According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus includes a housing including a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The first surface includes a protrusion. The second surface includes a first recess opposite the protrusion and a second recess adjacent to the first recess. The second recess has substantially the same shape as the first recess.
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9. An electronic apparatus comprising a housing comprising a wall,
the wall comprising:
an inner surface exposed in the housing the inner surface comprising a protrusion protruding obliquely from the inner surface toward an inside of the housing, the protrusion comprising a hole a first side, a first portion between the hole and the first side, and a boundary area between the protrusion and the wall, the hole configured to receive a fixing member, the boundary area being an ellipse and extending in an inclined direction of the protrusion; and
an outer surface back of the inner surface and exposed to an outside of the housing, the outer surface comprising a first groove and a second groove near the first groove, the first groove located back of the first portion of the protrusion, the second groove located back of the protrusion, the first and second grooves located back of the boundary area and extending in a longitudinal direction of the ellipse of the boundary area, the first groove and the second groove at least partially having the same shape.
1. An electronic apparatus comprising a housing comprising a wall,
the wall comprising:
an inner surface exposed in the housing, the inner surface comprising a protrusion toward an inside of the housing, the protrusion comprising a hole, a first side, a second side back of the first side, a first portion between the hole and the first side, and a second portion between the hole and the second side, the hole configured to receive a fixing member; and
an outer surface back of the inner surface and exposed to an outside of the housing, the outer surface comprising a first groove, a second groove near the first groove, and a third groove near the second groove, the first groove located back of the first portion of the protrusion, the second groove located back of the second portion of the protrusion and not located back of the hole, the third groove located back of an area without the protrusion, the first groove, the second groove and the third groove at least partially having the same shape, the second groove having substantially the same width as the second portion of the protrusion.
2. The electronic apparatus of
the inner surface and the outer surface are integral with each other.
3. The electronic apparatus of
the first groove and the first portion of the protrusion have substantially the same width, and the first groove is not located back of the hole.
5. The electronic apparatus of
the first groove is recessed from the outer surface toward the protrusion.
6. The electronic apparatus of
the fixing member is a screw, and
the protrusion is a boss for attachment of the screw.
7. The electronic apparatus of
the first, second, and third grooves are spaced at substantially equal distances and extend substantially parallel to each other.
8. The electronic apparatus of
the inner surface comprises a flat portion, and
the third groove is back of the flat portion.
10. The electronic apparatus of
the inner surface and the outer surface are integral with each other.
11. The electronic apparatus of
the first groove and the first portion of the protrusion have substantially the same width, and
the first groove is not located back of the hole.
13. The electronic apparatus of
the first groove is recessed from the outer surface toward the protrusion.
14. The electronic apparatus of
the fixing member is a screw, and
the protrusion is a boss for attachment of the screw.
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This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/272,093, filed Oct. 12, 2011, which is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-028705, filed Feb. 14, 2011, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Embodiments described herein relate generally to a television and an electronic apparatus each including a housing.
There is known an electronic apparatus including a housing provided with a groove in a part thereof.
A general architecture that implements the various features of the embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate the embodiments and not to limit the scope of the invention.
Various embodiments will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In general, according to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus comprises a housing comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The first surface comprises a protrusion. The second surface comprises a first recess opposite the protrusion and a second recess adjacent to the first recess. The second recess has substantially the same shape as the first recess.
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
A circumferential surface 20 of the boss 14 includes a first side 21 and a second side 22 opposite the first side 21. That is, the second side 22 is disposed at a position rotated by substantially 180° from the first side 21 along the circumferential surface 20 of the boss 14.
The boss 14 includes a first portion 23, a second portion 24, and a third portion 25. The first portion 23 is disposed between the first side 21 and the screw hole 17. The second portion 24 is disposed between the second side 22 and the screw hole 17. The third portion 25 is a portion where the screw hole 17 is formed, and is disposed between the first portion 23 and the second portion 24. The third portion 25 is lower in terms of height (that is, thinner) from the first surface 11 than the first and second portions 23 and 24 by a distance corresponding to the screw hole 17.
The planar portion 15 is a region provided with no protrusion, such as a boss and has a flat surface which extends evenly. In this way, the thickness of the housing 4 is large in the region provided with the boss 14 but is small in the region of the planar portion 15 as compared to the region provided with the boss.
As illustrated in
The first and second grooves 31 and 32 are provided on the second surface 12 at a position corresponding to the boss 14. That is, the first and second grooves 31 and 32 are provided on the opposite side (back side) from the boss 14. In addition, the “corresponding position” means that two elements overlap (namely face) each other in the thickness direction of a wall (in the present embodiment, the circumferential wall 7) of the housing.
As illustrated in
The third and fourth grooves 33 and 34 are provided on the second surface 12 at a position that does not correspond to the boss 14. The third and fourth grooves 33 and 34 are provided on the opposite side (back side) from the planar portion 15.
As illustrated in
In addition, the first to fourth grooves 31, 32, 33, and 34 may be at least partially identical in shape. For example, only part of each of the third and fourth grooves 33 and 34 may be identical in shape to the first and second grooves 31 and 32. Moreover, only part of the second groove 32 may be identical in shape to the first groove 31.
The first to fourth grooves 31, 32, 33, and 34 are provided on the second surface 12 and are exposed to the outside of the housing 4. The first to fourth grooves 31, 32, 33, and 34 are regularly arranged so as to constitute part of the exterior design of the housing 4.
In addition, the total number of grooves provided on the second surface 12 may be two or three, or may be five or more. The number of grooves provided on the opposite side from the boss 14 may be one or may be three or more. Moreover, the number of grooves provided on the opposite side from the planar portion 15 may be one or may be three or more.
According to such a configuration, it is possible to improve the strength of the housing and to maintain and improve an aesthetic appearance of a product. That is, if a protrusion is formed on the inner surface of the housing, the thickness of the housing increases in that portion. If a partially thick portion is present on the surface, there is a possibility that a void is formed in that portion during molding and a depression is formed on the exterior surface of that portion. The depression on the exterior surface may affect the aesthetic appearance of a product.
Moreover, if a partially thick portion is present on the surface, the surface temperature of the product falls faster than the inner temperature of the product, and bubbles are likely to remain in the product. If bubbles remain in the product, there is a possibility that the strength of the housing decreases in that portion.
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the housing 4 includes the first surface 11 on which the boss 14 is provided and the second surface 12 opposite the first surface 11. On the second surface 12 is provided a first recess (the second groove 32) opposite the boss 14 and a second recess (the third groove 33), which is substantially identical in shape to the first recess, near the first recess.
That is, the first recess is formed in the region facing the boss 14, and thus the thickness of the region facing the boss 14 is relatively small as compared with other regions due to the first recess. Therefore, the speed of the temperature decrease during molding in the region where the boss 14 is provided is similar to the speed of the temperature decrease in the region where the flat portion 15 is provided. Therefore, voids are hardly formed, and depressions or the like are hardly formed on the exterior surface. In this way, it is possible to improve the aesthetic appearance of the product.
If a recess is formed in the region facing the boss 14, molten metal near the recess is difficult to be cooled during molding, and bubbles are not likely to remain in the product. Thus, the strength of the housing 4 improves.
Here, the above effects may be obtained by providing the only one recess on the first surface 11, particularly at the position opposite from the protrusion. However, if the recess is provided only on the opposite position from the protrusion, there is a possibility that the recess is visible on the exterior appearance of the product.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the second recess is provided near the first recess, and the second recess is substantially identical in shape to the first recess. Thus, the first and second recess collaborate with each other to constitute a design (pattern) on the exterior surface of the housing 4. That is, the first and second recess maintain or improve the aesthetic appearance of the product.
In other words, the first recess constituting part of the exterior design suppresses the occurrence of voids and bubbles, and the second recess provided near the first recess collaborates with the first recess, so that it is possible to provide the housing 4 having excellent design. In the present embodiment, in order to make the first recess opposite the protrusion visually unrecognizable, the second recess is formed at a position displaced from the protrusion, and these first and second recess are made substantially identical in shape. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of voids and bubbles and to improve the design properties.
In the present embodiment, the housing 4 includes the first surface 11 on which the boss 14 is provided, the second surface 12 disposed to be opposite from the first surface 11 and exposed to the outside, and the first to third grooves 31, 32, and 33 provided on the second surface 12. The first groove 31 is provided on the second surface 12 at the position corresponding to the boss 14. The second groove 32 is provided on the second surface 12 at the position corresponding to the boss 14 and is aligned with the first groove 31 while being substantially identical in shape to the first groove 31. The third groove 33 is provided on the second surface 12 at a position that does not correspond to the boss 14 and is aligned with the first and second grooves 31 and 32 while being identical in shape to the first groove 31.
According to this configuration, the first and second grooves 31 and 32 provided in the region facing the boss 14 act as the cause of reducing the thickness of the region facing the boss 14. Thus, the occurrence of voids and bubbles is suppressed. In addition, the third groove 33 is provided in the region that does not face the boss 14, and the first to third grooves 31, 32, and 33 are aligned with each other while being substantially identical in shape. The first to third grooves 31, 32, and 33 collaborate with each other to constitute a design on the exterior surface of the housing 4. That is, the first to third grooves 31, 32, and 33 suppress the occurrence of voids and bubbles and improve the aesthetic appearance of the product. In addition, some extent of improvement of the aesthetic appearance can be expected as long as the first to third grooves 31, 32, and 33 are at least partially identical in shape.
In the present embodiment, the first to third grooves 31, 32, and 33 are arranged at equal intervals and extend substantially in parallel to each other. According to this configuration, an excellent design having a periodic pattern can be formed on the exterior surface of the housing 4.
In the present embodiment, the third groove 33 is provided on the second surface 12 in the region facing the planar portion 15. That is, the third groove 33 provided in the region facing the planar portion 15 collaborates with the first and second grooves 31 and 32, whereby the housing 4 having a more complex and elaborate design can be provided.
In the present embodiment, the boss 14 includes the first portion 23 disposed between the first side 21 and the screw hole 17 and the second portion 24 disposed between the second side 22 and the screw hole 17. The first groove 31 is provided so as to correspond to the first portion 23 of the boss 14. The second groove 32 is provided so as to correspond to the second portion 24 of the boss 14. According to this configuration, since the first and second grooves 31 and 32 are provided so as to correspond to a thick portion (a portion excluding the screw hole) of the boss 14, voids can be suppressed more surely.
In the present embodiment, the first to third grooves 31, 32, and 33 extend substantially in a linear shape in the thickness direction of the housing 4. The housing 4 is pulled out of a mold in the thickness direction thereof during molding. If the first to third grooves 31, 32, and 33 extend substantially in a linear shape in the thickness direction of the housing 4, the housing can be easily pulled (removed) out of the mold.
Next, an electronic apparatus 41 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
The lower wall 48 faces the surface of a desk when the electronic apparatus 41 is placed on the desk. The upper wall 47 extends substantially in parallel to the lower wall 48 with a space therebetween. The circumferential wall 49 stands on the lower wall 48, and connects the peripheral portion of the lower wall 48 to the peripheral portion of the upper wall 47. A keyboard 50 is attached to the upper wall 47. The keyboard 50 is an example of an “input portion.” In addition, the “input portion” (input receiving portion) may be a touch panel-type input device and may be other types of input devices.
The first housing 46 includes a rear end portion 51 (first end portion) and a front end portion 52 (second end portion). The display unit 43 is attached to the rear end portion 51 by the hinges 44a and 44b. The front end portion 52 is disposed on the opposite side from the rear end portion 51.
The circumferential wall 49 includes a front wall 54, a rear wall 55, a left side wall 56, and a right side wall 57. The front wall 54 is disposed on the front end portion 52 of the first housing 46 so as to extend in a horizontal width direction (left and right direction) of the first housing 46. The rear wall 55 is disposed on the rear end portion 51 so as to extend in the horizontal width direction of the first housing 46 substantially in parallel to the front wall 54. The left and right side walls 56 and 57 extend in a vertical width direction (front and read direction) of the first housing 46. The left and right side walls 56 and 57 connect the end portion of the front wall 54 and the end portion of the rear wall 55.
In this specification, the side closer to the user using the electronic apparatus 41 is defined as “front” and the side farther from the user is defined as “rear.” Moreover, the directions left and right are defined as seen from the user of the electronic apparatus 41.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The second housing 61 is pivotably (openably) attached to the rear end portion 51 of the first housing 46 by the hinges 44a and 44b. In this way, the display unit 43 can pivot between a first position where it overlaps the main unit 42 and a second position where it stands with respect to the main unit 42.
As illustrated in
The back wall 64 extends substantially in parallel to the front wall 63 with a space therebetween. The back wall 64 faces the display device 62 at the opposite side from the front wall 63. The circumferential wall 65 stands on the back wall 64, and connects the peripheral portion of the front wall 63 and the peripheral portion of the back wall 64.
As illustrated in
The rear end walls 71 are formed on the left and right end portions of the first housing 46, respectively. The rear end wall 71 is part of the rear wall 55 and extends in the horizontal width direction (namely, the longitudinal direction) of the first housing 46. The rear end wall 71 faces the opposite side from the user, namely the rear side of the electronic apparatus 41. The rear end wall 71 faces in a direction opposite to the keyboard 50 (the input portion) from the rear end portion 51 of the first housing 46. The rear end wall 71 extends between the upper wall 47 and the lower wall 48. Moreover, the rear end wall 71 extends between the left side wall 56 (or the right side wall 57) and the first connecting portion 72.
The first connecting portion 72 is provided between a pair of rear end walls 71. The first connecting portion 72 protrudes from the rear end portion 51 of the first housing 46 in a direction opposite to the keyboard 50 (the input portion). The first connecting portion 72 is relatively long in the longitudinal direction of the first housing 46 and includes a battery 73 mounted thereon, for example.
As illustrated in
In this way, a receiving portion 76 (hinge receiving portion) which is defined by the rear end wall 71 and the first wall 74 and in two directions is provided between the rear end wall 71 and the first wall 74 of the first connecting portion 72. The receiving portions 76 are cut-out portions which are formed at the left and right end portions of the first housing 46, respectively. In other words, the rear end wall 71 is provided at a position which is recessed from the second wall 75 of the first connecting portion 72 toward the keyboard 50 (the input portion) by a distance corresponding to the receiving portion 76.
As illustrated in
The rear end wall 71 extends in the axial direction of the hinge shaft 80. The first wall 74 of the first connecting portion 72 extends in the radial direction of the hinge shaft 80. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The first attaching portions 81 of the hinges 44a and 44b are attached to the first connecting portion 72. The second attaching portions 82 of the hinges 44a and 44b are attached to the second connecting portion 84. The hinges 44a and 44b pivotably connect the first and second connecting portions 72 and 84.
As illustrated in
In other words, the rear end wall 71 is an example of a wall that faces the second housing 61. The rear end wall 71 is positioned at the end portion of the first housing 46 connected to the second housing 61 and is covered by the second housing 61. The rear end wall 71 is covered by the second housing 61, for example, at both a first position where the first and second housings 46 and 61 overlap each other and a second position where the first and second housings 46 and 61 are open.
As illustrated in
The first surface 11 includes a boss 14 and a planar portion 15. The boss 14 is an example of a “protrusion.” In addition, the “protrusion” is not limited to the boss, and may be a rib or other shapes. The first and second surfaces 11 and 12 are inclined surfaces that are inclined with respect to the upper and lower walls 47 and 48. The boss 14 protrudes obliquely from the first surface 11. The boss 14 protrudes from the first surface 11 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the upper and lower walls 47 and 48, for example. In addition, the broken line in
As illustrated in
In addition, the total number of grooves provided on the second surface 12 may be two or may be four or more. The number of grooves provided on the opposite side from the boss 14 may be one or may be three or more. Moreover, the number of grooves provided on the opposite side from the planar portion 15 may be two or more.
The first and second grooves 31 and 32 are provided on the second surface 12 at the position corresponding to the boss 14. The first groove 31 is provided so as to correspond to the first portion 23 of the boss 14. The second groove 32 is provided so as to correspond to the second portion 24 of the boss 14.
The third groove 33 is provided on the second surface 12 at a position that does not correspond to the boss 14. The third groove 33 is provided to be opposite the planar portion 15. The third groove 33 is provided between the second groove 32 and the first wall 74 of the first connecting portion 72, for example.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The first to third grooves 31, 32, and 33 extend substantially in a linear shape in the thickness direction (namely, the direction where the first housing 46 is pulled out of a mold) of the first housing 46. The first to third grooves 31, 32, and 33 extend over both end portions of the first housing 46 in the thickness direction of the first housing 46. The first to third grooves 31, 32, and 33 extend over substantially the entire thickness of the cover 59 of the first housing 46, for example.
Specifically, as illustrated in
The second end portion 88 reaches the lower end of the cover 59 in the extension direction of the grooves 31, 32, and 33 and is open at the lower end of the cover 59. With this configuration, the housing can be more easily pulled (removed) out of the mold.
According to such a configuration, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to improve the strength of the housing and to maintain or improve the aesthetic appearance of a product.
In addition, in the present embodiment, the electronic apparatus 41 includes the first housing 46 including the first connecting portion 72, the second housing 61 including the second connecting portion 84 aligned with the first connecting portion 72, and the hinges 44a and 44b pivotably connecting the first and second connecting portions 72 and 84. The first housing 46 includes the rear end wall 71 facing the second connecting portion 84 in the direction different from the direction in which the first connecting portion 72 faces the second connecting portion 84, and the first to third grooves 31, 32, and 33 are provided on the rear end wall 71.
The rear end wall 71 is a portion that faces the second connecting portion 84 of the second housing 61. That is, the rear end wall 71 is disposed between the two housings 46 and 61 and is hardly seen from the user. With the configuration in which the first to third grooves 31, 32, and 33 are provided at the positions where they are hardly seen from the user, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of voids and bubbles while suppressing the presence of the grooves 31, 32, and 33 from being recognized.
In the present embodiment, the hinges 44a and 44b include the hinge shaft 80. The second surface 12 faces the second connecting portion 84 in the radial direction of the hinge shaft 80. The second surface 12 faces the second connecting portion 84 at both the first position where the first and second housings 46 and 61 are closed and at the second position where the first and second housings 46 and 61 are open. That is, the second surface 12 is covered by the second connecting portion 84 regardless of whether the display unit 43 is closed or open. When the first to third grooves 31, 32, and 33 are provided on the second surface 12, the grooves 31, 32, and 33 are more difficult to be seen from the user and are hardly recognizable.
In the present embodiment, the boss 14 protrudes obliquely from the first surface 11. As illustrated in
In the present embodiment, the first to third grooves 31, 32, and 33 are provided along the inclined direction of the boss 14. With this configuration, since the grooves 31, 32, and 33 extend along the longitudinal direction of the thick portion, the grooves 31, 32, and 33 can reduce the thickness of the thick portion over a relatively long range. In this way, it is possible to suppress voids more effectively.
In the present embodiment, the second surface 12 is provided at a position that is recessed from the first connecting portion 72 toward the input portion (the keyboard 50). The second surface 12 at such a recessed position is hardly seen from the user. When the first to third grooves 31, 32, and 33 are provided at the position where they are hardly seen from the user, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of voids and bubbles while suppressing the presence of the grooves 31, 32, and 33 from being recognized.
Next, an electronic apparatus 41 according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
For example, when seen along the line A-A in
According to such a configuration, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to improve the strength of the housing and to maintain or improve the aesthetic appearance of a product.
The embodiment is not limited to the embodiments described above but may be realized by modifying constituent elements in implementing stage within a range without departing from the spirit of the invention. Moreover, various embodiments can be made by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiments described above. For example, some constituent elements may be omitted from all the constituent elements disclosed in the embodiments. Furthermore, constituent elements in different embodiments may be combined appropriately.
For example, the grooves 31, 32, 33, and 34 may be provided on other positions such as the front wall 54, the side walls 56 and 57, the upper wall 47, or the lower wall 48 rather than the circumferential walls 7 and 49 of the housings 4 and 46. Moreover, the grooves 31, 32, 33, and 34 may be provided on the entire housing 4 or 46. The grooves 31, 32, 33, and 34 are not limited to the linear shape but may have a curved shape or other shapes. The sections of the grooves 31, 32, 33, and 34 may not be rectangular but may have a rounded shape or other shapes.
While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.
Hashimoto, Seiji, Hamada, Tomohiro
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| Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
| Feb 14 2013 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
| Dec 28 2018 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | TOSHIBA CLIENT SOLUTIONS CO , LTD | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 048720 | /0635 |
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