JP5789775B2 - Electronic devices that can be equipped with anti-theft devices - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device such as a notebook personal computer (hereinafter, abbreviated as “notebook personal computer” as appropriate), and more particularly to an electronic device to which an antitheft device can be attached.

  In recent years, for example, electronic devices such as notebook personal computers, particularly small electronic devices, have been further reduced in size and weight and made thinner in order to make them easier to carry. The increase in theft that a person other than the user takes the device without permission is becoming a problem.

  As an effective measure against such theft, an antitheft device (for example, a so-called so-called anti-theft device) including a mooring means (for example, a wire) to a predetermined stationary body (for example, a leg portion of a desk) and a locking means coupled to the mooring means. A method of mooring an electronic device that is subject to theft prevention to a stationary body by attaching a security wire lock is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  The anti-theft device using the security wire lock is usually a set in which a locking part that is mounted and locked on an electronic device to be protected and a wire made of steel, for example, are integrally connected, and Kensington What is sold by (Kensington) is famous in the market and is also called Kensington Lock (registered trademark).

  By the way, in the case of an open / close foldable electronic device such as a notebook computer, for example, the housing of the device is, as is well known, a housing on the display unit side (hereinafter referred to as a display unit having a display screen such as a liquid crystal display). The operation control unit side housing (hereinafter referred to as “second housing” as appropriate) that stores an operation control unit that can generate a display signal input to the display unit. The two housings are connected to each other so as to be opened and closed by a hinge mechanism.

  More specifically, both the first housing and the second housing are generally formed in a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and one side thereof (that is, the user of the device in a state where the user uses the electronic device). By connecting the two through the hinge mechanism, the two casings can relatively open and close around the rotation axis of the hinge mechanism.

  The operation control unit is an input device such as a keyboard, a signal processing circuit that generates a display signal to be output to the display unit based on an input operation by the input device, a central processing unit (so-called CPU), Includes those peripheral components. The casing is often made of a metal material such as a light metal such as aluminum (Al) or magnesium (Mg) or an alloy thereof.

JP 2006-241758 A

  When an anti-theft device equipped with the above-described anchoring means such as a security wire and locking means is attached to such an open / close foldable electronic device, an opening is formed on the side of the housing to engage the locking means. It is conceivable to provide a mounting portion for mounting together. However, in this case, since it is necessary to assume that a large external force is applied to the opening that forms the mounting portion, it is desirable that the housing side wall in which the opening is provided has an integral structure. Therefore, it is conceivable that an opening is formed in a side portion of any one of the housings (preferably, the second housing on the operation control unit side) and the locking means of the antitheft device is attached.

  However, in this case, as illustrated in FIG. 21, it is required to set the height H2 of the side portion of the housing 131 on the side where the mounting portion is provided to a size sufficient to provide the opening 150. In addition to the height H1 of the side portion of the casing 111 on the other side, the overall height H3 (folding height) of the device in the folded state is increased accordingly, and the device is further reduced in size, weight, and thickness. There is a drawback that it becomes a bottleneck above.

  To solve this problem, as illustrated in FIG. 22, an opening 250 is formed at the side joint Sm when both the casings 211 and 231 are closed so as to straddle both the casings 211 and 231. By providing the mounting portions, it is possible to suppress an increase in the heights H4 and H5 of both the casings 211 and 231 (H5 <H2) and to suppress an increase in the overall folding height H6 (H6 <H3). It is done.

  However, in this case, when a large external force is applied to the opening 250 provided with the mounting portion, the opening 250 may open and the engaging force with respect to the locking means may be reduced. For this reason, it is necessary to configure the mounting portion for engaging and mounting the locking means with a separate member on the inside or outside of the housing, and it is required to secure a space for arranging the separate member. There is a problem that the number of parts increases and the structure becomes complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the technical problems as described above, and requires an additional member in an open / close foldable electronic device to which an antitheft device including a mooring means such as a security wire and a locking means can be attached. It is a basic object of the present invention to provide a mounting portion for the locking means at the side joint when the casing is closed.

  For this reason, the electronic device according to the first invention of the present application is an open / close foldable electronic device in which an antitheft device including a mooring means to a predetermined stationary body and a locking means coupled to the mooring means can be mounted. A first housing having a substantially rectangular basic shape in a plan view that covers the periphery and back surface of the display unit and stores the display unit, and an operation capable of generating a display signal input to the display unit A second housing having a substantially rectangular basic shape in a plan view storing the control unit and one side of the second housing and one side of the first housing are coupled to each other relatively And a hinge mechanism that supports the hinge mechanism so that the hinge mechanism is accommodated in a side portion of the second housing. The hinge mechanism is fixed to a bottom portion of the accommodation recess. A bottom plate, an outer vertical wall rising from the bottom plate along an outer wall of the storage recess, and the first plate An engagement hole for engaging an engaging member of the locking means with the outer vertical wall of the hinge fitting. And the opening corresponding to the engagement hole of the hinge fitting is formed in the side of the first housing and the side of the second housing with the two housings closed. It is characterized in that notches for forming the portions are respectively provided.

  According to the present invention, the hinge mechanism originally provided in the open / close foldable electronic device is used, and the hinge fitting rises from the bottom plate along the outer wall of the storage recess formed in the side portion of the second housing. An outer vertical wall is provided, and an engagement hole for engaging an engaging member of the locking means is provided on the outer vertical wall. Both sides of the first casing and the second casing are provided on both sides. In the state where the body is closed, since the cutout portion forming the opening corresponding to the engagement hole portion of the hinge fitting is formed at the joint of both, the casing is closed without requiring a separate member A mounting portion for the locking means can be provided at the joint of the side portions. As a result, when an antitheft device equipped with anchoring means such as a security wire and locking means can be attached, the increase in the folding height of the electronic device is suppressed without causing an increase in the number of parts or a complicated structure. can do.

The whole perspective view showing the usable state of the notebook personal computer concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. Overall perspective view showing the notebook PC not in use Rear view of the notebook computer when not in use Top view of the notebook computer when not in use Front view of the notebook computer when not in use It is a side view in the non-use state of the notebook personal computer, (a) is a left side view, (b) is a right side view. Bottom view of the notebook computer when not in use Overall perspective view of the notebook computer in a usable state with the keyboard and the like of the operation control unit removed. The partial expansion perspective view which expands and shows the principal part A9 of FIG. Top view of the hinge hardware of the notebook computer Front view of the hinge bracket Bottom view of the hinge bracket It is a side view of the said hinge metal fitting, (a) is a left view, (b) is a right view Explanatory drawing which shows attachment / detachment operation of an anti-theft device using the cross-sectional view along the Y14-Y14 line of Fig.13 (a). The perspective view which shows the rear side part in the non-use state of the said notebook personal computer The perspective view which crushes and shows a part of housing | casing of the rear side part of the said notebook personal computer The perspective view of the hinge metal fitting which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is an arrow view from arrow Y18 direction of FIG. 17, and is a front view of the hinge metal fitting which concerns on the said 2nd Embodiment. It is an arrow view from the arrow Y19 direction of FIG. 17, and is a top view of the hinge metal fitting which concerns on the said 2nd Embodiment. It is a side view of the hinge metal fitting which concerns on the said 2nd Embodiment, (a) is a left view, (b) is a right view. Side view showing a rear side portion in a non-use state of a notebook computer according to a conventional example The side view which shows the rear side part in the non-use state of the notebook computer which concerns on another prior art example

The electronic device casing according to the first invention of the present application can take the following aspects based on the above-described configuration. That is, the housing support part may be provided on the outer vertical wall.
According to this configuration, by providing the housing support portion on the outer vertical wall, the housing support portion protrudes outward from the hinge bracket, but the configuration of the hinge bracket can be simplified. In addition, the support span between the left and right housing support portions can be set larger, which can contribute to more stable support of the first housing.

Alternatively, the hinge fitting may further include an inner vertical wall that rises from the bottom plate along the inner wall of the storage recess, and the housing support portion may be provided on the inner vertical wall.
According to this configuration, the hinge metal fitting is further provided with the inner vertical wall, and the housing support portion is provided on the inner vertical wall, so that the housing support portion can be prevented from protruding outward, and the housing support portion can be Setting that avoids protruding outward from the hinge mechanism is also possible.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, taking a so-called notebook computer as an example.
In the following description, terms meaning a specific direction (for example, “up”, “down”, “left”, “right”, and other terms including them, “clockwise direction”, “counterclockwise” ”) Is used to facilitate understanding of the invention with reference to the drawings, and the present invention should not be construed in a limited manner by the meaning of these terms. Absent.

  First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. 1 and 2 are perspective views showing a usable state (open state) and a non-use state (closed state), respectively, of the notebook computer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are a rear view, a plan view, a front view, a side view, and a bottom view of the notebook personal computer when not in use. In the side view of FIG. 6, (a) shows a left side view and (b) shows a right side view.

  As shown in these drawings, a notebook personal computer W as an electronic apparatus according to the present embodiment generates a display unit 10 having a display screen 12 that is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and a display signal input to the display unit 10. The operation control part 30 which can do is provided. The operation control unit 30 includes an input device 32 such as a keyboard, a signal processing circuit that generates a display signal to be output to the display unit based on an input operation by the input device 32, a central processing unit (so-called CPU), These peripheral parts (all not shown) are included. Further, a touch pad 33 is provided on the front side of the keyboard 32 when viewed from the user when the user (user) operates the notebook computer W, and the user traces the touch pad 33 in the vertical and horizontal directions. Only the cursor can be moved, the display screen 12 can be scrolled, and the like.

The display unit 10 is housed in the display unit side casing 11 (first casing), and the periphery and the back surface thereof are covered. On the other hand, the operation control unit 30 includes the operation control unit side casing 31 (first unit). The two housings 10 and 30 are connected to each other by a hinge mechanism 20 so as to be opened and closed.
More specifically, both the first housing 11 and the second housing 31 are formed in a substantially rectangular shape as a whole in plan view, and the sides 11r and 31r side (that is, the user takes note By connecting the rear side of the notebook computer W as viewed from the user in the operating state of operating the personal computer W via the hinge mechanism 20, the two casings are relatively centered about the rotation axis of the hinge mechanism 20. Can be opened and closed. In the present specification, the “rectangular shape” includes a case of “square” as one form thereof.

  The first and second casings 10 and 30 are made of a metal material for ensuring mechanical strength and rigidity, ensuring electromagnetic shielding, and effectively dissipating heat generated inside the device. In this embodiment, for example, magnesium (Mg) is used as a material, and molten or semi-molten molten metal is injected into a predetermined mold. For example, so-called thixomolding, in which injection molding is performed using a molten metal of Mg or Mg alloy in a semi-molten state, is preferable.

  The notebook personal computer W according to the present embodiment has a mounting portion on which the locking means is mounted so that the anti-theft device (for example, a so-called Kensington lock) including a mooring means such as a security wire and a locking means can be mounted. In preparation. Hereinafter, the structure and the like of the mounting portion will be described.

  8 is an overall perspective view of the notebook personal computer W in a usable state (folded state) with the keyboard 32 and the like of the operation control unit 30 removed, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the main part A9 of FIG. It is a partial expansion perspective view shown. 10, 11, 12, and 13 are a plan view, a front view, a bottom view, and a side view of a hinge fitting provided in the hinge mechanism 20 of the notebook personal computer. In the side view of FIG. 13, (a) shows a left side view and (b) shows a right side view.

  As can be seen from FIG. 8, storage recesses 36 for storing the hinge fittings 25, 25 ′ of the left and right hinge mechanisms 20 are formed on the left and right side portions in the vicinity of the rear side 31 r of the second casing 31. Yes. In the present embodiment, a mounting portion for the anti-theft device is formed on the hinge fitting 25 of the left hinge mechanism 20 in the drawing among the left and right hinge mechanisms 20.

  As shown in detail in FIGS. 9 to 13, the left hinge fitting 25 includes a bottom plate 26 fixed to the bottom portion 36 b of the storage recess 36, and an outer wall portion of the storage recess 36 from the bottom plate 26. An outer vertical wall 27 that rises along 36a and a housing support portion 29 that rotatably supports the first housing 11 are provided. Boss portions 36d are erected at two predetermined positions on the bottom portion 36b of the storage recess 36, and the bottom plate 26 of the hinge bracket 25 is formed on the boss portion 36d using, for example, a screw member (not shown). Fastened and fixed.

  The housing support portion 29 includes a shaft portion 29s having a coupling portion 29c coupled to the rear side 11r portion of the first housing 11, and a cylindrical main body portion 29b that rotatably holds the shaft portion 29s. The main body 29b is coupled to the hinge fitting 25. A center line in the longitudinal direction of the shaft portion 29 s constitutes a rotation axis of the hinge mechanism 20. The casing support 29 is the same as a conventionally known one, and detailed illustration and description of the internal structure and the like are omitted.

Further, the outer vertical wall 27 of the hinge bracket 25 is formed with an engagement hole 27h for engaging an engagement member of a locking means of the antitheft device described later (see FIGS. 9 and 13). The engagement hole portion 27h is formed in a rectangular shape.
The right hinge fitting 25 'is configured in the same manner as the left hinge fitting 25 described above except that the outer vertical wall 27 having the engagement hole 27h and the right and left are symmetrical. Has been.

In the present embodiment, the hinge fitting 25 further includes an inner vertical wall 28 that rises from the bottom plate 26 along the inner wall portion 36 c of the storage recess 36, and the housing support portion 29 is the upper end of the inner vertical wall 28. It is integrally connected to the part.
Thus, by providing the inner vertical wall 28 in the hinge metal fitting 25 and connecting the housing support portion 29 to the upper end of the inner vertical wall 28, the outward protrusion of the housing support portion 29 can be suppressed. In particular, in the present embodiment, the housing support portion 29 is prevented from protruding outward from the hinge mechanism 20.

  The hinge bracket 25 configured as described above can be formed by integrally forming the bottom plate 26, the outer vertical wall 27, and the inner vertical wall 28, for example, by bending a steel plate material with a press device or the like. .

  FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an attachment / detachment operation of the anti-theft device using a cross-sectional view taken along line Y14-Y14 of FIG. 13 (a). 15 is a perspective view showing the rear side portion of the notebook computer W when not in use (folded state), and FIG. It is a perspective view shown.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the anti-theft device 40 according to the present embodiment includes a security wire 41 as a mooring means and a key cylinder 42 as a locking means, and the key cylinder 42 is fixed to one end of the security wire 41. This is a so-called Kensington lock. The other end side of the security wire 41 is firmly anchored by, for example, winding it around a stationary body such as a leg portion (not shown) of a desk on which the notebook computer W is placed.

  The key cylinder 42 incorporates a rotation rod 43 that rotates 90 degrees forward and backward by a rotation operation of a key 45, and the distal end of the rotation rod 43 has an outer vertical length of the hinge fitting 25. An engaging portion 44 that engages with an engaging hole portion 27 h provided in the wall 27 is integrally provided. The engagement portion 44 is dimensioned so that its longitudinal size is smaller than the horizontal (longitudinal) size of the engagement hole 27h of the hinge bracket 25 and sufficiently larger than the vertical size. Yes.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the side portions 11 s of the first casing 11 and the side portion 31 s of the second casing 31 are both closed with the casings 11, 31 closed. Recessed notches 11h and 31h are provided at predetermined positions on the edge forming the seam Sm in a side view opening toward the other side.

  These notches 11h and 31h are set so as to form an opening 50 at a position corresponding to the engagement hole 27h of the hinge fitting 25 in a state where both the casings 11 and 31 are closed. The opening 50 is sized so as to be slightly larger than the engagement hole 27h of the hinge fitting 25.

  When the antitheft device 40 is attached to the notebook personal computer W, the key cylinder 42 as shown by the solid line in FIG. 14 with both housings 11 and 31 closed (see FIGS. 15 and 16). The engaging portion 44 is inserted through the opening 50 of the joint Sm of both the casings 11 and 31 and the engaging hole portion 27h of the hinge metal fitting 25 so that the longitudinal direction of the engaging portion 44 is horizontal. After that, the key 45 is rotated to rotate the engaging portion 44 of the key cylinder 42 by 90 degrees. Thereby, the engaging part 44 of the key cylinder 42 is engaged with the engaging hole part 27h of the hinge metal fitting 25, and the engaging part 44 of the antitheft device 40 is attached to the side of the notebook computer W so as not to be removable. .

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the hinge mechanism 20 originally provided in the open / close foldable notebook personal computer W is used, and the hinge metal fitting 20 is formed on the side of the second casing 31. An outer vertical wall 27 rising from the bottom plate 26 is provided along the outer wall portion 36a of the storage recess 36, and an engagement hole for engaging the engagement portion 44 of the key cylinder 42 of the antitheft device 40 with the outer vertical wall 27. In addition to providing the portion 27h, the side portion 11s of the first casing 11 and the side portion 31s of the second casing 31 are connected to the joint Sm of both the ends 11 and 31 in a state where the casings 11 and 31 are closed. Since the notches 11h and 31h that form the openings 50 corresponding to the engaging hole portions 27h of the hinge metal fitting 25 are formed, the side portions when the casings 11 and 31 are closed without requiring a separate member. Seam S It can be provided a mounting portion for the key cylinder 42 to. As a result, when the antitheft device 40 including the security wire 41 and the key cylinder 42 can be attached, the folding height of the notebook personal computer W can be increased without increasing the number of parts or complicating the structure. It can be suppressed.

  In the above embodiment (first embodiment), the hinge fitting 25 includes the outer vertical wall 27 and the inner vertical wall 28. Instead, a hinge fitting including only the outer vertical wall is used. You can also. Next, the hinge metal fitting which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated.

  FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a hinge fitting 55 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 18 is a front view of the hinge fitting 55 as seen from the direction of the arrow Y18 in FIG. FIG. 19 is a plan view of the hinge fitting 55 as seen from the direction of the arrow Y19 in FIG. FIG. 20 is a side view of the hinge fitting 55, wherein (a) is a left side view and (b) is a right side view.

  As shown in these drawings, the hinge bracket 55 according to the second embodiment is similar to the hinge bracket 25 in the first embodiment, and includes a bottom plate 56 fixed to the bottom portion 36b of the storage recess 36, and the bottom plate. An outer vertical wall 57 that rises from 56 along the outer wall portion 36 a of the storage recess 36, and a housing support portion 59 that rotatably supports the first housing 11. The bottom plate 56 is configured similarly to the bottom plate 26 in the first embodiment. Further, the housing support portion 59 includes a main body portion 59b, a shaft portion 59s, and a coupling portion 59c, similarly to the housing support portion 29 in the first embodiment.

  In this embodiment, the inner vertical wall 28 in the first embodiment is not provided, and the housing support portion 59 is integrally coupled to the upper end portion of the outer vertical wall 57. More specifically, the outer vertical wall 57 is composed of a front part 57f and a rear part 57r that are integrally connected, an engagement hole part 57h is formed in the front part 57f, and the upper end part of the rear part 57r is The housing support part 59 is coupled.

  As described above, by connecting the housing support portion 59 to the upper end of the outer vertical wall 57 without providing the inner vertical wall, the housing support portion 59 protrudes outward from the hinge bracket 55. The structure of the hinge fitting 55 can be simplified, and the support span between the left and right housing support portions 59 can be set large, contributing to more stable support of the first housing 11. You can also.

  Furthermore, although the above description has been taken with a notebook personal computer as an example, the present invention is not limited to such a case, and can be effectively applied to other various electronic devices.

  Thus, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and various changes and design improvements can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Yes.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be effectively used as an open / close foldable electronic device (for example, a notebook personal computer) to which an antitheft device including a mooring means such as a security wire and a locking means can be attached.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Display part 11 1st housing | casing 11r Rear side 11h (of 1st housing | casing) Notch part (of 1st housing | casing) 20 Hinge mechanism 25, 55 Hinge metal fittings 26, 56 Bottom plate 27, 57 Outer vertical wall 27h, 57h Joint hole portion 28 Inner vertical wall 29,59 Case support portion 30 Operation control portion 31 Second case 31r Rear side 31h (of the second case) Notch portion (of the second case) 36 Storage recess 36a Outer wall portion 36b Bottom portion 36c Inner wall portion 40 Anti-theft device 41 Security wire 42 Key cylinder 43 Rotating rod 44 Engagement portion 45 Key 50 Opening portion Sm (Between housings) Joint W Notebook PC

Claims (3)

An open / close foldable electronic device to which an antitheft device comprising a mooring means to a predetermined stationary body and a locking means coupled to the mooring means can be attached,
A first housing that covers the periphery and rear surface of the display unit and stores the display unit and has a substantially rectangular basic shape in plan view, and an operation control unit that can generate a display signal input to the display unit are stored. The second housing whose basic shape in a plan view is substantially rectangular, and one side of the second housing and the one side of the first housing are coupled so that both housings can be opened and closed relatively. And a hinge mechanism that
A storage recess for storing the hinge mechanism is formed on a side portion of the second housing.
The hinge mechanism includes a bottom plate fixed to the bottom of the storage recess, an outer vertical wall rising from the bottom plate along the outer wall of the storage recess, and a casing that rotatably supports the first casing. A hinge bracket with a support part,
An engagement hole for engaging the engagement member of the locking means is formed in the outer vertical wall of the hinge fitting,
An opening corresponding to the engagement hole of the hinge fitting is formed in the side of the first casing and the side of the second casing at the joint between the two casings in a closed state. Notches are provided,
An electronic device characterized by that.   The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing support portion is provided on the outer vertical wall.   The hinge bracket further includes an inner vertical wall that rises from the bottom plate along an inner wall of the storage recess, and the housing support is provided on the inner vertical wall. 1. The electronic device according to 1.

Images