Patent Publication Number: US-2006006771-A1

Title: Assembly/disassembly structure of flippable side panel of computer unit

Description:
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The invention relates to an improved assembly/disassembly structure of a flippable side panel of a computer unit, particularly to a side panel assembled to a side of a computer casing, where the side panel has a lower edge that is inserted into the computer casing and an upper edge that is assembled and disassembled by a lever to allow easy assembly and maintenance of equipment within the computer unit while protecting the computer unit at the same time.  
     2. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      To enhance the appearance and to allow easy assembly and disassembly, the computer casings of the upright conventional computers adopt various assembly measures, such as assembling an internal frame to an external casing, assembling an internal frame to two side panels, or assembling a fixed casing to a rear-pulling frame, each of which is featured with its unique characteristics and advantages. The measure that is most commonly adopted in the market is by assembling an internal frame to two side panel.  
      With reference to  FIG. 1 , upper and lower edges of inner faces of two side panels a are provided with hooks a 1  projecting inwardly forwards, where the upper and lower edges of a frame of the computer casing are correspondingly formed with notches b 1 . A front edge of the side panel a is formed with clips a 2  opening forwards, where the clips are engaged with a folding edge b 2  of the frame b. A rear edge of the side panel a is bent inwards to form a retaining plate a 3  that is formed with plural screw holes a 4 . To assemble the side panel a to the casing, the side panel a is first pressed inwards to insert the hooks a 1  into the notches b 1 , and then slid forwards to engage the clips a 2  at the front edge of the side panel a with the folding edge b 2  at the front edge of the frame b, and to lean the retaining plate a 3  against the rear edge of the frame b. Screws c are then used to affix the side panel a to the computer casing to complete the assembly. However, while one intends to re-assemble the above construction, it is not uncommon that the hooks a 1  at the side of the side panel a cannot be easily inserted into the notches b 1 , resulting a raised configuration formed at an end of the side panel a or a gap formed between the clips a 1  at the front edge of the side panel a and the front panel, thereby ruining the overall appearance of the computer casing. In addition, the hooks a 1  provided to the side panel a may easily causes scratches to the side edge of the side panel a, that should be kept smooth to ensure an aesthetic appearance.  
     3. SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
      In view of the above, this invention provides an improved assembly/disassembly structure for the side panel that allows easy assembly and disassembly, with superior affixing effects. In addition, the side panel is provided at a periphery thereof with a serrated anti-slipping structure and ribs with smooth surfaces, to eliminate the potential risks of scratching the user in use.  
      Thus, this invention discloses an improved assembly/disassembly structure of flippable side panel of computer unit that eliminates the shortcomings of the prior art.  
      It is thus a primary objective of this invention to provide an assembly/disassembly structure of a side panel that may be easily assembled and disassembled, which allows easy operation and provides improved affixing effects.  
      It is another objective of this invention to provide a side panel structure capable of eliminating damages due to accidental dropping of the side panel in manipulation.  
      To achieve the above objectives, this invention discloses an improved assembly/disassembly structure of a flippable side panel of a computer unit, including a lever provided to a computer casing; notches provided to a side panel, wherein the lever is provided at a side face thereof with plural hooks, the hooks being provided at tops thereof with a sliding portion for engaging with a sliding groove provided to the computer casing, the sliding groove being provided at a rear end thereof with plural aligning tabs, the lever being affixed with a grip at a rear end thereof, the grip extending beyond a rear panel of the computer casing, the grip being removably provided with a quick-release screw, the rear panel being formed with a screw hole at a location corresponding to the quick-release screw; and wherein the side panel is provided at a periphery thereof with a serrated anti-slipping structure, the side panel is provided at a lower edge thereof with plural clips opening downwards, and plural retaining posts and ribs at an upper edge and opposing side edges of an inner face of the side panel, the rib at the upper edge being formed with plural notches at a side thereof, and the retaining posts being inserted into retaining holes formed at corresponding locations of the computer casing, the ribs at the opposing side edges being distant from each other at a distance corresponding to a width of a lateral opening of the computer casing.  
      To assemble the side panel to a computer casing, the clips at the lower edge of the inner face of the side panel are first engaged with a folding edge provided to a lower side of the computer casing, the retaining posts and the ribs provided at the opposing side edges are then correspondingly inserted into the retaining holes and lateral opening of the computer casing. In use, the user may grip the quick-release screw to cause forward and rearward displacement of the lever, subjecting the hooks provided to the lever to engage with the notches of the ribs, while the quick-release screw locks the lever to the rear panel of the computer casing upon assembling the side panel to the computer casing to prevent from separation. Not only can this invention firmly secures the side panel to the computer casing, but the serrated anti-slipping structure provided to the periphery of the side panel also helps eliminate damages due to accidental dropping of the side panel in manipulation. 
    
    
     4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      These and other modifications and advantages will become even more apparent from the following detained description of a preferred embodiment of the invention and from the drawings in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the prior art;  
       FIG. 2  is an exploded, perspective view of this invention;  
       FIG. 3  is an assembled, perspective view of this invention;  
       FIG. 3A  is a partial enlarged view illustrating engagement between the lever and aligning tabs of this invention;  
       FIG. 3B  is a cross-sectional view illustrating engagement between the lever and aligning tabs of this invention;  
       FIG. 4A  is an enlarged view of the anti-slipping structure provided to the edges of the side panel of this invention;  
       FIG. 4B  is a top view of the anti-slipping structure provided to the edges of the side panel of this invention;  
       FIG. 5A  is a first schematic view illustrating engagement between the side panel and the computer casing according to this invention; and  
       FIG. 5B  is a second schematic view illustrating engagement between the side panel and the computer casing according to this invention. 
    
    
     5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      With reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the improved assembly/disassembly structure of flippable side panel of computer unit mainly includes a lever  10  provided to a computer casing  1  and a  10 .  
      The lever  10  is an elongated, flattened rod with plural hooks  11  extending outwards from a side thereof. With reference to  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the hooks  11  are provided at tops thereof with a sliding portion  12  that is assembled to plural aligning tabs  1   a  provided to the computer casing  1 . The aligning tabs jointly form a sliding groove  1   a   1  to allow forward and rearward displacement of the lever  10  and to prevent wobbling of the lever  10  within the sliding groove  1   a   1  of the computer casing  1 . The sliding groove  1   a   1  of the computer casing  1  is provided at a front end and a rear end thereof with plural retaining holes  1   b . The lever  10  is affixed with a grip  13  at a rear end thereof. The grip  13  extends beyond a rear panel of the computer casing  1 . The grip  13  is removably provided with a quick-release screw  13   a  and formed with a locking hole  13   b . The rear panel is formed with a screw hole at a location corresponding to the quick-release screw  13   a . In use, the user may grip the quick-release screw  13   a  to cause forward and rearward displacement of the lever  10  while the quick-release screw  13   a  locks the lever  10  to the rear panel of the computer casing  1  upon assembling the side panel  20  to the computer casing  1  to prevent from separation.  
      With reference to  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the side panel  20  is provided at a periphery thereof with a serrated anti-slipping structure  20 . The side panel  20  is provided at a lower edge of an inner face thereof, along a horizontal direction, with plural clips  22  opening downwards, and at appropriate locations of an upper edge of the inner face thereof with plural retaining post  23  and ribs  24 . The rib  24  provided to the upper edge of the side panel  20 , along the horizontal direction, is formed with plural notches  24   a  at a side facing inwards. The retaining posts  23  are correspondingly inserted into retaining holes  1   b  formed at corresponding locations of the computer casing  1 . The ribs  24  at the opposing side edges are distant from each other at a distance corresponding to a width of a lateral opening  1   c  of the computer casing  1 .  
      According to the above construction of this embodiment, the computer casing may be formed with through holes  14  at each of a front end and a rear end of a top inner face thereof, through which the lever  10  passes to prevent from separation of the lever  10  during the reward and forward displacement.  
      With reference to  FIGS. 3A, 5A  and  5 B, to assemble the side panel  20  to a computer casing  1 , the clips  22  are first engaged with a folding edge ad provided to a lower side of the computer casing  1 . The retaining posts  23  and the ribs  24  provided at the opposing side edges are then correspondingly inserted into the retaining holes  1   b  and lateral opening  1   c  of the computer casing  1 , subjecting the hooks  11  provided to the lever  10  of the computer casing  1  to engage with the notches  24   a  of the ribs  24  provided to the upper edge of the side panel  20 . The lever  10  is then slid forwards subjecting the hooks  11  to engage with the hooks  24   a . The quick-release screw  13   a  of the grip  13  provided at the rear end then locks the lever  10  to the rear panel  20  of the computer casing  1 . The grip  13  may further include a locking hole  13   b  to provide anti-theft effects after inserting a locking tab  1   e  provided to the computer casing  1  into the locking hole  13   b  to form a tab-hole engagement, and locking the tab-hole engagement by a lock.  
      Accordingly, in the improved assembly/disassembly structure of flippable side panel of computer unit of this invention, the inter-engagement between the hooks of the lever, which is provided to the computer casing and capable of c displacement, and the retaining posts, ribs and notches of the side panel guarantees easy assembly while firmly securing the side panel to the computer casing. The serrated anti-slipping structure provided to the periphery of the side panel further helps eliminate damages due to accidental dropping of the side panel in manipulation.  
      The present invention has been described with a preferred embodiment thereof and it is understood that the scope and the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.