This application is a re-issue application of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/005,287, filed Jan. 12, 2011, which claims priority of Taiwanese Application No. 099204759, filed on Mar. 18, 2010.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a cable-organizing circuit board and an electronic device including the cable-organizing circuit board, more particularly to a cable-organizing circuit board that is provided with a protruding hanger arm for facilitating organization of a transmission cable and to an electronic device incorporating the cable-organizing circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
During assembly of notebook computers, cable organization is an important step. Conventional cable-organizing methods include the following:
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a cable-organizing circuit board that reduces the time it takes for assembling a transmission cable thereto, that maintains the tidiness and positioning stability of the transmission cable, that is relatively less costly, and that does not reduce the space available for other electronic components in an electronic device incorporating the cable-organizing circuit board in comparison with an ordinary circuit board.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device that includes a cable-organizing circuit board, that reduces the time it takes for assembling a transmission cable thereto, that maintains the tidiness and positioning stability of the transmission cable, that is relatively less costly, and that does not reduce the space available for other electronic components in the electronic device in comparison with an ordinary circuit board.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cable-organizing circuit board adapted for use with a transmission cable. The cable-organizing circuit board includes a board body and a protruding hanger arm.
The board body has a circuit-layout section and a non-circuit-layout section that are connected to each other. The protruding hanger arm is disposed at the non-circuit-layout section of the board body. The protruding hanger arm is adapted to be permit a segment of the transmission cable to pass thereunder. The segment of the transmission cable is disposed beneath a bottom surface of the protruding hanger arm, and remaining segments of the transmission cable are disposed above a top surface of the board body opposite to the bottom surface of the protruding hanger arm when the segment of the transmission cable passes under the protruding hanger arm.
Preferably, the protruding hanger arm is co-planar with the board body. The protruding hanger arm is generally T-shaped, and includes a connecting arm portion connected to the board body, and a stop arm portion formed at a distal end of the connecting arm portion and adapted for preventing the transmission cable from slipping off the protruding hanger arm.
In one embodiment, the connecting arm portion is connected to an outer sidewall of the board body at the non-circuit-layout section.
In another embodiment, the board body of the cable-organizing circuit board is formed with a through hole in the non-circuit-layout section. The through hole is adapted to permit extension of the transmission cable therethrough. The connecting arm portion is connected to an inner sidewall of the board body.
In one embodiment, the inner sidewall has an open configuration, and includes a first wall portion connected to the connecting arm portion of the protruding hanger arm, and two second wall portions connected to the first wall portion and respectively spaced apart from opposite sides of the protruding hanger arm. The through hole has an open side formed between the second wall portions.
In another embodiment, the inner sidewall has a closed configuration, and includes a first wall portion connected to the connecting arm portion of the protruding hanger arm, two second wall portions connected to the first wall portion and respectively spaced apart from opposite sides of the protruding hanger arm, and a third wall portion connected between the second wall portions and spaced apart from the stop arm portion of the protruding hanger arm.
Preferably, the cable-organizing circuit board includes a plurality of the protruding hanger arms disposed at the non-circuit-layout section of the board body.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is further provided an electronic device that includes a housing, a transmission cable, and a cable-organizing circuit board.
The housing forms a receiving space. The transmission cable is disposed in the receiving space. The cable-organizing circuit board is disposed in the receiving space, and includes a board body and a protruding hanger arm. The board body has a circuit-layout section and a non-circuit-layout section that are connected to each other. The protruding hanger arm is disposed at the non-circuit-layout section of the board body. A segment of the transmission cable passes under the protruding hanger arm such that the segment of the transmission cable is disposed beneath a bottom surface of the protruding hanger arm, and remaining segments of the transmission cable are disposed above a top surface of the board body opposite to the bottom surface of the protruding hanger arm.
Preferably, the transmission cable has a bent portion that is formed with the segment of the transmission cable passing under the protruding hanger arm. In one embodiment, a distance between the third wall portion and the stop arm portion of the protruding hanger arm is not greater than an outer diameter of the transmission cable. In another embodiment, the electronic device further includes an abrasion-resistant sleeve sleeved on the bent portion of the transmission cable for contacting the protruding hanger arm. A distance between the third wall portion and the stop arm portion of the protruding hanger arm is not greater than an outer diameter of the abrasion-resistant sleeve. Accordingly, the bent portion of the transmission cable may be prevented from slipping off the protruding hanger arm.
With the features described above, the electronic device incorporating the cable-organizing circuit board according to the present invention has the following effects and advantages. Through the design of the protruding hanger arm of the cable-organizing circuit board and the optional design of the through hole, the transmission cable can be directly passed beneath the protruding hanger arm, or be quickly extended through the through hole and passed beneath the protruding hanger arm, such that the transmission cable is neatly and stably positioned on the cable-organizing circuit board. As such, the time and production cost for cable organization is reduced, and the space available for other electronic components of the electronic device is not undesirably reduce in comparison with an ordinary circuit board.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
With reference to
As shown in
The board body 41 of the cable-organizing circuit board 4 is formed with a plurality of through holes 43 in the non-circuit-layout section 412 for extension of the transmission cable 5 therethrough. The cable-organizing circuit board 4 further includes a plurality of protruding hanger arms 44 that are respectively disposed at the non-circuit-layout section 412 of the board body 41. The board body 41 has a plurality of inner sidewalls 414 that respectively form the through holes 43. In this embodiment, each of the inner sidewalls 414 has a closed rectangular configuration, and includes a first wall portion 415, two second wall portions 416 connected to opposite sides of the first wall portion 415, and a third wall portion 417 connected between the second wall portions 416 and opposite to the first wall portion 415. Each of the protruding hanger arms 44 is generally T-shaped, and includes a connecting arm portion 441 connected to the first wall portion 415 of a corresponding one of the inner sidewalls 414 of the board body 41, and a stop arm portion 442 formed at a distal end of the connecting arm portion 441 and spaced apart from the third wall portion 417 of the corresponding one of the inner sidewalls 414. Since the second wall portions 416 of each of the inner sidewalls 414 are spaced apart from each other and are disposed on opposite sides of the corresponding one of the protruding hanger arms 44, and since the third wall portion 417 of each of the inner sidewalls 414 is spaced apart from the stop arm portion 442 of the corresponding one of the protruding hanger arms 44, segments of the cable body 51 of the transmission cable 5 are respectively extendable into the through holes 43 so as to pass respectively under the protruding hanger arms 44 such that said segments of the cable body 51 of the transmission cable 5 are each disposed beneath a bottom surface of the corresponding one of the protruding hanger arms 44, while remaining segments of the cable body 51 of the transmission cable 5 are disposed above a top surface of the board body 41 opposite to the bottom surface of the protruding hanger arms 44, thereby achieving the effect of cable organization.
In this embodiment, the cable-organizing circuit board 4 is manufactured through milling machining, where the through holes 43 and the protruding hanger arms 44 are formed during milling of the board body 41. Therefore, the protruding hanger arms 44 are co-planar with the board body 41, and the extra step of assembling a separate cable-organizing mechanism or structure to an ordinary circuit board as with the prior art is no longer necessary. Therefore, production cost for the electronic device 200 incorporating the cable-organizing circuit board 4 is reduced, and the space available in the receiving space 21 for other electronic components of the electronic device 200 is not undesirably reduced with the presence of the cable-organizing circuit board. In comparison, in the prior art, an additional cable-organization structure is needed, such that a portion of the space left in the receiving space by the conventional circuit board is occupied by the additional cable-organization structure. Furthermore, the number and locations of the through holes 43 and the protruding hanger arms 44 may be designed in accordance with the arrangement of the transmission cable 5 on the board body 41, and may all be correspondingly formed during formation of the board body 41 through milling machining.
As shown in
Preferably, the electronic device 200 further includes a plurality of abrasion-resistant sleeves 6 that are respectively sleeved on a corresponding one of the bent portions 53 of the transmission cable 5 for contacting a corresponding one of the protruding hanger arms 44. Each of the abrasion-resistant sleeves 6 is made from rubber or silicone in order to increase the friction during contact thereof with the corresponding one of the protruding hanger arms 44, while also protecting the corresponding one of the bent portions 53 of the transmission cable 5 from wear and damage by avoiding contact of the transmission cable 5 with the corresponding one of the inner sidewalls 414 and the corresponding one of the protruding hanger arms 44. Moreover, a distance (W) between the third wall portion 417 of each inner sidewall 414 and the stop arm portion 442 of the corresponding one of the protruding hanger arms 44 is not greater than an outer diameter (D1) of the corresponding one of the abrasion-resistant sleeves 6. As such, the bent portions 53 of the transmission cable 5 are prevented from slipping off the protruding hanger arms 44 via the spaces between the corresponding third wall portions 417 and the corresponding stop arm portions 442. It should be noted herein that, as shown in
With the design of the through holes 43 in the board body 41 and the protruding hanger arms 44, an assembly operator may quickly extend the bent portions 53 of the transmission cable 5 respectively into the through holes 43 to be disposed respectively beneath the protruding hanger arms 44 so as to ensure stable and tidy positioning of the bent portions 53 of the transmission cable 5 on the cable-organizing circuit board 4. In comparison with the prior art, the time for organizing the transmission cable 5 and the production cost for producing the cable-organization structure (constituted by the through holes 43 and the protruding hanger arms 44) are both reduced, and the space available in the receiving space 21 for other electronic components of the electronic device 200 is not undesirably reduced. Furthermore, since the protruding hanger arms 44 are co-planar with the board body 41 of the cable-organizing circuit board 4, and since the through holes 43 and the protruding hanger arms 44 are formed integrally with the rest of the board body 41 through milling machining, the protruding hanger arms 44 are not prone to break or be damaged due to accidental impact during assembly of the electronic device 200.
It should be further noted herein that although the cable-organizing circuit board 4 of this embodiment is provided with the socket electrical connector 413 for connecting with the plug electrical connector 52 of the transmission cable 5, the cable-organizing circuit board 4 of this invention may be configured for use with any transmission cable 5, with or without the connectors 413, 52.
As illustrated in
With reference to
In summary, the electronic device 200 of the present invention has the advantage that with the design of the protruding hanger arms 44 of the cable-organizing circuit board 4, an assembly operator is able to quickly position the transmission cable 5 with ease, while ensuring stability of the positioning of the transmission cable 5. The time needed for organizing the transmission cable 5 is decreased. In addition, since the cable-organizing structure (i.e., constituted by the protruding hanger arms 44 and the optional through holes 43, 43′) is formed on the circuit board itself, not only is the production cost for producing the cable-organizing structure reduced, but the space available for other electronic devices in the receiving space 21 is also not undesirably reduced with the presence of the cable-organizing structure.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical and embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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099204759 | Mar 2010 | TW | national |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13005287 | Jan 2011 | US |
Child | 15073607 | US |