Abstract:
An electronic device includes a housing, a system connector accessible at an external surface of the housing, and a hinged door to selectively expose or cover the system connector. The electronic device may also include a mechanism coupled to the hinged door that pivotally biases the door from an open position, in which the system connector can receive an external connector, to a partially closed position in which the hinged door at least partially covers said system connector. The hinged door is to slide along the housing if the hinged door is moved from the partially closed position to a fully closed position.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Some users of electronic devices, such as notebook computers and the like, may use their devices in harsh environments (e.g., dusty, wet, etc.). Such conditions may be detrimental to the operation of the electronic device. For example, dust and/or water entering an electronic device may short out circuits in the electronic device thereby damaging the device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a detailed description of exemplary implementations, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an electronic device with a hinged connector door in accordance with various examples; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates the hinged door in an open position in accordance with various examples; 
         FIG. 3  shows a cut-away view of an external connector mated to a system connector with the hinged door in the open position in accordance with various examples; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a cut-away view of the system connector area without the hinged door in place in accordance with various examples; 
         FIG. 5   a  shows a cut-away view of the back side of the hinged door with the hinged door in a partially closed position in accordance with various examples; 
         FIG. 5   b  shows a cut-away view of the back side of the hinged door with the hinged door in a fully closed position in accordance with various examples; 
         FIG. 6  shows a side view of the hinged door in accordance with various examples; 
         FIGS. 7 and 8  show the hinged door in the partially closed and fully closed positions, respectively, in accordance with various examples; 
         FIG. 9  shows a cut-away view of the hinged door in the open position in accordance with various examples; and 
         FIGS. 10-16  show the operation of the hinged door upon removal of an external connector in accordance with various examples. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Various embodiments, such as those described herein, are directed to a ruggedized electronic device. In particular, the electronic device has one or more externally available connectors for a user to connect, for example, an external cable (e.g., an Ethernet cable, a universal serial bus (USB) cable), an external device (e.g., a USB Flash memory device), or receive an electronic card (e.g., a memory card). When not needed, each connector is protected by a hinged door. A seal is also provided around the connector that protects the connector from contaminants such as water, dust, dirt, etc. The seal is automatically engaged by the action of closing and locking the hinged door. The hinged door further includes or is coupled to a biasing member, such as a spring, that biases the door toward its closed position. As such, upon removal of the external cable or external device from the connector, the hinged door automatically hinges toward its closed position by action of the biasing member. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an electronic device  100  in accordance with various embodiments. As shown, electronic device  100  comprises a base  102  to which a display lid  104  (containing a display  106 ) is coupled by way of a hinge. The electronic device  100  may be representative of a notebook computer, but the electronic device  100  need not have a hinged lid and can be other than a notebook computer. Electronic device  100 , for example, may comprise a tablet computer. In general, electronic device  100  comprises one or more connectors that are externally available for connection by a user of a cable or external device. At least one, and possibly every, connector is protected by a hinged door. Each connector provided on the electronic device is also referred to herein as a “system connector” simply to avoid confusion when referring to an external connector to which the system connector mates. 
       FIG. 1  shows a hinged door  120  in a closed position. A system connector is provided on the base  102  but is concealed by door  120  and thus not shown in the view of  FIG. 1 . The base  102  comprises a front surface  110 , side surfaces  112 , and a top surface  114 . A keyboard  113 , or other type of user input device, is accessible on the top surface  114  of base  102 . 
       FIG. 1  shows a single hinged door, but in general in number of hinged doors and system connectors can be provided as desired. Each system connector is protected by its own hinged door, but in some embodiments, a hinged door can be large enough so as to cover and protect more than one system connector. 
       FIG. 2  shows a view of the hinged door  120  in an open position by way of a person puffing the door down as shown. With the door  120  open, a system connector  130  is exposed and can receive an external mating connector from a cable (shown in other figures) or an external device. As shown, the hinged door  120  comprises a top angled lip  138 . The connector  130  is provided in an opening defined by a recessed area  132  in the side  112  of the electronic device. When closed, the hinged door  120  generally occupies the recessed area  132  in the surface  112  of the electronic device which permits the hinged door to generally fit flush with regard to surface  112 . 
       FIG. 2  also shows a biasing member  134  which couples to the hinged door. In some embodiments, the biasing member  134  comprises a torsion spring although other types of biasing members are possible as well. The biasing member  134  pivotally biases the hinged door  120  from the open position, in which the system connector  130  can receive an external connector, to a partially closed position in which the hinged door at least partially covers the system connector  130 . The process of closing the hinged door  120  will be explained below. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the hinged door  120  in the open position and an external connector  140  connected to the system connector  130 . While the biasing member  134  tends to force the hinged door  120  towards the closed position, the hinged door contacts the bottom side  142  of the external connector  140  thereby preventing the door from actually closing. 
       FIG. 4  shows a cut-away view of the system connector area without the hinged door. A seal is comprised of two gaskets  172  and  174  provided around the system connector  130 . Connector gasket  172  is made from any suitable material such as silicone rubber and provides a groove as shown for receiving a tongue  177  from a door mating gasket  174  which also may be made of silicone rubber. The gaskets  172 ,  174  form a compression seal when fully engaged, which occurs when the hinged door  120  is in its fully closed position as discussed below. Door mating gasket  174  is provided on an interior surface of a door mating gasket floating carrier  170 . The door mating gasket floating carrier  170  is forced inward, that is toward the system connector  130 , by action of the hinged door  120  (not shown in  FIG. 4 ) being forced downward in a vertical direction by a user&#39;s hand or the display lid  104  of the electronic device  100 . 
     The biasing member  134  is wrapped around a generally cylindrical member  135  in the embodiment of  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 4  also shows an inner door frame  176  to which the biasing member  134  couples. The biasing member  134  pivotally biases the inner door frame  176  toward the system connector  130 . By forcing the inner door frame  176  outward, and thus opposing the force created by the biasing member  134 , the door mating gasket floating carrier  170  is also forced outward thereby disengaging the two gaskets  172 ,  174  of the compression seal. 
       FIG. 4  further shows a plurality of system catches  160  on one side of the recessed area  132 . Two system catches  160  are shown but in general any number (one or more) can be provided. In some embodiments, both sides of the recessed area  132  on opposite sides of the hinged door  120  have one or more system catches  160 . 
       FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b  illustrate a back side view of the hinged door  120 . The hinged door  120  comprises one or more door catches  122  and at least one door ramp  124 . In the embodiment of  FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b , each side of the hinged door  120  comprises two door catches  122  and one door ramp  124 . The door catches  122  catch behind the system catches  160  (i.e., on the system connector  130  side of system catch  160 ) to retain the hinged door  120  in place. As the door  120  is slid downward in the direction of arrow  129  ( FIG. 5   a ), the door catches  122  slide along and behind the system catches  160 . 
       FIG. 4  also shows alignment ribs  162  which are provided on opposing sides of the inner door frame  176 . The alignment ribs  162 , which are part of the inner door frame  176 , are used to keep door mating gasket floating carrier  170  aligned with the connector opening, allowing the receiving tongue  177  and door mating gasket  174  to be in alignment before a seal is made. 
     Referring again to the embodiment of  FIG. 5   a , the door ramp  124  is angled.  FIG. 6  shows a side view of the hinged door  120  depicting the angled geometry of the angled door ramp  124 . The door catches  122  are also shown in  FIG. 6 . Surface  124   a  of door ramp  124  is angled as shown and generally is thicker towards angled lip  138  and tapers towards the opposing end  119 . 
     Referring back to  FIG. 4 , a tab  171  is shown extending laterally from door mating gasket floating carrier  170 . In some embodiments, each side of the door mating gasket floating carrier  170  has at least one such tab  171 . The hinged door&#39;s angled door ramps  124  contact the tabs  171  as the door is forced downward along direction of arrow  129  ( FIG. 5   a ). The angled surface  124   a  of the angled ramp  124  ( FIG. 5   b ) causes a lateral force on tabs  171  along the direction of arrow  131  as the door is forced downward in the direction of arrow  129 . These lateral forces (inward towards system connector  130 ) forces the door mating gasket floating carrier  170  inward thereby fully engaging the compression seal gaskets  172 ,  174 . 
       FIG. 5   a  shows the hinged door  120  in a partially closed position meaning that the door at least partially covers the system connector  130  and begins to engage the seal&#39;s gaskets  172  and  174 .  FIG. 5   b  shows the hinged door  120  in its fully closed position after being slid downward as discussed above. Lateral pressure on tabs  171  from angled door ramps  124  cause the compression seal  172 ,  174  to be fully engaged. At that point, the system connector  130  is sealed and protected from contaminants such as water, dirt, and dust. In some embodiments, gaskets  172  and  174  form a hermetic seal. 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  also illustrate the hinged door  120  in the partially closed position ( FIG. 7 ) and in the fully closed position ( FIG. 8 ). In the partially closed position of  FIG. 7 , the compression seal (gaskets  172  and  174 ) begins to engage and is fully engaged when the door  120  reaches its fully closed position ( FIG. 8 ). 
       FIG. 9  shows a cut-away view of the hinged door in the open position with an external connector  140  mated to the system connector  130 . The door mating gasket  174 , which is provided on the back side of the door mating gasket floating carrier  170 , is shown separated from connector gasket  172 . 
       FIGS. 10-16  illustrate the sequence of events in removing the external connector and closing the hinged door  120 .  FIG. 10  shows the hinged door  120  in the open position with an external connector  140  mated to the system connector  130 . In  FIG. 11 , a user has removed the external connector  140  which then permits the biasing member  134  to begin to pivotally bias the door  120  from the open position toward the partially closed position as indicated by arrow  151  in  FIG. 12 . 
       FIG. 13  illustrates the hinged door  120  in the partially closed position. The door  120  extends upward by a small amount over the top surface  114  of the base  102 .  FIG. 14  shows the display lid  104  beginning to be closed by a user. Once the display lid  104  contacts the top angled lip  138  of the hinged door  120 , further downward pressure on the display lid  104  forces the hinged door  120  downward in a vertical direction as indicated by arrow  129  in  FIG. 15 . Once the display lid  104  is fully closed, the hinged door  120  will have reached its fully closed position as shown in  FIG. 16  thereby fully sealing and protecting the system connector  134 . 
     The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles and various embodiments of the present invention. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.