Abstract:
A decorative housing for an object such as calculator has a unique appearance that enhances its functionality. To reduce the desk area of the calculator when not in use, the calculator shrinks in size when in the closed position. The decorative housing opens in an automatic smooth slow motion kinetic deployment when ready to use. It includes a whimsical design with kinetic features that can amuse the user.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to conveniently openable housings for calculators and the like. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Calculators have become commodity appliances. Even “designer” versions have the familiar rectangular shape. Beyond functionality, ergonomic design dictates the use of large comfortable keys and a large display. 
     These features, however, normally result in a calculator with a larger “footprint” taking up valuable desk space. Because of their utilitarian appearance, calculators are seldom considered decorative items. 
     In addition, some calculator have a cover that must be physically separated from the calculator before viewing the calculator. Other calculators have no cover, which results in dust and other contaminants lodging upon the keyboard and liquid crystal display (LCD) viewing screen and interfering with clear viewing thereof. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a calculator with a unique appearance that enhances its functionality. 
     It is a further object of this invention to reduce the desk area of the calculator when not in use. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide automatic slow motion deployment of the calculator when ready to use. 
     It is also an object of this invention to provide a whimsical design with kinetic features that can amuse the user. 
     It is another object of this invention to reduce the desk area of the calculator when not in use. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a housing for storing objects therein, wherein the cover thereof opens in a slow, smooth aesthetically pleasing motion. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In keeping with these objects and others which may become apparent, the present invention includes a kinetic, decorative housing for useful articles, such as a calculator. However, the housing could also function as a small hollow jewelry box or the like for housing small personal articles therein. 
     The housing has a body with a longitudinally extending dimension. The body is divided along the longitudinal dimension into an upper part and a separate lower part. 
     The upper and lower parts each have respective outer surfaces and respective parallel mutually opposing inner surfaces in separable contact with one another. The inner surfaces respectively include a front portion terminating in a front edge and a rear portion terminating in a rear edge. 
     A pair of elongated pivoting members are located in parallel disposition relative to each other and the pivoting members each are rotatably connected within the upper and the lower parts. 
     One of the pivoting members is a driven member and the other pivoting member is a driver. The driver pivoting member is provided with spring means and motion damping means mounted to the driver pivoting member at the rotatable connection of the driver pivoting member with the lower part of the body of the decorative housing of the calculator. 
     The upper and lower parts are moveable with a slow gliding rotational motion about the pivoting rods, wherein accelerations are relatively small and velocity is relatively low and substantially constant through most of the travel of the upper and lower parts relative to each other. 
     This rotational motion includes a component of longitudinal displacement and a component of vertical displacement, wherein the rotational motion occurs between alternate open and closed positions of the decorative housing. 
     The opposing inner surfaces remaining parallel to each other during the rotational motion In the closed position the inner surface of the upper part covers substantially all of the inner surface of the lower part. However, in the open position the inner surface of the upper part covers less than substantially all of the inner surface of the lower part. A spring urges the upper and lower parts into the open position. The decorative housing for the calculator has a latch means for releasably latching the decorative housing for the calculator in the closed position. 
     The spring may be a torsion coil mounted in a drum, which has a hollow interior for accommodating the spring therein. The drum is mounted rotatably within a diameter-matching cylindrical bore at the lower end of the driver pivoting member. This bore has an inner surface and the drum has an outer surface in close proximity to the inner surface of the cylindrical bore. 
     The outer surface of the drum includes a friction resistance rotational motion damper that resists but not prevent the rotational motion of the drum within the diameter-matching cylindrical bore. 
     This spring is prestressed and torqued so as to bias the decorative housing for the calculator to assume the open viewing position of use. Therefore, the pivoting members, the bore, the drum, and the spring cooperate to provide the slow gliding rotational motion of the upper and lower parts alternately between the open and closed positions. 
     The rotational motion damper has a coating of friction-producing grease disposed on the outer surface of the drum. The grease is a layer disposed between the outer surface of the drum and the inner surface of the diameter-matching cylindrical bore. 
     Preferably the outer surfaces of the decorative housing for the calculator are curved. 
     In the closed position of the decorative housing for the calculator, the front edges and the rear edges of the inner surfaces of the upper and lower parts of the decorative housing are aligned with each other. 
     Conversely, in the open position of the decorative housing for the calculator, the front and the rear edges of the upper part inner surface are disposed rearwardly of the respective front and rear edges of the lower part. 
     The curved outer surfaces of the decorative housing for the calculator cooperate in the closed position form the decorative housing for the calculator into a double crescent shape. 
     The calculator within the decorative housing has a visual display and a photocell disposed on the front portion of the inner surface of the lower part of the decorative housing. 
     The display and photocell are alternately revealed and hidden when the upper and lower part move to the open and closed positions. 
     The calculator has a user-touchable data-entry key pad disposed on the outer surface of the upper part. This key pad has a finger-depressible spring-mounted latch which automatically locks the calculator in the closed position. This latch is released by finger pressure so as to permit the torsion coil spring to urge the calculator in to the open position. 
     Therefore, the decorative housing is a two-piece user openable object capable of moving with a slow gliding motion between an open position and a closed position. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention can best be understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIGS. 1A and 1B show two views of the calculator of the present invention when closed, wherein FIG. 1A is a top elevation view of said calculator and FIG. 1B is a side elevation view of said calculator; 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B show two views of the calculator depicted in FIG. 1 when deployed, wherein FIG. 2A is a top elevation view of said calculator and FIG. 2B is a side elevation view of said calculator; 
     FIG. 3 is a side phantom view of the calculator depicted in FIG. 1 showing pivoted planes during deployment of the calculator; 
     FIG. 4 is a side phantom view of the calculator depicted in FIG. 1 when the calculator is in its closed position; 
     FIG. 5 is a side phantom view of the calculator depicted in FIG. 1 when the calculator is deployed; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the torsion spring drive detail utilized in the calculator depicted in FIGS. 1-5; and, 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective close-up detail view in partial cross section of the latch portion of the calculator. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1A shows the top view of a decorative housing, such as calculator  1  with top housing  2 , keyboard  3 , and keyboard border frame  6 . 
     By viewing the side view of FIG. 1B, the circular arc contour of top housing  2  as well as bottom housing  4  is revealed. Two elastomeric strips  5  near each side edge protect the desk surface on which the calculator rests. In this FIG. 1B, calculator  1  is closed. It is weight balanced such that it rests horizontally on its elastomeric strips  5 . If one end of calculator  1  is pressed down and then released, it oscillates in a quick rocking motion for a short period of time and then comes to rest as depicted in FIG.  4 . 
     To open the top cover housing  2  of calculator  1 , if one presses keyboard  3  in the vicinity of the top row of keys, the curved keyboard will pivot slightly inward against spring pressure to release a latch  30 , which normally keeps top housing  2  in registration with the bottom housing  4 . 
     Calculator  1  is opened by release of a pair of latches  30 . 
     As shown in FIG. 7, latch  30  includes activator member  31  below the top row of keyboard  3 , which activator member  31  is depressed down when any key of the top row of the key pads of keyboard  3  is depressed down and pushes down against a planar member (not shown) which in turn pushes against activator  31  of latch  30 . 
     The downward movement of activator member  31  causes male member  32  to pivot outward, about axles  35  within hollow bearings  36 , thereby releasing tongue  33  from engagement with female member  34 . Spring pressure is released, causing top housing  2  and bottom housing  4  of calculator  1  to separate from each other and to open up calculator  1  to the open position as in FIGS. 2B and 5. A similar mirror image latch (not shown) is located on the opposite side of calculator  1 . 
     Upon release of latch  30 , an unexpected automatic slow motion progresses which moves top housing  2  up and then down while also moving it toward the user. 
     The unbalanced weight of top housing  2  causes entire calculator  1  to rotate on bottom housing  4  until the stable end of the deployed configuration is reached. This is shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. 
     In the top view of calculator  1  as depicted in FIG. 2A, liquid crystal display  7  and solar cells  8  are now in view. The total length of calculator  1  has been increased by about one third in this deployed state. 
     In FIG. 2B, front elastomeric strip  9  is shown in contact with desk surface  10 . This is a very stable configuration which keeps calculator  1  steady, even with rough use of keyboard  3 . Calculator  1  is re-closed manually by a simple one-handed operation. The top edge of bottom housing  4  and the bottom edge of top housing  2  are forced toward each other; so this aligns the two halves  2 ,  4 . A final press down latches two housing halves  2 ,  4  together which returns calculator  1  to its closed position as depicted in FIGS. 1A,  1 B and  4 . 
     FIG. 3 reveals the two pivotable planar members  15  and  20  which constrain the motion of top housing  2  with respect to bottom housing  4 . Pivotable planar member  15  pivots at pivot points  17  and  16  while pivotable planar member  20  pivots at pivot points  18  and  19  thereby defining a parallelogram mechanism. The position depicted in FIG. 3 is half way between the closed and deployed positions. In another embodiment, pivotable planar members  15 ,  20  could be pairs of pivotable rods separated by gaps (not shown in the drawings). 
     Cylindrical housing  21  encloses the mechanism which powers the opening motion of the calculator  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is a phantom side view of calculator  1  which shows the position of pivotable planar members  15  and  20  when calculator  1  is in the closed position. 
     FIG. 5 is phantom side view of calculator  1  showing pivotable planar members  15  and  20  when calculator  1  is in the deployed position. 
     FIG. 6 is a detail of the mechanism which powers the deployment motion of calculator  1 . Prestressed torsion coil spring  26  is engaged at one end by boss groove  25  formed within housing  21  which is molded as part of pivotable planar member  20 . The opposite end of torsion spring  26  engages a boss groove (not shown) within drum  27 , which is prevented from turning in lower housing  4  by boss groove  29 . 
     Spring  26  is torqued prior to its insertion into housing  21  so as to create a source of energy to allow for calculator  1  to assume the deployed position from its closed position as described above. The inside of housing  21  forms a bearing surface around drum  27 . 
     In a damper mode, the outer surface of drum  27  is covered with a thick grease  28 ; this slows down the motion by providing a fluid shear counter-torque which is a function of the speed of rotation. In this manner, a relatively constant (slow and graceful) motion of housing halves  2  and  4  is achieved. 
     It is the layer of grease  28  between the inner surface of housing  21  and the outer surface of drum  27  which provides the slow motion action. During the manual closing action, energy is stored in spring  26 . 
     It is further noted that other modifications may be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention, as noted in the appended Claims.