JPS6238749B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a casing for a pocket calculator or similar device with a visual display, the casing comprising a rectangular cover and a rectangular bottom part suitable for the size of said pocket calculator. the cover and the bottom have raised side walls such that the pocket calculator can be completely surrounded when the casing is closed, and the bottom and the cover have hinge joints at their short sides. The present invention relates to the above casing which is connected via a section.

Pocket calculator casings known in the art are generally not constructed to provide particularly good protection of the calculator from mechanical damage caused by impacts or shocks. This is due to the fact that conventional casings are made of relatively thin leather or similar materials. In addition, in many cases, the calculator must be removed from its casing before it can be used.

However, relatively thin calculator casings are known which are shaped like pocket calendars, in which case the calculator is retained within the casing during use. However, this type of casing has the disadvantage that it is necessary to keep the casing open while the computer is in use, and therefore the casing takes up space that is more than twice the size of the computer.

The object of the invention is to provide a casing that can provide good protection against mechanical damage when the casing is in the closed state,
At the same time, this casing is constructed so that it can be used as an operating support for a tilted pocket calculator,
In this case, the casing should be constructed in such a way that it takes up substantially less space both longitudinally and transversely than the pocket calculator itself. This makes it possible to position the pocket calculator at a viewing angle that is most advantageous to the user for reading the visual display, and eliminates the disadvantages that occur especially in the case of pocket calculators with LDC type displays, i.e. directly in front of the user. This eliminates the inconvenience of being able to read only in a very narrow angular range, which occurs when a calculator is placed on the ground.

According to the invention, the casing of a pocket calculator or similar device with a visual display comprises:
It has a rectangular cover suitable for the size of the pocket calculator and a rectangular bottom, the cover and bottom comprising:
The casing has an upright side wall that can completely surround the pocket calculator when closed, and the bottom and cover are connected at their short sides via a hinge joint, and the The cover includes a first portion disposed adjacent to the hinge joint portion and a second portion having a longer length than the first portion, the second portion being longer than the first portion. and another hinge joint, the axis of which is parallel to the axis of the first mentioned hinge joint, and the cover is bent to an end position such that the cover protrudes below the bottom. so that you can
The cover and bottom sidewalls extending along said short sides are sloped and form a first relative to the bottom portion permitted by the first-mentioned hinge joint.
The second cover part is configured to be bent relative to the first cover part by the other hinge joint part in the same direction as the bending direction of the cover part, and the two cover parts are bent at the two hinge joint parts. Cooperating locking means for locking the second cover part to the bottom after bending the cover are located on the upper side of the cover on the short side of the cover opposite to the first mentioned hinge joint. , and the lower side of the bottom.

A casing according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the bottom part and the two cover parts are integrally formed of molded plastic, and the hinge joint part has a thinner wall thickness than the other parts of the two cover parts and the bottom part. It is formed.

In order to ensure that the casing is not substantially compressed in its closed state and to provide excellent protection against mechanical damage, on the underside of the second cover part: Parallel reinforcing ribs are formed on the short sides of this cover part, and the ribs are arranged so that when the casing is closed, the ribs protrude between the rows of keys of the pocket calculator arranged inside the casing. It is advantageous to define the height.

In the following, details and advantages of the construction of the casing according to the invention will be explained with reference to the attached drawings.

In FIG. 1, a pocket calculator 1 has digital operating keys 2, which keys are arranged in rows and columns in a matrix. Furthermore, the pocket calculator 1 is arranged in a casing that also functions as an operating support according to the present invention. The casing with a rectangular bottom 3 is arranged in an upright position in the illustrated state so that it can be used as an operating support. One of the short sides of the bottom part 3 is connected to a cover 5 via a hinge joint part 4, and this cover 5 has a first part 5a adjacent to the hinge joint part 4 according to the invention. and a second portion 5b having a longer length than the first portion 5a,
These parts are the other hinge joint part 6
The axes of the hinge joints are parallel to the axes of the hinge joints 4.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are views showing the bottom and top surfaces of the casing, respectively, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are longitudinal sectional views showing the casing in an open state and a closed state, respectively. As can be seen from these figures, the two-part cover 5 and the bottom 3 have upstanding side walls, which support the pocket calculator located in the casing when the casing is in the closed position. It is configured to completely surround 1.

As is clear from the sectional view shown in FIG. 4, the hinge joint portion 4 between the cover 5 and the bottom portion 3
The side walls 7 and 8 of the shorter sides are each formed with an incline so that the cover can be bent at the hinge joint 4 into the end position shown in FIG. In the end position the cover projects below the bottom 3. Said side walls are formed at an angle of, for example, 40° to the vertical, so that the first part 5a of the cover, in said end position, forms an angle of approximately 100° with respect to the base 3. At the same time, the second part 5b of the cover is configured to be bent relative to the first part 5a by the hinge joint part 6, and the bending direction in this case is determined relative to the bottom part 3 as permitted by the hinge joint part 4. This is the same direction as the rotation direction of the portion 5a. That is, it is bent counterclockwise from the position shown in FIG. 4 in cross section. As a result, after such bending, the second part 5b of the cover is located at the hinge joint 6.
The opposite short side is moved into engagement with the underside of the bottom 3 and assumes the position shown in FIG.

According to the invention, cooperating locking means are formed on the short sides of the second part 5b of the cover and on the lower surface of the bottom part 3, whereby:
After the cover has been bent into the position shown in FIG. 1, the second part 5b of the cover is adapted to lock onto the bottom 3. As shown in Figures 2 to 4,
These locking means have a pin 9 and a cutout 11, which pin 9 is attached to the short inclined side wall 1 of the cover part 5b located opposite the hinge joint 6.
It is formed above 0. In this case, the angle formed by this side wall and the plane of the cover is
The angle of inclination is set to be the same as the angle of inclination. The cutout 11 is formed in the bottom 3 and is adapted to engage the pin 9 in a tight fit.

The structure of pin 9 and cutout 11, and the way in which they work together, can best be understood from the cross-sectional views shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The cross-sectional shape of the pin 9 is mostly circular, but a protruding edge 12 is formed at its free end, which slightly increases the width of the pin. Excision part 11
has the shape of a keyhole, consisting of a circular part 13 with a diameter larger than the diameter of the pin 9 and a narrow extension 14 pointing towards the hinge joint part 4. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the extension 1
4 is formed into a wedge shape whose width is reduced from the circular portion 13. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, the wall of the extension 14 is inclined with respect to the plane of the bottom 3. The direction of this inclination is determined such that the width of the extension 14 is slightly larger on the upper side of the bottom part 3 than on the lower side of the bottom part 3. When the pin 9 is moved into engagement with the underside of the base 3 and the cover parts 5a and 5b of the cover are bent into the end position shown in FIGS. The cutout 11 is arranged in the bottom 3 such that the distance is slightly greater than the distance from this hinge joint to the pin 9.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the illustrated embodiment two pairs of cooperating locking means are provided, which locking means are arranged opposite each other on the longitudinal sides of the casing; Furthermore, each locking means has a pin 9 and a cutout 11.

The casing as a whole has a bottom part 3 and two parts 5a and 5b of a cover 5, which are made of molded plastic in one piece, and the wall thickness at the hinge joints 4 and 6 is greater than that of the bottom part and the other parts of the cover. is also formed thinly, so the first
In the state shown, the cover part 5b can be safely and reliably connected to the bottom part 3 by means of the locking means shown and described above. When the pin 9 is moved into engagement with the underside of the bottom part 3, this pin 9 is placed on the side of the cutout 11 facing towards the hinge joint part 4, thus bringing the pin into the circular part 13 of the cutout. In order to introduce it into the interior, it is necessary to pull it slightly away from the hinge joint 4. Once the pin 9 has been introduced into the circular section 13 of the resection, the hinge joints 4 and 6
Due to the spring action of the pin 9 and the elastic restoring force of the molded plastic constituting the cover part 5a, the pin 9 is drawn towards the hinge joint 4 and into the wedge-shaped extension 14 of the cutout. Thus, the wedge shape of the extension 14 produces the effect of clamping the pin 9, and at the same time, the edge 12 protruding in the width direction of the pin 9 functions as a head to prevent the pin 9 from coming out of the extension 14. fulfill.
With this configuration, in order to remove the pin 9 from the cutout 11, it is necessary to pull it again away from the hinge joint 4 so that the pin 9 can be extracted from the circular part 13.

As mentioned above, the bottom part 3 and the cover parts 5a and 5
The casing consisting of b is made of molded plastic in one piece, so that it has a relatively smooth surface. For this reason, in order to obtain a large amount of friction when the casing is placed on a table in the state shown in FIG. 3 and the rising side walls 15 and 16 of the cover portion 5b.
Advantageously, the top is provided with support legs 17 and 18, each made of a friction material, such as a rubber-elastic material. Cutouts 21 are formed in the rising side walls 19 and 20 of the bottom part 3, which are able to receive support legs 18 provided on the second cover part 5b when the casing is closed.

In order to be able to close the casing in the state shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, the opposing engagement surfaces of the upright side walls 15, 16 and 19, 20 of the cover 5 and the bottom 3 are formed with snap locking means for locking each other. The snap locking means in the illustrated embodiment comprises resilient tongues 22 on the walls 19 and 20 of the bottom part 3 and cutouts 23 on the side walls 15 and 16 of the cover 5. . Computer holding means in the form of elastic tongues 24 and 25 are provided on the upper surface of the side wall of the short side of the bottom 3, and these elastic tongues are attached to the opposite side walls of the cover 5 when the casing is closed. are respectively received in cutouts 26 and 27 formed in the.

The casing according to the illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises:
In the state shown in Figure 1, it not only functions as an upright operating support, but also provides better protection for the pocket calculator against mechanical damage than known casings. ing.
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, reinforcing ribs 28 are provided for this purpose, which extend on the underside of the cover part 5b parallel to the short sides of the rectangular cover part. Moreover, when the casing is in the closed state as shown in FIG. 5, these ribs protrude between the rows of digital operation keys of the pocket calculator 1, so that they engage with the upper surface of the housing of the calculator. , the height and position of the ribs are determined. Further, on the upper side of the bottom portion 3, a contact means is provided along the rising side walls 19 and 20, with which the bottom surface of the pocket calculator 1 comes into contact.
The corresponding contact means are protrusions 29 that stand up separately and independently.
These protrusions are located opposite the reinforcing ribs 28 when the casing is closed as shown in FIG. Pocket calculators are generally provided with reinforcing ribs that extend from the top to the bottom of the computer housing between the rows of keys, as shown in broken lines in FIG. 5 and designated by the numeral 30. . Therefore, due to the configuration of these reinforcing ribs, abutment means 29, and reinforcing ribs 28 in the pocket calculator, the casing is compressed even when subjected to a relatively large mechanical force when the casing is in the closed state. There is virtually no such thing. By configuring the separately and independently constructed protrusion 29 for bottom abutment together with the raised elastic edge 31 provided on its upper side, a damping function is also obtained, which provides further protection against mechanical damage. You get improved protection.

A polypropylene copolymer can be used as a suitable plastic for forming the casing with the bottom part 3 and the cover parts 5a and 5b in one piece by molding, in which case the wall thickness of the hinge joint parts 4 and 6 The bottom 3 and cover 5
It was possible to obtain the structure shown in the drawings, which is thinner than other parts of the hinge joint and at the same time has sufficient strength at the hinge joint. In a preferred construction, the wall thickness in the hinge joints 4 and 6 is made less than 25% of the wall thickness in the bottom and other parts of the cover, and when using the above-mentioned materials, there are no disadvantages during use of the casing. It was possible to further reduce the wall thickness without causing any problems. As shown in the enlarged details of FIGS. 8 and 9, the wall thickness at the hinge joints 4 and 6 can be reduced to about 15% of the wall thickness at the bottom and other parts of the cover, for example While the wall thickness of other parts is 2 mm, the wall thickness of the hinge joint can be made 0.3 mm. When manufacturing the casing by molding plastics, a significantly reduced wall thickness at the hinge joints 4 and 6 can be obtained in the following manner. That is, a casing with a slightly thicker hinge joint is first formed, and then the thickness is reduced by subsequent heat treatment. In this case, the heat treatment increases the width and strength of the hinge joint at the same time. Thus, the cover must be bent into the operating position shown in FIG.
The hinge joint is able to withstand bending through such large angles, as well as the additional stress caused by the tensile forces required for the interlocking engagement described above.

Although a casing for a pocket calculator has been described above as an example of application of the present invention, a casing of the type described above may also be used for a similar device that is placed at an angle with respect to a horizontal support such as a table when in use. Can be used. However, the casing according to the invention is equipped with a visual display of symbols consisting of alphanumeric characters or numbers, similar to a pocket calculator, in particular a display in the form of an LCD (in which case the viewing angle for good visual reading is narrow). It can be used particularly advantageously in devices.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the casing according to the present invention in an upright position as an operating support for a pocket calculator, and FIGS. 2 and 3 show the casing shown in FIG. 1. FIGS. 4 and 5 are longitudinal cross-sectional views of the casing showing the casing in its open and closed states, respectively, and FIG. 6 is the same as shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the - line in FIG. 3, showing only a part of the casing in the state, FIG. 5 is an enlarged detailed view of a portion of FIG. 4; FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Pocket calculator, 2... Key, 3... Bottom, 4, 6... Hinge joint part, 5... Cover, 5a... First part, 5b... Second part,
7, 8, 15, 16, 19, 20... side wall, 9...
...Pin, 10...Side wall, 11, 21, 23... Cutout part, 13... Circular part, 14... Extension part, 17,
18...Support leg, 22...Tongue, 28...Reinforcement rib, 29...Protrusion, 31...Edge.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A casing for a pocket calculator or similar device with a visual display, the casing comprising a rectangular cover suitable for the size of the pocket calculator and a rectangular bottom; and the bottom has raised side walls such that the pocket calculator can be completely surrounded when the casing is closed, and the bottom and the cover are connected at their short sides through hinge joints. connected, the cover includes a first portion disposed adjacent the hinge joint portion and a second portion having a length greater than the first portion, the second portion having a length greater than the first portion; The first part is connected to the other hinge joint through a hinge joint, the axis of which is parallel to the axis of the first mentioned hinge joint, and the cover is in an end position such that it projects below the bottom. In order to be able to bend the cover, the side walls of the cover and the bottom extending along said short sides are formed with an incline, the first cover portion relative to the bottom being permitted by the first mentioned hinge joint. The second cover portion is configured to be bent with respect to the first cover portion by the other hinge joint portion in the same direction as the bending direction of the second cover portion, and the two cover portions are bent at the two hinge joint portions. Co-operating locking means for locking the second cover part to the bottom after the second cover part is located on the upper side of the cover on the short side of the cover opposite the first mentioned hinge joint part and on the bottom of the bottom part. The casing is provided on a lower side. 2. The bottom part and the two cover parts are integrally formed of molded plastic, and the hinge joint part is formed with a thinner wall thickness than the other parts of the two cover parts and the bottom part. The casing described in. 3. A casing according to claim 2, wherein the plastic is a polypropylene copolymer. 4. The casing according to claim 2, wherein the thin wall thickness is less than 25% of the wall thickness of other parts of the bottom and the cover. 5. The casing according to claim 2, wherein the thickness of the hinge joint portion is reduced and the width thereof is increased by heat treatment performed after molding. 6. The casing according to claim 2, wherein the locking means includes a protruding pin and a cutout configured to fit snugly with the pin. 7. The pin has a circular cross-sectional shape, the cutout has the shape of a keyhole including a circular portion and a narrow extension, the circular portion having a diameter greater than the diameter of the pin, and 7. A casing as claimed in claim 6, in which the extension has a width adapted to the diameter of the pin. 8. A casing according to claim 7, wherein the pin is formed in the second cover part and the cutout part is formed in the bottom part. 9. said extension portion is located facing away from the circular portion of the resection portion towards the first mentioned hinge joint portion;
When the cover is bent to the end position at the first mentioned hinge joint and the pin is moved to engage the bottom by bending the cover at the other hinge joint, the first mentioned 9. The casing according to claim 8, wherein the distance from the hinge joint part to the circular part is slightly larger than the distance from the hinge joint part to the pin. 10. The casing according to claim 7, wherein the extension portion of the cutout portion is formed in the shape of a wedge whose width decreases from the circular portion. 11. The pin is increased in width at its free end, and the walls of the extension at the cutout are formed obliquely to the plane of the bottom, such that the width of said extension is slightly wider above the bottom than below. 10. The casing according to claim 9, which is of large design. 12 Support legs made of friction material are provided on the short side of the bottom opposite the first mentioned hinge joint and on the upstanding side wall of the second cover part adjacent to said other hinge joint, and Claim 1: A cut-out is formed in the upright side wall, and the cut-out is adapted to receive a support leg provided on the second cover part when the casing is in the closed state. The casing described in. 13. The casing according to claim 12, wherein the support leg is made of a rubber elastic material. 14. The casing according to claim 1, wherein the opposing engagement surfaces of the rising side walls of the bottom and the cover are provided with snap locking means. 15. Claim 14, wherein the snap locking means has an elastic tongue provided on one engagement surface and a corresponding cutout provided on the other engagement surface. Casing as described. 16 A reinforcing rib is provided on the lower side of the second cover part in parallel with the short side of this cover part, and when the casing is in the closed state, the key row of the pocket calculator arranged in the casing is The casing according to claim 1, wherein the height of the rib is set such that the rib can protrude between the ribs. 17. The casing according to claim 1, wherein abutting means is provided on the upper side of the bottom so as to support the bottom of a computer placed within the casing. 18 Abutment means configured in the form of separate and independent protrusions are provided on the bottom so as to be located opposite said reinforcing ribs, so as to support the bottom of the calculator placed in the casing. The casing according to claim 16, configured to. 19. The casing according to claim 18, wherein an elastic edge is formed on the upper side of the protrusion.