen the number of display positions in the display module. After modules 9, 10 and 11 are plugged into the baseplate 4, it is inserted in the bottom casing half 1 and the top housing part 12 is placed over it to enclose all the components of the calculator. Preferably, the housing parts 1 and 12 are clamped together. After the calculator has been checked it can be supplied to the customer.

The customer expects a calculator to perform various functions which require a number of keyboards, which accordingly have varying numbers of individual keys.

Consequently the top housing part 12 and, more particularly, the recesses 13 therein must correspond to the appropriate keyboard module 11. As can be seen, other modules 9, 10 and 11 can be inserted in the baseplate 4, thus greatly reducing the cost of storage at the factory or the dealer's. In addition, the manufacturer or dealer can immediately assemble a calculator required by the customer, without having to store large numbers of, for instance, 15 to 20 different complete calculators.

Although the preferred embodiment just described is a pocket calculator, the invention has the same advantages when applied to electronic table calculators, in which case the advantages of the invention are even clearer, in view of the larger dimensions of the aforementioned table devices.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. An- electronic calculator comprising a computer chip, visual display means and a removable module comprising a keyboard, which module is electrically connected to said chip via a plug and socket connection.

2. A calculator as claimed in claim 1 wherein the visual display means is a removable module which is electrically connected to said chip via a plug and socket connection.

3. A calculator as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the computer chip is removably and electrically connected in said calculator by means of a plug and socket connection.

4. A calculator as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the or each plug and socket connection connects with a circuit board.

5. A calculator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the chip, visual display means and keyboard modules are mounted in a housing.

6. A calculator as claimed in claim 5 when dependent on claim 4, wherein a power supply unit is removably mounted in the housing, said power supply unit being adapted to receive a power source and being electrically connected to the circuit board.

7. A calculator as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the housing comprises separable top and bottom parts, the keyboard having keys which are received in apertures in the top part of the housing.

8. An electronic calculator substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (8)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. terminal pins being inserted into the socket 7, the customer himself having chosen the number of display positions in the display module. After modules 9, 10 and 11 are plugged into the baseplate 4, it is inserted in the bottom casing half 1 and the top housing part 12 is placed over it to enclose all the components of the calculator. Preferably, the housing parts 1 and 12 are clamped together. After the calculator has been checked it can be supplied to the customer. The customer expects a calculator to perform various functions which require a number of keyboards, which accordingly have varying numbers of individual keys. Consequently the top housing part 12 and, more particularly, the recesses 13 therein must correspond to the appropriate keyboard module 11. As can be seen, other modules 9, 10 and 11 can be inserted in the baseplate 4, thus greatly reducing the cost of storage at the factory or the dealer's. In addition, the manufacturer or dealer can immediately assemble a calculator required by the customer, without having to store large numbers of, for instance, 15 to 20 different complete calculators. Although the preferred embodiment just described is a pocket calculator, the invention has the same advantages when applied to electronic table calculators, in which case the advantages of the invention are even clearer, in view of the larger dimensions of the aforementioned table devices. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. An- electronic calculator comprising a computer chip, visual display means and a removable module comprising a keyboard, which module is electrically connected to said chip via a plug and socket connection.

2. A calculator as claimed in claim 1 wherein the visual display means is a removable module which is electrically connected to said chip via a plug and socket connection.

3. A calculator as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the computer chip is removably and electrically connected in said calculator by means of a plug and socket connection.

4. A calculator as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the or each plug and socket connection connects with a circuit board.

5. A calculator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the chip, visual display means and keyboard modules are mounted in a housing.

6. A calculator as claimed in claim 5 when dependent on claim 4, wherein a power supply unit is removably mounted in the housing, said power supply unit being adapted to receive a power source and being electrically connected to the circuit board.

7. A calculator as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the housing comprises separable top and bottom parts, the keyboard having keys which are received in apertures in the top part of the housing.

8. An electronic calculator substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.