|Publication number||US7554062 B2|
|Application number||US 11/281,706|
|Publication date||Jun 30, 2009|
|Filing date||Nov 18, 2005|
|Priority date||Mar 15, 2005|
|Also published as||CN1835670A, CN100512612C, US20060219702|
|Publication number||11281706, 281706, US 7554062 B2, US 7554062B2, US-B2-7554062, US7554062 B2, US7554062B2|
|Original Assignee||Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (11), Referenced by (1), Classifications (10), Legal Events (2)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2005-0021378, filed on Mar. 15, 2005, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic appliance having a display unit. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electronic appliance enabling adjustment of an angle of inclination of a display unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic appliances including office machines such as printers or copiers may include a display unit to visually provide a user with information about the operational status of the appliance. A display unit may be installed at a fixed angle of inclination on a body of the electronic appliance. Alternatively, the display unit may be installed on the body of the electronic appliance such that a user can control the inclination angle to improve convenience of storage, transport, and use.
Recently, the outer designs of electronic appliances have become increasingly commercially important. However, it is relatively difficult to creatively design such an electronic appliance with the above structure, while also allowing the inclination angle of the display unit 2 to be adjusted.
Conventionally, as shown in
Also, since the display unit 2 is exposed, the display unit 2 may be destroyed when the electronic appliance is stored or transported.
Accordingly, there is a need for an electronic appliance with an improved external design to prevent damage during storage and transport, which can also adjust an angle of inclination of a display unit with a relatively small force.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention address at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide an electronic appliance which can relatively easily and reliably adjust an angle of inclination of a display unit with a small force.
The exemplary embodiments of the present invention also provide an electronic appliance which can adjust an angle of inclination of a display unit while preserving external design considerations.
Further, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention also provide an electronic appliance which can prevent damage to a display unit during storage and transport.
According to another exemplary aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic appliance comprising a body including a guide rail, a display unit which is movably arranged on the body along the guide rail such that the angle of inclination of the display unit can be adjusted, a protection cover which is arranged on the body and slides between a first position covering the display unit and a second position exposing the display unit, and a connection unit which connects the sliding movement of the protection cover between the first and second positions with the movement of the display unit.
The electronic appliance may further comprise a motor sliding the protection cover and moving the display unit using the connection unit.
The electronic appliance may further comprise a locking assembly which locks the display unit in a plurality of positions on the guide rail so that the display unit can have various angles of inclination.
According to another exemplary implementation of the present invention, there is provided an electronic appliance comprising a body, a display unit movably arranged on the body, and a protection cover which is arranged on the body which covers the display unit when in a first position and exposes the display unit when in a second position.
The electronic appliance may further comprise a central axis arranged on a arc shaped path which is located outside the display unit, the display unit is embedded inside the body when the protection cover is disposed in the first position and the display unit is moved along the arc shaped path as the protection cover is moved toward the second position, thereby adjusting the angle of inclination of the display unit.
Other objects, advantages, and salient features of the exemplary embodiments of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of the invention.
The above and other features and advantages of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:
The matters defined in the description such as a detailed construction and elements are provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Also, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.
The display unit 20 is installed on the body 10 such that an inclination angle of the display unit 20 can be adjusted. As an example, referring to
A protection cover 70 is coupled with the body 10 and slides in association with the movement of the display unit 20. The protection cover 70 opens and closes the receiving portion 11 by sliding between first and second positions. The first position covers the display unit 20 and the second position exposes the display unit 20. A connection unit is provided to allow the protection cover 70 to slide between the first and second positions. The connection unit includes a gear such as a rack gear 71 formed on the protection cover 70, a pinion 24 formed on the display unit 20, and a plurality of gears 61, 62, 63, and 64 connecting the rack gear 71 to the pinion 24. The pinion 24 may be concentric with the guide rails 31 and 32. The gears 61,62,63, and 64 are rotatably coupled to the bracket 60.
The protection cover 70 stops when the display unit 20 reaches a position between the tension ribs 40. Thus, the angle of inclination of the display unit 20 can be locked after being varied. Since the guide rails 31 and 32 are slightly curved, the display unit 20 can be relatively easily moved along the guide rails 31 and 32 by a small force. Thus, the risk of damaging the projection 23 is reduced. In the electronic appliance according to this exemplary embodiment, the display unit 20 and a body 10 are not actually connected with each other at the central axis of the guide rails 31 and 32. Further, since the display unit 20 is supported by the plurality of projections 23, which are away from the central axis of the guide rails 31 and 32, the reaction force applied to the projections 23 and the tension ribs 40 due to the dead load of the display unit 20 is relatively small. Therefore, the risk of damaging the projections 23 can be reduced.
According to the exemplary embodiment, when the protection cover 70 slides, the angle of inclination of the display unit 20 is relatively easily adjusted. As a result, the hollow portion 7 or the handle shown in
As described above, an electronic appliance according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention can obtain the following effects.
First, due to the protection cover configuration, the risk of damage to a display unit is reduced.
Second, it is possible to implement an electronic appliance with a improved design, which includes a display unit whose angle of inclination is adjustable.
Third, a display unit moves along curved guide rails in association with the sliding movement of a protection cover so that the angle of inclination of the display unit can be adjusted with a relatively small force, and the display unit can be fixed at various angles of inclination.
Fourth, since a motor can be additionally installed, a user can more conveniently adjust the angle of inclination of a display unit.
While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.
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|Citing Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US20120243154 *||Nov 18, 2011||Sep 27, 2012||Panasonic Corporation||Display device|
|U.S. Classification||219/506, 219/414, 219/491, 345/156, 219/720|
|Cooperative Classification||H05K5/0017, B41J3/46|
|European Classification||B41J3/46, H05K5/00C|
|Nov 18, 2005||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., KOREA, REPUBLIC OF
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:LEE, SEUNG-JAE;REEL/FRAME:017229/0743
Effective date: 20051118
|Nov 26, 2012||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4