Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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DESCRIPTION
ELECTRONIC DEVICE CABINET AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention concerns an electronic device cabinet having a main body and a
cover that is rotatably attached to the cabinet main body, and in particular,
an
engagement member having a simplified construction for engaging said cover and
for
controlling the open and closed state of said cover.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Heretofore known as cabinets for entertainment devices that employ optical
disks, such as CD players, DVD players and the like, are cabinets that have a
cover
whose end is attached rotatably to a cabinet main body and in which the cover
is opened
and closed using elastic force. Such a cabinet is usually constructed in such
a way that
the cover is attached rotatably to the inner side of the cabinet main body by
a hinge or
other mechanism, a spring or other impelling means is provided inside the
cabinet main
body, and the cover is opened by releasing the elastic force of the spring.
Provided on
the cabinet main body in a location away from the attachment of the cover is
usually an
engaging member that advances and retracts with respect to the cover, and the
cover can
be closed by engaging the end of the cover with this engaging member. This
engaging
member usually has a sloping surface that comes into contact with a button or
other
pressing member, and when the operator presses the button, the pressing force
acts via
the sloping surface as a force in the advance-and-retract direction of the
engaging
member, and it moves away from the cover end. When the operator releases his
hand
from the button, it is necessary to restore the engaging member to its
original position
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and engage the cover with the engaging member, so a spring or other impelling
means
is provided on the advance-and-retract direction base end part of the engaging
member.
However, in such a conventional electronic device cabinet the engagement
structure of the cover consists of a button, engaging member, and impelling
means, with
a large number of parts, which creates the problem that much work is required
during
assembly, and it is difficult to assemble the electronic device efficiently.
Thus, during
assembly a spring or other impelling means must be mounted on the base end
part of the
engaging member in a bent state, which complicates the assembly operation.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an electronic
device
cabinet and an electronic device having a reduced assembly operation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electronic
device
cabinet and an electronic device having an engagement member for engaging the
cover
of the cabinet and for controlling the open and closed state of the cover.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electronic
device
cabinet and an electronic device having an engagement member with an impelling
means that is formed integrally with the engagement member.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electronic
device
cabinet and an electronic device having an engagement member with an impelling
means that can be withdrawn from and inserted into the electronic device
cabinet in a
simple operation.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will become clear upon
review of the following detailed description in conjunction with the appended
drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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An electronic device cabinet having a cabinet main body and a cover whose end
is attached rotatably to the cabinet main body, is provided with an engaging
member
that advances and retracts with respect to the end of said cover and holds
said cover in
closed state by engaging said end of said cover. The engaging member has an
engaging
part main body that engages the end of said cover and an impelling means that
impels
this main body in the advance-and-retract direction, both the engaging part
main body
and the impelling means being formed integrally. Because of such integrated
construction, the engaging part main body and the impelling means can be
attached just
by fitting the engaging member onto the cabinet main body, which greatly
simplifies the
assembly operation. Such cabinet can be used is an entertainment device such
as a CD
or DVD player or a game device, and using the construction of the present
invention on
these electronic devices can simplify the structure of the cabinet, which is
desirable in
making electronic devices smaller and lighter, and in reducing their cost. It
is desirable
that the impelling means have a symmetric construction for attributing a
uniform force
on said engagement member, and be formed in the shape of a ring. It is also
desirable
that a guide is provided on said cabinet main body for regulating the movement
of the
engaging part main body. It is also desirable to constitute said engaging
member as an
integral molding of injection-molded polyacetal, because polyacetal is a good
sliding
material and has good fatigue resistance.
It is also desirable that there be formed in said cabinet main body an opening
into which the cover is press-fitted, and that there be provided on the
circumferential
edge of this opening a depression outside of which the circumferential edge of
said
cover is exposed in the state in which the cover is press-fitted into said
opening.
It is also desirable that said cabinet main body have a pair of accommodation
members or cabinet halves that, by engaging with each other, accommodate
inside them
a device main body that has electronic components, etc., that there be formed
in the
cabinet main body an opening part that exposes connection terminals for
external device
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connection that are provided on said device main body, and that this opening
part
straddle the boundary part of the pair of accommodation members.
Here, the connection terminals for external device connection might include,
but
are not limited to, for example, controller connectors (terminals) to which
controllers
are connected and audio and video output terminals for outputting signals from
the
device main body to a television receiver, as well as power supply terminals,
etc. for
supplying electric power to the device main body from an external power
source.
Also, the opening part that straddles the boundary part (engagement line) of
the
pair of accommodation members might include but not be limited to, for
example, an
opening part that consists of openings formed in each of the pair of
accommodation
members facing the boundary part, as well as an opening part, etc. that
consists of an
opening formed in one or the other of the pair of acconunodation members
facing the
boundary part.
Thus, the pair of accommodation members that constitute the cabinet main body
is normally formed by injection molding using a metal mold that has an upper
mold
(cavity) and a lower mold (core). In doing so, if for example one is to form
in the
accommodation members an opening part that exposes connection terminals
provided
on the device main body, the accommodation members are formed by (1) engaging
the
upper and lower molds and inserting into the metal mold a slide core that
moves
horizontally, (2) injecting resin into the metal mold, (3) moving the slide
core and
removing it from inside the metal mold, and (4) raising the upper mold and
separating
the molding from the mold. But this requires additional steps for moving the
slide core,
which creates the problem of detracting from the productivity of the
accommodation
members.
Thus if an opening part is formed that straddles the boundary part of the pair
of
accommodation members instead of forming an opening part inside the
accommodation
members, then it suffices to form in each accommodation member an opening
facing
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the boundary part, which makes a slide core unnecessary, reduces the number of
manufacturing steps, and thereby improves the productivity of the
accommodation
members.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a living room including an electronic
device and cabinet of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an entertainment device of the present
invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the entertainment device of FIG. 2 with
its
cover open.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the open-close button portion of said
entertainment device of the invention.
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the engaging member of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the attachment of the engaging member
of the invention with the cabinet main body of the invention.
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the attachment of the engaging
member with a portion of the cabinet.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The following detailed description is of the best mode or modes of the
invention
presently contemplated. Such description is not intended to be understood in a
limiting
sense, but to be an example of the invention presented solely for illustration
thereof, and
by reference to which in connection with the following description and the
accompanying drawings one skilled in the art may be advised of the advantages
and
construction of the invention. In the various views of the drawings, like
reference
characters designate like or similar parts.
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FIG. 1 shows part of a living room 100 in which is set up a television
receiver 3,
which outputs images and sound, etc., an entertainment device 1, which is an
electronic
device that is connected to this television receiver 3, and a controller 2,
which is an
operation device that sends instructions to entertainment device 1.
Entertainment
device 1 for example reads a game program, etc. recorded on an optical disk,
etc. and
executes it according to instructions from controller 2 operated by the user
(game
player).
As shown in FIG. 2, entertainment device 1 comprises a device main body (not
pictured), which has electronic parts, etc., and entertainment device cabinet
10, which
has cabinet main body 10A, upper case 11 and lower case 12, which accommodate
the
device main body by engaging together, and it is preferably formed in a flat
square
shape. Upper case 11 and lower case 12 are preferably formed by injection
molding.
Upper case 11 has a flat roughly circulax cover 13 provided in the middle and
upper case main body 14 provided around this cover 13. Cover 13 is made in
such a
way that one press-fits it into opening 14E to close said cover 13. Formed on
the
circumferential edge of opening 14E is depression 14F, where the
circumferential edge
of said cover 13 is exposed to the outside in the state in which cover 13 is
press-fitted
into said opening 14E (see FIG. 2). Lower case 12, which covers the device
main body
from below, is made in such a way that its end engages with the end of upper
case main
body 14. The part where these ends engage with one another is the boundary
part of
lower case 12 and upper case 11.
On the left side of cover 13 is power button 15, which is operated when
turning
the power to the device on or off, and on the right side of cover 13 is open-
close button
16, which is operated when opening or closing said cover 13. Two slots 17,
which are
connection terminals for external device connections, are exposed on the side
of cabinet
10 that appears in the front in FIG. 2 and 3. Each slot 17 has a memory card
insertion
part 18, which is positioned toward the top, and a controller connection part
19, which
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is positioned toward the bottom. Memory card insertion part 18 is for
inserting a
memory card or other external auxiliary memory device, and its insertion hole
18A,
which straddles the boundary part (engagement line) of upper case main body 14
(upper
case 11) and lower case 12, is preferably formed in a rectangular shape, with
its longer
direction being horizontal. Provided on this memory card insertion part 18 is
cover 18B
for protecting the connection terminals provided inside it. Insertion hole 18A
is formed
by openings 31 and 32, which are formed in upper case main body 14 (upper case
11)
and lower case 12, respectively, facing the boundary of upper case main body
14 and
lower case 12. Controller connection part 19 is an input-output terminal for
the input
and output of signals; to which is connected the connection terminal (not
shown)
formed on the end of a controller cable that extends from controller 2 (see
FIG. 1).
Insertion hole 19A is preferably formed in a rectangular shape, with its
longer direction
being horizontal, and is preferably shaped so that its corners at the bottom
are rounder
than its corners at the top. Shaping insertion hole 19A in this way prevents
the
connection terminal (not shown) of controller 2 from being connected in the
wrong
orientation. Also, because the shape of insertion hole 19A is made with a
structure that
is different from the shape of insertion hole 18A of memory card insertion
part 18, there
is no danger of mistakenly inserting an external auxiliary memory device into
insertion
hole 19A of controller connection part 19, and vice versa.
Positioned on the side opposite the side on which these slots 17 are
positioned,
are a power connector (not shown), to which an AC adaptor (not shown) is
connected
and which is a power supply terminal supplying electric power from an external
power
source (not shown) to the device main body, and video and audio output
terminals (not
shown) for outputting to television receiver 3 video signals, audio signals,
and various
other signals recorded on an optical disk (not pictured). Also, the opening
part (not
shown) through which this power source connector and these video and audio
output
terminals are exposed to the outside is formed, like the aforementioned
insertion hole
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18A, by an opening formed on lower case 12 facing the boundary of upper case
main
body 14 and lower case 12.
As shown in FIG. 3, cover 13 comprises a roughly flat round disk covering unit
21, which covers disk mounting part 20 onto which optical disk 4 is mounted,
and an
attachment part 22, which extends from part of the circumferential edge of
disk
covering unit 21 and whose end is rotatably attached to upper case main body
14 by a
hinge mechanism. Provided inside upper case main body 14 is spring 14A, whose
one
end comes into contact with cover 13; which biases the cover 13 into the open
position
as shown in FIG. 3.
Provided on part of the circumferential edge of disk covering unit 21 and
protruding toward the lower case 12 side is rod-shaped member 21A, which
presses an
open-closed detection switch (not pictured) that detects whether cover 13 is
open or
closed, and square-shaped engagement piece 21B, in the middle of which is
formed
recess 21C. Rod-shaped member 21A and engagement piece 21B are formed on said
disk covering unit 21 in a position corresponding to or aligned with the
position of
open-close button 16.
As shown in FIG. 4, open-close button 16 includes a pressing member 23, which
is exposed to the outside and adapted to be pressed by a user, and engaging
member 24,
which is positioned on upper case main body 14 below pressing member 23.
Pressing
member 23 has pressing part 23A, whose cross-section is preferably in the
shape of a
squared-off "C" and which is a flat round shape, and contact part 23B, which
is formed
roughly in the middle on the engaging member 24 side of this pressing part
23A, whose
tip comes into contact with said engaging member 24, and whose side surface is
of
rectangular shape.
As shown in FIGS. 4-7, engaging member 24 advances and retracts (arrow A in
FIG. 4) with respect to engagement piece 21B of disk covering unit 21; and
holds cover
13 in a closed state by engaging engagement piece 21 B; and has engaging part
main
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body 25, which engages engagement piece 21B, and impelling means 26, which
impels
engaging part main body 25 in the advance-and-retract direction; and is
preferably
constituted as an integral molding of injection-molded polyacetal. Engaging
part main
body 25 comprises a flat protruding-shaped main body upper part 27, which is
exposed
to the outside when pressing member 23 is removed, and a flat protruding-
shaped main
body lower part 28, which is formed on the lower side of this main body upper
part 27
and is a little smaller than said main body upper part 27. Main body upper
part 27 fits
snugly between a pair of guides 14B formed in upper case main body 14, thus
regulating the movement of engaging member 24 perpendicular to the advance-and-
retract direction. Formed on the tip of main body upper part 27 is sloping
surface 27A,
which slopes downward toward the middle of disk mounting part 20 (see FIG. 4).
The
tip of sloping surface 27A protrudes into disk mounting part 20 when button 16
is not
being pressed downwardly and when impelled toward disk mounting part 20 by
impelling means 26. In this way, cover 13 can be held in the closed state by
engaging
tip 27A in recess 21C of engagement piece 21B. Main body lower part 28 fits
snugly
into opening 14C (FIG. 7), which is formed in upper case main body 14 and is
roughly
the same as the flat shape of said main body lower part 28, in this way also
regulating
the movement of engaging member 24 perpendicular to the advance-and-retract
direction. Formed approximately in the middle of main body upper and lower
parts 27
and 28 respectively is flat square-shaped through-hole 29. Among the inside
surfaces
that form through-hole 29, together with being perpendicular to the
longitudinal
direction of engaging part main body 25, the inside surface formed on the
impelling
means 26 side is sloping surface 29A, which slopes toward disk mounting part
20.
Contact part 23B of aforesaid pressing member 23 makes contact with this
sloping
surface 29A (FIG. 4). Thus when the operator presses pressing member 23,
sloping
surface 29A is pressed by contact part 23B, and by the pressing force that
acts on this
sloping surface 29A, engaging member 24 moves in a direction away from
engagement
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piece 21B. In other words, the pressing force caused by pressing member 23 is
converted by sloping surface 29A into a force in the advance-and-retract
direction of
engaging member 24, thereby allowing engaging member 24 to be separated from
engagement piece 21B.
5 Impelling means 26 is formed in ring shape in plan view, and is formed and
positioned so as to be mutually symmetrical with respect to the centerline
along the
longitudinal direction of engaging member ~24. One end of impelling means 26
facing
engaging part main body 25 comes into contact with receiving part 14D, which
is
formed in upper case main body 14 and has an L-shaped cross-section. In this
way,
10 impelling means 26 maintains the prescribed elastic force between engaging
part main
body 25 and receiving part 14D. When the operator removes his hand from
pressing
part 23A or closes cover 13, engaging member 24 is automatically restored to
its
original position by impelling means 26, thus making it possible to
automatically
engage cover 13 by engaging member 24. Engaging member 24 fits main body lower
part 28 snugly into opening 14C in a state in which the part that comes into
contact with
receiving part 14D of impelling means 26 is bent, and after it is fitted in,
upper case
main body 14 can be attached by releasing the bend of impelling means 26 and
engaging said impelling means 26 into receiving part 14D.
The operation of opening and closing cover 13 of such an entertainment device
1
is as follows.
First, when cover 13 is closed (FIGS. 2 and 4), that is, if the tip 27A of
main
body upper part 27 is engaged in recess 21C of engagement piece 21B, then when
the
operator presses member 23, contact part 23B of pressing member 23 is inserted
into
through-hole 29 of engaging part main body 25 and presses against sloping
surface 29A.
The pressing force applied by contact part 23B against 29A causes engaging
member 24
to move in the direction away from engagement piece 21B. In this way, the tip
27A of
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main body upper part 27 comes away from engagement piece 21B, and cover 13 is
released by the elastic force of spring 14A (FIG. 3).
When the operator releases his hand from pressing part 23A, the pressing force
on sloping surface 29A disappears, and the impelling force of impelling means
26
causes engaging part main body 25 to move toward disk mounting part 20, and
engaging member 24 returns to its original position.
If cover 13 is closed after optical disk 4 is mounted on disk mounting part
20,
when said cover 13 is pressed toward disk mounting part 20, the lower surface
of
engagement piece 21 B presses sloping surface 27A of the tip of main body
upper part
27, and engaging member 24 moves away from engagement piece 21B. In addition,
by
pressing cover 13 toward disk mounting part 20, engaging member 24, which had
moved away from engagement piece 21B, moves toward recess 21C of engagement
piece 21B, and the tip of main body upper part 27 engages with said engagement
piece
21B. In this way, cover 13 can be closed.
Thus, because engaging part main body 25 and impelling means 26 are
integrated, engaging part main body 25 and the impelling means 26 can be
attached just
by fitting engaging member 24 onto upper case main body 14, which simplifies
the
assembly operation of the electronic device cabinet of the invention. In
addition,
because impelling means 26 is constituted symmetrically about the engaging
member
24, the impelling force in the advance-and-retract direction can be made to
act on
engaging member 24 uniformly left and right. In addition, the structure of
impelling
means 26 can be simplified by constituting it in a ring shape.
Moreover, because formed on upper case main body 14 is guide 14B that
regulates the movement of engaging part main body 25 along the advance-and-
retract
direction and is positioned perpendicular to the advance-and-retract direction
of
engaging member 24, engaging member 24 can be mounted along guide 14B, which
further simplifies the assembly operation of the cabinet of the invention.
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And since engaging member 24 is preferably made of polyacetal, because
polyacetal is a good sliding material and has good fatigue resistance, one can
slide
engaging part main body 25 smoothly along upper case main body 14 and maintain
the
impelling force of impelling means 26 for a long time.
In addition, because depression 14F is provided on the circumferential edge of
opening 14E of upper case main body 14, after cover 13 is attached to upper
case main
body 14, when doing a confirmation that said cover 13 is attached, etc., it is
simple to
open and close said cover 13 by latching a finger onto the circumferential
edge of cover
13 that is exposed in depression 14F. This makes it easy to confirm attachment
of cover
13, etc. Furthermore, because depression 14F is provided on the
circumferential edge
14E of upper case main body 14 and is dimensioned such that the base of the
depression
14F is aligned with or below the height of an inserted optical disk 4 (see
FIG. 3), access
to an inserted optical disk, and in particular the edge of such a disk, for
removal or the
like can be made easier.
And because insertion hole 18A is formed straddling the boundary part of upper
case main body 14 and lower case 12, it suffices to form in each of upper case
main
body 14 and lower case 12 an opening in which one side is missing, which
eliminates
the former need for a slide core. This can reduce the number of manufacturing
steps
and increase the productivity of upper case 1 l and lower case 12.
This invention is not limited to the aforesaid embodiment but includes other
compositions, modifications, etc. including, but not limited to the following.
For example, the material of the engaging member is not limited to polyacetal;
one may also use a thermoplastic resin such as, for example, nylon or
polycaxbonate.
Other appropriate materials may also be used.
In the above embodiment, while a guide is formed on the main body for guiding
the movement of the engagement member, such a guide may not be necessary if,
for
example, the lower part of the main body of the engaging member is press-fit
into an
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opening and there is no movement at all of engaging member 24 perpendicular to
the
advance-and-retract direction.
Moreover, while in the aforesaid embodiment the impelling means is formed in
the shape of a ring, it could also be formed in the shape of a spiral or wave.
Other
shapes are also contemplated.
Also, while in the aforesaid embodiment it is preferred that the impelling
means
is positioned symmetrically with respect to the engagement member in the
advance and
retreat direction, it could also be constituted asymmetrically if desired.
In addition, while depression 14F is preferably provided on the
circumferential
edge of opening 14E, it need not be present if, for example, the cover can be
opened and
closed simply by latching with a claw, etc.
While the present invention has been described at some length and with some
particularity with respect to the several described embodiments, it is not
intended that it
should be limited to any such particulars or embodiments or any particular
embodiment,
but it is to be construed with references to the appended claims so as to
provide the
broadest possible interpretation of such claims in view of the prior art and,
therefore, to
effectively encompass the intended scope of the invention.
