Abstract:
An electronic device cabinet for an electronic device is provided with a cover and an engaging member that holds the cover in a closed state. The engaging member has an integrally formed impelling member that acts upon the engaging member and furthers the interengagement with said cover. The integrally formed engagement member and impelling member can be attached to the cabinet in a simple maneuver, thereby simplifying the overall assembly of the electronic device cabinet.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention concerns an electronic device cabinet having a main body and a cover that is rotatably attached to the cabinet main body, and in particular, an engagement member having a simplified construction for engaging said cover and for controlling the open and closed state of said cover.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Heretofore known as cabinets for entertainment devices that employ optical disks, such as CD players, DVD players and the like, are cabinets that have a cover whose end is attached rotatably to a cabinet main body and in which the cover is opened and closed using elastic force. Such a cabinet is usually constructed in such a way that the cover is attached rotatably to the inner side of the cabinet main body by a hinge or other mechanism, a spring or other impelling means is provided inside the cabinet main body, and the cover is opened by releasing the elastic force of the spring. Provided on the cabinet main body in a location away from the attachment of the cover is usually an engaging member that advances and retracts with respect to the cover, and the cover can be closed by engaging the end of the cover with this engaging member. This engaging member usually has a sloping surface that comes into contact with a button or other pressing member, and when the operator presses the button, the pressing force acts via the sloping surface as a force in the advance-and-retract direction of the engaging member, and it moves away from the cover end. When the operator releases his hand from the button, it is necessary to restore the engaging member to its original position and engage the cover with the engaging member, so a spring or other impelling means is provided on the advance-and-retract direction base end part of the engaging member.  
           [0003]    However, in such a conventional electronic device cabinet the engagement structure of the cover consists of a button, engaging member, and impelling means, with a large number of parts, which creates the problem that much work is required during assembly, and it is difficult to assemble the electronic device efficiently. Thus, during assembly a spring or other impelling means must be mounted on the base end part of the engaging member in a bent state, which complicates the assembly operation.  
         OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an electronic device cabinet and an electronic device having a reduced assembly operation.  
           [0005]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electronic device cabinet and an electronic device having an engagement member for engaging the cover of the cabinet and for controlling the open and closed state of the cover.  
           [0006]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electronic device cabinet and an electronic device having an engagement member with an impelling means that is formed integrally with the engagement member.  
           [0007]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electronic device cabinet and an electronic device having an engagement member with an impelling means that can be withdrawn from and inserted into the electronic device cabinet in a simple operation.  
           [0008]    Still other objects and advantages of the invention will become clear upon review of the following detailed description in conjunction with the appended drawings.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    An electronic device cabinet having a cabinet main body and a cover whose end is attached rotatably to the cabinet main body, is provided with an engaging member that advances and retracts with respect to the end of said cover and holds said cover in closed state by engaging said end of said cover. The engaging member has an engaging part main body that engages the end of said cover and an impelling means that impels this main body in the advance-and-retract direction, both the engaging part main body and the impelling means being formed integrally. Because of such integrated construction, the engaging part main body and the impelling means can be attached just by fitting the engaging member onto the cabinet main body, which greatly simplifies the assembly operation. Such cabinet can be used is an entertainment device such as a CD or DVD player or a game device, and using the construction of the present invention on these electronic devices can simplify the structure of the cabinet, which is desirable in making electronic devices smaller and lighter, and in reducing their cost. It is desirable that the impelling means have a symmetric construction for attributing a uniform force on said engagement member, and be formed in the shape of a ring. It is also desirable that a guide is provided on said cabinet main body for regulating the movement of the engaging part main body. It is also desirable to constitute said engaging member as an integral molding of injection-molded polyacetal, because polyacetal is a good sliding material and has good fatigue resistance.  
           [0010]    It is also desirable that there be formed in said cabinet main body an opening into which the cover is press-fitted, and that there be provided on the circumferential edge of this opening a depression outside of which the circumferential edge of said cover is exposed in the state in which the cover is press-fitted into said opening.  
           [0011]    It is also desirable that said cabinet main body have a pair of accommodation members or cabinet halves that, by engaging with each other, accommodate inside them a device main body that has electronic components, etc., that there be formed in the cabinet main body an opening part that exposes connection terminals for external device connection that are provided on said device main body, and that this opening part straddle the boundary part of the pair of accommodation members.  
           [0012]    Here, the connection terminals for external device connection might include, but are not limited to, for example, controller connectors (terminals) to which controllers are connected and audio and video output terminals for outputting signals from the device main body to a television receiver, as well as power supply terminals, ect. for supplying electric power to the device main body from an external power source.  
           [0013]    Also, the opening part that straddles the boundary part (engagement line) of the pair of accommodation members might include but not be limited to, for example, an opening part that consists of openings formed in each of the pair of accommodation members facing the boundary part, as well as an opening part, etc. that consists of an opening formed in one or the other of the pair of accommodation members facing the boundary part.  
           [0014]    Thus, the pair of accommodation members that constitute the cabinet main body is normally formed by injection molding using a metal mold that has an upper mold (cavity) and a lower mold (core). In doing so, if for example one is to form in the accommodation members an opening part that exposes connection terminals provided on the device main body, the accommodation members are formed by (1) engaging the upper and lower molds and inserting into the metal mold a slide core that moves horizontally, (2) injecting resin into the metal mold, (3) moving the slide core and removing it from inside the metal mold, and (4) raising the upper mold and separating the molding from the mold. But this requires additional steps for moving the slide core, which creates the problem of detracting from the productivity of the accommodation members.  
           [0015]    Thus if an opening part is formed that straddles the boundary part of the pair of accommodation members instead of forming an opening part inside the accommodation members, then it suffices to form in each accommodation member an opening facing the boundary part, which makes a slide core unnecessary, reduces the number of manufacturing steps, and thereby improves the productivity of the accommodation members. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a living room including an electronic device and cabinet of the present invention.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an entertainment device of the present invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the entertainment device of FIG. 2 with its cover open.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the open-close button portion of said entertainment device of the invention.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the engaging member of the present invention.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the attachment of the engaging member of the invention with the cabinet main body of the invention.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the attachment of the engaging member with a portion of the cabinet. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0023]    The following detailed description is of the best mode or modes of the invention presently contemplated. Such description is not intended to be understood in a limiting sense, but to be an example of the invention presented solely for illustration thereof, and by reference to which in connection with the following description and the accompanying drawings one skilled in the art may be advised of the advantages and construction of the invention. In the various views of the drawings, like reference characters designate like or similar parts.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 1 shows part of a living room  100  in which is set up a television receiver  3 , which outputs images and sound, etc., an entertainment device  1 , which is an electronic device that is connected to this television receiver  3 , and a controller  2 , which is an operation device that sends instructions to entertainment device  1 . Entertainment device  1  for example reads a game program, etc. recorded on an optical disk, etc. and executes it according to instructions from controller  2  operated by the user (game player).  
         [0025]    As shown in FIG. 2, entertainment device  1  comprises a device main body (not pictured), which has electronic parts, etc., and entertainment device cabinet  10 , which has cabinet main body  10 A, upper case  11  and lower case  12 , which accommodate the device main body by engaging together, and it is preferably formed in a flat square shape. Upper case  11  and lower case  12  are preferably formed by injection molding.  
         [0026]    Upper case  11  has a flat roughly circular cover  13  provided in the middle and upper case main body  14  provided around this cover  13 . Cover  13  is made in such a way that one press-fits it into opening  14 E to close said cover  13 . Formed on the circumferential edge of opening  14 E is depression  14 F, where the circumferential edge of said cover  13  is exposed to the outside in the state in which cover  13  is press-fitted into said opening  14 E (see FIG. 2). Lower case  12 , which covers the device main body from below, is made in such a way that its end engages with the end of upper case main body  14 . The part where these ends engage with one another is the boundary part of lower case  12  and upper case  11 .  
         [0027]    On the left side of cover  13  is power button  15 , which is operated when turning the power to the device on or off, and on the right side of cover  13  is open-close button  16 , which is operated when opening or closing said cover  13 . Two slots  17 , which are connection terminals for external device connections, are exposed on the side of cabinet  10  that appears in the front in FIGS. 2 and 3. Each slot  17  has a memory card insertion part  18 , which is positioned toward the top, and a controller connection part  19 , which is positioned toward the bottom. Memory card insertion part  18  is for inserting a memory card or other external auxiliary memory device, and its insertion hole  18 A, which straddles the boundary part (engagement line) of upper case main body  14  (upper case  11 ) and lower case  12 , is preferably formed in a rectangular shape, with its longer direction being horizontal. Provided on this memory card insertion part  18  is cover  18 B for protecting the connection terminals provided inside it. Insertion hole  18 A is formed by openings  31  and  32 , which are formed in upper case main body  14  (upper case  11 ) and lower case  12 , respectively, facing the boundary of upper case main body  14  and lower case  12 . Controller connection part  19  is an input-output terminal for the input and output of signals; to which is connected the connection terminal (not shown) formed on the end of a controller cable that extends from controller  2  (see FIG. 1). Insertion hole  19 A is preferably formed in a rectangular shape, with its longer direction being horizontal, and is preferably shaped so that its corners at the bottom are rounder than its corners at the top. Shaping insertion hole  19 A in this way prevents the connection terminal (not shown) of controller  2  from being connected in the wrong orientation. Also, because the shape of insertion hole  19 A is made with a structure that is different from the shape of insertion hole  18 A of memory card insertion part  18 , there is no danger of mistakenly inserting an external auxiliary memory device into insertion hole  19 A of controller connection part  19 , and vice versa.  
         [0028]    Positioned on the side opposite the side on which these slots  17  are positioned, are a power connector (not shown), to which an AC adaptor (not shown) is connected and which is a power supply terminal supplying electric power from an external power source (not shown) to the device main body, and video and audio output terminals (not shown) for outputting to television receiver  3  video signals, audio signals, and various other signals recorded on an optical disk (not pictured). Also, the opening part (not shown) through which this power source connector and these video and audio output terminals are exposed to the outside is formed, like the aforementioned insertion hole  18 A, by an opening formed on lower case  12  facing the boundary of upper case main body  14  and lower case  12 .  
         [0029]    As shown in FIG. 3, cover  13  comprises a roughly flat round disk covering unit  21 , which covers disk mounting part  20  onto which optical disk  4  is mounted, and an attachment part  22 , which extends from part of the circumferential edge of disk covering unit  21  and whose end is rotatably attached to upper case main body  14  by a hinge mechanism. Provided inside upper case main body  14  is spring  14 A, whose one end comes into contact with cover  13 ; which biases the cover  13  into the open position as shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0030]    Provided on part of the circumferential edge of disk covering unit  21  and protruding toward the lower case  12  side is rod-shaped member  21 A, which presses an open-closed detection switch (not pictured) that detects whether cover  13  is open or closed, and square-shaped engagement piece  21 B, in the middle of which is formed recess  21 C. Rod-shaped member  21 A and engagement piece  21 B are formed on said disk covering unit  21  in a position corresponding to or aligned with the position of open-close button  16 .  
         [0031]    As shown in FIG. 4, open-close button  16  includes a pressing member  23 , which is exposed to the outside and adapted to be pressed by a user, and engaging member  24 , which is positioned on upper case main body  14  below pressing member  23 . Pressing member  23  has pressing part  23 A, whose cross-section is preferably in the shape of a squared-off “C” and which is a flat round shape, and contact part  23 B, which is formed roughly in the middle on the engaging member  24  side of this pressing part  23 A, whose tip comes into contact with said engaging member  24 , and whose side surface is of rectangular shape.  
         [0032]    As shown in FIGS.  4 - 7 , engaging member  24  advances and retracts (arrow A in FIG. 4) with respect to engagement piece  21 B of disk covering unit  21 ; and holds cover  13  in a closed state by engaging engagement piece  21 B; and has engaging part main body  25 , which engages engagement piece  21 B, and impelling means  26 , which impels engaging part main body  25  in the advance-and-retract direction; and is preferably constituted as an integral molding of injection-molded polyacetal. Engaging part main body  25  comprises a flat protruding-shaped main body upper part  27 , which is exposed to the outside when pressing member  23  is removed, and a flat protruding-shaped main body lower part  28 , which is formed on the lower side of this main body upper part  27  and is a little smaller than said main body upper part  27 . Main body upper part  27  fits snugly between a pair of guides  14 B formed in upper case main body  14 , thus regulating the movement of engaging member  24  perpendicular to the advance-and-retract direction. Formed on the tip of main body upper part  27  is sloping surface  27 A, which slopes downward toward the middle of disk mounting part  20  (see FIG. 4). The tip of sloping surface  27 A protrudes into disk mounting part  20  when button  16  is not being pressed downwardly and when impelled toward disk mounting part  20  by impelling means  26 . In this way, cover  13  can be held in the closed state by engaging tip  27 A in recess  21 C of engagement piece  21 B. Main body lower part  28  fits snugly into opening  14 C (FIG. 7), which is formed in upper case main body  14  and is roughly the same as the flat shape of said main body lower part  28 , in this way also regulating the movement of engaging member  24  perpendicular to the advance-and-retract direction. Formed approximately in the middle of main body upper and lower parts  27  and  28  respectively is flat square-shaped through-hole  29 . Among the inside surfaces that form through-hole  29 , together with being perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of engaging part main body  25 , the inside surface formed on the impelling means  26  side is sloping surface  29 A, which slopes toward disk mounting part  20 . Contact part  23 B of aforesaid pressing member  23  makes contact with this sloping surface  29 A (FIG. 4). Thus when the operator presses pressing member  23 , sloping surface  29 A is pressed by contact part  23 B, and by the pressing force that acts on this sloping surface  29 A, engaging member  24  moves in a direction away from engagement piece  21 B. In other words, the pressing force caused by pressing member  23  is converted by sloping surface  29 A into a force in the advance-and-retract direction of engaging member  24 , thereby allowing engaging member  24  to be separated from engagement piece  21 B.  
         [0033]    Impelling means  26  is formed in ring shape in plan view, and is formed and positioned so as to be mutually symmetrical with respect to the centerline along the longitudinal direction of engaging member  24 . One end of impelling means  26  facing engaging part main body  25  comes into contact with receiving part  14 D, which is formed in upper case main body  14  and has an L-shaped cross-section. In this way, impelling means  26  maintains the prescribed elastic force between engaging part main body  25  and receiving part  14 D. When the operator removes his hand from pressing part  23 A or closes cover  13 , engaging member  24  is automatically restored to its original position by impelling means  26 , thus making it possible to automatically engage cover  13  by engaging member  24 . Engaging member  24  fits main body lower part  28  snugly into opening  14 C in a state in which the part that comes into contact with receiving part  14 D of impelling means  26  is bent, and after it is fitted in, upper case main body  14  can be attached by releasing the bend of impelling means  26  and engaging said impelling means  26  into receiving part  14 D.  
         [0034]    The operation of opening and closing cover  13  of such an entertainment device  1  is as follows.  
         [0035]    First, when cover  13  is closed (FIGS. 2 and 4), that is, if the tip  27 A of main body upper part  27  is engaged in recess  21 C of engagement piece  21 B, then when the operator presses member  23 , contact part  23 B of pressing member  23  is inserted into through-hole  29  of engaging part main body  25  and presses against sloping surface  29 A. The pressing force applied by contact part  23 B against  29 A causes engaging member  24  to move in the direction away from engagement piece  21 B. In this way, the tip  27 A of main body upper part  27  comes away from engagement piece  21 B, and cover  13  is released by the elastic force of spring  14 A (FIG. 3).  
         [0036]    When the operator releases his hand from pressing part  23 A, the pressing force on sloping surface  29 A disappears, and the impelling force of impelling means  26  causes engaging part main body  25  to move toward disk mounting part  20 , and engaging member  24  returns to its original position.  
         [0037]    If cover  13  is closed after optical disk  4  is mounted on disk mounting part  20 , when said cover  13  is pressed toward disk mounting part  20 , the lower surface of engagement piece  21 B presses sloping surface  27 A of the tip of main body upper part  27 , and engaging member  24  moves away from engagement piece  21 B. In addition, by pressing cover  13  toward disk mounting part  20 , engaging member  24 , which had moved away from engagement piece  21 B, moves toward recess  21 C of engagement piece  21 B, and the tip of main body upper part  27  engages with said engagement piece  21 B. In this way, cover  13  can be closed.  
         [0038]    Thus, because engaging part main body  25  and impelling means  26  are integrated, engaging part main body  25  and the impelling means  26  can be attached just by fitting engaging member  24  onto upper case main body  14 , which simplifies the assembly operation of the electronic device cabinet of the invention. In addition, because impelling means  26  is constituted symmetrically about the engaging member  24 , the impelling force in the advance-and-retract direction can be made to act on engaging member  24  uniformly left and right. In addition, the structure of impelling means  26  can be simplified by constituting it in a ring shape.  
         [0039]    Moreover, because formed on upper case main body  14  is guide  14 B that regulates the movement of engaging part main body  25  along the advance-and-retract direction and is positioned perpendicular to the advance-and-retract direction of engaging member  24 , engaging member  24  can be mounted along guide  14 B, which further simplifies the assembly operation of the cabinet of the invention.  
         [0040]    And since engaging member  24  is preferably made of polyacetal, because polyacetal is a good sliding material and has good fatigue resistance, one can slide engaging part main body  25  smoothly along upper case main body  14  and maintain the impelling force of impelling means  26  for a long time.  
         [0041]    In addition, because depression  14 F is provided on the circumferential edge of opening  14 E of upper case main body  14 , after cover  13  is attached to upper case main body  14 , when doing a confirmation that said cover  13  is attached, etc., it is simple to open and close said cover  13  by latching a finger onto the circumferential edge of cover  13  that is exposed in depression  14 F. This makes it easy to confirm attachment of cover  13 , etc. Furthermore, because depression  14 F is provided on the circumferential edge  14 E of upper case main body  14  and is dimensioned such that the base of the depression  14 F is aligned with or below the height of an inserted optical disk  4  (see FIG. 3), access to an inserted optical disk, and in particular the edge of such a disk, for removal or the like can be made easier.  
         [0042]    And because insertion hole  18 A is formed straddling the boundary part of upper case main body  14  and lower case  12 , it suffices to form in each of upper case main body  14  and lower case  12  an opening in which one side is missing, which eliminates the former need for a slide core. This can reduce the number of manufacturing steps and increase the productivity of upper case  11  and lower case  12 .  
         [0043]    This invention is not limited to the aforesaid embodiment but includes other compositions, modifications, etc. including, but not limited to the following.  
         [0044]    For example, the material of the engaging member is not limited to polyacetal; one may also use a thermoplastic resin such as, for example, nylon or polycarbonate. Other appropriate materials may also be used.  
         [0045]    In the above embodiment, while a guide is formed on the main body for guiding the movement of the engagement member, such a guide may not be necessary if, for example, the lower part of the main body of the engaging member is press-fit into an opening and there is no movement at all of engaging member  24  perpendicular to the advance-and-retract direction.  
         [0046]    Moreover, while in the aforesaid embodiment the impelling means is formed in the shape of a ring, it could also be formed in the shape of a spiral or wave. Other shapes are also contemplated.  
         [0047]    Also, while in the aforesaid embodiment it is preferred that the impelling means is positioned symmetrically with respect to the engagement member in the advance and retreat direction, it could also be constituted asymmetrically if desired.  
         [0048]    In addition, while depression  14 F is preferably provided on the circumferential edge of opening  14 E, it need not be present if, for example, the cover can be opened and closed simply by latching with a claw, etc.  
         [0049]    While the present invention has been described at some length and with some particularity with respect to the several described embodiments, it is not intended that it should be limited to any such particulars or embodiments or any particular embodiment, but it is to be construed with references to the appended claims so as to provide the broadest possible interpretation of such claims in view of the prior art and, therefore, to effectively encompass the intended scope of the invention.