JP2002520728A - Flexible cover for screen of electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Summary Foldable cover (22) for an electronic device such as a palmtop computer (20) having a display screen (21). It can be flat against the screen (21) or can be folded to a position outside the perimeter of the computer (20) when the cover is flat against the screen. The screen includes a track (33) running along each side where one end of the foldable cover (22) is engaged. The structure of the cover is also applicable to similar devices with a display screen, such as a mobile telephone unit.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an electronic device incorporating a fragile screen, and more particularly to a device including a casing and means attached to the casing to protect the screen from damage.

In recent years, display screens that allow a user of the device to see how the device is operating have been increasingly used in electronic devices. Classical cathode ray tubes are rugged but large, and small flat LCD screens are increasingly being used, especially in portable electronic devices such as palmtop computers, mobile phones and handheld game consoles. ing. Such screens are relatively fragile and, therefore, care must be taken to reduce the risk of damage, for example by mounting them in a location recessed from the front of the casing. They can also be mounted behind hard glass or clear plastic windows.

A particular problem arises with screens that are covered by a so-called “touch screen”. The touch screen operates so that a user of the device can interact with the device by selectively pressing a portion of the touch screen, the portion being displayed on an LCD screen behind the touch screen. It can be identified by the appropriate marking, indicia or icon being displayed. touch·
The screen itself is comprised of a pair of spaced apart sheets, at least one of which is relatively flexible and can be selectively brought into contact by pressing over a desired area of the touch screen. it can. If there is only one flexible sheet, it is located on the outermost side. A conductive layer on the opposing, spaced-apart surface of the sheet, usually indium tin oxy.
de), and the associated electronics, determine the selected touch position and generate the appropriate input signal to control the device. Pressing selectively to form a contact can be made with a fingertip or, for example, with another stylus. Control of the electronic device in this mode is advantageous because conventional control buttons are almost or completely eliminated.

[0004] It is known to protect such LCD screens, and if there is a touch screen thereon, see for example US Pat. No. 5,555,157 and EP-A-0865184. (As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,867), is generally protected by a lid or cover hingedly attached to one side of the screen, or by a lid or cover that is placed in a clippable manner. Another method is to divide the casing of the device on which the LCD screen is mounted into two parts,
A method in which one part can slide with respect to another part, so that the screen is visible or hidden by sliding one part of its casing (see, for example, WO 97/03511). ). European patent publication EP-A-0 846 999 discloses another method with a rolling shutter in the form of a slat on a flexible backing. Instead, a relatively hard slip cover (slip c
over) can be provided for the entire device. These methods are not always satisfactory. The hinged cover is easy to come off, the clip-on cover and slip cover are easy to lose, and parts of the slidable casing can easily break and do not work satisfactorily.

According to the present invention, in a casing for an electronic device comprising a display screen, in particular a display screen with a touch screen superimposed on the display screen, a dedicated flexible flexible cover member.
A cover member is provided, the cover member being hinged at one end of the casing and a pair of spaced parallel tracks extending on opposite sides of the screen at opposite edges. ) Comprising engaging means whereby the flexible cover member covers the screen and is separated from the substantially flat shape by track engaging means remote from the hinged edge. The track engaging means engages a track adjacent to the hinged edge so that the cover member is folded or arched into a loop extending outwardly from the casing. It can be flexed into a flexed shape that bends.

The flexible cover member is relatively flexible or bendable in one direction, and is relatively inflexible in a direction perpendicular thereto, ie, from a rigid or rigid material. It is preferably made. Such cover members include, for example, tambours that include a set of at least some rigid rods or slat members on or within a flexible sheet, such as a rubber sheet material.
door or roll-top desk cover.

Alternatively, the flexible cover member comprises a relatively stiff plate separated by a relatively small number (usually preferably two) of small gaps and attached to the backing sheet. , From a flexible backing sheet.

[0008] The track and the engagement means may be such that the cover is selectively kept open or closed, ie, the screen is visible or covered. Is preferably formed so that each of them can be selectively performed. For example, the track can be incorporated in the form of a clip which can temporarily engage the engagement means.

It is also convenient to have an arrangement for some type of switching mechanism to operate to "switch on" the electronic device when the engagement means is moved to a position where the screen is visible.

[0010] Alternatively, one end of the cover member can be hingedly mounted about a suitable axis, and the end cooperates with means located near the axis to form an end of the cover member. Can be detected whether the position corresponds to a position where the screen is covered or a position where the screen is visible.

The present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are by way of example only. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a palmtop computer having a generally rectangular parallelepiped casing 1 and a display screen 2 is shown. Although four actuation buttons 9 are shown, control is primarily through the touch screen above the display screen 2.

A flexible cover sheet 3 is attached by rigid bars 4 and 5 at two opposing ends. The bar 4 is hinged to one edge of the casing 1 with respect to a hinge line 6. The bar 5 slides in a pair of facing tracks 7 set on both sides of the screen 2. The bar 5 is provided with a raised area 8 which can be manipulated with a thumb nail to open or close the cover.

The track 7 is shaped so that the shape near its end adjacent to the button 9 can hold the bar 5 to grip against its end of the track, and the bar 5 It is in a form that is sufficiently resilient so that it can bounce off the position, move along the track, open the cover and make the screen 2 visible. A similar form of clipping can grab the bar 5 at the position shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the present invention relates to another electronic device (in this case, a mobile phone 9).
Can be used in casings for This is a telephone of conventional design, but with the protection of the screen 12 provided by the cover 10 shown in FIG. 3 in the open position. Mobile phone 9 has earphones
14 and an antenna 16 are provided. Most of the operations of the telephone are controlled via the screen 12.

The cover 10 has a mobile phone 9 in the same manner as described in connection with FIGS.
Attached to the body and move relative to it. However, the cover 10 is attached to the body of the mobile phone 9 adjacent the end of the mobile phone 9 remote from the earphone 14 and the antenna 16. As a result, cover 10 when in its open position resembles a mouthpiece for a telephone. Movement of cover 10 may activate one or more switches in groove 7 to cause a particular operation of the telephone.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-7, there is shown another cover structure for a palmtop computer, designated at 20 in FIG. 4, which serves as an on / off switching device for the computer. It is configured.

A generally rectangular display screen, overlaid with a touch screen indicated at 21 if necessary, can be covered by a foldable cover 22 when the computer 20 is not in use. it can. The foldable cover 22 is composed of a flexible sheet material 24 attached to two metal components 25 and 26, the shape of which is evident from FIG. Components 24, 25 and 26 together make up cover 22.

The component 26 is configured in a generally flat plate shape that is folded around a rod 31 projecting from one end of the folding structure 30 at one side edge 30. The size of the protruding end of the rod 31 is adapted to engage with the tracks 33 arranged on both sides of the screen 21.

The other component 25 is formed and bent at one edge to include a channel 36 and a set of arched lugs 37, which are generally flat plate shaped It is composed of The function of the groove 36 is to accommodate a fixed axle 40 extending from one side of the casing of the palmtop computer 20 to the other, which can be seen from FIGS. 7a and 7b. Further, in these figures, shapes are shown that are recessed inside the outer casing of the palmtop computer 20 adjacent to two of the corners. The arched protrusions 37 enter inside these recesses and form a generally cylindrical surface so that the component 25 can be smoothly rotated about the axis 40 as a whole. Can be.

Each recess includes two shaped beads 41, 42, the components of which are spring means (shown diagrammatically at 44) which act to press the shaft 40 against the bottom of the slot 36. Related. This is (as shown in FIG. 7a)
When the cover member is closed, the top of the slot 36 engages the point (pip) 41, and when the cover 22 is opened so that the screen 21 is visible as shown in FIG. A latching action (l) that engages the bead 42 but selectively retains the component 25 at one of two radial positions about the axis 40
providing an action.

The flexible cover member 22 applied to the components 25 and 26 using a suitable adhesive has been omitted from FIGS. 7a and 7b for clarity. As shown in FIG. 4, the end of the flexible member 22 is
The cover has been modified to form a lip 46 adjacent to the lip 46 and the cover
From the closed position covering the screen shown in FIG. 7a and the screen shown in FIGS. 4 and 5c in the direction of the arrow shown as 50 in FIGS. 5b and 5c, the screen shown in FIG. It can be easily moved to a visible open position. When the lip 46 is first pushed in the direction of arrow 50, the rod 3
One end slides along the track 33, and the cover member 22 bends in an arch as shown in FIG. 5b, and then, as best shown in FIG. 5c,
Folds on itself. It can be seen that the folded cover 22 is kept away from the screen area due to the engagement of the open edge of the slot 36 with the point 42 inside the casing of the palmtop computer 20. right.
When the cover is opened, the edge of the bottom outside the slot 36 (shown as 55 in FIG. 7b) is fitted with a suitable switch member, for example, a palmtop computer 2.
The actuation arm of the microswitch for activating 0 can be actuated.

To close the cover, it is only necessary to push up the outer folded edge slowly in the direction of arrow 60 as shown in FIG. This causes the component 25 to move, releasing the opening in the slot 36 from the bead 42 and the natural elasticity of the flexible member 24 trying to flatten it again, and thus the position shown in FIG. 5c. 5 to the position shown in FIG. 5a. Rod 31
Is freely slidable in the track 33, this is done simply and smoothly, and the pressing action of the spring 44 causes the opening of the slot 36 to engage the bead 41 with the bead 41. As a result, the cover is held at a flat position covering the screen 21.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a palmtop computer with a casing according to the invention, with the display screen visible.

FIG. 2 is the same view as FIG. 1, but with the cover closed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a mobile telephone unit having a casing according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another type of a palmtop computer having a casing according to the present invention.

5a, b and c are cross sections of the computer of FIG. 4 showing the cover member in three positions.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a metal component of the cover member shown in FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIGS. 7a and 7b show details of the mounting of the end of the cover member shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 with respect to the other part of the casing of the palmtop computer.

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Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A casing for an electronic device comprising a display screen and a dedicated flexible cover member, said cover member being hingedly attached to said casing at one edge and opposite to said casing. At the edge, means for engaging a pair of spaced parallel tracks extending on opposite sides of the screen, whereby the flexible cover member covers the screen with the cover member covering the screen; The track engaging means engages a passage adjacent to the hinged mounting edge from a substantially flat configuration spaced from the hinged mounting edge, and A casing wherein the cover member is capable of being bent into a looped or arcuate bent shape extending outwardly from the casing. . 2. The casing according to claim 1, wherein a touch screen overlaps the display screen. 3. The casing according to claim 1, wherein the flexible cover member is flexible in a first direction and is substantially perpendicular to the first direction. A casing made of a rigid material that does not bend in a second direction. 4. The casing of claim 3, wherein said flexible cover member comprises a rigid rod or slat member on or within a flexible sheet. 5. The casing according to claim 1, wherein the cover member is formed from a flexible backing sheet attached to two relatively rigid plates separated from each other. 6. The casing according to claim 1, wherein the track and the cover member selectively hold the cover member in the open position or the closed position. Casing containing possible cooperating means. 7. The casing according to claim 1, wherein the cover is bent from its flat shape in cooperation with a part of the cover member. A casing comprising means for switching the electronic device on and off when moved respectively. 8. A palmtop computer comprising a casing according to any one of claims 1 to 7. 9. A mobile telephone handset comprising a casing according to any one of claims 1 to 7.