Patent Publication Number: US-2007115623-A1

Title: Electronic device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 94140911, filed on Nov. 22, 2005. All disclosure of the Taiwan application is incorporated herein by reference.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to an electronic device. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electronic device with built-in transmission cable and connector.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      With the maturity of data processing techniques, personal computers have become an indispensable device for processing documents, recreation, data transmission and interpersonal communication. However, due to functional considerations, the volume of most personal computers can hardly be miniaturized further improve the portability.  
      To meet the demands for portability, portable notebook computers have been developed for the convenience of the consumers. Although the notebook computer cannot include all the powerful functions of a personal computer, the slim and compact design of a notebook computer and the provision of all the basic needs demanded by most users render it highly popular on the consumer market.  
      However, notebook computers are normally expensive. With the consumers constantly looking for a notebook computer having more powerful computing functions, the popularity of notebook computers always fall short that of the personal computers by a big margin. Therefore, most consumers still choose to use a portable storage device such as a USB storage media as a data transmission medium between a person&#39;s computer at home and a computer in the company.  
      In general, the host personal computer has a number of USB sockets. Thus, the USB storage media can electrically connect with the host computer through one of the USB sockets. However, the host computer is normally quite bulky. Therefore, it is normally placed underneath a desk to save space. When a user needs to transmit data between a portable storage device and a personal computer, the user has to bend down and plug the portable storage device into one of the USB sockets on the computer. If the USB socket is located at an awkward location, the plugging the portable storage device into the personal computer will be a hard and inconvenient job.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Accordingly, at least one objective of the present invention is to provide an electronic device with a built-in transmission cable and connector to facilitate a user to use a portable storage device.  
      To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides an electronic device suitable for connecting with a portable storage device. The electronic device includes a main body, a protective cover, a transmission cable and a movable connector. In this electronic device, the main body has a display region and an accommodating space. The protective cover connects to the main body and is closed to the accommodating space for covering the accommodating space. The transmission cable is disposed in the main body with one end of the transmission cable connected to the main body. The movable connector is disposed on the other end of the transmission cable. The movable connector is suitable for connecting to the portable storage device and the accommodating space is suitable for hiding the movable connector.  
      In one embodiment of the present invention, the protective cover is located at the edge of the main body.  
      In one embodiment of the present invention, the moveable connector is a USB connector.  
      In one embodiment of the present invention, the protective cover is hinged to the main body.  
      In one embodiment of the present invention, the accommodating space is suitable for hiding the portable storage device.  
      In one embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device further includes a signal line for connecting to a host computer, so that the portable storage device is electrically connected to a host computer through the electronic device and the signal line. Furthermore, the electronic device is a display device.  
      In one embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device may be a personal digital assistant (PDA), a pocket personal computer (pocket PC) or a tablet PC.  
      In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transmission cable is housed inside the main body of an electronic device. This accommodating space is suitable for placing a moveable connector. When a user needs to connect a portable storage device with the electronic device of the preferred embodiment of the present invention for data access operation, the user only has to pull out the moveable connector from the accommodating space and plug the portable storage device into the moveable connector. Therefore, the portable storage device and the electronic device of the preferred embodiment of the present invention can be assembled together more conveniently.  
      It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.  
       FIG. 1  is a view of an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a locally magnified sectional view of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3  is a view showing the configuration after a user has pulled out a moveable connector from a main body.  
       FIG. 4  is a view of an electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.  
       FIG. 1  is a view of a electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the electronic device  100  according to the present embodiment can be connected to a portable storage device  200 . The electronic device  100  includes a main body  110 , a protective cover  120 , a transmission cable  130  and a moveable connector  140 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 1 , the main body  110  has a display region  112  and an accommodating space  114 . In the present embodiment, the main body  110  is a liquid crystal electronic device. In other embodiment, the main body  110  may be a plasma electronic device. However, the main body  110  may be a PDA, a pocket PC, a tablet PC or other portable electronic device whose details is described below. When the main body  110  is a liquid crystal electronic device, the electronic device  100  further includes a signal line  152  for connecting a host computer  150 .  
      The protective cover  120  is joined to the main body  110  and is closed to the accommodating space  114  located on the host computer  150  for covering the accommodating space  114 , so that the main body  110  has an aesthetically appealing and uniform appearance. In other words, the protective cover  120  is located at the edge of the main body  110  and is connected to the main body  110  through a hinge. Hence, the user can easy lift the cover  120  and expose the moveable connector  140 . In another embodiment, the protective cover  120  can be separated from the main body  110 . For example, the user may apply a force to the protective cover  120  and detach the protective cover  120  from the main body  110 .  
       FIG. 2  is a locally magnified sectional view of  FIG. 1 . As show in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the transmission cable  130  is disposed inside the main body  110 . Furthermore, one end  132  of the transmission cable  130  is connected to the main body  110  and the other end  134  of the transmission cable  130  is connected to the moveable connector  140 . The moveable connector  140  is suitable for connecting with a portable storage device  200 . Moreover, the moveable connector  140  is suitable for hiding inside the accommodating space  114 . In the present embodiment, the moveable connector  140  is a USB connector, for example.  
      In the present embodiment, the main body  110  has a compartment  116  ( as shown in  FIG. 2 ) for housing the transmission cable  130 . In addition, the transmission cable  130  has a diameter of about 3.5 mm and is fabricated using a harder material. Therefore, when the user is not using the transmission cable  130 , the transmission cable  130  can be forced back into the compartment  116 . In particular, the data stored inside the portable storage device  200  can be sequentially transmitted to the host computer  150  by way of the moveable connector  140 , the transmission cable  130 , the main body  110  and the signal line  152 . In other words, the signal line  152  not only serves as a data transmission pathway between the main body  110  and the host computer  150 , but it also serves as a data transmission pathway between the portable storage device  200  and the host computer  150 .  
       FIG. 3  is a view showing the configuration after a user has pulled out a moveable connector from a main body. As shown in  FIGS. 1, 2  and  3 , when a user needs to transmit data between the portable storage device  200  and the host computer  150 , the user can lift the protective cover  120  at the edge of the main body  110  to expose the moveable connector  140  Then, the user can pull out the moveable connector  140 . Thereafter, the moveable connector  140  is connected to the portable storage device  200 . When the user pulls out the moveable connector  140 , the distance that the moveable connector  140  can move depends on the length of the transmission cable  130  as one end  134  of the transmission cable  130  is connected to the moveable connector  140 . In other words, part of the transmission cable  130  (as shown in  FIG. 3 ) will be exposed as the moveable connector  140  is moved.  
      In particular, the accommodating space  114  in the main body  110  can be slightly larger or equal to the spatial volume of the portable storage device  200  so that the portable storage device  200  can be disposed inside the accommodating space  114 . More specifically, hiding the portable storage device  200  inside the accommodating space  114  can prevent the portable storage device  200  from accidentally getting plugged off. Therefore, a non-interrupted data transmission between the portable storage device  200  and the host computer  150  can be performed.  
      After detaching the moveable connector  140  from the portable storage device  200 , the user may force the transmission cable  130  back into the compartment  116  of the main body  110 . In the meantime, the moveable connector  140  is also returned to its original position as shown in  FIG. 2 .  
      In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, because the moveable connector is disposed on the main body, for accessing the data stored inside a portable storage device, the user only have to plug the portable storage device into the moveable connector. Hence, an electronic device having this arrangement is able to facilitate a user who needs to access a portable storage device.  
      Furthermore, because the portable storage device has a variety of dimensions, the deployment of a transmission cable permits a wider range of movement for the moveable connector. In addition, the transmission cable can be hidden inside the main body when it is not used. Ultimately, the user can access the data of a portable storage device quite conveniently.  
       FIG. 4  is a sketch of an electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the electronic device  400  in the present embodiment is a PDA, a pocket PC, a tablet PC or other portable electronic device. Similarly, the main body  410  has a display region  412  and an accommodating space  414 .  
      When a user needs to transfer the data inside a portable storage device  200  to the main body  410  or to transfer the data inside the main body  410  to the portable storage device  200 , the user lifts open a protective cover  420 , pulls the moveable connector  140  out and connects the moveable connector  140  with the portable storage device  200  together for performing the required data transmission. In addition, the display region  412  can display the progress in the data transmission or the data content transferred from the portable storage device  200  to the main body  410 .  
      At the completion of the data transmission operation, the user only has to unplug the moveable connector  140  from the portable storage device  200  and return the transmission cable  130  into the main body  410 . Thus, the electronic device  400  in the present invention facilitates the transmission of data to and from the portable storage device  200  considerably.  
      In summary, the electronic device of the preferred embodiment of the present invention has at least the following advantages: 
          1. The preferred embodiment of the present invention disposes the moveable connector inside the main body (for example, the electronic device) so that the user only has to connect the moveable connector inside the main body with the portable storage device before carrying out the data transmission. Therefore, compared with the conventional technique, the electronic device in the preferred embodiment of the present invention makes the process of transmitting data to and from the portable storage device very convenient.     2. When the electronic device is a PDA, a pocket PC, a tablet PC or other portable electronic device, the user only has to pull out the moveable connector from the main body and connect with the portable storage device before carrying out the data access operation. Therefore, the dimension of the portable storage device will not inconvenience the user in using the device.        

      It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.