1. Field of the Disclosure
The instant disclosure relates to an electronic device; more particularly, to a cover module for a host and an electronic device, each having a cover formed without an indicating icon thereon.
2. Description of Related Art
The status indicating manner of a conventional electronic device is disclosed as follows: embedding at least one light guiding pillar in a cover and exposing the end surface of the light guiding pillar on the cover, in which a portion of the cover adjacent to the exposed surface of the light guiding pillar is printed or graved with a pattern or a symbol. Thus, when the light guiding pillar illuminates, a user can observe the pattern or symbol adjacent by the light guiding pillar, that is to say, the host is at a status shown by the pattern or symbol.
However, demanding for a better configuration continues to increase. The light guiding pillar only has a simple cross-sectional shape (e.g., circle or square) because of the mould factor. Specifically, the light guiding pillar cannot have a complex pattern or symbol by moulding, such that the cover needs to have an extra printing process for forming the pattern or symbol on the cover, thereby influencing the appearance of cover and increasing the cost and the failing probability of cover. Moreover, when different patterns are required, the covers must be processed respectively.
To achieve the abovementioned improvement, the inventors strive via industrial experience and academic research to present the instant disclosure, which can provide additional improvement as mentioned above.
One embodiment of the instant disclosure provides a cover module for a host and an electronic device, which showing an indicating icon clearly without processing an outer surface of a cover thereof according to the indicating icon.
The electronic device comprises a cover module and a host. The cover module includes a light permeable cover, a system signal indicator, and a transmission unit. The light permeable cover has an outer surface, an opposite inner surface, and a fixing structure integrally extended from the inner surface. The system signal indicator has a transparent portion and an opaque portion surrounding the transparent portion, in which the transparent portion has a plurality of indicating icons. The transmission unit is fixed on the fixing structure of the cover, and the system signal indicator is sandwiched between the transmission unit and the inner surface of the cover. The host has a lighting unit. The cover module is installed on the host, and the lighting unit is aligned with the transmission unit. The lighting unit allows for emitting light to the cover module, and the cover module is configured to guide light generated from the lighting unit to pass through the transmission unit, the transparent portion of the system signal indicator, the inner surface of the cover, and the outer surface of the cover, thereby displaying at least one of the indicating icons on the outer surface.
The cover module for a host comprises a cover, a system signal indicator, and a transmission unit. The cover has an outer surface, an opposite inner surface, and a fixing structure integrally extended from the inner surface. The system signal indicator has a transparent portion and an opaque portion surrounding the transparent portion, in which the transparent portion has at least one indicating icon. The transmission unit is fixed on the fixing structure of the cover, and the system signal indicator is sandwiched between the transmission unit and the inner surface of the cover. The cover module is configured to guide light to pass through the transmission unit, the transparent portion of the system signal indicator, the inner surface of the cover, and the outer surface of the cover, thereby displaying at least one of the indicating icons on the outer surface.
In summary, the cover is formed without the pattern of the indicating icon thereon. Moreover, the system signal indicator can be replaced with a different pattern according to different demands of the indicating icons, so that the cover module of the instant disclosure is not produced such as the conventional cover.
In order to further appreciate the characteristics and technical contents of the instant disclosure, references are hereunder made to the detailed descriptions and appended drawings in connection with the instant disclosure. However, the appended drawings are merely shown for exemplary purposes, rather than being used to restrict the scope of the instant disclosure.
Please refer to
The instant embodiment provides an electronic device 100 including a host 1 and a cover module 2 applied for the host 1. The cover module 2 is coupled to one side of the host 1. The following description discloses the construction of the host 1 and the cover module 2 firstly, and then discloses the relationship between the host 1 and the cover module 2.
Please refer to
The cover module 2 has a cover 21, a system signal indicator 22, and a transferring unit 23. The cover 21 is light permeable, that is to say, the cover 21 has a light transmittance more than 0%. The cover 21 in the instant embodiment takes a translucent cover 21 for example, but the cover 21 of the instant disclosure is not limited to the instant embodiment. The system signal indicator 22 and the transmission unit 23 are installed on an inside portion of the translucent cover 21. The translucent cover 21 is installed on the host 1, and the system signal indicator 22 and the transmission unit 23 are arranged in a space, which is jointly defined by the translucent cover 21 and the host 1. Two opposite ends of the transmission unit 23 are respectively aligned with the system signal indicator 22 and the lighting unit 11.
Please refer to
Specifically, “translucent” is a conventional word in the industry, and the word “translucent” in the instant disclosure is defined herein. When light emits from the lighting elements 111, the light goes through the inner surface 212 to the outer surface 211 for allowing the user to observe, but the user cannot see the interior of the host 1 from the outer surface 211 of the translucent cover 21. When the lighting elements 111 are not lit, the outer surface 211 of the translucent cover 21 shows as a mirror, and the user cannot see the interior of the host 1 from the outer surface 211 of the translucent cover 21.
The system signal indicator 22 is a substantially rectangular sheet, and the system signal indicator 22 has a transparent portion 221 and an opaque portion 222 surrounding the transparent portion 221, in which the opaque portion 222 has three indicating icons 2211. For example, the system signal indicator 22 can be a transparent sheet. The ink is coating on a portion of the transparent sheet, the coated portion is the opaque portion 222, and the other uncoated portion is the transparent portion 221 (e.g., indicating icons 2211). Or, the system signal indicator 22 can be an opaque sheet. A portion of the opaque sheet is graved to form the transparent portion 221 (e.g., indicating icons 2211), and the other portion of the opaque plate is the opaque portion 222. Moreover, two opposite end portions of the system signal indicator 22 have a foolproof opening 223 respectively, and the sizes of the foolproof openings 223 are different.
The transmission unit 23 has a shading element 231 and a light guiding element 232 disposed on the shading element 231. The light guiding element 232 and the shading element 231 are fixed on the fixing structure 213 of the translucent cover 21 for sandwiched the system signal indicator 22 between the shading element 231 of the transmission unit 23 and the inner surface 212 of the translucent cover 21. The following description discloses the shading element 231 and the light guiding element 232 firstly, and then discloses the relationship between the transmission unit 23 and the other elements.
The shading element 231 is integrally formed and includes a tubular frame 2311 having a rectangular cross-section, two partitions 2312, two first flanges 2313, and two second flanges 2314. Two opposite ends of the frame 2311 are defined as a first end 2311a and a second end 2311b. The partitions 2312 are spacedly disposed in the frame 2311, so that the space surrounded by the frame 2311 is separated into three channels 2315 according to the partitions 2312. The other portion of each partition 2312 exposed from the frame 2311 is defined as a positioning portion 2312a. In other words, the majority of the partition 2312 is hidden inside the frame 2311, with the rest forming the positioning portion 2312a.
Moreover, the first flanges 2313 are extended from two opposite edges of the first end 2311a of the frame 2311 (the upper edge and the lower edge as shown in
The light guiding element 232 has three cylindrical light guiding pillars 2321 and a connecting plate 2322 integrally connected to the light guiding pillars 2321. The light guiding pillars 2321 are parallel to each other, and the longitudinal direction of each light guiding pillar 2321 is perpendicular to the connecting plate 2322. Each light guiding pillar 2321 has a front light guiding portion 2321a and a rear light guiding portion 2321b, which are respectively arranged on two opposite sides of the connecting plate 2322 (i.e., the left side and the right side as shown in
Each front light guiding portion 2321a has a concave surface formed on the end thereof for collecting light, and each rear light guiding portion 2321b has a convex surface for emitting light uniformly. The connecting plate 2322 has two positioning opening 2322a each arranged between any two adjacent light guiding pillars 2321, and the contour of each positioning opening 2322a is corresponding to the cross-section of each positioning portion 2312a. The connecting plate 2322 has three thru holes 2322b respectively corresponding to the fixing pillars 2312 in shape and position.
Specifically, the rear light guiding portions 2321b are respectively arranged in the channels 2315, the positioning portions 2312a respectively couple through the positioning openings 2322a, and each positioning portion 2312a is located between any two adjacent front light guiding portions 2321a. The connecting plate 2322 is disposed on the second end 2311b and the second flanges 2314, and the position of the thru holes 2322b of the connecting plate 2322 are respectively corresponding to the thru holes 2314a of the shading element 231.
The system signal indicator 22 is fixed on (e.g., adhere to) the first end 2311a of the frame 2311 and the first flanges 2313, and the foolproof pillars 2313a are respectively coupled through the foolproof openings 223 for preventing the system signal indicator 22 from wrong installing direction with respect to the shading element 231. Two ends of each channel 2315 are respectively aligned with the corresponding indicating icon 2211 and the corresponding lighting element 111. Moreover, one end of each light guiding pillar 2321 (e.g., the end of each front light guiding portion 2321a) is aligned with the corresponding lighting element 111 for receiving light generated from the corresponding lighting element 111. The other end of each light guiding pillar 2321 (i.e., the end of each rear light guiding portion 2321b) is aligned with the corresponding indicating icon 2211 in a predetermined distance for uniformly illuminating the corresponding indicating icon 2211.
Specifically, the combination of the system signal element 22, the shading element 231, and the light guiding element 232 is approximately arranged within the space defined by the supporting pillars 2131, and a surface of the system signal element 22 away from the light guiding element 232 contacts the inner surface 212 of the translucent cover 21. The second flanges 2314 of the shading element 231 abut against the end of the supporting pillars 2131, and each fixing pillar 2132 couples through the corresponding thru hole 2314a of the second flanges 2314 and the corresponding thru hole 2322b of the connecting plate 2322.
Additionally, the instant embodiment discloses the combination of the system signal element 22, the shading element 231, and the light guiding element 232 on the translucent cover 21 firmly by welding a portion of each fixing pillar 2132, which passes through the corresponding thru hole 2322b of the connecting plate 2322, but the instant disclosure is not limited to the welding manner. For example, the outer surface of each fixing pillar 2132 can be formed with threads, and the corresponding nut mate the threaded portion of each fixing pillar 2132, which passes through the corresponding thru hole 2322b of the connecting plate 2322.
Please refer to
Thus, as shown in
Moreover, in another embodiment, the transmission unit 23 may have the shading element 231, and light emitting from each lighting element 111 passes through the corresponding channel 2315 of the shading element 231 to the system signal indicator 22. Additionally, the transmission unit 23 can just have the light guiding element 232, and the outer surface of the light guiding element 232 is coated with a light reflection layer, such that light emitting from each lighting element 111 goes through the light guiding element 232 to the system signal indicator 22.
Please refer to
Base on the above, the outer surface of the translucent cover is flash, such as a mirror, without any processing (e.g., engraving) for the indicating icon (decoration), by the structure design of the cover module. Moreover, the system signal indicator can be replaced with a different pattern according to the different demands of the indicating icons, so that the instant disclosure is not produced such as the conventional cover. Additionally, when the light guiding element is used for transmitting light, the adjacent light guiding pillars do not interfere to each other by disposing the shading element, in which the positioning portion of the shading element has multi-function, such as foolproof, light shading, and positioning.
The descriptions illustrated supra set forth simply the preferred embodiments of the instant disclosure; however, the characteristics of the instant disclosure are by no means restricted thereto. All changes, alternations, or modifications conveniently considered by those skilled in the art are deemed to be encompassed within the scope of the instant disclosure delineated by the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2013 1 0102650 | Mar 2013 | CN | national |
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Entry |
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Taiwan Patent Office, Office action issued on Mar. 26, 2015. |
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20140293575 A1 | Oct 2014 | US |