Abstract:
An electronic apparatus includes a display panel which displays an image; a cover unit which covers the display panel; and support system including a support member. The support member which includes a hinge unit which is rotably formed in the forward and backward directions in the rear side of the cover unit, a first support which is downwardly bent and extends from the hinge unit, and a second support which is upwardly bent and extends from the hinge unit. The configuration of the support system on the electronic apparatus permits a stable support at a variety of angles on an installation plane.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
     This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2010-0000795, filed on Jan. 6, 2010 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to support members for positioning an electronic apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electronic apparatus such as a display for a computer, or a single unit computer, pda, communication unit, etc., which is capable of being stably installed at a variety of angles on an installation plane. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
       FIG. 1  shows an example of a conventional monitor  100  which is one type of a general electronic apparatus and has a display panel on which an image is displayed. A monitor body  110  of the conventional monitor  100  is supported by a support member  120  provided in the rear of the monitor body  110  opposite the side of the display. However, the support member  120  has a drawback in that it may not stably support the monitor body  110  in a variety of angles. For example, with regard to the recently-developed touch panel monitors, if a user exerts a physical force on the monitor body  110  for monitor operation, the monitor body  110  may fall down without being supported properly. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, one or more exemplary embodiments provide an electronic apparatus having a support member which is capable of being stably installed at a variety of angles on an installation plane. 
     The foregoing and/or other exemplary aspects may be achieved by providing an electronic apparatus including: a display panel which displays an image; a cover unit which covers the display panel; and a support member system which includes a hinge unit which is rotably formed in the forward and backward directions in the rear side of the cover unit, a first support which is downward bent and extends from the hinge unit, and a second support which is upward bent and extends from the hinge unit. 
     According to an exemplary aspect of the present invention, the first and second supports may be integrated and are interconnected with a closed loop shape. 
     In addition, the first support may be formed to be longer than the second support. 
     According to another exemplary aspect of the present invention, the hinge unit may be formed in an upper region of the cover unit. 
     In another exemplary aspect of the present invention, an angle between the first and second supports may be more than 90° and less than 160°. 
     The cover unit discussed above may preferably include a support bracket which supports the display panel, a front cover which covers a front side of the display panel, and a rear cover which covers a rear side of the support bracket, and the hinge unit may be coupled to the support bracket. 
     The hinge unit discussed above may preferably include: a hinge shaft; a hinge bracket which rotably couples the hinge shaft to the support bracket; and a hinge shaft connector which connects the first and second supports to the hinge shaft. 
     The hinge shaft, the hinge shaft connector and the first and second supports may be coupled using a single screw. 
     The rear cover may be formed with a through-hole which provides a rotation space of the hinge shaft connector. 
     In another exemplary aspect of the present invention, the hinge shaft may have a non-circular peripheral surface having a plurality of edges, and the hinge shaft connector may be formed to surround at least one of the plurality of edges of the hinge shaft. 
     The support member may further include a non-slip member that is formed in the bottom of the first support. 
     The display panel may be provided as a touch screen. 
     The electronic apparatus may be an all-in-one computer which accommodates at least a main board, a central processing unit and a memory within the cover unit, including but in no way limited to a tablet computer, PDA, etc. 
     The foregoing and/or other exemplary aspects may be achieved by providing an electronic apparatus including: a display panel which displays an image; a cover unit which covers the display panel; and a support member which supports the cover unit with respect to an installation plane, wherein the support member includes: a hinge unit which is rotably formed in the forward and backward directions in the rear side of the cover unit; a first support which is downward bent and extends from the hinge unit and reciprocates between a support position at which the first support recedes (i.e. pivots away from) from the cover unit by rotation of the hinge shaft and supports the cover unit with respect to an installation plane and an approach position at which the first support approaches the cover unit; and a second support which is upward bent and extends from the hinge unit, approaches (i.e. pivots toward) the cover unit at the support position of the first support, and recedes (i.e. pivots away from) from the cover unit at the approach position of the first support. 
     According to an exemplary aspect of the present invention, the hinge unit may be formed, for example, in an upper region of the cover unit, and the first support may be formed to be longer than the second support. 
     The first and second supports may be integrated and may be interconnected with a closed loop shape. 
     The electronic apparatus may comprise, for example an all-in-one computer including but in no way limited to a tablet computer or touch screen in which accommodates at least a main board, a central processing unit and a memory within the cover unit. 
     According to another exemplary aspect of the present invention, the electronic apparatus can be stably installed at a variety of angles on an installation plane. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and/or other exemplary aspects will become apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art and more readily appreciated from the following description of the exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a support structure of a conventional electronic apparatus; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an electronic apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the electronic apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view showing a coupling relationship of a support member of the electronic apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIGS. 5 and 6  are perspective views showing use conditions of the electronic apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Below, exemplary embodiments will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings so as to be easily realized by a person having ordinary knowledge in the art. The exemplary embodiments may be embodied in various forms without being limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Descriptions of well-known parts maybe omitted so as not to obscure appreciation by an artisan of the subject matter of the present invention, and like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. 
     Prior to the detailed description herein below, it is noted that an electronic apparatus  1  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is illustrated with an all-in-on computer which accommodates at least a main board (not shown), a central processing unit (not shown) and a memory (not shown) within a over unit  20 , but may be implemented by a television, a monitor, a portable multimedia player (PMP), an electronic frame, or other electronic apparatuses which display images, just to name a few of the many examples to which the claimed invention can be applied. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the electronic apparatus  1  according to this exemplary embodiment includes a display panel  10 , a cover unit  20  and a support member  60 . 
     The display panel  10  displays an image. The display panel  10  may be a flat display panel such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP) or the like. In addition, any type of thin-film screen technology can be used. In this exemplary embodiment, the display panel  10  is preferably a tablet panel. The display panel  10  is accommodated in the cover unit  20 . 
     The cover unit  20 , which accommodates the display panel  10 , may include a support bracket  30  ( FIG. 3 ) which supports the display panel, a front cover  40  which covers a front portion of the display panel  10 , and a rear cover  50  which covers the rear portion of the support bracket  30 . Together, the front cover  40  and rear cover  50  connect so that the lateral walls of the display panel  10  and the support bracket  30  are enclosed within, and as can be appreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art, the front and rear covers  40 ,  50  are proportionally sized such that the cover unit  20  preferably covers an entirety of a lateral area (i.e. the side walls) of the electronic apparatus. The support bracket  30  preferably is formed into a plate shape to cover the rear side of the display panel  10 . 
     The support bracket  30  is mounted on the rear side of the display panel  10  and has mounted thereon with a hard disk (not shown), a main board (not shown), a central processing unit (CPU) (not shown) and a main memory (not shown). In addition, an optical disc drive (ODD) (not shown) may be mounted on one side of the support bracket  30 . Such a support bracket  30  is preferably made of a metallic material having relatively high strength. Moreover, the support bracket  30  is formed therein with a hinge mount  31  to be mounted thereon with a hinge unit  70 , which will be described later. The hinge mount  31  is preferably formed in a central region in the horizontal direction of the support bracket  30 , or in an upper region in its vertical direction. 
     With continued reference to  FIG. 3 , the front cover  40  has an opening  41  through which the display panel  10  is exposed, and covers the border of the display panel  10 . The front cover  40  is coupled to the rear cover  50 , with the display panel  10  and the support bracket  30  interposed between the coupled front cover  40  and the rear cover  50 . 
     The rear cover  50  covers the rear side of the support bracket  30 . The rear cover  50  may be formed therein with an ODD mount  53  to be mounted thereon with an ODD, and connection ports  55  to which external devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, a printer, a scanner and so on are connected. The rear cover  50  may be formed therein with a plurality of through-holes  51  through which hinge shaft connectors  75  pass and which provide a rotation space for the hinge shaft connectors  75 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the support member  60  includes the hinge unit  70 , a first support  80  and a second support  90 . The hinge unit  70  is rotably provided forward and backward in the rear side of the cover unit  20 . In this exemplary embodiment, the hinge unit  70  is coupled to the support bracket  30 , which is typically arranged inside the cover  50  in order to secure sufficient support strength. Alternatively, the hinge unit  70  may be coupled to the rear cover  50 . The hinge unit  70  preferably includes a hinge shaft  71 , a hinge bracket  72  and the hinge shaft connectors  75 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the hinge shaft  71  is formed into an elongated bar shape. The hinge shaft  71  typically is rotably coupled to the hinge bracket  72  such that both end portions  71   a  of the hinge shaft  71  are exposed to the outside. Although it is illustrated in this exemplary embodiment that the hinge shaft  71  is formed into a single bar, the hinge shaft is not limited to the drawing shown and described, and may, for example, include a pair of hinge shafts  71  formed in both sides of the hinge bracket  72 , respectively. It is here noted that both end portions  71   a  of the hinge shaft  71  indicate a region exposed to the outside of the hinge bracket  72 . 
     Both end portions  71   a  of the hinge shaft  71  may have a non-circular peripheral surface having a plurality of edges. In other words, both end portions  71   a  of the hinge shaft  71  can have a non-circular section along a rotation direction. In this exemplary embodiment, both end portions  71   a  of the hinge shaft  71  have a rectangular section. In addition, both end portions  71   a  of the hinge shaft  71  is fastened by screws to the hinge shaft connectors  75  which will be described herein later. 
     Both end portions of the hinge bracket  72  are formed into a “           ” shape and are coupled to the support bracket  30 . The hinge bracket  72  includes a bracket body  73  whose plate contacts and is supported to the support bracket  30 , and a pair of bracket wings  74  which project backward from both end portions of the bracket body  73 . The bracket body  73  is fastened to the support bracket  30  typically by screws, but other types of fasteners, bolts, pins, snaps, adhesive, magnets, etc. can be used. In addition, the pair of bracket wings  74  is formed therein with hinge shaft through-holes (not shown) through which the hinge shaft  71  passes.
     The hinge shaft connectors  75  connect the first support  80  and the second support  90  to the hinge shaft  71 . The hinge shaft connectors  75  each include end portions  75   a  coupled respectively to bent regions of the first support  80  and the second support  90  and the other end portions  75   b  coupled respectively to both end portions  71   a  of the hinge shaft  71 . In this exemplary embodiment, it is preferable that the first support  80  is fastened to the second support  90  by a single screw and the hinge shaft connectors  75  are also fastened to the hinge shaft by a single screw. 
     At a first end portion  75   a  of the hinge shaft for each of the connectors  75  there is a curved surface corresponding to the bent regions of the first and second supports  80  and  90 . 
     The second end portion  75   b  of each of the hinge shafts  75  is formed to correspond to a shape of the end portions  71   a  of the hinge shaft  71 . The second end portions  75   b  of the hinge shaft connectors  75  are formed to surround one edge of the hinge axis  71 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , if both end portions  75   b  of the hinge shaft  71  have a rectangular longitudinal section, the second end portions  75   b  of the hinge shaft connectors  75  are formed to cover a lower edge region of the respective end portions  71   a  of the hinge shaft  71 . This arrangement allows torque of the first and second supports  80  and  90  to be delivered to the hinge shaft  71  efficiently. 
     In addition, this arrangement can alleviate a possibility of running idle of the hinge shaft  71  at the hinge shaft connectors  75  due to the weight of the electronic apparatus  1  and allow the hinge shaft connectors  75  to support the hinge shaft  71  more stably. 
     Although it is illustrated in this exemplary embodiment that the hinge shaft connectors  75  are separated from the first and second supports  80  and  90 , they may be integrated with the first and second supports  80  and  90 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the first support  80  is formed to be downwardly bent and extend from the hinge shaft  71 . The first support  80  is formed preferably as a ‘U’-like bent bar. The first support  80  reciprocates between a support position “A” at which the first support  80  recedes from the rear cover  50  by rotation of the hinge shaft connectors  75  and supports the electronic apparatus  1  with respect to an installation plane and an approach position B at which the first support  80  approaches the rear cover  50 . At the support position A, the first support  80  supports the cover unit  20  with respect to the installation plane such that the display panel  10  directs to the front side with a predetermined angle. 
     Still referring to  FIG. 5 , the bottom of the first support  80  may be attached with a non-slip member  81  to prevent the first support  80  from being slid with respect to the installation plane and a plane facing the rear cover  50  may be attached with a buffer member  83  to buffer an impact in contact with the rear cover  50 . 
     The second support  90  is formed to be upwardly bent and extend from the hinge shaft  71 . The second support  90  is formed as an inverted ‘U’-like bent bar. The second support  90  approaches or contacts and supports the rear cover  50  at the support position A of the first support  80 . The second support  90  is separated from the rear cover  50  at the approach position B of the first support  80 . The second support  90  can stably support the cover unit  20  by contacting and supporting the rear cover  50  at the support position A of the first support  80  and can be used as a knob at the approach position B of the first support  80 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the top of the second support  90  may be attached with a non-slip member  91  to prevent the second support  90  from being slid with respect to the installation plane, and a plane facing the rear cover  50  may be attached with a buffer member  93  to buffer an impact in contact with the rear cover  50 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the first and second supports  80 ,  90  are preferably integrated and are interconnected with a closed loop shape. 
     The first support  80  is preferably formed to be longer than the second support  90 . This difference in size allows the first support  80  to support the cover unit  20  such that the display panel  10  directs to the front at the support position A (shown in  FIG. 5 ). 
     An angle θ between the first and second supports  80 ,  90  is preferably greater than 90° and less than 160°. 
     Hereinafter, operation of the electronic apparatus  1  according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail herein below. 
     First, as shown in  FIG. 2 , if the display panel  10  is directed toward the front, the first support  80  is moved to the support position A. 
     Next, as shown in  FIG. 5 , if the display panel  10  is directed toward the top, the first support  80  is moved to the approach position B. 
     Next, as shown in  FIG. 6 , if the electronic apparatus  1  is being transported, the first support  80  is moved to the approach position B, and then, the second support  90  is grasped and transported. 
     Although a few exemplary embodiments have been shown and described herein, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in these exemplary embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. For example, the type fasteners users, the shape of the supports are not limited to the examples shown herein.