Patent Publication Number: US-2006001743-A1

Title: Tablet PC and digital camera arrangement

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates generally to a tablet PC and more specifically to a tablet PC, which has a digital camera built in the housing thereof.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      A tablet PC is mobile compact personal computer convenient for carrying with the user. It combines a handwriting input system with a windows platform PC. Through the smart handwriting input system, a tablet PC is convenient for taking notes, recording something for further use, drawing pictures, etc., and the handwritings or pictures thus made can be stored as digital data.  
      Further, digital cameras have been intensively used as a substitute for conventional cameras due to their advantage of storing image data in a memory instead of the use of film. When the memory capacity in the camera is fully occupied, the storage data can be transmitted to a computer for image editing or printing.  
      The working principle of a digital camera is similar to conventional cameras with the exception of the use of an electronic image sensor and a memory as a substitute for film. The electronic image sensor picks up an image and converts the image into digital data for storing in the memory.  
      Some digital cameras can only take still photos. Other digital cameras can pick up motion pictures and record voices.  
      Following the fast development of information technology, computerization equipment has been gradually entering every company and family, and people have many chances for contact with computer peripheral apparatus. Nowadays, tablet PCs and digital cameras have become important peripheral apparatus in many companies and families. However, a tablet PC and a digital camera are two independent electronic devices. A tablet PC and a digital camera require a lot of storage space. Further, when using a digital camera with a tablet PC, a cable is necessary to transmit data from the digital camera to the tablet PC.  
      Therefore, it is desirable to provide a tablet PC and digital camera arrangement that eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is the main object of the present invention to provide a tablet PC with a digital camera built therein to save installation space. It is another object of the present invention to provide a tablet PC with a digital camera built therein for convenient use. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a tablet PC and a digital camera arrangement, which enables the digital camera to work with the tablet PC for quick image file access. To achieve these and other objects of the present invention, the tablet PC and digital camera arrangement comprises a tablet PC, and a digital camera pivotally fastened to the housing of the tablet PC and electrically connected to the internal circuit of the tablet PC. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
       FIG. 1  illustrates the outer appearance of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 4  is another exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , a tablet PC  10  is shown comprising a flat rectangular housing  11 , a liquid crystal display panel  12  at the front side of the housing  11 , and other devices including a battery pack, a data storage device (for example, hard disk drive), and a motherboard mounted inside the housing  11 . The motherboard has installed therein a CPU, memories, chip sets, interface cards, etc. This structure of tablet PC  10  is substantially similar to that of conventional tablet PCs.  
      The main feature of the present invention is the arrangement of a digital camera  20  on the housing  11  of the tablet PC  10 . The digital camera  20  comprises a hollow cylindrical casing  21 . The casing  21  has embossed lines  22  on the periphery for positive positioning of the fingers to bias the digital camera  20  relative to the housing  11  of the tablet PC  10  when adjusting the shooting angle of the digital camera  20 . The casing  21  of the digital camera  20  is not limited to the hollow cylindrical design. It may be made in any of a variety of shapes.  
      The digital camera  20  comprises a lens  23  mounted inside the casing  21 , a through hole  24  formed in the casing  21  in line with the lens  23 , an electronic image sensor  28  mounted inside the casing  21  behind the lens  23  and adapted to convert image signal obtained through the lens  23  into electric signal, a signal line  25  extended from the image sensor  28  to the internal circuit of the tablet PC  10  for transmitting signal from the image sensor  28  to the tablet PC  10 , and a shutter  26  provided at one side of the housing  11  of the tablet PC  10  and electrically connected to the signal line  25 . The image sensor  28  can be a CCD (charge coupled device) type image sensor or CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) type image sensor.  
      The housing  11  of the tablet PC  10  comprises a bracket  13 . The bracket  13  has two upright supports  14  arranged in parallel at two sides, and two retaining holes  17  respectively disposed adjacent to the upright supports  14 . Two coupling plates  30  are fastened to the upright supports  14  of the bracket  13  to hold the digital camera  20 . The digital, camera  20  is pivotally connected between the coupling plates  30 . The coupling plates  30  each have a coupling hole  31  respectively coupled to the upright supports  14 , and a retaining flange  32  respectively, fastened to the retaining holes  17  to firmly secure the coupling plates  30  to the bracket  13 . By means of the coupling plates  30 , the digital camera  20  is rotatably disposed at one side of the housing  11  of the tablet PC  20 .  
      Further, an ornamental top end cap  15  and an ornamental bottom end cap  16  are respectively fastened to the housing  11  of the tablet PC  10  around the two distal ends of the casing  21  of the digital camera  20  and cover the upright supports  14 . A shutter switch control button  27  is provided at the bottom end cap  16  corresponding to the shutter switch  26 . Pressing the shutter switch control button  27  causes the shutter switch control button  27  to trigger the shutter switch  26 .  
      As indicated above, the invention has the digital camera  20  directly built in the housing  11  of the tablet PC  10 . Because the digital camera  20  is directly built in the housing  11  of the tablet PC  10 , it is not necessary to install an external signal line and a connector for signal transmission from the digital camera  20  to the tablet PC  10 . This compact design does not occupy much storage space. Further, image signals obtained from the digital camera  20  can be stored in memory means inside the tablet PC  10 .  
      Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.