Abstract:
An improved car use computer and particularly to a computer adopted for use in a car has a screen panel which has a structure for adjusting the inclined angle of the screen panel. The structure mainly includes a casing, a medium storage and retrieval facility, an incline control means, a frame and a screen panel. Through the incline control means, the inclined angle of the screen panel may be adjusted to suit users&#39; viewing requirements.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to an improved car use computer and particularly to a car use computer with a screen panel adjustable to a desired incline angle to facilitate users viewing and reading information on the screen. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Due to continuous technology innovations and progresses, computer developments also have been accelerated and diversified. Nowadays, besides for business use, computers can also be adopted for use in cars to provide drivers required information. Such car computers have increasingly become a standard feature in cars. Drivers can use these high-tech products to avoid stray during driving or traffic jam, and to transmit and receive information. However, to provide information to drivers in the cars, car use computers have some structural problems that often cause inconveniences and troubles to users, notably: 
     1. A car computer often is located nearby the driver. Conventional screen panels mostly are fixed vertically. Too strong of ambient light could generate light reflection or refraction, and make viewing the computer screen difficult or uncomfortable. The screen panel cannot be adjusted under existing constructions. Hence utilization effect of the car use computer is suffered. 
     2. Some producers have provided car computers with inclined screen panels. However they mostly are incorporated with car interior structure design and are driven by electric motors. Motions of lifting to the use position and lowering to the nestled position cannot be done rapidly or adjusted to desired angles to meet users&#39; viewing requirements. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of aforesaid disadvantages, the invention aims to provide an improved car use computer that mainly includes a casing, a medium storage and retrieval facility, an incline control means, a frame and a screen panel. The incline control means can control and adjust the inclined angle of the screen panel to suit users&#39; viewing requirements. 
     Therefore the primary object of the invention is to provide an improved car use computer that has an incline control means to adjust the incline angle of the screen panel of the computer to suit users&#39; viewing requirements. 
     The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the invention. 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a retain box of the invention. 
     FIG. 4 is another perspective view of the invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a top schematic view of the invention in operation. 
     FIG. 6 is a side schematic view of the invention. 
     FIG. 7 is another top schematic view of the invention in operation. 
     FIG. 8 is yet another top schematic view of the invention in operation. 
     FIG. 9 is a side schematic view of the invention, with the screen panel in an inclined condition. 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the invention, with the screen panel in an inclined condition. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, the car use computer according to the invention mainly includes a casing  1 , an incline control means  2 , a medium storage and retrieval facility  3 , a frame  4  and a screen panel  5 . 
     The casing  1  is hollow and mainly includes a bottom seat  11  surrounding by a right wall  12 , a left wall  14 , a rear wall  13  and a top wall  15 . On the bottom seat  11 , there is a torsional spring  111  matching a notch  211  formed on a displacement seat  21 . The spring  111  is fixedly mounted to the bottom seat  11  and has one end  1112  winding in normal conditions to push the displacement seat  21 . The casing  1  also has a damper  112  located therein. The damper  112  has a wheel  1121  engaging with a gear rack  2215  located on a lateral side of a box case  221  of a retain box  22  (as shown in FIG. 4) to cushion the movement of the incline control means  2 . The casing  1  further has a retain plate  113  located on one side of the bottom seat  11  matching the displacement seat  21 . The retain plate  113  is formed substantially in a L-shape and has at least one retain slot  1131  formed on the vertical section thereof and a first retain flap  1132  running through a first slide channel  213  of the displacement seat  21 . The casing  1  also has a guide plate  114  located on another side of the bottom seat  11  matching the displacement seat  21 . The guide plate  114  is also formed substantially in a L-shape and has a second retain flap  1141  formed on a vertical section thereof running through a second slide channel  214  of the displacement seat  21 . 
     The medium storage and retrieval facility  3  is located in an upper section of the casing  1  to serve as the source of viewing information (the medium storage and retrieval facility may be an optical disk drive, a MO, a ZIP and a disk drive). 
     The frame  4  is a bracket coupling with the casing  1  and has a window opening  41 . The frame  4  has a front side to hold the body of the screen panel  5 , and two channels  42 ,  43  located on two lateral sides thereof to couple with stub shafts  51 ,  52  located on two lateral sides of the screen panel  5  and to set sliding limits for the stub shafts  51 ,  52 . 
     The screen panel  5  includes at least a screen  53  and an operation key set interface  54 . The screen panel  5  has two lateral sides with the stub shafts  51 ,  52  located thereon and a lower edge which has two lateral ends each has a pivotal aperture  551 . 
     The incline control means  2  includes: 
     an displacement seat  21  formed substantially in an U-shape with two lateral sides extending upwards to form respectively a vertical section which has the first and second slide channel  213 ,  214  located thereon. The two lateral sides have respectively a front end extending to form a clipping ledge  215  to couple and engage with the pivotal aperture  551  through a fastening element B; 
     a retain box  22  located on one side of the displacement seat  21 , including: 
     a box case  221  is covered by a case lid  223  and has a control compartment  2210  located at a front end thereof. Inside the control compartment  2210 , there is a key trough  2211  for housing a control key  222 , and a retain lug  2212  located at the rear end of the key trough  2211 . In the middle section of the box case  221 , there is a longitudinal slide channel  2213  for housing a push rod  224 . The slide channel  2213  has a front end communicating with the key trough  2211  and a rear end communicating with a hook trough  2214  which may house a spring  225  and a snap hook  226 ; 
     a control key  222  which has a chamfer surface  2223  formed on a front end thereof and a straight hook  2224  located on a lower side of the chamfer surface  2223 . The control key  222  has a spring trough  2221  formed in the middle section thereof for housing a spring  2222  and receiving the retain lug  2212  of the control compartment  2210  to limit the displacement of the control key  222 ; 
     a push rod  224  is an elongated rod housed in the longitudinal slide channel  2213  of the box case  221  of the retain box  22 . The push rod  224  has a front end  2241  bucking against the chamfer surface  2223  of the control key  222 , and a rear end  2242  bucking against the snap hook  226  for controlling extending or retracting of the snap hook  226 . The push rod  224  further has an upright ledge  2243  adjacent to the rear end  2242  extending through a retain slot  2231  formed on the case lid  223  to limit the displacement distance of the push rod  224 ; 
     a snap hook  226  has a body coupling with a spring  225  and is housed in the hook trough  2214  of the box case  221  of the retain box  22 . The body has an upper section forming a strut  2261  extending outside the box case  221  and inserting in the retain slot  1131  of the retain plate  113 . The strut  2261  has a one way slant surface  2262  extending sideward to contact the rear end  2242  of the push rod  224 ; and 
     a box lid  223  has same shape as the box case  221  to cover the box case  221  and has a retain slot  2231  formed thereon. 
     The elements set forth above may be assembled to hold a car use computer. When an user wants to adjust the incline angle of the screen panel  5  of the car computer, or want to replace a carrier element (such as CD) in the medium storage and retrieval facility  3  (referring to FIGS. 5,  6  and  7 ), the user may directly depress the control key  222 . Then the chamfer surface  2223  of the control key  222  pushes the push rod  224  rearwards and moves the snap hook  226  to the left, and the strut  2261  on the snap hook  226  is retracted inside the box case  221  and separated from the retain slot  1131  of the retain plate  113 . When the control key  222  is depressed to the bottom and released again, the spring  225  is relieved from the compression of the snap hook  226  and resumes its restoring force to push the snap hook  226  outwards. Consequently, the push rod  224  is moved downwards (as shown in FIG. 7) to latch the straight hook  2224  of the control key  222  such that the control key  222  may be retained without being pushed out, and the strut  2261  of the snap hook  226  cannot latch on the retain slot  1131 . Hence the displacement seat  21  may be moved under the restoring force of the torsional spring  111 , and the screen panel  5  is moved and slid outwards until reaching the outmost position to form an inclined angle (in the mean time, the side stub shafts  51 ,  52  of the screen panel  5  are moved synchronously downwards in the slide channels  42 ,  43  of the frame  4  as shown in FIGS.  8  and  9 ). When the upright ledge  2243  of the push rod  224  hits the first retain flap  1132  of the retain plate  113 , the push rod  224  is pushed and moved upwards and separated from the straight hook  2224  of the control key  222 . The spring  2222  is no longer compressed and restores its elastic force to move the control key  222  outwards to its original position (as shown in FIGS.  8  and  9 ). When the screen panel  5  is inclined, there is a gap A (as shown in FIG. 10 by an arrow mark) formed in an upper section of the frame  4  to allow the user to retrieve and replace the carrier element in the medium storage and retrieval facility  3 . 
     When the screen panel is slid out and inclined at the outmost position, if the user wants to adjust the incline angle or to move the screen panel  5  back for folding, the user needs only to push the screen panel  5  inwards on any spot desired. As the snap hook  226  is relieved, and the strut  2261  on the snap hook  226  has one way slant surface, the inward motion allows the strut  2261  to escape the retain slot  1131  and can prevent the screen panel  5  from sliding outwards. Thus when the user stops pushing the screen panel  5  at any location, the screen panel  5  is stopped and remains at a location corresponding to the retain slot  1131  of the retain plate  113 . 
     By means of the simple construction of the invention set forth above, the inclined angle of the screen panel of a car use computer may be adjusted to suit users requirements, and overcome the inconveniences that might otherwise incur.