Abstract:
The invention discloses an electronic device comprising a casing and a stand. The stand is detachably disposed on the casing for supporting the electronic device on a plane and rotatably disposed at a first position or a second position with respect to the casing. The casing has a first engaging portion located on a first side thereof The stand comprises a second engaging portion pivotally connected to the first engaging portion along a first direction. An incline extending along a second direction different from the first direction is disposed on the casing. Once the electronic device is hit by a force and the stand is at the second position, the stand will slide along the incline and then the second engaging portion will depart from the first engaging portion, so as to make the stand depart from the casing.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention generally relates to an electronic device, and more particularly, the stand of the electronic device is hard to be broken when the electronic device is hit by an external force. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    At present, electronic devices play the roles of indispensable application tools, such as mobile TV, notebook, digital camera (DC), voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phone, etc., in general life. 
         [0005]    In order to put the electronic devices on a plane (such as a tabletop) to make it easier for a user to watch the monitor of the electronic device without holding it, most of the manufacturers or designers of the electronic device provide a support stand for the electronic device. When the user wants to make the electronic device to stand on the plane, he or she only needs to extend the stand from the casing of the electronic device, and then makes the stand support the electronic device. 
         [0006]    However, in prior arts, the stand is connected to the casing of the electronic device by a latch or a hinge, and the stand can not be easily detached from the electronic device. When the electronic device is supported by the stand, and the electronic device is hit by an external force along a direction perpendicular to the plane, the stand can be easily broken by the external force. In addition, because the stand needs an extra latch, hinge or other elements to connect with the casing of the electronic device, the cost and labor to produce the electronic device is therefore increased. 
         [0007]    Accordingly, the main aspect of the present invention is to provide an electronic device with a stand which is hard to be broken by an external force to solve the problems of the prior arts. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide an electronic device. When the electronic device is hit by a force and the stand is opened correspondingly to the electronic device, the stand can be easily detached from the casing with no damage. 
         [0009]    According to an embodiment of the invention, the electronic device comprises a casing and a stand. The stand is detachably disposed on the casing for supporting the electronic device on the plane and rotatably disposed at a first position or a second position with respect to the casing. The casing has a first engaging portion located on a first side thereof, and the stand comprises a second engaging portion pivotally connected to the first engaging portion along a first direction. 
         [0010]    In the embodiment, an incline is located on the casing and extends along a second direction which is different from the first direction. When the electronic device is hit by a force at the second direction and the stand is disposed at the second position, the stand slides along the incline, and then the second engaging portion departs from the first engaging portion, so as to make the stand depart easily from the casing. 
         [0011]    Therefore, with the electronic device of the invention, the stand has the second engaging portion pivotally connected to the first engaging portion in the casing, there is no need for extra latches or hinges, and the present invention can efficiently decrease the cost and assembly labor in producing the electronic device. Besides, when the electronic device is placed on the plane with the open stand and hit by a force from a direction perpendicular to the plane, the stand slides along the incline and naturally departs from the electronic device with no damage. 
         [0012]    The objective of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, which is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE APPENDED DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is an exterior view illustrating the electronic device of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is another view illustrating the electronic device in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a view illustrating the stand in  FIG. 2  opened corresponding to the casing. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is an exterior view illustrating the casing in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is an exterior view illustrating the stand in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a sectional view illustrating the electronic device along line X-X in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a sectional view illustrating the electronic device along line Y-Y in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a view illustrating the stand detached from the casing in  FIG. 7 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is a partial sectional view illustrating the electronic device of another embodiment of the invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 10  is an inside view illustrating the casing of another embodiment of the invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 11  is an exterior view illustrating the stand of another embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0024]    Please refer to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 1  is an exterior view illustrating the electronic device  1  of an embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 2  is another view illustrating the electronic device  1  in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 3  is a view illustrating the stand  12  in  FIG. 2  opened corresponding to the casing  10 . The electronic device  1  may be any product that needs a stand such as a mobile TV, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phone, etc. The embodiment in this invention is a mobile TV, but not limited to it. 
         [0025]    It should be understood that the electronic device  1  is equipped with soft and hard elements essential to the operation, such as central processing unit (CPU), random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), display panel, backlight module, battery for the power supply, operating system, etc. These elements are well-known to people having ordinary skill in the art. The description related to such functions thus will not be explained herein. 
         [0026]    As shown in  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 3 , the electronic device  1  comprises a casing  10  and a stand  12 . The stand  12  is detachably and pivotally connected to the casing  10 , and rotatably disposed at a first position or a second position with respect to the casing  10 . In the embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the stand  12  is closed correspondingly to the casing  10  at the first position. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the stand  12  is opened correspondingly to the casing  10  at the second position and supports the electronic device  1  on a plane  3 . 
         [0027]    Please refer to  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 4  is an exterior view illustrating the casing  10  in  FIG. 3 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , a first side SI and a second side S 2  are defined on the casing  10 , and a first direction D 1  and a second direction D 2  different from the first direction D 1  are defined also. In the embodiment, the second direction D 2  is perpendicular to the first direction D 1  which is horizontal and parallel to the plane  3  in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0028]    The casing  10  preferably includes two first engaging portions  100  bulged along the first direction D 1  from the first side SI. An incline  102  is disposed on the casing  10 , and extends along the second direction D 2 . Specifically, the incline  102  includes a first end E 1  and a second end E 2  bulgier than the first end E 1  along the first direction D 1 . In other words, the incline  102  inclines gradually by the first end E 1  toward the second end E 2 . In addition, the casing  10  preferably has two third engaging portions  104  along the first direction D 1  bulged on the second side S 2 . Likewise, another incline  106  extends along the second direction D 2  is disposed on the second side S 2  of the casing  10 . 
         [0029]    In practice, the design of the casing  10  has the following variable combinations: (1) a first engaging portion  100  and a incline  102 , (2) two first engaging portions  100  and a incline  102 , (3) a first engaging portion  100 , a third engaging portion  104  and inclines  102 ,  106 , and (4) two first engaging portions  100 , two third engaging portion  104  and inclines  102 ,  106 . 
         [0030]    Please refer to  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 5  is an exterior view illustrating the stand  12  in  FIG. 3 . The stand  12  preferably includes two second engaging portions  120 . The second engaging portions  120  are pivotally connected to the first engaging portions  100  of the casing  10  along the first direction D 1 . Beside, the stand  12  preferably includes two fourth engaging portions  122  connected to the third engaging portions  104  of the casing  10  along the first direction D 1 . 
         [0031]    Coordinated with the casing  10 , the stand  12  is also designed with the following variable combinations: (i) a second engaging portion  120 , (ii) two second engaging portions  120 , (iii) a second engaging portion  120  and a fourth engaging portion  122 , and (iv) two second engaging portions  120  and two fourth engaging portions  122 . In principle, the stand  12  is pivotally connected to the casing  10  more stably by the casing  10  in (4) and the stand  12  in (iv). 
         [0032]    In the embodiment, the first engaging portion  100  and the third engaging portion  104  are designed as a first and a second protruding point respectively, and the second engaging portion  120  and the fourth engaging portion  122  are designed as a first and a second sheet with a first and a second aperture respectively. In another embodiment, the first engaging portion  100  and the third engaging portion  104  are designed with a hole, and the second engaging portion  120  and the fourth engaging portion  122  are designed with a sheet having a protruding point. Since the third and the fourth engaging portions  104  and  122  are approximately identical to the first and the second engaging portions  100  and  120 , the operation between the first engaging portion  100  and the second engaging portion  120  is further explained thereinafter. 
         [0033]    Please refer to  FIG. 6 .  FIG. 6  is a sectional view illustrating the electronic device  1  along line X-X in  FIG. 2 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the depth d of the first aperture of the first sheet (the second engaging portion  120 ) is larger than the height h of the protruding point (the first engaging portion  100 ). The height h of the protruding point is preferably designed as larger than half and smaller than the depth d of the first aperture of the first sheet. 
         [0034]    In the embodiment, the first engaging portion  100  is a protruding point with an arc surface. When a user presses the stand  12  toward the casing  10 , the first sheet of the second engaging portion  120  will deform slightly along the arc surface of the first engaging portion  100  till the first protruding point (the first engaging portion  100 ) interposes the first aperture of the first sheet (the second engaging portion  120 ). Thus, the stand  12  can easily be assembled in and disassembled from the casing  10  reversely. 
         [0035]    Please refer to  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 .  FIG. 7  is a sectional view illustrating the electronic device  1  along line Y-Y in  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 8  is a view illustrating the stand  12  detached from the casing  10  in  FIG. 7 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , when the stand  12  is disposed at the second position (namely, when the stand is opened relative to the casing), the stand  12  stably supports the electronic device  1  on the plane  3  and the top of the stand  12  is against the first end E 1  of the incline  102 . When the electronic device  1  is hit by a force F along the second direction D 2 , the top of the stand  12  slides along the incline  120 , and the first sheet deforms slightly at the first direction D 1  and along the arc surface of the first engaging portion  100 . Till the first aperture of the first sheet (the second engaging portion  120 ) disengages from the first protruding point  100 , the stand  12  detaches from the casing  10  as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
         [0036]    Please refer to  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5  again. In the embodiment, the casing  10  includes a recess  108 , and the stand  12  includes a latch  124 . When the stand  12  is disposed at the first position (namely, the stand is closed relative to the casing  10 ), the latch  124  is engaged with the recess  108 . 
         [0037]    Please refer to  FIG. 9 .  FIG. 9  is a partial sectional view illustrating the electronic device  1 ′ of another embodiment of the invention. Except the processor  14  and the sensor  16 , the remaining elements in the electronic device  1 ′ are identical to those of the electronic device  1 . The description related to such functions thus will not be stated herein. 
         [0038]    As shown in  FIG. 9 , the sensor  16 , electrically connected to the processor  14 , is disposed on the casing  10  and adjacent to the first engaging portion  100 . As long as the stand  12  is pivotally connected to the casing  10 , even during rotation with respect to the casing  10 , the second engaging portion  120  of the stand  12  leans against the sensor  16 . When the electronic device  1 ′ is turned on and hit by a force, which results in the separation of the stand  12  and the casing  10 , the sensor  16  will send out a signal to the processor  14 , and the processor  14  will shut down to protect the electronic device  1 ′ according to the signal. 
         [0039]    Please refer to  FIG. 10 .  FIG. 10  is an inside view illustrating the casing  30  of another embodiment of the invention. Different with the casing  10  in  FIG. 4 , the first engaging portion  300  of the casing  30  is designed as a hole and the incline  302  is located in a track  301 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , the incline  302 , including a first end E 1 ′ and a second end E 2 ′, extends along the second direction D 2 . The second end E 2 ′ is bulgier than the first end E 1 ′ at the first direction D 1 . In other words, the incline  302  gradually inclines from the first end E 1 ′ toward the second end E 2 ′. 
         [0040]    Please refer to  FIG. 11 .  FIG. 11  is an exterior view illustrating the stand  32  of another embodiment of the invention. The stand  32  is designed to match the casing  30  in  FIG. 10 . Different with the stand  12  in  FIG. 5 , the second engaging portion  320  of the stand  32  is a sheet having a protruding point. As shown in  FIG. 11 , the second engaging portion  320  has two protruding points  3200  and  3202 . The stand  32  is pivotally connected to the first engaging portion  300  (hole) of the casing  30  by the protruding point  3200 , and the protruding point  3202  leans against the incline  302  in the track  301 . The protruding point  3202  is preferably designed higher than the protruding point  3200 , and the protruding point  3200  slightly engaged to the first engaging portion  300  (hole), i.e. the height of the protruding point  3200  is smaller than the depth of the first engaging portion  300 . Other mechanisms of the stand  32  and the casing  30  are approximately the same with those of the stand  12  and the casing  10 , thus, the description related to such functions will not be stated herein. 
         [0041]    It should be understood that the first engaging portion  300  (hole) may be formed at the first end E 1 ′ of the incline  302  on the casing  30 , and the protruding point  3200  of the stand  32  may be omitted accordingly. In addition, the track  301  and the incline  302  may be designed on the stand  32 . The design varies with different application and should not be confined to  FIG. 10  and  FIG. 11 . 
         [0042]    To sum up, the second engaging portion of the stand is detachably and pivotally connected to the first engaging portion of the casing in the electronic device of the invention. In contrast to the prior art, there is no need for extra latches or hinges, and the present invention can efficiently decrease the cost and assembly labor in producing the electronic device. In addition, when the electronic device is placed on the plane by the opened stand and hit by a force from a direction perpendicular to the plane, the stand slides along the incline and departs easily from the electronic device with no damage. 
         [0043]    Although the present invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it should be understood that it is in no way limited to the details of such embodiment but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.