Abstract:
An electronic device is described. The electronic device includes an upper cover and a base. The upper cover includes at least one supporting beam formed in an inner surface thereof and positioned corresponding to at least one boundary of a cavity region of the base. The width of the supporting beam is more than three times of the thickness of the upper cover. In addition, a distance between the edge of the supporting beam and the cavity boundary is less than 10 mm.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to Taiwan Application Serial Number 99110413, filed Apr. 2, 2010, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention generally relates to an electronic device. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electronic device with a supporting beam. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    In recent years, there has been a lot of progress in optoelectronic and semiconductor techniques. The coming digital era also pushes the rapid development in the LCD market. The LCD&#39;s have the advantages of high quality, small volume, light weight, low driving voltage, and low power consumption. Therefore, they are widely used in portable televisions, mobile phones, video cameras, laptop computers, desktop displays, and projective televisions. They have gradually replaced the traditional cathode ray tubes (CRT) and become the mainstream of displays. 
         [0004]    Nowadays, the liquid crystal displays become the mainstream of display. However, the size of the liquid crystal display is getting larger, but the thickness of the notebook computer is getting thinner. In the limited space of the notebook computer, the strength of the display panel and the plastic upper cover of the notebook computer cannot be appropriately enhanced. 
         [0005]    It is worth noting that the deformation of the plastic upper cover, especially around the keyboard area, can cause the display panel touching the cover of the base of the notebook computer to damage the display panel. 
         [0006]    Hence, there is a need to improve the strength of the upper cover of the notebook computer to prevent damage to the display panel. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    One objective of the present invention is to provide an electronic device having an improved upper cover to effectively improve the strength of the upper cover of the electronic device and effectively prevent damage to the display panel caused by the stress concentration thereon. 
         [0008]    To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the objective of the present invention, as the embodiment broadly describes herein, the present invention provides an electronic device including a base having a cavity region, a keyboard module disposed in the cavity region, and an upper cover pivoted to the base. The upper cover further includes at least one supporting beam, and the supporting beam is corresponding to at least one boundary of the cavity region when the upper cover is closed on the base. 
         [0009]    The width of the supporting beam is preferably larger than three times of the thickness of the upper cover. The supporting beam can further include a main supporting component and two extending components formed on two sides of the main supporting component. The width of the main supporting component is preferably larger than three times of the thickness of the upper cover. In addition, the width of the extending component is preferably larger than a half of the width of the main supporting component. It is worth noting that a distance from an edge of the main supporting component to the cavity boundary is preferably smaller than 10 millimeters. 
         [0010]    Furthermore, the supporting beam can be formed by a plurality of supporting components. The total width of the supporting components is preferably larger than three times of the thickness of the upper cover. The distance from an outmost edge of the supporting components to the cavity boundary is preferably smaller than 10 millimeters 
         [0011]    At least one reinforced component, e.g. a plurality reinforced ribs perpendicular to the supporting beams, a metal plate or a reinforced sheet metal with covering components for covering the supporting beam, can be formed between the supporting beams. In addition, the base further comprises a base cover adjacent to the cavity region. 
         [0012]    Hence, the electronic device according to the present invention can utilize the supporting beam configured above the cavity boundary to enhance the strength of the upper cover and prevent damage to the display panel which is fixed in the upper cover. The supporting beam can further utilize the extending components to further enhance the strength of the upper cover and avoid the sink mark formed on the upper cover. The reinforced component, e.g. a plurality reinforced ribs, a metal plate or a reinforced sheet metal with covering components for covering the supporting beam, can further be formed between the supporting beams to further enhance the strength of the upper cover. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  illustrates a side view of an embodiment of an electronic device according to the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  illustrates a top view of the embodiment of the electronic device according to the present invention shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of another embodiment of an electronic device according to the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  illustrates an enlarged view of an embodiment of a supporting beam of an electronic device according to the present invention; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  illustrates an enlarged view of another embodiment of a supporting beam of an electronic device according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0019]    The following description is of the best presently contemplated mode of carrying out the present invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of describing the general principles of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined by referencing the appended claims. 
         [0020]    Refer to  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  illustrates a side view of an embodiment of an electronic device according to the present invention. The electronic device, e.g. notebook computer, includes an upper cover  110  and a base  120 . A display panel  140  is configured between the upper cover  110  and a panel bezel  130 . The base  120  includes a base cover  124  and a cavity region  150  to install a keyboard therein. The base cover  124  is adjacent to the cavity region  150 . When the upper cover  110  of the electronic device is closed on the base cover  124 , the strength of the upper cover  110  and the panel bezel  130  cannot effectively prevent deformation on the display panel  140  because the size of the display panel  140  is getting larger. The display panel  140  may therefore touch a corner  122  of the cavity region  150  in the base  120  to damage the display panel  140  and reduce the life span of the electronic device. 
         [0021]    In one embodiment, a supporting beam  160  and a supporting beam  170  are respectively disposed at the cavity boundary  152  and the cavity boundary  156  of the cavity region  150  to enhance the strength of the upper cover  110  and improve the stress on the upper cover  110  so as to prevent deformation on the display panel  140 . It is worth noting that the strength of the upper cover  110  is enhanced and the deformation of the upper cover  110  is reduced as the upper cover  110  is subjected to an external force because that the supporting beam  160  and the supporting beam  170  are parallel to the top end and the bottom end of the keyboard. 
         [0022]    In addition, at least one reinforced component  180  is disposed thereon to assist the supporting beam  160  and supporting beam  170  so as to further enhance the strength of the upper cover  110 . The reinforced component  180  can be made of a metal plate or reinforced components  180 , e.g. a plurality of reinforced ribs disposed between and perpendicular to the supporting beam  160  and the supporting beam  170 , shown on  FIG. 2  to further enhance the strength of the upper cover  110 . 
         [0023]    Refer to  FIG. 3 . The reinforced component can be made of a thinner metal plate to form the reinforced sheet metal  190 . The reinforced sheet metal  190  can further include covering components  192  at two end portions thereof to cover the supporting beam  160  and the supporting beam  170 , and a connecting component  194  to connect the covering components  192  so as to further increase the strength of the upper cover  110 , the supporting beam  160  and the supporting beam  170 . Further referring to  FIG. 4 , an enlarged view of an embodiment of a supporting beam of an electronic device according to the present invention is illustrated. The supporting beam  400  can further include a main supporting component  402  formed beside the cavity boundary  450 . The width  420  of the main supporting component  402  is preferably larger than three times of the thickness  440  of the upper cover  110 . That is to say, the width  420  of the main supporting component  402  is larger than 3 millimeters as the thickness  440  of the upper cover  110  is 1 millimeter. In addition, a distance  410  from an edge of the main supporting component  402  to the cavity boundary  450  is preferably smaller than two thirds of the width of the main supporting component  402 . That is to say, the distance  410  is smaller than 10 millimeters when the total width  420  of main supporting component  402  is about 15 millimeters. Hence, the display panel  140  can effectively prevent from touching the corner of the cavity region and damaging the display panel  140 . 
         [0024]    In addition, the supporting beam  400  can be further formed an extending component  404  and an extending component  406  on two sides thereof to prevent the sink mark on the upper cover  110 , and increase the strength of the upper cover  110 . Furthermore, the width  430  of the extending component  404  or the extending component  406  is preferably larger than one-half of the width  420  of the main supporting component  402 . 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , an enlarged view of another embodiment of a supporting beam of an electronic device according to the present invention is illustrated. The supporting beam  500  is preferably formed by a plurality of supporting components  502 / 504 / 506 / 508 . A distance  510  from the edge of the supporting beam  500 , i.e. the outer edge of the supporting component  502  or the outer edge of the supporting component  508 , to the cavity boundary  550  is preferably smaller than the two thirds of the width  520  of the supporting beam  500 , i.e. the distance  510  is preferably smaller than 10 mm while the width  520  of the supporting beam  500  is about 15 mm, to effectively prevent from damage on the display panel  140  due to touch the corner of the cavity region. In addition, the width  520  of the supporting beam  500 , i.e. from the outer edge of the supporting component  502  to the outer edge of the supporting component  508 , is preferably larger than three times of the thickness  540  of the upper cover  110 . 
         [0026]    Hence, the electronic device according to the present application can utilize the supporting beam disposed over and close to the cavity boundary  550  to effectively enhance the strength of the upper cover. When the display panel of the electronic device is fixed on the upper cover, the display panel can effectively prevent from damage. In addition, on the two sides of the supporting beam, the extending components can further increase the strength of the upper cover, and prevent the sink mark formed on the upper cover. The reinforced component can be further formed between the supporting beams to improve the strength of the upper cover. The reinforced component can be the short reinforced ribs formed perpendicular to and between the supporting beams, the metal plate or the reinforced sheet metal with the covering component. The upper cover is effectively improved and the display panel can effectively prevent from damage especially when the upper cover is utilized in a notebook having a width wider than 280 mm, e.g. a notebook computer having a display larger than 15.6 inches. The present invention is illustrated with an upper cover of the display panel but not limited thereto. 
         [0027]    As is understood by a person skilled in the art, the foregoing preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrative of the present invention rather than limiting of the present invention. It is intended that various modifications and similar arrangements be included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, the scope of which should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.