Abstract:
A display tilt adjusting apparatus which may be employed in an electronic terminal device such as an electronic cash register is provided. The apparatus includes a pivotal support member, a stay, and a stay holding mechanism. The pivotal support member supports a display unit pivotably. The stay is connected to the display unit. The stay holding mechanism holds the stay to keep a display surface of the display unit at a set angular position. The stay holding mechanism is designed to produce a given degree of resistance to movement of the stay in a direction in which the display surface tilts rearward and keeps the stay free from the resistance in response to movement of the stay in an opposite direction in which the display surface tilts frontward.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to an improved tilt adjusting mechanism for a display which is suitable for electronic terminal devices such as electronic cash registers. 
     2. Background Art 
     FIG. 15 shows a conventional electronic cash register which includes a display  60  and a key board  61 . Data is inputted using the key board  61  and then indicated on the display  60 . 
     The display  60  is stationary on the cash register and impossible to tilt to a desired angular position at which the display faces an operator in alignment with his or her line-of-sight. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a tilting mechanism for a display which is suitable for an electronic terminal device such as electronic cash register. 
     According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a display tilt adjusting apparatus which comprises: (a) a pivotal support member supporting a display unit pivotably within a given angular range; (b) a stay connected to the display unit; and (c) a stay holding mechanism holding the stay to keep a display surface of the display unit at a set angular position. The stay holding mechanism produces a given degree of resistance to movement of the stay in a first direction in which the display surface tilts rearward and keeps the stay free from the resistance in response to movement of the stay in a second direction opposite the first direction in which the display surface tilts frontward. 
     In the preferred mode of the invention, the stay is made of a strip member. The stay holding mechanism includes a holder, a sliding member, a roller, and an elastic member. The holder retains the sliding member, the roller, and the elastic member. The sliding member guides sliding movement of the stay in the first and second directions. The elastic member elastically presses the roller against the sliding member to form a nip therebetween through which the stay passes. The roller is supported by the holder to be movable in a third direction oriented at a given angle to the first and second directions in which the roller is responsive to the movement of the stay in the second direction to move to release the stay from the nip. 
     The holder of the stay holding mechanism includes a plate member having a major wall and side walls extending from the major wall substantially perpendicular to the major wall. The sliding member is attached to the major wall. The side walls has formed therein elongated holes through which the roller is inserted and which extend in the third direction. The elastic member is made of a spring connected to an end of the roller and a portion of the holder to urge the roller against the sliding member to form the nip through which the stay passes. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an information terminal device which comprises: (a) a housing; (b) a display unit mounted on the housing pivotably within a given angular range; and (c) a display tilt adjusting mechanism. The display tilt adjusting mechanism includes a stay and a stay holding mechanism. The stay has a given length and is connected at one end to the display unit. The stay holding mechanism holds the stay to keep a display surface of the display unit at a set angular position, produces a given degree of resistance to movement of the stay in a first direction in which the display surface tilts rearward, and keeps the stay free from the resistance in response to movement of the stay in a second direction opposite the first direction in which the display surface tilts frontward 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description given hereinbelow and from the accompanying drawings of the preferred embodiment of the invention, which, however, should not be taken to limit the invention to the specific embodiments but are for the purpose of explanation and understanding only. 
     In the drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view which shows an electronic cash register according to the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a partially cross sectional view which shows a display angle adjustable mechanism; 
     FIG.  3 ( a ) is a partial view which shows a stay holder when a stay is moved upward; 
     FIG.  3 ( b ) is a partial view which shows a stay holder when a stay is moved downward; 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of the electronic cash register in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a side view which shows an upper casing of a housing of an electronic cash register; 
     FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of the upper casing in FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is a partial plan view which shows a bill holder; 
     FIGS.  8 ( a ) and  8 ( b ) are partial cross sectional views taken along the line A—A in FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 9 is a side view which shows a stay supporting tilting motion of a display; 
     FIG. 10 is a top view as viewed from the direction H in FIG. 9; 
     FIG. 11 is an illustration which shows a support shaft installed in a stay holder; 
     FIG. 12 is a plan view which shows a stay holder; 
     FIG. 13 is a side view as viewed from the direction I in FIG. 12; 
     FIG. 14 is a front view as viewed from the direction J in FIG. 12; and 
     FIG. 15 is a perspective view which shows a conventional electronic cash register. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings, particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown an electronic cash register with a display tilt adjusting mechanism according to the present invention. 
     The electronic cash register has a housing  1 . The housing  1  consists of a lower casing  2  and an upper casing  3 . The lower casing  2  has disposed therein a chassis mount (not shown) having the bottom in which an opening is formed. The lower casing  2  has an engaging portion  5  formed on an upper edge. 
     The upper casing  3 , as shown in FIGS. 4 to  6 , includes an upper wall  6  and a side wall  7  surrounding the periphery of the upper wall  6 . The side wall  7  has an engaging portion  7 A formed on a lower edge thereof. The upper wall  6  has formed thereon a bill holder  8 , a pen holder  4 , a bearing assembly  9 , and a display mount  10 . The lower casing  2  and the upper casing  3  are joined in tight engagement of the engaging portions  5  with the engagement portion  7 A. 
     The bill holder  8 , as clearly shown in FIGS. 7,  8 ( a ), and  8 ( b ), has a bill tray  11  formed with a flat recess. A bill holding mechanism  12  is disposed on the center of a rear end of the bill tray  11 . The bill holding mechanism  12  includes a holder latch  13  formed on a rear wall of the bill tray  11 , a holder  14  secured detachably by the holder latch  13 , a cushion plate  15  retained by the holder  14 , and a steel ball  16 . The holder  14  has formed therein a cushion chamber  17  in which the cushion plate  15  and the steel ball  16  are disposed. The cushion plate  17  produces elastic pressure urging the steel ball  16  into constant engagement with the bill tray  11 , thereby allowing, as indicated by P in FIG.  8 ( b ), a bill to be held between the bill tray  11  and the steel ball  16  tightly. 
     The upper wall  6  has the pen holder  4  formed behind the bill holder  8 . The pen holder  4  is defined by a protrusion  18  extending in a width-wise direction of the upper wall  6  in parallel to the rear wall of the bill holder  8 . 
     The bearing assembly  9  includes, as clearly shown in FIGS. 4 to  6 , a front display mount protrusion  20 , a rear display mount protrusion  21 , and right and left bearings  24 . The display mount protrusions  20  and  21  extend in the width-wise direction of the upper casing  3 . The bearings  24  are disposed between the display mount protrusions  20  and  21 . 
     The display mount  10  includes a font slant wall  25  and a rear slant wall  26 . Rectangular walls  27 , as clearly shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, are formed on both sides of the front slant wall  25 . The rectangular walls  27  have formed therein stay guide slots  28 . 
     The display  30  is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, pivotably  10  supported by the bearing assembly  9 . The display  30  includes a casing  33  consisting of rear and front covers  31  and  32 , a touch sensitive panel  34 , and a protective sheet  35 . The touch sensitive panel  34  is installed in the front cover  32 . The protective sheet  35  covers the surface of the touch sensitive panel  34 . The rear cover  31  has recesses formed in right, left, and upper edges of a peripheral wall  31 A thereof for engagement with claws formed on the front cover  32  and also has a pair of cover bearings (not shown) mounted on right and left lower portions of an inner wall thereof. The cover bearings are arranged in alignment with the bearings  24  of the bearing assembly  9 . A supporting shaft  24 A is inserted through the cover bearings of the rear cover  31  and the bearings  24  of the bearing assembly  9  to support the rear cover  31  pivotably so that the display  30  may tilt back and forth (i.e., a lengthwise direction of the cash register) within a given angular range. 
     A pair of stays  36  are installed at flanges  36 A, as shown in FIG. 10, on right and left portions of an outer wall of the rear cover  31  using screws and inserted into the stay guide slots  28  formed in the display mount  10 . 
     A display tilt adjusting mechanism  40 , as clearly shown in FIG. 2, which adjusts an angular position of the display  30  is disposed on an inner surface of the front slant wall  25  of the display mount  10 . The display tilt adjusting mechanism  40  includes stay holders  41  each of which, as shown in FIGS. 12 to  14 , has a plate  43  bent at right angles to a mount flange (or major wall)  42  having a mount hole  42   a  formed therein and a pair of shaft retainers  44  bent at right angles to both sides of the plate  43 . The shaft retainers (or side walls)  44  each have, as shown in FIG. 13, formed therein an elongated hole  45  which extends with an inclination of α (e.g., 15°) to the surface  43   a  of the plate  43 . The shaft retainers  44  each have a mount plate  46  bent at right angles which has formed thereon a spring hook  47 . 
     A resinous sliding plate  148  is, as shown in FIGS.  3 ( a ) and  3 ( b ), attached to the surface  43   a  of the plate  43  for facilitating ease of movement of the stay  36 . A support shaft  48 , as shown in FIGS. 2,  3 ( a ),  3 ( b ), and  11  is inserted through the elongated holes  45  of the shaft retainers  44  so as to be movable in a lengthwise direction of the elongated holes  45 . The support shaft  48  has a roller  49  wound therearound. The support shaft  48 , as shown in FIG. 11, has formed in ends thereof grooves  50 . Coil springs  51  are hung at one end on the grooves  50  of the support shaft  48  and at the other end on the spring hooks  47  of the mount plates  46 , respectively, to elastically urge the support shaft  48  to lower ends  45   b  of the elongated holes  45  to bring the roller  49  into engagement with the sliding plate  148 . 
     The display tilt adjusting mechanism  40  thus constructed is disposed in the upper casing  3  with the mount flanges  42  of the stay holders  41  secured using screws on a mount block  53 , as shown in FIG. 2, formed on the inner wall of the upper casing  3 . Each of the stays  36  extending through one of the stay guide slots  28  inward of the upper casing  3  passes through a nip formed by the roller  49  and the sliding plate  148  of one of the stay holders  41 . Each of the stays  36  has disposed on an end a stopper  54 , as shown in FIG. 2, which is made of a protrusion for avoiding dislodgment of the stay  36  from the stay holder  41 . 
     In operation, when it is required to tilt the display  30  frontward, an operator pulls the display  30  manually. This causes, as shown in FIG.  3 ( a ), each of the stays  36  to be moved upward, thereby lifting up the roller  49  slightly which is pressed against the stay  36 , so that the support shaft  48  is moved upward against the spring pressure of the coil spring  51  along the elongated hole  45 . The elongated hole  45  is, as described above, oriented at the angle α to the surface  43   a  of the plate  43 . The upward movement of the support shaft  48 , thus, causes the roller  49  to move into disengagement from the surface of the stay  36 , thereby releasing the stay  36  from the nip formed by the roller  49  and the sliding plate  148 , which allows the display  30  to be tilted frontward smoothly. 
     When the tilting motion of the display  30  is stopped by the operator, it will cause the support shaft  48  of each of the stay holders  41  to be urged downward by the spring pressure of the coil spring  51  to press the stay  36  against the sliding plate  48  to lock the stay  36 , so that the display  30  is held at a desired angle. 
     When it is required to tilt the display  30  backward, the operator pushes the display  30  manually.. This causes the stays  36  to be moved downward. The downward movement of each of the stays  36  increases the nip provided by the roller  49  and the sliding plate  148 . When the operator pushes the display  30  with pressure greater than the nips of the stays  36 , each of the stay  36 , as clearly shown in FIG.  3 ( b ), slides downward along the sliding plate  148 . When the operator stops pushing the display  30 , the display  30  is held at a desired angle. 
     While the present invention has been disclosed in terms of the preferred embodiments in order to facilitate better understanding thereof, it should be appreciated that the invention can be embodied in various ways without departing from the principle of the invention. Therefore, the invention should be understood to include all possible embodiments and modifications to the shown embodiments which can be embodied without departing from the principle of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.