Abstract:
A computer comprising of at least one electrical connection port, an exterior casing overlying the port and having a casing opening in axial alignment with the port, a door member displaceable mounted on the computer, the door member having a plurality of translationally displaced operating positions comprising a first operating position with the door member positioned in the opening with an exterior surface thereof flush with a circumscribing surface of the exterior casing; a second operating position with the door member axially aligned with and inwardly displaced from the opening and a third operating position with the door member axially offset from the opening.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to computers and, more particularly, to a door assembly covering an access opening to computer I/O ports and the like. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     As computers have become more and more powerful the number of peripheral devices which may be connected to computers has steadily grown. It is not uncommon for modern computers to have ten or more ports of various types such as USB connectors, fire wire connectors, serial connectors, parallel connectors, modem ports, network ports, microphone ports, audio in/out ports, video in/out ports, etc. (referred to herein generally as “I/O ports” or “electrical connector ports”). Whereas in the past most electrical connection ports were located at the back of the computer, today many computers have at least some electrical connector ports provided at a front portion thereof. Connector ports located at the back portion of the computer are typically not covered in any way since the computer user and most others in the environment of the computer will not be viewing the rear face of the computer. However, with electrical connector ports provided at a front portion of a computer it is generally desirable to provide some sort of connector port cover, as a matter of general aesthetics. One possibility for such a cover is a pivotal door which swings open to expose the electrical connector ports and closes to cover the ports when they are not in use. The problem with pivotal doors is that when pivoted outwardly they project outwardly from the front of the computer and are easily bumped and broken or dislodged. When they pivot inwardly they require a great deal of clearance space. Also, they are hard to get hold of to pull shut. Another possibility is a slide door mounted at either the front or back surface of the computer casing which may slide upwardly or to the slide to expose an opening in the computer casing through which the electrical connector ports are accessible. The problem with such a sliding door is that when mounted on the outside of the casing it produces an aesthetically unpleasing appearance and when mounted on the inside of the casing it exposes a recess in the casing, when it is in the closed position, which is also aesthetically unappealing and which is likely to collect dust, etc. 
     From applicants&#39; observations, it would be generally desirable to provide a computer door assembly which is positionable in flush relationship with the exterior surface of the computer casing when closed and which is openable without having a portion thereof projecting outwardly from the computer or projecting inwardly a large distance. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a computer having a door assembly in its outer casing which may be translationally displaced to a position just behind the inner surface of the casing and then moved in a direction parallel to the surface of the casing to expose at least one electrical connector positioned below the door. 
     Thus, the invention may comprise a computer having at least one electrical connection port, an exterior casing overlying the port and having a panel opening in axial alignment with the port, a door member displaceable mounted on the computer member, the door member having a plurality of translationally displaced operating positions comprising a first operating position with the door positioned in the opening with an exterior surface thereof flush with a circumscribing surface of the exterior panel; a second operating position with the door axially aligned with and inwardly displaced from the opening and a third operating position with the door axially offset from the opening. 
     The invention may also comprise of a computer door assembly comprising of a door member having a front surface and a rear surface and a plurality of rearwardly extending door projections, a slider member having a front surface and a rear surface; a plurality of openings extending between the front and rear surfaces; a plurality of rearwardly extending slider projections; the plurality of rearwardly extending door projections extending through corresponding ones of the plurality of openings in the slider member; a coil spring mounted about one of the plurality of door projections and captured between the rear surface of the door member and the front surface of the slide member; a leaf spring having a first end attached to a first one of the rearwardly extending door projections and having a second end attached to one of the plurality of rearwardly extending slider projections and having an intermediate portion resiliently deflectablely engagable by a second one of the rearwardly extending door projections during rearward displacement of the door member relative the slider member; a guide member having a plurality of guide surfaces thereon adapted to guidingly engage at least one of the plurality of rearwardly extending slider projections; the door member being displaceable relative the slider member between a first axial position and a second axial position; the slider member being displaceable relative the guide member in a plane extending transversely of the axial direction. 
     The invention may also comprise of a method of opening a computer door comprising of (a) pushing the door axially against an abutment surface; and (b) sliding the door in a direction perpendicular to the axial displacement. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a computer having an electrical connector access door in a closed state; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the computer of FIG. 1 with the door in an axially inwardly positioned state; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the computer of FIG. 1 with the door in an axially inwardly positioned partially vertically raised state; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the computer of FIG. 1 with the door in an axially inwardly positioned fully raised state; 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a computer door assembly; 
     FIG. 6 is a rear elevation view of the door assembly of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is a front elevation view of a lower portion of a computer with all of the exterior casing removed and with a door assembly mounted on a computer housing and positioned in a closed operating state; 
     FIG. 8 is a left side elevation view of a lower portion of a computer with a side panel of the casing removed and with a door in a closed operating state; 
     FIG. 9 is a left side elevation view of a lower portion of a computer with all of the casing removed and with a door positioned in an axially inwardly positioned operating state also shown in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a lower front portion of a computer with a side panel of the casing removed showing a door in an axially inwardly positioned partially raised operating state also shown in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 11 is a front elevation view of a lower portion of a computer with the casing removed showing a computer door in a raised operating state similar to FIG. 4 with the door projecting further outwardly due to the absence of the casing; and 
     FIG. 12 is a left side elevation view of a lower front portion of a computer with a casing removed with a door in the raised position illustrated in FIG.  11 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Computer Housing and Casing 
     FIGS. 1-4 illustrate a computer  10  having a top portion  12 , a bottom portion  14 , a front portion  16 , a rear portion  18 , a left side portion  20  and a right side portion  22 . The computer has an interior sheet metal housing  24  having a front face portion  26  as best illustrated in FIG.  11 . An electrical connector port assembly  30  is provided in an opening in the sheet metal housing front face portion  26 . The electrical connection port assembly may also be provided at either of the side faces, the rear face, or the top face portion of the housing  24  as well as at the location illustrated in the drawing. The electrical connector port assembly  30  may comprise one or more electrical connectors of any type such as audio port  32 , USB ports  34 ,  36  and microphone port  38  illustrated in FIG.  11 . 
     An exterior casing  50 , which in the illustrated embodiment includes integrated front and top member  52 , a rear member  54 , a base member  56  and a left and right side panel member  58 ,  60  is removable attached to the sheet metal housing  24  as by connector tabs, etc. The sheet metal housing  24  and exterior casing  50  in one preferred embodiment are the same as illustrated in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/552,201 filed Apr. 19, 2000 for COMPUTER WITH MODULAR COMPONENTS of Elizabeth B. Diaz, Felix Guerra and Yancy Chen and U.S. Patent Application filed May 26, 2000 for COMPUTER WITH REMOVABLE PANELS of Eliza eth B. Diaz, Kun-Chi Hsieh, and Bo SiuFai U.S. Application Ser. No. 09/580393, filed May 26, 2000 both of which are hereby incorporated by reference for all that is disclosed therein. 
     As illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the integrated front and top member  52  and left side panel member  58  are positioned in abutting contact along a seam line  62 . A door opening  70  is defined in the casing. The opening is defined by a casing annular, axially extending wall portion  72  including a first portion  74  defined by member  52  and a second portion  76  defined by left side panel member  58 . The opening has an arcuate top portion  78  and an arcuate bottom portion  80  with an intermediate portion  82  having parallel vertical sides extending there between. The casing has a generally flat front wall portion  84 , which includes the periphery  86  of opening  70 . 
     A door assembly  100  is mounted on the sheet metal housing front face  26 . The various components of the door assembly  100  is best illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 which shown an exploded front perspective view and an assembled rear elevation view of the door assembly. 
     Door Member 
     The door assembly includes a door member  102 , which conforms to the shape of opening  70  and is adapted to be closely received there within. The door member has an arcuate top portion  104 , an arcuate bottom portion  106  and an intermediate portion  108  extending there between. The door may have nearly identical dimensions to that of opening  70  except slightly smaller to enable the door to move into and out of the opening. For example, the door may have a width of about 18 mm and the opening may have a width of about 18.5 mm and the door may have a length of about 61 mm and the opening may have a length of about 61.5 mm. The door has an annular axially extending wall  110  which may have a dimension the same as or substantially the same as the dimension of the opening wall  72  which may be, e.g., 3 mm. The door has a generally flat front face surface  112 , which extends parallel to the surface of the casing front wall in the area of the periphery  86  of opening  70 . When the door is in the closed positioned illustrated in FIG. 1. A lower truncated pipe shaped projection may be provided at a bottom front portion of the door. The truncated pipe portion  114  has an upper wall portion which may extend out, e.g., 5 mm, and a lower wall portion  118  which may extend out, e.g., 1 mm, the truncated pipe shaped projection has a circular inner portion  120  having a plurality of recessed surface portions  122  thereon adapted to facilitate engagement of the door with a person&#39;s finger. The door has a flat rear surface  124  with upper spaced apart tabs  126 ,  128  and lower spaced apart tabs  130 ,  132 . Cylindrical projection members  138 ,  136  also extend from the rear surface of the door. A bottom projection member  138  also projects from the rear surface of the door member. The bottom projection member  138  has a vertically extending slot therein adapted to locate a leaf spring as described in further detail below. A top projection member  140  having a hole  142  therein for holding a leaf spring also projects from the rear surface  124  of door member  102 . 
     Slider Member 
     The door assembly  100  also includes a π shaped slider member  150 . The slider member has a generally vertically extending portion  152  with laterally extending leg portions  154 ,  156  projecting from an upper and lower portion thereof. The slider member  150  also includes laterally extending tab receiving portions  158 ,  159 ,  160  having openings therein for receiving door member guide tabs as described in further detail below. The slider member  150  has a rounded top portion  162 , a rounded bottom portion  164 , and an intermediate portion  166  extending there between. The intermediate portion has a top cutout  168 , a first round cutout  170 , a second round cutout  172  and a bottom cutout  174  extending between a generally flat front surface  175 , and a generally flat rear surface  178  thereof. The slider member has an axially extending annular side wall  176  extending between the front and rear surfaces thereof. The slider member has an upper cylindrical rear projection  182  mounted on the vertically extending portion  152  and a pair of rear projections  194 ,  186  having expandable end portions, which project rearwardly from leg portion  154 ,  156 . Slider member  150  also has a rearwardly projecting, slotted spring keeper projection  188  extending from a bottom rear surface thereof as best shown in FIG.  6 . 
     Guide Bracket 
     With continued reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 the door assembly  100  also includes a guide bracket  200  having a first elongated portion  202  and a second elongated portion  204  sharing a common vertically extending lateral wall  206 . The first portion  202  has a front face  210  with a top portion  212  and a bottom portion  214  and an opposed rear face  215 . Vertically extending slots  216 ,  218  extend between the front and rear faces and are adapted to receive slider projections  184 ,  186  there through. The first portion has a left side wall  222 , which projects forwardly and rearwardly, and a rearwardly projecting tab  224  provided at a lower left side thereof. The first elongated portion  202  also has a top wall  226  and a right side wall  228 . Each projecting forwardly and rearwardly. Notched tabs  230 ,  232  project outwardly from the right side wall. 
     The second elongated portion  204  has an upper portion  248  with opposed flat front and rear surfaces  250 ,  252 . Upper portion  248  has an elongate open ended slot  254  extending there through having parallel slot side walls  256  which act as guide surfaces for projection  182  of the slider member which is adapted to be slidingly received there between. The second elongate portion  204  has a lower portion  260  comprising laterally extending walls  262 ,  264  which project rearwardly only and left and bottom walls  266 ,  268  which project forwardly and rearwardly. Rear edge surfaces  270 ,  272  of the first and second elongate portions  202 ,  204  are adapted to be positioned abutting engagement with the front face  26  of sheet metal housing  224 . 
     Biasing Devices 
     As best illustrated in FIG. 5 door assembly  100  also includes a biasing assembly which may include coil spring  280  and leaf spring  290 . Coil spring  280  is adapted to be received about cylindrical projection member  134  of door  102  with a first end  282  thereof positioned in abutting engagement with a rear surface  124  of door  102  and with a second end  284  thereof positioned in abutting engagement with the front surface  175  of slider member  150 . 
     The leaf spring  290  comprises a top hooked end  292 , a short upper portion  294 , e.g., 10 mm long, a relieve bend  296 , a longer lower portion  298 , e.g., 40 mm and a bottom foot portion  300 . The leaf spring  290  is adapted to have the top hook portion  292  thereof received through hole  142  in door member top rear projection  140  and is adapted to have the lower portion  298  thereof at a location just above foot  300  to be received and held by slider member rear slotted keeper projection  188 . 
     The door assembly  100  is assembled by placing leaf spring  280  around door rear projection  134 . Next the door is aligned with π-shaped slider member  150  and urged in a rearward direction  310  relative thereto so that projection member  140  passes through opening  168 ; cylindrical projection  134  with spring  280  thereabout passes through opening  170  capturing spring  280  between door  112  and slider  150 ; cylindrical projection  136  is received through hole  172 ; bottom projection member  138  is received through hole  152 ; and tab portions  126 ,  128 ,  130  are received through openings  169 ,  171 ,  173  in tab receiving projections  158 ,  159 ,  160  of the slider. Each of the receiving holes is adapted to prevent vertical and lateral displacement of the door  102  with respect to the slider  150  while allowing plunging, axial movement in rearward direction  310  and forward direction  312 . After the spring mounted member  112  has been positioned with its rearward projections extending through slider member  150 , leaf spring  290  is attached by hooking the top hook portion  292  through hole  142  and door member projection  140  and by sliding the bottom end of lower portion  298  through a laterally extending slot not shown in projection member  188 . The door member  102  is thus secured to slider member  150  with a step portion  141  on member  140  abuttingly engaging a rear surface of the slider member adjacent an upper edge of hole  168  to prevent movement of the top portion of the door in direction  312  passed the point of abutting engagement and with a similar operation being preformed by an abutment surface (not shown) of lower door projection  138  against a rear surface of slider  150  adjacent hole  174 . The spring member  280  biases door member  102  axially outwardly, i.e., in forward direction  312  so that surface  141 , etc. of projections  142  and  138  are normally in abutting engagement with the rear surface of slider  150 . Members  126 ,  130 ,  134 , and  136  act to prevent lateral and vertical displacement of the door member  112  with respect to the slider member  150 . When a person pushes against surface  120  in axial direction  310  with her/his finger it causes the lower portion of door  102  to initially move in direction  310  causing an end portion of projection  138  to engage lower portion  298  of spring member  290 . This engagement causes member  290  to be placed under tension and urged into an arquate shape which causes a rearward ( 310 ) force to be applied to the upper end of the door at projection  140  by end  292 . This force causes the upper end of the door  102  to be urged against the slider such that application of force solely at surface  120  may be caused to urge door  102  into parallel abutting contact with slider member  150  as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 9. 
     After assembling door  112 , slider  150  and springs  280  and  290  this subassembly is mounted on guide bracket  200 . 
     The door/slider/spring assembly is mounted on guide bracket  200  by positioning slider rear projections  184 ,  186  through the enlarged end portions  217 ,  219  of vertically extending slots  216 ,  218  and then spreading the split end portions of projections  184 ,  186  to prevent their removal from the slots  216 ,  218 . The spacing between projections  184 ,  186  and guide projection  182  is such that rearwardly extending guide projections  182  is received in slot  254  when projections  184 ,  186  are positioned in slots  216 ,  218 . The side wall portions  256  of slot  254  serve to guide member  182  to restrain movement to vertical up and down directions  314 ,  316  while the side walls  211 ,  213  of slots  216 ,  218  perform the same function with respect to projections  184 ,  186 . Slot  254  is also sufficiently wide to enable spring member  290  and projection  140  to project freely threrethrough when the door member  102  is urged against slider  150 . Projection  182  may also be provided with an abutment surface (not shown) which rides against front surface  210  of the bracket to prevent axial displacement of the slider  150  toward the bracket. Similarly, the back surface of the slider leg portions  154 ,  156  abutting slidingly engage the forward surface of front face  210  to prevent displacement of the slider in direction  310  and a lateral projection of the end portions  184 ,  186  right against bracket rear surface  215  to prevent forward  312  displacement of the slider relative to the bracket. 
     With the door  102 , slider  150  springs  280 ,  290  and guide bracket  200  thus assembled the door assembly  100  is mounted on the housing front face  26  by insertion of tabs  224 ,  230 ,  232  through corresponding cutouts (not shown) in the housing front face. The door assembly  100  is positioned such that the door  102  in its full down position completely covers the ports  32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38  of the electrical connection port assembly  30  and in its full up position shown in FIG. 11 completely exposes these ports  32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38 . 
     Operation 
     The door  102 /slider  150  assembly is displaceable within the bracket between a full down position with projection  184 ,  186 ,  182  at the bottom of their respective slots and a full up position with the projections  182 ,  184 ,  186  at the top of their respective slots. 
     The length of the members  140 ,  138  between abutment surface  140 , etc. thereof and the back surface of door  102  is such that the door in its normal outwardly biased position has the front surface  112  thereof positioned in continuous parallel relationship with the periphery  86  of casing opening  70 , i.e., the door and the casing are flush, FIGS. 1 and 8. 
     As illustrated by FIGS. 2 and 9 application of rearward  310  axial force causes door  112  to be moved into abutting contact with the front surface  175  of the slider member  150  with the top surface  112  of the door member positioned slightly rearward of the forward edge  274  of slide wall  266 , the surface against which the casing wall abuts. The axial force applied by a person&#39;s finger urges lower door portion  120  forwardly and also causes projection  138  to engage a lower portion  298  of spring member  290  placing it in tension and causing it to assume an arcuate or bow shape which causes end  292  to apply an axial rearward force to door top rear projection member  140 . Thus, what would ordinarily be an off center axial force which would cause only displacement of the lower end of door  102 , is through co-action of spring member  290  with projection  140  caused to produce axial forces to be applied at both ends of door  102  causing the door assembly to move into abutment with the slider  150  at both the top and bottom portions thereof. 
     In this position forward surface  112  is positioned slightly rearward  310  of the casing and thus is now ready to be moved in a vertical direction behind the casing by pushing vertically against the truncated pipe portion  114  with the operator&#39;s finger. This next position is best illustrated in FIG. 3 and 10. In this position the casing wall rear surface itself abuts against the forward surface  112  of door member  102  preventing it from moving forwardly. Door  102  may be further vertically moved to the full up position illustrated in FIG. 4 by further vertical pushing on projection  114 . This full up vertical position is illustrated also in FIGS. 11 and 12 except that the casing has been removed in these figures and therefore the door member  102  is projected axially outwardly beyond the position it would occupy if the casing were in place. 
     While illustrative and presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art.