1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a portable electronic device, and more particularly, to a portable electronic device with a connector module moving between an operation position and an accommodation position.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, as the electronic technology has continuously been developed, user-friendly electronic products with power functions also constantly have been brought forth the new to replace the old ones. For example, notebook computers have already gradually replaced desktop computers and become the mainstream of Computer, Communication and Consumer Electronics (3C) markets. Tablet personal computers are a type of electronic products across the communication market and the computer market. Tablet personal computers are not only having a display screen greater than smart mobile phones, and combining the touch control technology to obtain an interactive user interface more favourable than notebook computers and a light-slim size for users to carry more conveniently.
In general, when a tablet personal computer is horizontally placed on a working plane, the display surface thereof is unable to provide a comfortable visual or operational angle for users. When the users watch a film or perform a touch control operation through the table personal computer, an additional holder is often employed to support the tablet personal computer in order for the tablet personal computer to have an appropriate tilt angle, thereby causing inconvenience for users to utilize.
The invention is directed to a portable electronic device, and a user may adjust a tilt angle of the portable electronic device conveniently.
The invention provides a portable electronic device including a main body and a connector module. The main body has a central region and a fringe region, a thickness of the central region is greater than a thickness of the fringe region, and the central region has a containing cavity. The connector module is slidably disposed in the containing cavity of the main body, and moves between an operation position and an accommodation position in relative to the main body.
In an embodiment of the invention, when the connector module is located at the operation position, the connector module is to provide a supporting force to support the main body away from a working plane.
In an embodiment of the invention, a depth of the containing cavity is greater than the thickness of the fringe region.
In an embodiment of the invention, the connector module has an input/output connection port, when the connector module is located at the operation position, the input/output connection port is exposed outside the main body, and when the connector module is located at the accommodation position, the input/output connection port is hidden in the main body.
In an embodiment of the invention, when the connector module is located at the operation position and supported the main body away from the working plane, an included angle is formed between the main body and the working plane.
In an embodiment of the invention, the connector module has a connecting plane, and the connector module moves between an operation position and an accommodation position in a direction approximately paralleled to the connecting plane.
In an embodiment of the invention, the connector module further includes a stopping element, a housing and a positioning element. The stopping element is disposed on the main body, and has a first stopping portion and a second stopping portion. The housing is slidably disposed in the main body. The positioning element is slidably disposed in the housing and leaned against the first stopping portion to drive the housing to be accommodated in the main body. When the positioning element moves away from the first stopping portion, the housing is suitable to protrude out from the main body, and the positioning element slides in relative to the housing and leans against the second stopping portion to prevent the housing being restored into the main body.
In an embodiment of the invention, when the positioning element moves away from the second stopping portion and the housing is restored into the main body, the positioning element slides in relative to the housing and leans against the first stopping portion.
In an embodiment of the invention, the connector module further includes a knob, and the knob is to drive the positioning element to move.
In an embodiment of the invention, the housing is slidably disposed in the main body along a first direction, the positioning element is slidably disposed in the housing along a second direction, the knob is slidably disposed in the housing along the second direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.
In an embodiment of the invention, the connector module further includes a first elastic element connected between the housing and the main body. When the positioning element leans against the first stopping portion, the first elastic element stores an elastic potential energy. When the positioning element moves away from the first stopping portion, the first elastic element releases the elastic potential energy and drives the housing to protrude out from the main body.
In an embodiment of the invention, the main body has a slot, a side of the housing has a protrusion, the protrusion is slidably disposed in the slot, and the slot limits a moving range of the protrusion.
In an embodiment of the invention, the connector module further includes a second elastic element connected between the main body and the positioning element. When the positioning element slides in relative to the housing, the second elastic element stores an elastic potential energy, and the second elastic element is suitable to release the elastic potential energy to drive the positioning element to be restored.
In an embodiment of the invention, the second stopping portion has a guiding fillet, and the positioning element is suitable to move away from the second stopping portion along the guiding fillet.
In an embodiment of the invention, the connector module further includes a position-limiting element, a housing and a positioning element. The position-limiting element is disposed in the main body, the position-limiting element has a track and the track has a position-limiting portion. The housing is slidably disposed in the main body. The positioning element is slidably disposed in the housing, and drives the housing to move. The positioning element has a moving portion. When the moving portion moves to the position-limiting portion along the track, the moving portion is to interfere with the position-limiting portion to stop moving and drive the housing to be accommodated in the main body. When the moving portion moves away from the position-limiting portion along the track, the housing is suitable to protrude out from the main body.
In an embodiment of the invention, the connector module has a stopping element disposed on the main body, and the positioning element has a stopping portion. When the moving portion moves away from the track, the stopping element and the stopping portion interfere to each other to prevent the housing being restored into the main body.
In an embodiment of the invention, the connector module has a button slidably disposed in the housing and driving the positioning element to move.
In an embodiment of the invention, the positioning element has an inclined plane, the button is suitable to push the inclined plane along a first direction to drive the positioning element to slide along a second direction in relative to the housing.
In an embodiment of the invention, the housing is slidably disposed in the main body along a first direction, the positioning element is slidably disposed in the housing along a second direction, the button is slidably disposed in the housing along the first direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.
In an embodiment of the invention, the connector module further includes a first elastic element connected between the housing and the main body, wherein when the moving portion and the position-limiting portion interfere to each other, the first elastic element stores an elastic potential energy, and when the moving portion moves away from the position-limiting portion along the track, the first elastic element releases the elastic potential energy and drives the housing to protrude out from the main body.
In an embodiment of the invention, the connector module further includes a second elastic element connected between the main body and the positioning element. When the moving portion and the position-limiting portion interfere to each other, the second elastic element stores an elastic potential energy, and when the moving portion moves away from the position-limiting portion along the track, the second elastic element releases the elastic potential energy and drives the positioning element to slide in relative to the housing.
According to the above description, in the portable electronic device of the invention, the connector module is slidably disposed on the central region of the main body. When the connector module is at the accommodation position, the connector module may hide in the containing cavity of the central region, hence the connector module is not required to be disposed on the fringe region with thinner thickness. When the connector module is at the operation position, the connector module may support the portable electronic device in order for the portable electronic device to have an appropriate tilt angle for a user to watch or operate. Thereby, the user may adjust the tilt angle of the portable electronic device conveniently to improve the convenience and comfort for utilizing the portable electronic device.
In order to make the aforementioned and other features of the disclosure comprehensible, several exemplary embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
Referring to
When the knob 126 is pushed and the positioning element 124 in relative to the housing 122 is driven to slide from the position illustrated in
The main body 110 of the embodiment has a display surface 110a and a back surface 110b opposite to each other. When the connector module 120 is located in the containing cavity 112a of the main body 110 as illustrated in
Under the above-mentioned disposition arrangement, when the connector module 120 is located at the accommodation position L2, the housing 122 may be positioned by the stopping of the first stopping portion 116a to the positioning element 124 when it is located in the main body 110. A user may push the knob 126 in order for the positioning element 124 to move to remove the stopping of the first stopping portion 116a to the positioning element 124, which enables the connector module 120 is suitable to protrude out from the main body 110 and located at the operation position L1, and it is positioned by the stopping of the second stopping portion 116b to the positioning element 124, so as to allow the portable electronic device 100 to have an appropriate tilt angle for the user to watch or operate by the support of the housing 122 of the connector module 120. Thereby, the user may adjust the tilt angle of the portable electronic device 100 conveniently, so as to improve the convenience and comfort for utilizing the portable electronic device.
The detailed structure and operational process of the portable electronic device 100 are further described below. Referring to
When the positioning element 124 leans against the first stopping portion 116a as illustrated in
In the embodiment, the first stopping portion 116a and the second stopping portion 116b described above respectively are a bottom surface and a top surface of the stopping element 116 opposite to each other. An end 124a of the positioning element 124 is suitable to lean against the bottom of the stopping element 116 as illustrated in
Referring to
Referring to
However, the structural disposition of the portable electronic device in the invention is not limited therein. Another embodiment is provided below, in which detailed description on other structural disposition arrangements and the operational process in the structure when the connector module protrudes out from the main body are described.
Referring to
When the moving portion 224c moves to the position-limiting portion 215b along the track 215a, the moving portion 224c is to interfere with the position-limiting portion 215b to stop moving and drive the housing 222 to be accommodated in the main body 210, as illustrated in
Under the aforementioned disposition arrangement, the connector module 220 is located at the accommodation position L4, the housing 222 is positioned by the moving portion 224c of the positioning element 224 and the position-limiting portion 215b latch with each other when it is located in the main body 210. A user may press the button 226 to press down the housing 222, so as to remove the latch of the position-limiting portion 215b to the moving portion 224c, so that the housing 222 is suitable to protrude out from the main body 210, and the connector module 220 is positioned at the operation position L3 by the structural interference between the positioning element 224 and the main body 210 to enable the portable electronic device 200 to have an appropriate tilt angle by the support of the housing 222 for the user to watch or operate.
Referring to
The connector module 220 further includes a first elastic element 228 and a second elastic element 229. The first elastic element 228 is connected between the housing 222 and the main body 210, and the second elastic element 229 is connected between the main body 210 and the positioning element 224. The main body 210 has a stopping element 216. The stopping element 216 has a side surface 216a and a top surface 216b, and the positioning element 224 has a stopping portion 224a. When the moving portion 224c moves away from the track 215a, the stopping portion 224a and the stopping element 216 interfere to each other to prevent the housing 222 being restored into the main body 210. When the positioning element 224 is latched with the position-limiting portion 215b and positioned, the second elastic element 229 is under the state of being stretched and stores an elastic potential energy, and the first elastic element 228 is under the state of being compressed and stores an elastic potential energy. Furthermore, the side surface 216b of the stopping element 216 blocks the positioning element 224 to slide in relative to the housing 222 along a fourth direction D4 opposite to the second direction D2.
When the pressed button 226 illustrated in
Contrarily, when a user is intended to remove the structural interference of the positioning element 224 and the main body 210 in
Referring to
More specifically,
According to the above description, in the portable electronic device of the invention, the connector module is slidably disposed on the central region of the main body. When the connector module is at the accommodation position, it may be hidden in the containing cavity of the central region, so that the fringe region of the portable electronic device may have a thinner thickness in order for the entirety to obtain more unique aesthetic sense. On the contrary, when the connector module is at the operation position, it may support the portable electronic device to have an appropriate tilt angle for a user to watch or operate. Thereby, the user may adjust the tilt angle of the portable electronic device conveniently to improve the convenience and comfort for utilizing the portable electronic device.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
This application claims the priority benefits of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/491,313, filed on May 30, 2011. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent applications is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
7111948 | Lee et al. | Sep 2006 | B2 |
20080253081 | Tracy et al. | Oct 2008 | A1 |
20120044624 | Hoffman et al. | Feb 2012 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
I275341 | Mar 2007 | TW |
D137763 | Nov 2010 | TW |
Entry |
---|
“Office Action of Taiwan Counterpart Application” , issued on May 20, 2014, p. 1-p. 7. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20120307432 A1 | Dec 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61491313 | May 2011 | US |