JP2009253243A - Case for electronic instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a case for an electronic instrument having sufficient protective performance without affecting an operational performance of the electronic instrument and allowing reduction of production cost to be achieved. <P>SOLUTION: The case for an electronic instrument is provided with a case body 2 made up of a front panel 11, a rear panel 12 and four side panels 13 (side panels 13a to 13d) arranged substantially to form a rectangular parallelepiped, and also provided with protectors 3 (protectors 3a to 3d) to protect the case body 2. In the four corners 21 (corners 21a to 21d) each formed by neighboring side panels 13, there are gaps 22 each formed by spacing neighboring side panels 13 apart from each other. The protectors 3 are each formed of a flexible, elastic and single-ingredient material and made up of a couple of body components with fitting grooves. The protector 3 is attached to the corner 21 by fitting each of fitting grooves onto the edge portion 14 of each side panel 13 at a corner 21 to permit sliding along the edge portion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a case for electronic equipment including a case main body configured in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and a protector disposed at a corner portion of the case main body.

As a protector that is attached to a case of an electronic device and protects the electronic device (case), a protector for a portable terminal device (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “protector”) disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-183556 is known. . This protector is formed of a plastic member having rigidity and is in contact with a terminal (electronic device to be protected), and an inner layer formed of a relatively soft (flexible) elastomer compared to the inner layer. It consists of a two-layer structure of the outer layer part that covers the part. The protector is attached so as to fit the left and right side surfaces of the terminal, and is fixed to the terminal with screws.
JP 2000-183556 A (page 3-4, FIG. 1)

  However, the conventional protector has the following problems. That is, this protector is comprised by the two-layer structure of the inner-layer part which has rigidity, and the outer-layer part which has a softness | flexibility and coat | covers an inner-layer part. For this reason, compared with the structure which is not provided with the inner layer part, there exists a possibility that the operation of an electronic device may be hindered as a result of a protector having a large size. Further, the above protector has a problem that it is difficult to reduce the manufacturing cost because the manufacturing process is complicated due to the two-layer structure. In this case, a method of forming a protector with only a flexible member can be considered. However, since conventional protectors including the above-described protectors are generally fixed to electronic devices (cases of electronic devices) by screwing, a protector formed with only a flexible member is used for screwing. There is a risk that reliable attachment will be difficult, such as cracking around the screw hole due to the pressure at the time of screwing, or deformation and removal of a part that is not screwed.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and provides an electronic device case that has a sufficient protection function without affecting the operability of the electronic device and can realize a reduction in manufacturing cost. The main purpose is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, a case for an electronic device according to claim 1 is formed by a case main body configured in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape by a front panel, a back panel and four side panels, and the adjacent side panels. A case for an electronic device comprising a protector that is attached to each of four corner portions and protects the case body, and at least a part of each corner portion includes a gap in which the adjacent side panels are separated from each other. The protector is formed of a single material having flexibility and elasticity, and is fitted with a pair of fitting grooves which are fitted to edges of the adjacent side panels constituting the gap in the corner portion. A main body portion is formed, and along the length direction of the corner portion, the edge portions are fitted in the fitting grooves, respectively. It is attached to the corner portions by sliding the main body portion.

  The electronic device case according to claim 2 is the electronic device case according to claim 1, wherein the protector includes a first protector member having a first main body portion constituting a part of the main body portion; It comprises a second protector member having a second body part constituting another part of the body part, and the first protector member is one end of the corner part toward the central part in the length direction of the corner part. The first main body portion is slid from the side and attached to the corner portion, and the second protector member moves the second main body portion from the other end side of the corner portion toward the center portion of the corner portion. Slide to attach to the corner.

  The electronic device case according to claim 3 is the electronic device case according to claim 2, wherein the edge of each of the adjacent side panels is disposed at a central portion in the length direction of the corner portion of the case body. A bridge portion that is stretched over the portion is disposed, and the first protector member and the second protector member are configured such that the tip portions can abut each other in a state where each tip portion is located in the bridge portion. Yes.

  Further, the electronic device case according to claim 4 is the electronic device case according to claim 3, wherein the tip portions of the first protector member and the second protector member are arranged on the end surfaces thereof. Fitting portions that are fitted to each other in a state where the two have abutted each other are formed.

  The electronic device case according to claim 5 is the electronic device case according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the first protector member is formed so as to protrude from a proximal end portion side of the first main body portion. And a first projecting portion that covers a corner portion formed by one of the front panel and the rear panel and the side panel, and the second protector member is a base end portion of the second main body portion. A second projecting portion is formed to project to the side and cover a corner portion formed by the other of the front panel and the rear panel and the side panel.

  According to the electronic device case according to claim 1, a gap is formed in each corner portion of the case body by separating the edge portions of the adjacent side panels, and is formed of a single material having flexibility and elasticity. In addition, the protector is configured by including a main body portion having a pair of fitting grooves fitted to the edges of the two side panels constituting the gap, thereby providing a rigid inner layer portion and a flexible inner layer. Compared to a conventional protector configured with a two-layer structure, the protector can be configured in a small size without deteriorating the protective function because the inner layer is not provided. As a result, it is possible to configure an electronic device case having a sufficient protection function without affecting the operability of the electronic device. In addition, according to this case for an electronic device, the manufacturing process of the protector can be simplified as a result of not having the inner layer portion as compared with the conventional protector. The manufacturing cost of the case can be sufficiently reduced. Further, according to this electronic device case, the protector can be mounted without screwing by simply sliding along the length direction of the corner portion while being fitted to the edge of the side panel in the fitting groove of each protector member. Can be securely attached to the case body. Therefore, according to this case for electronic devices, the assembling efficiency of the case for electronic devices can be sufficiently improved as a result of easy attachment work.

  According to the electronic device case of claim 2, the protector is constituted by the first protector member having the first main body portion and the second protector member having the second main body portion, so that both the protector members are cornered. Since both protector members can be attached to the corner part by sliding from both ends of the corner part toward the center part of the part, the long protector composed of one member is moved from one end part of the corner part to the other. Since the protector can be attached to the corner portion more easily than the configuration of sliding to the end portion, the assembly efficiency of the electronic device case can be further improved.

  According to the electronic device case according to claim 3, the bridge portion spanned between the edge portions of the adjacent side panels is disposed in the central portion in the length direction of the corner portion of the case body, and Since each protector member is configured such that the respective distal end portions can abut each other in a state where the distal end portion of each of the protector members is positioned at the bridge portion, the bending of each protector member is prevented by the bridge portion, so that It is possible to reliably prevent a situation in which the abutting state between the portions is released and a gap is generated between the tip portions, and dust or the like enters the case body from the gap.

  Furthermore, according to the electronic device case according to claim 4, since the fitting portions are respectively formed on the end surfaces of the tip portions of the protector members, it is possible to prevent misalignment of the tip portions in a state of being brought into contact with each other. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the occurrence of a gap between the tip portions.

  The electronic device case according to claim 5 includes a protruding portion that protrudes from the base end portion of the main body and covers a corner portion formed by one of the front panel and the rear panel and the side panel. By configuring the two protector members, the corner portion, the front panel and the rear panel can be reliably protected.

  Hereinafter, the best mode of an electronic device case according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  First, the configuration of the electronic device case 1 will be described. An electronic device case 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an example of an electronic device case according to the present invention, and includes a case body 2 and protectors 3a to 3d (hereinafter also referred to as “protector 3” when not distinguished). Has been. The case body 2 is generally formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape by a front panel 11, a back panel 12, and four side panels 13a to 13d (hereinafter also referred to as “side panel 13” when not distinguished). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, four corner portions 21 a to 21 d (hereinafter, also referred to as “corner portions 21” when not distinguished) formed by the two adjacent side panels 13 in the case body 2. A gap 22 is formed as a result of the end portions of the adjacent side panels 13 being separated from each other. In addition, a bridge portion 23 that is spanned between the edge portions 14 of the adjacent side panels 13 is disposed at the central portion in the length direction of each corner portion 21. In this case, in this example, the bridge portion 23 is formed integrally with the side panel 13b. The bridge portion 23 may be formed integrally with the side panel 13c. Moreover, it can also form as a member different from the side panel 13, and can also be fitted and attached to the end surface of the side panel 13b, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the protector 3 includes a first protector member 31 a and a second protector member 31 b formed by a single material having flexibility and elasticity (e.g., an elastomer). It is also referred to as a protector member 31 ”). The protector 3 has a function of protecting the case body 2 by being attached to each corner portion 21 of the case body 2.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first protector member 31a includes a first main body portion 32a and a first projecting portion 33a. The first main body portion 32a is formed in a rod shape having a substantially arc-shaped cross section. Further, on both side portions 41, 41 of the first main body portion 32a, fitting grooves 42 that are fitted to the edge portions 14 of the two side panels 13 constituting the gap 22 of the corner portion 21 are formed. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the first protector member 31 a is fitted in the center portion in the length direction of the corner portion 21 while fitting the fitting groove 42 and the edge portion 14 of each side panel 13. The first body portion 32a is attached to the corner portion 21 by sliding the first main body portion 32a from one end side (left side in both drawings) of the corner portion. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the first projecting portion 33a is integrally formed with the first main body portion 32a so as to project from the base end portion 43 of the first main body portion 32a (projected toward the base end portion 43). In the state where the first protector member 31a is attached to the corner portion 21 of the case body 2, the corner portion 24 (FIG. 2) formed by one of the front panel 11 and the rear panel 12 and the side panel 13. , 3) to cover and protect.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the second protector member 31 b is configured in a symmetric (left-right symmetric) shape with the first protector member 31 a described above. Specifically, the second protector member 31b includes a second main body 32b (hereinafter also referred to as “main body 32” when not distinguished from the first main body 32a) and a second protrusion 33b (hereinafter referred to as the first protector member). When not distinguished from the protruding portion 33a of 31a, the protruding portion 33 is also provided. The second main body 32b is formed in a bar shape having a substantially arc-shaped cross section similar to the first main body 32a of the first protector member 31a. In addition, fitting grooves 42 that fit into the edge portions 14 of the two side panels 13 that form the gap 22 of the corner portion 21 are formed in both side portions 41 and 41 of the second main body portion 32b. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the second protector member 31 b is fitted in the center portion in the length direction of the corner portion 21 while fitting the fitting groove 42 and the edge portion 14 of each side panel 13. The second body portion 32b is slid from the other end side (the right side in both drawings) of the corner portion toward the corner portion 21. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the second projecting portion 33b is integrally formed with the second main body portion 32b so as to project from the base end portion 43 of the second main body portion 32b (projecting formation toward the base end portion 43 side). In the state where the second protector member 31b is attached to the corner portion 21 of the case body 2, the corner portion 24 (FIG. 2) formed by either the front panel 11 or the rear panel 12 and the side panel 13. , 3) to cover and protect.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a convex portion 46a (an example of a fitting portion in the present invention) is formed on the end surface 45 of the tip portion 44 of the first main body portion 32a of the first protector member 31a. A concave portion 46b (an example of a fitting portion in the present invention) that can be fitted to the convex portion 46a is formed on the end surface 45 of the distal end portion 44 of the second main body portion 32b of the protector member 31b. In this case, when the first protector member 31a and the second protector member 31b are attached to the corner portion 21 of the case main body 2 as described above, the distal end portion 44 of each main body portion 32 is disposed at the corner portion 21. In this state, the front end portions 44 (end surfaces 45) abut each other, and the convex portions 46a and the concave portions 46b are engaged with each other. The first body portion 32a of the first protector member 31a and the second body portion 32b of the second protector member 31b constitute a body portion in the present invention. That is, the 1st main-body part 32a comprises a part of main-body part in this invention, and the 2nd main-body part 32b comprises the other part of the main-body part in this invention.

  In this case, in the electronic device case 1, as described above, the protector 3 is formed of a single material having flexibility. For this reason, as compared with a conventional protector which is composed of a two-layer structure of an inner layer portion formed of a material having rigidity and an inner layer portion formed of a material having flexibility, an amount having no inner layer portion, It is possible to configure the protector 3 in a small size without deteriorating the protection function. As a result, it is possible to configure the electronic device case 1 having a sufficient protection function without affecting the operability of the electronic device. Moreover, in this case 1 for electronic devices, compared with the conventional protector, since it does not have an inner layer part, the manufacturing process of the protector 3 can be simplified. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the protector 3 and thus the electronic device The manufacturing cost of the use case 1 can be sufficiently reduced.

  Next, a method for assembling the electronic device case 1 will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, the case body 2 is assembled by connecting the front panel 11, the back panel 12, and the side panels 13a to 13d (see FIGS. 1 and 2). In this case, in each corner part 21a-21d formed by the two adjacent side panels 13 in the assembled case main body 2, the gap produced by the end parts of the adjacent side panels 13 being separated from each other. 22 is formed (see FIGS. 2 and 3), and a bridge portion 23 (see both drawings) spanned between the edge portions 14 of the adjacent side panels 13 at the center of each corner portion 21 in the length direction. Is located.

  Next, the protector 3 is attached to each corner portion 21. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the fitting groove 42 in the second main body portion 32b of one of the first protector member 31a and the second protector member 31b (in this example, the second protector member 31b). Is fitted to the edge 14 of the two side panels 13 (side panels 13b and 13c in both figures) constituting the corner 21 (corner part 21b in both figures). Subsequently, the second projecting portion 33b of the second protector member 31b is pressed toward the central portion of the corner portion 21 (toward the left side in FIG. 7), and the second main body portion 32b is moved in the length direction of the corner portion 21b. Slide along. Similarly, the end portion 44 side portion of the fitting groove 42 in the first main body portion 32a of the first protector member 31a is fitted to the edge portion 14 of the side panels 13b and 13c, and then the first protector. The first projecting portion 33a of the member 31a is pressed to slide the first main body portion 32a along the length direction of the corner portion 21b.

  Next, the body portion 32 of each protector member 31a, 31b is further slid along the length direction of the corner portion 21b. In this case, when the front end portions 44 of the main body portions 32 of the protector members 31a and 31b are positioned on the bridge portion 23, the front end portions 44 (end surfaces 45) abut each other, and the convex portions 46a and the concave portions 46b engages with each other. Further, in this state, the corner portion 24 formed by the front panel 11 or the back panel 12 and the side panel 13 is covered and protected by the projecting portion 33 formed to project to the base end portion 43 side of each main body portion 32. Is done. In the same manner, the protector 3 (the first protector member 31a and the second protector member 31b) is attached to each corner portion 21. Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, the assembly of the case body 2 is completed.

  In this case, in this electronic device case 1, each protector 3 is made of a material having flexibility and elasticity, and therefore, when the protector 3 is attached to the corner portion 21, the fitting groove of each protector member 31. The inner wall surface forming 42 is in close contact with the edge 14 of each side panel 13 over the entire area. For this reason, sliding of each protector member 31 in the direction from the corner portion 21 toward the outside of the case body 2 is restricted by a large frictional force generated between the inner wall surface of the fitting groove 42 and the edge portion 14 of the side panel 13. As a result, the situation where the protector 3 is detached from the corner portion 21 is reliably prevented. Therefore, the protector 3 (each protector is not screwed) by simply sliding it along the length direction of the corner portion 21 while fitting the fitting groove 42 of each protector member 31 to the edge 14 of the side panel 13. The member 31) can be securely attached to each corner portion 21. For this reason, in this electronic device case 1, the assembly work of the electronic device case 1 can be sufficiently improved as a result of being able to easily perform the attaching operation.

  Further, in this electronic device case 1, the bridge portion 23 is disposed at the center portion of the corner portion 21, and the distal end portion 44 of each protector member 31 attached to the corner portion 21 is positioned in the bridge portion 23. The front end portions 44 of the main body portion 32 face each other, and the convex portions 46 a and the concave portions 46 b formed on the end surfaces 45 of the respective front end portions 44 are fitted. For this reason, in this electronic device case 1, the bending of each main body portion 32 is prevented by the bridge portion 23, and as a result, the abutting state between the front end portions 44 is released due to the bending of the main body portion 32. It is possible to surely prevent a situation in which a gap is generated between 44 and dust or the like enters the inside of the case body 2 from the gap.

  Thus, according to this case 1 for electronic devices, the edge part 14 of each adjacent side panel 13 is separated, the clearance gap 22 is formed in each corner part 21 in the case main body 2, and it has a softness | flexibility and elasticity. By forming the protector 3 by including the main body 32 formed with a single material and having a pair of fitting grooves 42 fitted to the edges 14 of the two side panels 13 constituting the gap 22. Compared to a conventional protector configured with a two-layer structure of a rigid inner layer portion and a flexible inner layer portion, the protector 3 is reduced in size without deteriorating the protective function because it does not have an inner layer portion. Can be configured. As a result, the electronic device case 1 having a sufficient protection function can be configured without affecting the operability of the electronic device. Moreover, according to this case 1 for electronic devices, compared with the conventional protector, since it does not have an inner layer part, the manufacturing process of the protector 3 can be simplified, As a result, the manufacturing cost of the protector 3, and consequently The manufacturing cost of the electronic device case 1 can be sufficiently reduced. Furthermore, according to the case 1 for an electronic device, the screw can be screwed only by sliding along the length direction of the corner portion 21 while being fitted to the edge portion 14 of the side panel 13 in the fitting groove 42 of each protector member 31. The protector 3 can be securely attached to the case body 2 without stopping. Therefore, according to this case 1 for electronic devices, the assembling efficiency of the case 1 for electronic devices can fully be improved as a result of being able to perform attachment work easily.

  Moreover, according to this case 1 for electronic devices, the protector 3 was comprised by the 1st protector member 31a which has the 1st main-body part 32a, and the 2nd protector member 31b which has the 2nd main-body part 32b, Therefore Both protector members Since both the protector members 31a and 31b can be attached to the corner portion 21 by sliding the 31a and 31b toward the center portion of the corner portion 21 from both ends of the corner portion 21, the length constituted by one member. Since the protector 3 can be attached to the corner portion 21 more easily than the configuration in which the scale protector 3 is slid from one end portion to the other end portion of the corner portion 21, the assembly efficiency of the electronic device case 1 can be further increased. Can be improved.

  Further, according to the electronic device case 1, the bridge portion 23 spanned between the edge portions 14 of the adjacent side panels 13 is disposed at the central portion in the length direction of the corner portion 21 of the case body 2. In the protector members 31a and 31b, the protector 3 is configured such that the tip portions 44 can abut each other in a state where the tip portions 44 of the body portions 32 are positioned on the bridge portion 23, whereby the deflection of the body portions 32 is bridged. As a result of being prevented by the portion 23, the abutting state between the tip portions 44 is released by the bending of the main body portion 32, and a gap is formed between the tip portions 44, and dust or the like enters the inside of the case body 2 from the gap. The situation can be surely prevented.

  Moreover, according to this electronic device case 1, the convex portion 46 a is formed on the end surface 45 of the tip portion 44 in one of the protector members 31, and the concave portion 46 b is formed in the end surface 45 of the tip portion 44 of the other protector member 31. By forming, it is possible to prevent the positional deviation of the tip portions 44 in a state of being brought into contact with each other, and thus it is possible to more reliably prevent the occurrence of a gap between the tip portions 44.

  Further, according to the case 1 for electronic equipment, the corner portion 24 that is formed to protrude toward the base end portion 43 side of the main body portion 32 and is formed by one of the front panel 11 and the rear panel 12 and the side panel 13 is covered. By providing both the protector members 31 with the projecting portions 33 to be protected, the corner portion 24, the front panel 11, and the back panel 12 can be reliably protected.

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration described above. For example, although the example in which the protector 3 is formed with an elastomer has been described above, the material for forming the protector 3 is not limited to this, and any material (for example, rubber or resin) may be used as long as the material has flexibility and elasticity. Can be used. Moreover, although it mentioned above about the example which comprised the protector 3 with the 1st protector member 31a and the 2nd protector member 31b, the protector 3 can also be comprised with one member. Moreover, although it mentioned above about the example which employ | adopted the main-body part 32 of cross-sectional arc shape, it is not limited to this, For example, the cross-sectional L-shaped main-body part 32 is also employable. Further, a configuration in which the protector member 31 is screwed to the case main body 2 may be employed in order to assistly restrict sliding in a direction away from the corner portion 21 of each attached protector member 31. Moreover, although it described above about the example which arrange | positioned the bridge part 23 in each corner part 21, the structure which does not have the bridge part 23, ie, the structure in which the clearance gap 22 is formed over the whole corner part 21, is employ | adopted. You can also

It is a perspective view which shows the structure of case 1 for electronic devices. It is a case main body 2 perspective view in the state where protector 3 is not attached to corner part 21b. It is an expansion perspective view of the corner part 21b in FIG. It is a perspective view of the 1st protector member 31a. It is a perspective view of the 2nd protector member 31b. It is the 1st explanatory view for explaining the attachment method of the 1st protector member 31a and the 2nd protector member 31b. It is the 2nd explanatory view for explaining the attachment method of the 1st protector member 31a and the 2nd protector member 31b.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case for electronic devices 2 Case main body 3a-3d Protector 11 Front panel 12 Rear panel 13a-13d Side panel 14 Edge part 21a-21d Corner part 23 Bridge part 24 Corner part 31a 1st protector member 31b 2nd protector member 32a 1st Main body part 32b Second main body part 33a First projecting part 33b Second projecting part 42 Fitting groove 44 Tip part 45 End face 46a Convex part 46b Concave part

Claims (5)

A case body configured in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape by a front panel, a back panel, and four side panels; a protector that is attached to each of four corner portions formed by the adjacent side panels and protects the case body; A case for electronic equipment comprising:
At least a part of each corner portion is formed with a gap between the adjacent side panels,
The protector is formed of a single material having flexibility and elasticity, and a pair of fitting grooves are formed to be fitted to the edge portions of the adjacent side panels constituting the gap in the corner portion. An electronic device that is configured to include a main body portion and is attached to the corner portion by sliding the main body portion along the length direction of the corner portion while fitting the edge portions into the respective fitting grooves. For case. The protector is composed of a first protector member having a first body part constituting a part of the body part, and a second protector member having a second body part constituting another part of the body part,
The first protector member is attached to the corner portion by sliding the first main body portion from one end side of the corner portion toward the central portion in the length direction of the corner portion,
The electronic device case according to claim 1, wherein the second protector member is attached to the corner portion by sliding the second main body portion from the other end side of the corner portion toward the central portion of the corner portion. . In the central part in the length direction of the corner part of the case main body, a bridge part is provided that spans the edge part of each adjacent side panel,
3. The electronic device case according to claim 2, wherein the first protector member and the second protector member are configured to be able to abut each other in a state where the respective distal end portions are positioned in the bridge portion.   4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein fitting portions are formed on end surfaces of the tip portions of the first protector member and the second protector member so as to fit with each other in a state where the tip portions are abutted with each other. Case for equipment. The first protector member includes a first protrusion that is formed to protrude toward the base end of the first main body and covers a corner formed by one of the front panel and the rear panel and the side panel. Configured
The second protector member includes a second protrusion that is formed to protrude toward the base end of the second main body and covers a corner formed by the other of the front panel and the rear panel and the side panel. The case for electronic devices according to any one of claims 2 to 4, which is configured as described above.

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