Patent Publication Number: US-2013234572-A1

Title: Computer enclosure

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a computer enclosure. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Personal computers generally includes two types: tower computers and desktop computers. Due to the trend towards miniaturization, a tower computer is made thinner than before. Because of this the tower computer may be unstable once it has been positioned. It is important to provide stands for supporting the tower computer in a more stable manner. 
     A conventional stand, such as a stand disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,278, includes two coupled supporting members. Each supporting member includes a dove-tail shaped protrusion to couple with a recess of the other supporting member. However, a clamping ledge is integrally formed from each supporting member. Therefore, once the stand is assembled to the computer chassis, a large space is occupied, which makes the stand inconvenient to transport or to pack. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the present embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, all the views are schematic, and like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is a partial, exploded, and isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a computer enclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is an inverted view of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an assembled, isometric view of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is similar to  FIG. 3 , but showing the computer enclosure in use. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure, including the accompanying drawings, is illustrated by way of examples and not by way of limitation. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one. 
       FIGS. 1 and 2 , show an exemplary embodiment of a computer enclosure  100  including a chassis  20  (shown as  FIG. 3 ), four nuts  30 , and four supporting members  40 . The chassis  20  includes a rectangular bottom wall  22 , and two sidewalls  24  perpendicularly extending up from two opposite sides of the bottom wall  22 . The bottom wall  22  and the sidewalls  24  cooperatively bound a receiving space to accommodate electronic components (not shown), such as a motherboard, a power supply, and a hard disk drive. Two rectangular receiving slots  26  are defined in a junction of the bottom wall  22  and each sidewall  24 . A pole  27  extends down from an end of a top wall of each receiving slot  26 . A distal end of the pole  27  is threaded. A sidewall of each receiving slot  26  defines a depressed first positioning portion  262 , adjacent to the corresponding pole  27 . An end wall of each receiving slot  26  defines a depressed second positioning portion  264  adjacent to the corresponding pole  27 . 
     Each supporting member  40  is substantially rectangular, and includes an arc-shaped rotating portion  42  formed at a first end of the supporting member  40 , and a supporting portion  43  formed at a second end of the supporting member  40  opposite to the rotating portion  42 . A middle of the rotating portion  42  defines a stepped hole  421 . The stepped hole  421  includes a first hole  422  extending through a top surface of the supporting member  40 , and a second hole  424  extending through a bottom surface of the supporting member  40  communicating with the first hole  422 . A diameter of the first hole  422  is less than a diameter of the second hole  424 . A resilient latching portion  426  protrudes out from an end surface of the rotating portion  42 , opposite to the supporting portion  43 . 
     In the embodiment, the first and second positioning portions  262  and  264  are two hemispherical recesses. The latching portion  426  is a substantially hemispherical protrusion. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , in assembly, each pole  27  is inserted into the corresponding stepped hole  421  from the first hole  422 , the distal end of the pole  27  is received in the corresponding second hole  424 . Each nut  30  is screwed to the corresponding pole  27 , and is received in the corresponding second hole  424 . Each supporting member  40  is rotatable relative to the pole  27 , thus the supporting member  40  can be received in or moved out of the corresponding receiving slot  26 . The latching portion  426  of each supporting member  40  is positioned in either the first positioning portion  262  or the second positioning portion  264 , to respectively keep the supporting member  40  in a first position where the supporting member  40  extends out of the receiving space  26  to support the chassis  20 , in a second position where the supporting member  40  is received in the receiving space  26 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , in use, the supporting portion  43  of each supporting member  40  is rotated out from the corresponding receiving slot  26 . The latching portion  426  of each supporting member  40  is disengaged from the corresponding second positioning portion  264  to engage in the corresponding first positioning portion  262 . At this time, the supporting members  40  are substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall  22 . Therefore, the supporting members  40  can readily and stably support the chassis  20 . 
     When the computer enclosure  100  needs to be transported or packed, each supporting member  40  is rotated into the corresponding receiving slot  26 . The latching portion  426  of each supporting member  40  is disengaged from the corresponding first positioning portion  262  to engage in the corresponding second positioning portion  264 . Thus, each supporting member  40  is received in the corresponding receiving slot  26  for space-saving. 
     In another embodiment, the latching portion  426  of each supporting member  40  may be a recess, accordingly, the first and second positioning portions  262  and  264  may be protrusions. 
     Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the embodiments, the present disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in details, especially in the matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the embodiments to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.