Patent Publication Number: US-2009231790-A1

Title: Computer apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a computer apparatus, and more particularly relates to an assembly of computer chassis and motherboard. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     A computer apparatus usually includes a chassis to contain and shield a motherboard. The chassis may consist of a frame and a plurality of covering panels mounted on the frame. Usually, the motherboard includes a plurality of input/output (I/O) port connectors and a plurality of expansion sockets for accommodating expansion cards therein. Each expansion card also includes at least one I/O port connector. These I/O port connectors, for examples, include a VGA port connector, a DVI port connector, a RS232 port connector, a PS/2 port connector or a USB port connector. 
     In the computer apparatus, connections need to be established between those I/O port connectors and peripheral devices such as a monitor, a TV, a printer, a mouse or a USB flash drive. To this end, a plurality of slots are provided for exposing those I/O port connectors, and the slots are generally formed on the rear side panel of the chassis. Therefore, peripheral devices could be connected to those I/O port connectors through these slots. 
     However, in above-mentioned computer apparatus, a user has to move himself or the computer to an appropriate position when he wants to directly view those slots on the rear side panel. In this way, he can perform the connections between the I/O port connectors and peripheral devices easily. Hence, it&#39;s a topic to the computer designer to study how to make the performing of connections more convenient for the user. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the object of the present invention to a computer apparatus which has the advantage of easily performing of connections between the I/O port connectors and peripheral devices. 
     Accordingly, the invention provides a computer apparatus. The computer apparatus includes a chassis and a motherboard. The chassis includes a top panel with a plurality of openings formed thereon. The motherboard is mounted inside the chassis and includes a plurality of I/O port connectors respectively exposed through the openings. 
     In the other aspect, the invention provides a computer apparatus. The computer apparatus includes a chassis and a motherboard. The chassis includes a top panel with a recess portion formed thereon. The motherboard is mounted inside the chassis and includes a plurality of I/O port connectors protruded through the recess portion. 
     In the other aspect, the invention provides a computer apparatus. The computer apparatus includes a chassis, a motherboard and an expansion card. The chassis includes a top panel with a recess portion formed thereon. The motherboard is mounted inside the chassis and includes a plurality of primary I/O port connectors and a plurality of expansion sockets. The primary I/O port connectors respectively protrude through the recess portion. The expansion card is accommodated in the expansion socket and includes at least one secondary I/O port connector protruded through the recess portion. 
     This invention provides the computer apparatus with the openings formed on the top panel of the chassis so as to make the performing of connections between the I/O port connectors and peripheral devices become much easier to a user. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING 
       The features of the invention believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself however may be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention, which describes certain exemplary embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a computer apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows an enlarged view of the computer apparatus in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of a motherboard electrically connected with an expansion card; 
         FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of a computer apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of a dust proof cover of the computer apparatus in an opened position; and 
         FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of a computer apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows the first embodiment of a computer apparatus of the present invention. The computer apparatus mainly includes a chassis  11  and a motherboard  13 . 
     The chassis  11  includes a frame (not shown), a top panel  111  and a bottom panel  113  respectively mounted on the top side and the bottom side of the frame, a pair of lateral panels  115  mounted on the two opposite lateral sides of the frame, and a front panel  117  and a rear panel  119  respectively mounted on the front side and the rear side of the frame. 
     A recess portion  1111  is concavely formed on the top panel  111  and is of L-shaped. A plurality of openings  1113  and a plurality of slots  1115  are formed in the recess portion  1111 . 
     The motherboard  13  is mounted inside the chassis  11  and is substantially parallel to one of the lateral panel  115 . The motherboard  13  includes a plurality of primary I/O port connectors  131 , which respectively protrudes a partial portion thereof through those openings  1113  in the recess potion  1111  of the top panel  111 . Those primary I/O port connectors  131  may include a USB port connector, a PS/2 port connector, a RS232 port connector, a VGA port connector, a DVI port connector or an earphone/microphone port connector. Besides, the motherboard  13  also includes a plurality of expansion sockets  133 . 
     Additionally, in this embodiment, the computer apparatus also includes an expansion card  15  accommodated in one of the expansion socket  133  of the motherboard  13 . The expansion card  15  has at least one secondary I/O port connector  151  which respectively partially protruded through one of the slots  1115  in the recess potion  1111  of the top panel  111 . 
     For performing connections between those I/O port connectors  131 , 151  and peripheral devices (not shown, such as a monitor, a TV, a printer, a mouse, a USB flash drive, an earphone or a microphone), a user can easily and directly view those the I/O port connectors  131 , 151  exposed through those openings  1113  and slots  1115  on the top panel  111 . This facilitates the operation to establish connections between the I/O port connectors  131 , 151  and peripheral devices. 
     In the second embodiment of the present invention, as  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5  show, the computer apparatus further includes a dust proof cover  17  pivotly attached on the top panel  111 . The dust proof cover  17  is correspondingly arranged on the recess portion  1111  of the top panel  111  to prevent dusts or particles from entering the recess portion  1111 , so as to avoid affecting the connecting performance of the I/O port connectors  131 , 151  or the operation of the motherboard  13 . A wire outlet aperture  171  is formed on the dust proof cover  17  and is adjacent to the rear panel  119 . The wire outlet aperture  171  is provided as a passageway for the wires to connect with the I/O port connectors  131 , 151  and peripheral devices, when the dust proof cover  17  is closed. 
       FIG. 6  shows the third embodiment of present invention, the difference between the computer apparatus in  FIG. 6  and the computer apparatus in  FIG. 1  is that no recess portion is formed on the top panel  111  of the computer apparatus in  FIG. 6 . Those I/O port connectors  131  and  151  respectively protrude through the openings  1113  and the slots  1115  formed on the top panel  111 . Alternatively, those I/O port connectors  131 , 151  may be exposed but not protrude through the openings  1113  and the slots  11   15 . 
     Consequently, the present invention indeed makes the performing of connections between the I/O port connectors  131 , 151  and peripheral devices much easier to a user. 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof Various substitutions and modifications have suggested in the foregoing description, and other will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, all such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.