Portable computer enclosure

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to portable computers, and more particularly to a portable computer with a replaceable enclosure.

2. Description of Related Art

Along with rapid development of electronic technology, performance of computers is enhanced day by day. A new computer can quickly become out-of-date. In order to keep up with technology, computers should be upgraded frequently.

To upgrade a computer means to change some internal components of the computer and thus enhance the performance of the computer. Upgrades help prolong the useful life of a computer. However, the appearance of the computer is usually not upgraded and will appear ‘old-fashioned’ to users when compared with the latest computers on the market. It is a waste to replace a computer only because of its appearance.

Accordingly, a need exists for a portable computer with a replaceable casing to resolve the above mentioned problem.

According to one aspect, a portable computer enclosure includes a main body, a cover body pivotably attached to the main body, and an outer plate detachably attached to the cover body for covering the cover body is presented. The cover body defines at least one opening therein, and the outer plate forms at least one latch detachably engaging in the at least one opening in the cover body.

According to another aspect, a portable computer includes a main frame, a display pivotably attached to the main frame, a casing detachably secured to an outer surface of the display by at least one screw, an anti-EMI layer coated on an inner surface of the casing. The casing is detachable from the display by removing the at least one screw.

Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present enclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present apparatus, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

Many aspects of the present portable computer can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present device. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is an exploded, isometric view of a portable computer in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the portable computer including a main body, a cover body, and an outer plate;

FIG. 2 is an inverted isometric view of the outer plate of FIG. 1 , the outer plate including a plurality of latches;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a circled portion III in FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the portable computer, the outer plate of which is half assembled;

FIG. 5 is a partial view showing one of the latches engaging with the cover body; and

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the portable computer, the outer plate of which is totally assembled.

Reference will now be made to the drawings to describe the preferred embodiments of the present portable computer enclosure, in detail.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a portable computer 100 in accordance with an embodiment is illustrated. The portable computer 100 includes a main body 10 , a cover body 20 pivotably attached to the main body 10 , an outer plate 30 detachably attached to the cover body 20 , and a pair of shafts 40 . The main body 10 functions as a main frame of the portable computer 100 , and the cover body 20 in which an LCD panel facing the main body 10 is mounted functions as a display. The outer plate 30 covers the cover body 10 for enclosing an outer surface of the cover body 20 . The shafts 40 pivot the main body 10 and the cover body 20 .

The cover body 20 defines a rectangular recess 21 with a similar shape to that of the outer plate 30 . A mounting portion 22 extends upward behind the recess 21 for engaging with the outer plate 30 . A pair of side strips 24 extends in from lateral sides of the recess 21 , and a front strip 26 extends in from a front of the recess 21 . A pair of shielding portions 27 extends up from the back of the recess 21 , adjacent to opposite sides of the mounting portion 22 . A pair of engaging tongues 28 extends back from the back of the recess 21 . The mounting portion 22 , the side strips 24 , the front strips 26 , the shielding portions 27 , and the engaging tongues 28 surround the recess 21 .

The mounting portion 22 defines a pair of screw holes 222 therein, and the front strip 26 defines three openings 262 therein. Each of the side strips 24 comprises a plurality of cantilever resilient fingers 242 extending therefrom. Free ends of the resilient fingers 242 extend forward and upward, and can provide restoration forces when being pressed downward.

Referring also to FIG. 2 , the outer plate 30 forms a mounting flange 34 and a pair of engaging flanges 35 at a back thereof. The mounting flange 34 corresponds to the mounting portion 22 of the cover body 20 , and defines a pair of through holes 342 corresponding to the screw holes 222 . The engaging flanges 35 are located at two sides of the mounting flange 34 , respectively corresponding to the engaging tongues 28 of the cover body 20 . The engaging flange 35 and the corresponding engaging tongue 28 together construct an annular receiving configuration to receive the corresponding shaft 40 therebetween. Three latches 32 are formed at a front of an inner surface of the outer plate 30 , corresponding to the openings 262 in the cover body 20 . On an outer surface of the outer plate 30 , a plurality of anti-slip strips 39 are formed, near the back of the outer plate 30 .

Referring to FIG. 3 , an enlarged view of one of the latches 32 is illustrated. Each of the latches 32 extends forward from the inner surface of the outer plate 30 . Each of free ends of the latches 32 forms a protrusion 322 extending toward the outer plate 30 . The protrusions 322 are engagable in the openings 262 in the front strip 26 .

Referring to FIGS. 4 through 6 , an assembly procedure of the portable computer will be detailedly described. First, the outer plate 30 is mated to the cover body 20 , with the inner surface facing the recess 21 . The front portion of the outer plate 30 is placed to cover the back portion of the cover plate 20 , and the outer plate 30 is moved forward along the side strips 24 with a force applied on the anti-slip strips 39 on the outer plate 30 until the protrusions 322 of the latches 32 of the outer plate 30 enter the openings 262 after deformation (as shown in FIG. 5 ). After the above steps, the front portion of the outer plate 30 is secured to the cover body 20 , and the engaging flanges 35 engage with the engaging portions 28 . Sequentially, a pair of screws 90 is screwed into the screw holes 222 in the cover body 20 via the through holes 342 . Thus, the outer plate 30 is secured to the cover body 20 (as shown in FIG. 6 ). The resilient fingers 242 keep the outer plate 30 in firm contact with the cover body 20 . When a user is ready to replace the outer plate 30 with a new outer plate, the screws 90 are removed and the latches 32 removed from the openings 262 to allow the outer plate 30 to move backward. After the outer plate 30 is removed from the cover body 20 , the new outer plate is assembled to the cover body 20 according to the above steps of assembling the outer plate 30 .

It is easy to replace the outer plate with a new outer plate (an appearance upgrade) to satisfy users' desire for a more modern looking portable computer without buying a brand-new portable computer. Furthermore, in order to anti-EMI (Electro-Magnetic Interference), an anti-EMI layer is coated to the inner surface of the outer plate 30 .

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the invention has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and their practical application so as to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from its spirit and scope. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and the exemplary embodiments described therein.