Patent Abstract:
An enclosure for electrical system includes a side plate and an adjusting piece movably attached to the side plate. The side plate includes a heat dissipating part in which a plurality of heat dissipating holes is defined. The adjusting piece is movable with respect to the heat dissipating part for covering portions of at least some of the heat dissipating holes. The enclosure provides a function of adjusting of heat dissipation and noise suppression of an electrical system.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to enclosures for electrical systems, and particularly to a computer case with adjustable heat dissipation and noise suppression functions. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   In an electrical system, heat dissipation and noise suppression functions always hamper each other. 
   In a computer system for example, a plurality of heat dissipating holes are defined in the computer case to facilitate thermal control, an effective heat dissipating area can be increased by increasing a total number of the heat dissipating holes or a size of each heat dissipating hole, in order to enhance the heat dissipation, however, it will result in an increase of noise escaping out from the computer system; if we want to reduce the noise, the effective heat dissipating area can be reduced by reducing the total number of heat dissipating holes or the size of each heat dissipating hole, but it weakens effectiveness of the heat dissipation function. Typically, when a computer case is produced, the number and size of the heat dissipating holes are permanently fixed. It will be difficult to get an optimal balance between heat dissipation and noise suppression. 
   What is desired, therefore, is an enclosure for electrical system which has adjustable heat dissipation and noise suppression functions. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An exemplary enclosure for electrical system includes a side plate and an adjusting piece movably attached to the side plate. The side plate includes a heat dissipating part in which a plurality of heat dissipating holes is defined. The adjusting piece is movable with respect to the heat dissipating part for covering portions of at least some of the heat dissipating holes. 
   Other advantages and novel features will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an isometric view of an enclosure in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, the enclosure including a top panel and a side plate; 
       FIG. 2  is an isometric view of another viewing angle of  FIG. 1  with the top plate removed therefrom; 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded, isometric view of the side plate of  FIG. 1   
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of circled portion IV of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 5  is an isometric view of an enclosure in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention, the enclosure including a top plate and an adjusting piece; 
       FIG. 6  is an isometric view of another viewing angle of  FIG. 5  with the top plate removed therefrom; and 
       FIG. 7  is an elevational view of the adjusting piece of  FIG. 5 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , an enclosure for electrical system in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention is a computer case, which includes a chassis  10 , an adjusting piece  20 , and a cover board  30 . 
   The chassis  10  includes a side plate  40 . The side plate  40  includes a rectangular heat dissipating part  42  in which a plurality of uniformly arrayed heat dissipating holes  43  is defined, and a rectangular opening  44  defined adjacent to the dissipating part  42 . 
   The adjusting piece  20  has a rectangular shape, its length is equal to a length of the opening  44  of the chassis  10 , and its width is a little wider than a width of the opening  44 . The adjusting piece  20  includes a plurality of heat dissipating holes  21  arrayed over a portion similar in size to the dissipating part  42  and in a similar manner as the heat dissipating holes  43 , except that the heat dissipating holes  21  are smaller than the heat dissipating holes  43 . A handle  22  is set at an end of the adjusting piece  20 . Note that the handle  22  in this embodiment is an elongate bar traversing an edge of the adjusting piece  20 , but in other embodiments the handle can be other-shaped and the opening  44  adjusted to match, so long as user can operate the handle  22  to urge the adjusting piece  20  to slide back and forth to various desired positions. 
   The cover board  30  is a rectangular plate with longitudinal edges folded or rolled over into u-shaped channels  32 , configured for sliding of the adjusting piece  20  therealong. The cover board  30  defines a cutout  36  corresponding in size to the dissipating part  42 . Alternatively, the sliding channels  32  may be integrally formed on the side plate  40 . 
   In assembly, the adjusting piece  20  is mounted on the cover board  30  with longitudinal edges thereof slidably received in the two sliding channels  32 . The cover board  30  with the adjusting piece  20  is secured on the side plate  40  inside the chassis  10  by rivet joint, spot welding or other means. A solid part  34  of the cover board  30  completely covers the opening  44  of the side plate  40  when the cutout  36  corresponds to the heat dissipating part  42 , and the handle  22  of the cover board  30  is exposed through the opening  44  of the side plate  40 . The adjusting piece  20  is disposed between the cover board  30  and the side plate  40 . 
   Referring again to  FIG. 1 , in use, the adjusting piece  20  is slid in the sliding channels  32  of the cover board  30  to a desired position by action on the handle  22 . When the adjusting piece  20  is slid into the area of the cutout  36  of the cover board  30 , the adjusting piece  20  can partly or completely overlap the heat dissipating holes  43  of the heat dissipating part  42  to thereby change the effective size of some or all of the heat dissipating holes  43  of the heat dissipating part  42 . Thus, the user can adjust the adjusting piece  20  to change an effective heat dissipation area of the enclosure in order to get a preferred compromise between heat dissipation and noise suppression for the enclosure. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 4 to 6 , an enclosure in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention is a computer case, which includes a chassis  50 , and an adjusting piece  70 . 
   The chassis  50  includes a side plate  60 . The side plate  60  includes a semicircular heat dissipating part  62 , a pivot  64  protruding inwardly from an inner surface of the side plate  60 , and an arcuate sliding slot  65  defined in the side plate  60 . A plurality of uniformly arrayed heat dissipating holes  63  is radially defined in the heat dissipating part  62 . The pivot  64  is set at a center of a semicircle comprised of the heat dissipating part  62  of the side plate  60 . The sliding slot  65  is defined along a circumference of another semicircle whose center is also the center of the semicircle of the heat dissipating part  62 . A rubber bushing  67  is received in the sliding slot  65 . A slit  69  is defined in the rubber bushing  67  along the sliding slot  65 . 
   The adjusting piece  70  is semicircular in shape. Its area is a little bigger than an area of the heat dissipating part  62  of the side plate  60 . A pivot hole  72  is defined in a center of the semicircle of the adjusting piece  70 . A handle  74 , such as a post, protrudes from one side face on a corner of the adjusting piece  70 . 
   In assembly, the pivot hole  72  of the adjusting piece  70  is engaged with the pivot  64  of the side plate  60 . A portion of the handle  74  of the adjusting piece  70  extends through the slit  69  of the rubber bushing  67  of the sliding slot  65  and is leaved outside the side plate  60 . 
   In use, the handle  74  of the adjusting piece  70  is manipulated to slide along the sliding slot  65  of the side plate  60  to drive the adjusting piece  70  to rotate around the pivot  64  of the side plate  60 , in order to adjust the position of the adjusting piece  70 . When the adjusting piece  70  moves to the area of the heat dissipating part  65  of the side plate  60 , the heat dissipating holes  63  of the heat dissipating part  65  can be partly or completely covered by the adjusting piece  70 . Thus, the user can adjust the adjusting piece  70  to change a total heat dissipating proportion of the chassis  50  in order to get a preferred compromise between heat dissipation efficiency and noise prevention of the enclosure. Note that a plurality of heat dissipating holes arrayed in a similar manner as the heat dissipating holes  63  of the heat dissipating part  62  of the side plate  60  may be defined in the adjusting piece  70 , and the heat dissipating holes are smaller than the heat dissipating holes  63 . 
   A layer of noise deadening foam or any other noise deadening material may be applied anywhere in the chassis as desired. It is preferred that the deadening foam is applied without shielding the dissipating holes  43  or the dissipating holes  63 . 
   It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments of the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6