FLAT PANEL COMPUTER HAVING AN INTEGRALLY HOUSED FLAT PANEL DISPLAY
Certain embodiments of a personal computer system include an all-in-one personal computer or a panel personal computer. For example, the all-in-one computer may include a computer enclosure consisting essentially of a single panel shaped structure and a flat panel display integrally mounted inside the computer enclosure. By further example, the panel personal computer may include a flat panel display and a personal computer integrated at least substantially into one shared panel enclosure. Some embodiments of the computer have a center leg. In addition, some embodiments of the computer have substantially flat sides and faces that are substantially perpendicular to one another.
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This is a continuation of co-pending application Ser. No. 11/590,712 filed on Oct. 31, 2006, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/173,015 filed on Jun. 30, 2005, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/832,387 filed on Apr. 11, 2001, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONComputer systems generally include a computer unit and peripherals. For example, a typical computer unit may include a computer housing having a motherboard, a processor, a hard drive, random access memory (RAM), a disk drive (e.g., a floppy drive, a CD ROM drive, a DVD ROM drive, a ZIP drive, etc.), communication ports, a cooling system (e.g., a fan), a power supply, a modem, a network device, an audio assembly (e.g., a sound card, a speaker, etc.), and other computing devices. The computer system also may include peripherals, such as a monitor, a printer, a scanner, a keyboard, a mouse, speakers, a disk drive or other storage devices, a modem or other communication devices, and various other standalone components. Accordingly, a typical computer system includes a variety of separate components communicating through various ports, such as serial, parallel, PS/2, video, USB, IRDA (infrared), and various other communication protocols. Moreover, each of these components consumes a considerable amount of workspace.
Regardless of the type of computer system (i.e., desktop or portable), a significant amount of workspace is consumed due to the conventional orientation of computer component. For example, desktop units have a large footprint in both horizontal and vertical orientations. Monitors also have a large footprint, which generally increases with the viewable area. Laptop computers consume less space than desktop computers, but are intended for mobile use. For many users, the display screen, the keyboard, and other features are difficult or inconvenient to use. Accordingly, laptop computers are often connected to standard monitors, keyboards, and other desktop devices during non-mobile operation. Moreover, the laptop itself has a considerably large footprint, and also requires extra space for the display to be oriented at a desired viewing angle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSEmbodiments of the invention will hereafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements, and:
The present technique relates to space saving configurations for computing devices and peripherals to minimize workspace consumption. The technique is widely applicable and can be utilized on desktop computers, portable computers (e.g., notebooks, laptops, palmtops, etc.), servers, monitors, printers, scanners, audio/video devices, docking devices, and various other computing and peripheral devices. The present technique configures computing devices and peripherals in a relatively thin enclosure suitable to be vertically mounted or to be disposed on a horizontal surface in a substantially upright orientation. Accordingly, the workspace (e.g., horizontal area) consumed by the device is substantially reduced. The following detailed description provides exemplary embodiments and applications of the present technique, which should be interpreted broadly to include all computing devices, peripherals and environments.
Referring generally to
The flat panel computer 12, as illustrated in
In one example of the present technique, the cable 16 is coupled to the port 42, which may be a serial port, a PS/2 port, a USB port, an IEEE 1394 port, or another communication port suitable for a keyboard or input/output device. In this exemplary embodiment, the keyboard 14 includes keyboard buttons 56 and a pointing device 58 having a roller-ball 60 and buttons 62, 64 and 66. The keyboard 14 also includes buttons 68, 70 and 72 and adjustment dials 74 and 76. The buttons 68, 70 and 72 can be configured to control various functions of the flat panel computer 12, such as powering the flat panel computer 12 and the display 20 on and off, resetting the operating system of the flat panel computer 12, or other desired functions. The adjustment dials 74 and 76 can be used for adjusting a display brightness level, an audio volume level, or other desired features. The keyboard 14 also may have additional buttons, dials, or alternate components for the pointing device 58, as desired for particular applications.
As illustrated in
In terms of workspace, the flat panel computer conserves the horizontal work surface. For example, in a vertical orientation, the horizontal mounting depth is only the thickness 78 of the enclosure 18. At a desired viewing angle, the horizontal mounting depth is simply the projected area from the enclosure 18 onto the mount surface. Also note that reference to a horizontal mount surface should be interpreted broadly to include a variety of angled surfaces. The mounting assembly for the flat panel computer 12 can adapt to a surface (e.g., horizontal, or slightly angled) by adjusting the level of the mount structure, as discussed below with reference to
Referring generally to
Referring generally to
For example, the ports 132 and 134 may be IRDA ports, 900 Megahertz ports, blue tooth ports, or other wireless port types. Also, the keyboard 14 illustrated in
Referring generally to
As illustrated in
Referring generally to
Referring generally to
As illustrated, the legs 222 and 224 are disposed in recessed surfaces 230 and 232, respectively, in the rear face 130. Accordingly, the legs 222 and 224 may be substantially flush with the rear face 130 in the stored or retracted position, as illustrated in
Referring generally to
Referring generally to
To secure the vertical leg 246 to the horizontal leg 248 in the horizontal orientation, the vertical leg 246 is provided with a slot 272 at an outer portion 274 of the vertical leg 246. The vertical leg 246 is then coupled to the horizontal leg 248 at a central portion 276 of the horizontal leg 248. Accordingly, the legs 246 and 248 form a triangular support structure behind the flat panel computer 12. Note also, that the vertical leg 246 may include an adjustment mechanism at the hinges 250 and 252 to facilitate multiple vertical positions of the vertical leg 246. Thus, the multiple vertical positions would facilitate multiple horizontal orientations of contact between the legs 246 and 248, which would provide a user with multiple viewing angles for the display. The adjustment mechanism also can be used to adapt to an angled surface (e.g., slightly offset from horizontal). Although exemplary support and mount structures have been illustrated in the preceding FIGURES, a variety of mounting assemblies can be applied to the flat panel computer 12 within the scope of the present technique.
While the invention may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and have been described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. For example, the present technique may be applied to a variety of computer systems, peripheral devices, and other electronic and computing devices, each having a variety of components and features. The present technique also may use a variety of mounting structures to position the particular device in the desired location. Moreover, a broad spectrum of electronic and communication technologies can be employed within the scope of the present technique. For example, wireless communication, blue tooth technologies, hot-plugging and plug-n-play technologies, optical and digital technologies, and other emerging technologies are all within the scope of the present technique. Accordingly, the invention is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following appended claims.
Claims
1. A personal computer system, comprising:
- a personal computer, comprising: a computer enclosure consisting essentially of a single panel shaped structure; a flat panel display integrally mounted inside the computer enclosure, wherein a viewable area of the flat panel display is disposed on a front side opposite from a rear side of the computer enclosure; a leg comprising a rotatable joint and a bottom portion both disposed in a plane, the rotatable joint is coupled to the rear side above a base of the computer enclosure, the leg is angled outwardly from the rear side and leads to the bottom portion, the plane is oriented generally vertical relative to the base, the plane is horizontally centered between left and right sides of the computer enclosure, and the rotatable joint and the bottom portion are both horizontally centered relative to the plane.
2. The personal computer system of claim 1, wherein the base of the computer enclosure is configured to mount directly onto a surface, and the leg is configured to provide support on the surface at a position away from the base of the computer enclosure.
3. The personal computer system of claim 1, wherein the front side of the computer enclosure is defined by a flat surface that is entirely flat and continuously closed.
4. The personal computer system of claim 1, wherein the left side, the right side, the base, and a top of the computer enclosure are entirely flat between the front and rear sides and are entirely perpendicular relative to the front and rear sides.
5. The personal computer system of claim 1, comprising a blue tooth port integrated into the personal computer.
6. The personal computer system of claim 1, comprising an optical port and a digital port integrated into the personal computer.
7. The personal computer system of claim 1, comprising a wall mount feature integrated into the personal computer, wherein the wall mount feature is independent from the leg.
8. The personal computer system of claim 7, wherein the leg is configured to move into a recess in the rear side of the computer enclosure, such that the leg does not interfere with wall mounting of the personal computer via the wall mount feature.
9. The personal computer system of claim 1, comprising a user input device configured to communicate with the personal computer, wherein the user input device comprises one or more control functions including powering the personal computer on and off, powering the flat panel display on and off, or a combination thereof.
10. A personal computer system, comprising:
- a personal computer integrated at least substantially within a flat panel display having a single panel shaped housing, wherein a front screen face of the single panel shaped housing has only a display screen of the flat panel display and a continuous wall surrounding the display screen.
11. The personal computer system of claim 10, wherein the front screen face is defined by a single flat surface that is continuously flat and closed.
12. The personal computer system of claim 10, wherein the single panel shaped housing has an exterior consisting essentially of a continuously smooth and closed surface.
13. The personal computer system of claim 10, comprising a center leg pivotally coupled to a rear face of the single panel shaped housing opposite from the front screen face, wherein the center leg is configured to retract into a recess such that the center leg is flush with the rear face.
14. The personal computer system of claim 10, wherein the single panel shaped housing comprises a rear face opposite from the front screen face, and a center leg is coupled to the rear face at a position directly horizontally centered between left and right sides of the single panel shaped housing.
15. The personal computer system of claim 10, wherein the single panel shaped housing comprises an integral wall mount.
16. The personal computer system of claim 15, wherein the integral wall mount comprises a set of four fastener receptacles spaced apart from one another in a generally rectangular arrangement.
17. The personal computer system of claim 10, comprising a wireless input device configured to communicate wirelessly with the personal computer, wherein the wireless input device comprises one or more control functions including powering the personal computer on and off, powering the flat panel display on and off, or a combination thereof.
18. The personal computer system of claim 10, comprising:
- an optical disc drive disposed in the single panel shaped housing, wherein the optical disc drive comprises a disc receptacle configured to enable insertion and removal of an optical disc without insertion and removal of a supporting tray;
- a wireless communication port integrated into the personal computer; and
- a digital communication port and/or an optical communication port integrated into the personal computer.
19. A personal computer system, comprising:
- a panel personal computer having a flat panel display and a personal computer integrated at least substantially into one shared panel enclosure; and
- a wireless input device configured to communicate wirelessly with the panel personal computer, wherein the wireless input device comprises one or more control functions including powering the personal computer on and off, powering the flat panel display on and off, or a combination thereof.
20. The personal computer system of claim 19, wherein the wireless input device comprises a wireless keyboard.
21. The personal computer system of claim 19, comprising a leg coupled to a rear side of the one shared panel enclosure at a pivot joint, wherein the leg protrudes from the rear side outwardly to a base position behind the rear side, and the pivot joint passes through a substantially vertical plane directly centered between left and right sides of the one shared panel enclosure.
22. The personal computer system of claim 19, wherein a front side of the one shared panel enclosure has only a display screen of the flat panel display and a continuously flat and closed wall surrounding the display screen.
23. A personal computer system, comprising:
- a personal computer integrated at least substantially within a flat panel display having a single panel shaped housing; and
- a wall mount integrated into the single panel shaped housing, wherein the wall mount consists essentially of a set of four fastener receptacles offset from one another in a generally rectangular configuration.
24. The personal computer system of claim 23, wherein a front side of the single panel shaped housing has only a display screen of the flat panel display and a continuously flat and closed wall surrounding the display screen.
25. A method, comprising:
- providing an all-in-one personal computer consisting essentially of a single panel with an integrated flat panel display and integrated computer components, wherein the single panel has an exterior consisting essentially of a continuously smooth and closed surface.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 2, 2007
Publication Date: Jan 31, 2008
Applicant: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P. (Houston, TX)
Inventor: Louis Jackson (Houston, TX)
Application Number: 11/866,367
International Classification: H05K 7/14 (20060101); G09G 5/00 (20060101);