Abstract:
A computer having a built-in mouse rack moving back and forth from the housing of the computer is provided. The built-in mouse rack can be implemented either as a drawer or as a motor-driven sliding rack. The built-in mouse rack may be used with an industrial computer under the circumstances where the workspace for a mouse is not available.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an input device for computers, more particular, to a built-in mouse rack providing a working space for a mouse, allowing the computer user to manipulate a mouse as an input device. 
     2. Description of the Background Art 
     For more than three decades, there has been continuous effort to develop various pointing devices for accessing program functions such as a mouse, a track ball, a touch pad, and a stylus pointer. 
     In particular, it becomes more essential to use a pointing device as well as a keyboard for an input device as the operating system relies on multi-tasking under the graphic user interface (GUI). 
     Among the variety of pointing devices, the mouse has proven to be the most popular pointing device for the personal computers due to its convenient and efficient handling capability. Thus, it has become quite natural for desktop computers to come equipped with a mouse. The mouse usually sits to the side of the desktop computer and typically resides on a flat surface. 
     Such a flat surface is usually provided with a mouse pad where the mouse moves in accordance with the user&#39;s movement to provide input to the computer. A few devices have been developed which allow the mouse to be positioned relative to the computer. 
     For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,805,139 and 5,861,873 disclose techniques to implement a pointing device for computers. 
     In the meantime, a rapidly growing segment of the PC market is an industrial PC for the control of electronic systems. 
     The industrial PC for the control of a system such as a security system is often embodied in a rack to accommodate a small space. In this case, a workspace is needed for a mouse in order to allow the industrial PC to use a standard mouse as a pointing device since desktop space is not available in a rack. 
     Furthermore, since the industrial PC controlling the machinery system is usually operated in a dusty environment, exposure to the dust can degrade the performance of the computer including a mouse to a critical degree. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of these problems, there is a need in the art for a computer, especially for an industrial computer employed for the control of a machinery system, which overcomes the above-noted problems these limitation. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a computer with a built-in mouse rack for providing a workspace of a mouse. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a computer with a space to store the mouse during the time when the mouse is not used. 
     In accordance with a broad aspect of the present invention, a computer with a built-in mouse rack and method of operation thereof is provided. 
     The computer, including the built-in mouse rack of the present invention, comprises a mainframe having housing at the front for storing a mouse and a sliding rack for the accommodation of the mouse in the housing. 
     The computer in accordance with the present invention further comprises a cover with a hinge for the protection of the rack from the dust. 
     The sliding mouse rack in accordance with the present invention can extend substantially out of the housing of the mainframe, and the planar surface of the rack can provide a workspace on which the mouse is free to move. 
     Furthermore, the sliding mouse rack in accordance with the present invention can be kept in a stowed position whereby the mouse rack is retracted within the housing when the mouse is not used and is protected from the dusty environment. 
     As a preferred embodiment for the built-in rack in accordance with the present invention, a drawer can be implemented to accommodate a mouse and to provide a planar workspace for the movement of the mouse. 
     In this case, the vertical depth of the drawer should be carefully designed in such a manner that the mouse should not be kept away from the drawer. 
     As another preferred embodiment for the built-in rack in accordance with the present invention, the built-in mouse rack can move back and forth from the housing by a translation. 
     In this case, the driving force for the translation of the rack can be either a restoring force from a spring or an electric force from an electric motor. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Further features of the present invention will become apparent from a description of the computer with a built-in mouse rack, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the preferred embodiment of the invention, which, however, should not be taken to be limitative of the invention, but are for explanation and understanding only. 
     In the drawings: 
     FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic views illustrating a first embodiment of the built-in mouse rack of a computer in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic views illustrating a second embodiment of the built-in mouse rack of a computer in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIGS. 3A to  3 E are detailed diagrams illustrating a second embodiment of the built-in mouse rack of a computer in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic views illustrating a third embodiment of the built-in mouse rack of a computer in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIGS. 5A to  5 C are schematic views illustrating preferred embodiments of the built-in rack for a track ball, touch pad, and track point, respectively, in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic views illustrating a first embodiment of a built-in mouse rack of a computer in accordance with the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1A, housing  10 A is formed at the front of the computer mainframe  10 . 
     The housing  10 A is a separable room, which is isolated from the main unit inside the computer. Therefore, the housing  10 A keeps the main unit from the external environment such as dusts. 
     The geometry of the housing  10 A should be carefully designed in such a way that it should be adequate for the movement of the mouse simultaneously even within a minimum space. Further, a rack  12  for accommodating the mouse M in the housing  10 A of the mainframe  10  should be built such that it can slide back and forth for allowing the user to access the mouse. 
     As a preferred embodiment for the material of the rack  12 , a plastic can be employed. As another preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention, a guide rail can be used to protect against damage of the mainframe  10  due to the friction by the repetitive sliding movement of the rack  12 . 
     Preferably, a handler can be installed at the front side of the rack  12 . It is also preferable to make the vertical depth of the rack  12  lower than that of the entrance of the housing  10 A. 
     In this case, the depth of the rack  12  should be optimized such that the mouse M should be kept in the rack even without the operational inconvenience. More preferably, the vertical depth of the rack should be chosen with consideration that a mouse pad would be placed on it. 
     The depth of the rack  12 , however, should be less them 10 mm. The electrical connection of the mouse M to the mainframe is made internally through the space of the rack  12  is accordance with the present invention. 
     In this case, it is preferable to have the input port for the electric connection to the mouse M just at the back of the housing  10 A in order to avoid any interference with other parts. Preferably, a cover can be installed with a hinge in order to protect the rack  12  as well as the main parts of the computer from the external environment such as dust. 
     The main parts of the computer can comprise any I/O devices, including disc drives  11 . As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cover  13  should be large enough to cover the main parts of the computer and should be implemented with a guide rail and a hinge. 
     FIG. 1B is a magnified cross-sectional view illustrating the hinge of the mouse rack in accordance with the present invention. The cover  13  in accordance with the present invention is opened under the guidance of the guide  15 . 
     The guide  15  is implemented in such a way that the circled hinge  14  can be assembled to it. A stopper  24  is set to one side of the hinge  14 , while a latch  14 A having a shape of a  25  half-circle is formed at the other side of the hinge  14 . 
     A sphere  25  and a spring  26  are assembled to the guide  15 , and then encapsulated by a cap  27 . The sphere  25  generates an appropriate restoring force to the hinge  14 . 
     If the cap  27  is formed with a screw-type structure, it is possible to adjust the restoring force of the sphere  25 . 
     Accordingly, the cover is maintained vertical when the sphere  25  is placed in the latch  14 A for the closed condition. In the meantime as illustrated in FIG. 1B, the cover is wide open to be horizontal because the stopper  24  is contacted to one side of the guide  15 . 
     The computer user manipulates the mouse by making the cover  13  wide open and pulling the rack  12  out of the housing. Once the user finishes using the mouse in the rack, he can push the rack  12  into the housing and close the cover  13  vertically so that no dust can penetrate into the housing. 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic views illustrating a second embodiment of a built-in mouse rack for a computer in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 2A is a schematic view illustrating the condition when the built-in rack  210  is completely pulled out open from the mainframe  10  of the computer. 
     The built-in rack  210  accommodating the mouse M can be pulled out open or pushed closed with respect to the housing  200  by a translation. 
     FIG. 2B is a schematic view illustrating the condition when the built-in rack with the mouse M is kept inside the housing  200 . The driving force for the translation of the built-in rack  210  can be provided either by the restoring force of a spring or by electric power from a motor. 
     FIGS. 3A to  3 D are schematic views illustrating the second embodiment of the built-in rack in accordance with the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3A, which is a top view of the built-in rack  210  pulled out from the housing  200 , the rack  210  and the housing  200  are connected by a spring  230 . 
     At the backside of the rack  210  is formed a mail latch  221  for fixing the rack  210  to the housing when it is pushed back into the housing. Additionally, a female latch  220  is formed at the vertical wall inside of the housing  200  to hold the rack  210  with the male latch  221 . 
     The restoring force, which tends to push the rack  210  out of the housing  200 , is originated from the spring  230  connecting the rack  210  and the housing  200 . 
     FIG. 3B is a schematic bottom view of the rack illustrating the operation of the rack  210  in accordance with the present invention. As a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention, a guide rail  260  can be implemented to the bottom side of the rack  210 . 
     The guide rail  260  works as a guide for a translation of the rack  210  with a circularly moving element  250  implemented in the housing  200 . As a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention, the surface of the guide rail  260  installed in the housing  200  could be of the shape of a saw tooth. 
     Further, as a preferred embodiment for the circularly moving element, a saw-tooth wheel can be employed. In addition, a spring  230 , which is implemented to the side of a housing  200 , is connected to the rack  210  through a pulley  240 . 
     The restoring force of a spring  230  makes the rack  210  move back and forth in a translation mode. 
     FIG. 3C is a side view illustrating the condition when the rack  210  is taken out from the housing  200 . Referring to FIG. 3C, the rack  210  is taken out from the housing  200  due to the restoring force of a spring  230 , and is kept from being completely taken out of the housing  200  due to the resisting force of the pulley  240 . 
     Accordingly, a computer user can move and click the mouse (not shown) in the rack with the rack  210  pulled out from the housing  200 . As a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention, a damper can be added to the guide rail  260  of the rack  210  in order to prevent the instantaneous movement of the rack due to the strong restoring force of the spring  230 . 
     FIGS. 3D and 3E are a schematic top-view and side-view, respectively, when the rack is inserted into the housing  200 . When the computer user finishes using the mouse and wants to keep the mouse in the housing  200 , he is supposed to push the rack  210  to the direction of the B-B′ axis. 
     In this case, a certain level of force should be exerted against the restoring force of the spring  230  to the rack in order to push the rack back into the housing  200 . 
     The computer user has to push the rack  210  back along the direction of B-B′ until the male latch  221  at the back of the rack is connected to the female latch  220  at the housing  200 . In this case, the rack  210  is fixed closed into the housing  200  against the restoring force. 
     Preferably, the female latch  220  can comprise a biting pin and a spring wherein the biting pin bites the male latch firmly enough to hold the rack  210  against the restoring force of a spring. 
     In this case, a restoring force is generated due to the elongation of a spring  230 , and the restoring force is balanced by the connection of the female latch  220  and the male latch  221 . 
     In the meantime, if the computer user wants to use the mouse in the rack, he just exerts a force a little bit to push the rack along the direction of B-B′. Then the female latch  221  is detached from the male latch  220 , and the rack  210  is taken out of the housing  200  due to the restoring force of a spring  230 . 
     As a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention, a toggle switch can be employed for the latches  220  and  221 . 
     FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic views illustrating a third embodiment of a built-in mouse rack in accordance with the present invention. While the second embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B relies on the structure with a spring, the third embodiment has a feature of using an electric motor to move the rack in a translation. 
     Referring to FIG. 4A, an electric motor  340  for moving the rack  310  in the direction along C-C′ and a driving circuit  330  are depicted. The torque of the electric motor  340  is transferred to the saw-tooth wheel  350 , which guides the translation of the rack  310  with being geared to the guide rail  360  installed at the side of the rack  310 . 
     If the computer user pushes the switch button  325  at the front side of the rack  310 , an electric signal turns on the driving circuit  330  through the rack driving bus  324 . Then, the electric motor  340  exerts a torque to the saw-tooth wheel  350  in such a way that the rack  310  is taken out of the housing  300 . 
     Accordingly, the rack is taken out from the housing  300  under the guidance of the guide rail  360 . In this case, it is preferable to implement a feature for turning off the power when the rack  310  reaches a certain point in order to prevent the rack  310  from being completely removed from the housing  300 . 
     As a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention, a stopper switch  321  and a stopper  323  can be employed. If the sliding rack  310  starts to move out and reaches at a certain point, the stopper switch  321  installed at the rack  310  is aligned with the stopper  323  implemented at the housing  300 . 
     Since the stopper switch  321  is implemented at the rack, which is moving out under the guidance of guide rail  360  by an electric motor  340 , it also moves out in the direction of C-C′ in accordance with the movement of the rack  310  out of the housing  300 . 
     If the stopper switch  321  is aligned with the stopper  323 , the stopper  323  functions to protect against an unnecessary translation of the rack to the right once the rack  310  is pulled out from the housing  300  to a certain level. 
     At this time, the reactive force due to the stopping power is exerted to a stopper switch  321  and then the electricity is toggled off. Accordingly, the torque is not supplied to the saw-tooth wheel  350  of the electric motor  340  any longer, and the rack  310  stops to move further out of housing  300 . 
     With the same principle of the aforementioned toggle switch  321  and stopper  323 , the supply of the electric power to the motor  340  can be halted once the rack moves back into the housing  300 . 
     Thereby, it is possible to prevent the motor from spindling even after the rack  310  is completely parked in the housing  310 . If the computer user finishes using the computer and wants to keep the mouse in the rack  310 , he just pushes the switch button  325  on the front of the rack  310 . 
     Accordingly, the electricity is supplied to the driving circuit  330  and the electric motor  340  supplies a torque for moving the rack  310  back to the left along the C-C′ axis under the guidance of the guide rail  360 . 
     If the rack reaches at a certain point, another stopper switch  320  meets with the stopper  322  and then the stopper switch  320  is toggled off. 
     Thereby the supply of the electricity to the electric circuit  330  and the motor  340  is stopped and the spindling of the motor to trying move further back forward can be avoided. 
     FIGS. 5A to  5 C are schematic views illustrating another embodiment in accordance with the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5A, a track ball  410  is depicted on the surface of the mouse rack. Referring to FIG. 5B, a touch pad  420  is depicted on the mouse rack. In addition, a track point  430  is shown in FIG.  5 C. 
     Although the invention has been illustrated and described with respect to exemplary embodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various other changes, omissions and additions may be made therein and thereto, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to the specific embodiments set forth above, but should include all possible embodiments which can be embodies within a scope encompassed and equivalents thereof with respect to the feature set forth in the appended claims.