BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded diagram illustrating of the main architecture of a sign structure for a personal computer of the invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded diagram of a sign structure for a personal computer according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustrating an electroluminescent panel according to the first preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective diagram illustrating a sign structure for a personal computer according to the first preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 5 is an exploded diagram of a sign structure for a personal computer according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 shows an exploded diagram of the main architecture of a sign structure for a personal computer of the invention. As shown in the figure, the invention relates to a sign structure for a personal computer with its main architecture including a casing panel 20, an illuminating panel 30, and a sign panel 40. The casing panel 20 includes a plurality of slot openings 21. The illuminating panel 30 is mounted adjacent to the exterior surface of the casing panel 20, and includes a plurality of through openings 31 and a power supply connector 33. The shape and the location of the through openings 31 correspond to the shape and the location of the slot openings 21 of the casing panel 20. The sign panel 40 is mounted adjacent to an exterior side of the illuminating panel 30, and includes a plurality of through holes 41. The shape and the location of the through holes 41 correspond to the shape and the location of the through openings 31 of the casing panel 20. Besides, part of the sign panel 40 is transparent.
Therefore, the illuminating panel 30 of the invention can be illuminating through the power provided by the power supply connector 33, such that the functions of different I/O ports on the casing panel 20 can be displayed, even in a low light environment or in a completely dark environment. As a result, a user can easily differentiate and identify the functions of the I/O ports and plug/unplug or replace the peripheral device connectors successfully.
FIG. 2 shows an exploded diagram of sign structure for a personal computer according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention. The sign structure according to the first preferred embodiment of the invention includes a casing panel 20, an Electro Luminescent (EL) panel 301, and a sign panel 40. The casing panel 20 is mounted on a casing 11 of a personal computer 10. The casing panel 20 includes a plurality of slot openings 21, with shapes corresponding to those of different I/O ports. The casing panel 20 further includes an aperture 22. The EL panel 301 is adhered to the exterior surface of the casing panel 20, and has a plurality of through openings 31 the shapes and locations of which correspond to the shapes and the locations of the slot openings 21 of the casing 20. The EL panel 301 also includes a power supply connector 33, which is looped through the aperture 22 of the casing panel 20 and is electrically connected with the motherboard 15 of the personal computer 10.
Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the sign panel 40 is a thin panel made of a transparent material, and is adhered to an exterior side of the EL panel 301. The sign panel 40 includes a plurality of through holes 41 the shapes and locations of which correspond to the shapes and the locations of the through openings 31 of the casing panel 20. The sign panel 40 further has a plurality of sign labels 43 consisting of the combination of words, numbers, patterns, drawings, and symbols, in order to indicate the functions of different I/O ports on the casing panel 20 for user to identify. Additionally, surfaces of the sign labels 43 are coated with a luminous ink layer, to further brighten the sign labels 43 when the EL panel 301 is illuminating.
FIG. 3 shows the illustration of an EL panel according to the first preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of EL films 35 is positioned on the EL panel 301 with equal intervals thereinbetween. When the power supply connector 33 of the EL panel 301 establishes electrical connection with the motherboard 15 of the personal computer 10, the EL films 35 are illuminating.
FIG. 4 shows a perspective diagram illustrating the sign structure for a personal computer according to the first preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to FIG. 2. The power supply connector 33 of the EL panel 301 is electrically connected with the motherboard 15 of the personal computer 10. When the personal compute 10 is actuated, the power can be provided to the EL panel 301 to illuminate, such that the functions of different I/O ports can be easily identified by the user, even in a low light environment or in a completely dark environment. As a result, the user can plug/unplug or replace the connectors of any kind of externally connected device or any kind of peripheral device.
FIG. 5 shows an exploded diagram of a sign structure for a personal computer according to the second preferred embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the sign structure for a personal computer according to the second preferred embodiment is similar to the sign structure for a personal computer according to the first preferred embodiment. The only difference between them is the form of the illuminating panel. In the first preferred embodiment, the illuminating panel is an EL panel 301, while the illuminating panel in the second preferred embodiment is a combination of a light guide plate 302 and a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) 305. The LEDs 305 are disposed on the side of the light guide plate 302. The remaining elements of the sign structure for a personal computer according to the second preferred embodiment, including the casing panel 20 and the sign panel 40, are identical to those of the sign structure for a personal computer according to the first preferred embodiment. The power supply connectors 33 of the LEDs 305 in this preferred embodiment are electrically connected with the power supply 16 of the personal computer 10. Through the power provided by the power supply 16 of the personal computer 10, the LEDs 305 are illuminating. With the light guide plate 302, the LEDs 305 and the light guide plate 302 can provide similar effects as those accomplished by the EL panel of the first preferred embodiment. Therefore, the functions of different I/O ports can be easily identified by the user, even in a low light environment or in a completely dark environment. As a result, the user can plug/unplug or replace the connectors of any kind of externally connected device or any kind of peripheral device.
Although the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
Patent Application
20070279893
