Patent Application
20080024963
As shown in
Preferably included, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, is an arching arrangement 108. Broadly stated, a triggering arrangement 110 will preferably prompt a powering arrangement 110 to activate the arching arrangement 108 to cause a bowing or arching of rear portion 104a, with the result of providing a greater clearance between rear portion 104a and flat panel display 106, to avert physical damage to display 106. This may be accomplished by drawing opposing edges 104b/104c of cover 104 will be drawn towards one another, resulting essentially in a configuration such as that shown in
Arching arrangement 108 may be embodied, e.g., by a series of “Flexinol wires” or “muscle wires”. Flexinol wires are a shape memory alloy actuator wire maunfactured by Dynalloy, Inc.; made of nickel-titanium, they contract when electrically driven. Essentially, these wires could be anchored to edge or side portions 104b/104c of cover 104.
The wires could initially be in a relaxed state in accordance with
By way of another embodiment, a stamped, patterned sheet could be used in place of muscle wires at 108, with a foil heater laminated thereto. Upon detection of a pending crush or contact from an external object (via e.g., an imminent damage detector as just described), the foil heater could be prompted to heat up, which in turn would cause cover 104 to arch or bow. The foil heater could thus be considered to be the “powering arrangement” 112.
By way of yet another embodiment, pulling arrangement 108 could be embodied by a lattice or grid of low-elasticity wires such as fiberglas or carbon fiber wires. In such an embodiment, it is presently preferred that these wires would be under constant tension, the back cover would thereby be bowed out, and the system would be passively protected.
By way of another alternative embodiment, a grid or lattice of low-elasticity wires or cords could be provided at 108 as just described. However, rather than keeping the cords always under tension, a suitable lever and latch mechanism could be provided on the cover 104 to permit the cords to be left slack when cover 104 is in an “open” position. In a “closed” position, in contrast, the lever mechanism could activate to put the cords in a tensioned state and thus arch or bow cover 104 as described above. The lever could thus be engaged manually or automatically when the laptop 100 is closed and disengaged manually or automatically when the laptop 100 is opened. In this respect, the lever mechanism could be thought of as the triggering arrangement 110, and its functional connection with the cords as the powering arrangement 112.
While embodiments of the present invention have been discussed herein in the context of laptops, it should be appreciated that other applications are possible. Such other applications, include, but are not limited to, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular telephones, portable MP3 players, or any other device with a flat panel display that is relatively thin.
It is to be understood that the present invention, in accordance with at least one presently preferred embodiment, includes elements that may be implemented on at least one general-purpose computer running suitable software programs. These may also be implemented on at least one Integrated Circuit or part of at least one Integrated Circuit. Thus, it is to be understood that the invention may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both.
If not otherwise stated herein, it is to be assumed that all patents, patent applications, patent publications and other publications (including web-based publications) mentioned and cited herein are hereby fully incorporated by reference herein as if set forth in their entirety herein.
Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various other changes and modifications may be affected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.
