Transmitter/receiver module of cordless keyboard assembly

A transmitter/receiver module of cordless keyboard assembly adapted to be received and fixed inside a disk driver slot provided on the front panel of a computer casing is disclosed, including a frame sized to be received within the disk driver slot, having two lateral sides each having a slot opposite to each other for receiving a transmitter/receiver circuit module in the form of a circuit board which includes an encoder for setting the operation frequency of the transmitter/receiver circuit by means of at least one manually depressible button provided on the circuit module. The circuit module also has a display for showing the operation frequency thereof. A cover lid made of a material through which the signal from/toward the transmitter/receiver circuit module is transmittable is provided to cover the front opening of the frame. The cover lid is provided with an opening for access to the depessible button and observation of the display. The frame has a resilient catch provided on each of the two lateral sides thereof for engaging side wall of the disk driver slot for fixing the transmitter/receiver module therein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a transmitter/receiver module of cordless 
keyboard assembly and in particular to an infra-red signal 
transmitter/receiver module adapted to be mounted within a disk drive slot 
formed on the front panel of a computer casing. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Computers have been widely used in all kinds of business to perform a 
variety of tasks, such as commercial transactions, communications and word 
processing which are quite labor-consuming jobs in the past without 
computers. Thus, the computers are nowadays of vital important for human 
society, especially for industrialized modern society. One of the most 
important machine-human interfaces for the computers is a keyboard which 
is also the most common and conventional computer input device. Whether or 
not a keyboard may be operated in a convenient and efficient way is 
critical to the operation and use of the computer. 
Conventionally, the keyboard is connected to the computer via a cable which 
limits the position and the operation of the keyboard. To overcome such a 
problem, a cordless keyboard assembly has been developed, which is in 
general based on transmission of infra-red signal to communicate between 
the computer and the keyboard. To transmit and receive the infra-red 
signal, both the computer and the keyboard have to be equipped with an 
infra-red transmitter/receiver module. 
Such an infra-red signal transmission system, although providing a more 
convenient and cordless manner of signal communication between the 
computer and the keyboard, has to be mounted outside the computer casing 
and coupled to the computer main circuit board by means of additional 
wires or cables. Such wires or cables connected between the infra-red 
transmitter/receiver module and the computer circuit board also cause a 
management problem of the wires for a great portions thereof are located 
outside the computer casing. Further, since the infra-red 
transmitter/receiver module is heretofore arbitrarily mounted on the 
computer casing, an effective communication via infra-red signals between 
the computer and the keyboard may be obtained only when is the keyboard is 
positioned within a certain area determined by the location of the 
infra-red transmitter/receiver on the computer casing and such an area is 
usually very limited. Thus, there is still inconvenience in using the 
conventional cordless keyboard assembly. 
It is thus desirable t o provide a transmitter/receiver module arrangement 
for the cordless keyboard assembly in order to overcome the problems 
encountered in the prior art cordless keyboard assembly. 
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
Therefore, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a 
transmitter/receiver module of cordless keyboard assembly, which is 
capable to be received and fixed inside a disk driver slot that is 
provided on the front panel of the computer casing so as to eliminate the 
wires that are exposed outside the computer to connect the 
transmitter/receiver module to the computer circuit board and thus the 
wiring management problem encountered in the prior art design in which the 
transmitter/receiver is fixed on an outside surface of the computer 
casing. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a 
transmitter/receiver module of cordless keyboard assembly wherein the 
transmitter/receiver module is received and fixed inside a disk driver 
slot provided on the front panel of the computer casing so as to reduce 
the space needed in mounting the transmitter/receiver outside the computer 
casing. 
A further object of the present invention is to provide a 
transmitter/receiver module of cordless keyboard assembly which is 
received and fixed inside a disk driver slot formed on the front panel of 
the computer casing so as to allow the counterpart transmitter/receiver 
module mounted on the keyboard to be ready to face and align with the 
computer side transmitter/receiver module and thus providing a broader 
range within which the keyboard may be positioned to obtain an effective 
communication with the computer. 
To achieve the above objects, in accordance with the present invention, 
there is provided a transmitter/receiver module of cordless keyboard 
assembly adapted to be received and fixed inside a disk driver slot 
provided on the front panel of a computer casing, comprising a frame sized 
to be received within the disk driver slot, having two lateral sides each 
having a slot opposite to each other for receiving a transmitter/receiver 
circuit module in the form of a circuit board which includes an encoder 
for setting the operation frequency of the transmitter/receiver circuit by 
means of at least one manually depressible button provided on the circuit 
module. The circuit module also has a display for showing the operation 
frequency thereof. A cover lid made of a material through which the signal 
from/toward the transmitter/receiver circuit module is transmittable is 
provided to cover the front opening of the frame. The cover lid is 
provided with an opening for access to the depessible button and 
observation of the display. The frame has a resilient catch provided on 
each of the two lateral sides thereof for engaging side wall of the disk 
driver slot for fixing the transmitter/receiver module therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, wherein a 
transmitter/receiver module of cordless key board assembly for a computer 
system is shown, the transmitter/receiver module which is adapted to be 
mounted inside a disk driver slot B that is formed on a computer casing A 
(so that it will also be referred to as "computer side 
transmitter/receiver module" hereinafter), see FIGS. 4 and 5, comprises a 
rectangular frame 10 having a size substantially complementary to the disk 
driver slot B to be received therein. The frame 10 has formed on each of 
two lateral sides thereof a slot 11 opposite to each other for receiving 
and holding therein a transmitter/receiver circuit module 12, preferably 
in the form of a circuit board as shown in FIG. 1. The circuit module 12 
itself does not constitute any novel part of the present invention and 
will only be described to such an extent sufficient to understand the 
present invention. 
The circuit module 12 comprises an encoder 121 which includes at least one 
push button 122 to be manually depressible for adjusting the operation 
frequency of the transmitter/receiver circuit module 12 and a display 123 
for showing the frequency. In the embodiment illustrated, there are two 
such push buttons 122 provided on the encoder 121. 
The frame 10 has two resilient catches 13 located on the two opposite 
lateral sides thereof to engage the side walls of the disk driver slot B 
of the computer casing A for holding the frame 10 therein. A cover lid 20 
made of a material through which the infra-red signal from/toward the 
transmitter/receiver circuit module 12 may transmit is mounted to the 
front side of the frame 10 for covering the front side opening thereof and 
providing an aesthetic appearance of the computer casing A. The cover lid 
20 is provided with an opening 21 opposite to the display 123 and the at 
least one push button 122 for observation of the display 123 and access to 
the push button 122. 
The computer side transmitter/receiver module 12 is electrically connected 
to a circuit board (not shown) of the computer, which may be a computer 
main board, via a control circuit 30 for transmission of signals 
therebetween. The control circuit 30 is provided with a cable 40 having a 
proximal end directly mounted to the control circuit 30 and a distal end 
having two output plugs 41 and 42 which are respectively configured to be 
fit into a conventional keyboard connector and a conventional mouse 
connector mounted on the circuit board of the computer to respectively 
supply keyboard signal and mouse signal to the computer circuit board. 
Since the computer side transmitter/receiver module 12 is received within 
the disk driver slot B inside the computer casing A and since the computer 
circuit board (the main board) is also located inside the computer casing 
A, the cable 40 is completely encased by the computer casing A so that the 
wiring management problem encountered in the prior art design of cordless 
keyboard assembly is eliminated. 
Further referring to FIGS. 2-4, in using the computer side 
transmitter/receiver module 12 shown in FIG. 1, the computer side 
transmitter/receiver module 12 may be mounted in a computer as shown in 
FIG. 4. To communicate with the computer side transmitter/receiver module 
12, the cordless keyboard assembly also comprises a counterpart 
transmitter/receiver module 51 mounted on a keyboard body 50. The 
counterpart transmitter/receiver module 51, which will also be referred to 
as "keyboard side transmitter/receiver module", is corresponding to the 
computer side transmitter/receiver module to establish signal 
communication therebetween. The keyboard body 50 may be provided with a 
track ball 52 and positioning keys 53 and the signals from the track ball 
52 and the positioning keys 53 are transmitted through the keyboard side 
transmitter/receiver module 51 and the computer side transmitter/receiver 
module 12 to the computer main board. 
The keyboard side transmitter/receiver module 51 may comprise a frequency 
selector 54, see FIG. 3, which allows a selection of different operation 
frequencies of the keyboard side transmitter/receiver module 51 so as to 
be consistent with the frequency set by the encoder 121 of the computer 
side transmitter/receiver module 12. The keyboard body 50 may be powered 
by an external power source (not shown) which is connected thereto by 
means of a jack 55, see FIG. 2, provided on the keyboard body 50. 
Alternatively, the keyboard body 50 may be powered by a battery set (not 
shown) received and held within a battery chamber 56, see FIG. 2, formed 
inside the keyboard body 50. 
FIG. 4 shows a flat or horizontal type computer system having a computer 
casing A inside which the computer side transmitter/receiver module 12 in 
accordance with the present invention is mounted. The frame 10, together 
with the transmitter/receiver module 12, is received and held inside the 
disk driver slot B of the compute casing A so that the wires or cables 
connected between the transmitter/receiver module 12 and the computer main 
board is hidden inside the computer casing A, which not only eliminates 
the wire management problem, but also reduces the cost of the wire for the 
wire length is also reduced by being encased inside the casing A. Also, 
the interference in transportation of the computer caused by the wire 
exposed outside the casing in the prior art designs may also be reduced. 
Further, the arrangement of the computer side transmitter/receiver module 
12 inside the disk driver slot on the front panel of the computer casing 
allows the keyboard body 50 and the keyboard side transmitter/receiver 51 
to be positionable within a larger area without deteriorating the 
communication quality between the keyboard and the computer so that a 
greater flexibility in positioning the keyboard body may be obtained. 
FIG. 5 shows a similar application, but is carried out on an upright or 
vertical type computer. Similarly, the transmitter/receiver module 12 in 
accordance with the present invention is received and held within the disk 
driver slot B provided on the front panel of the computer casing A so as 
to provide a similar benefit that is obtained in the embodiment 
illustrated in FIG. 4. 
The above description is made with respect to the preferred embodiment of 
the present invention and for those skilled in the art, it is possible to 
made a variety of modifications and changes to the above-described 
embodiment without departing from the scope and spirit of the present 
invention. All these modifications and changes should be considered within 
the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.