Image forming apparatus and electronic device including a structurally isolated vibrating user interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11122173-B2
Application number	US-201514935919-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2015
Priority date	Jun 17, 2015
Publication date	Sep 14, 2021
Grant date	Sep 14, 2021

Abstract

An electronic device having a display includes a base connected to a part of a main body of the electronic device, the display configured to receive a touch input and integrally formed with at least one support, and at least one vibrator arranged on the display to vibrate the display in accordance with the touch input, wherein the display is apart from the base in a portion excluding the support.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:
a main body; and
a user interface including:
a display including: a touch screen to receive a touch input on a front side of the touch screen, and a frame fixed to a rear side of the touch screen;
a base, connectable to the main body of the electronic apparatus, having an edge portion that surrounds a side portion of the display and which is spaced apart from the side portion of the display in a direction perpendicular to a front-to-rear direction of the display;
a buffering member, disposed on an inner side surface of the edge portion between the edge portion of the base and the side portion of the display and spaced apart from the side portion of the display in the direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction of the display, to prevent the side portion of the display from contacting the edge portion of the base when the display moves in the direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction of the display;
a vibrator provided on the display and to induce vibrations on the display based on the received touch input; and
a support connecting the base to the display so that the display is structurally isolated from the base except for being connected by the support, to thereby reduce a transfer of the vibrations on the display to the base.

2. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the display is elastically supported on the base through the support.

3. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the support supports the display so that the display vibrates in a direction orthogonal to the base.

4. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein a rear surface of the display is arranged to be apart from a front surface of the base.

5. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the display is connected to the base through a fastener to maintain a gap distance from the base.

6. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the support supports the display so that the display vibrates in a direction parallel to the base.

7. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the support is symmetrically formed on opposite sides of the display.

8. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising at least one guide member having one side fixed to the base and to guide the display in the parallel direction,
wherein a slot, into which a part of the display is slidably inserted, is formed on the guide member.

9. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein a part of the support is separably coupled to the base.

10. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the support comprises:
a support projection extending from the display; and
a coupling projection formed to extend from a front end of the support projection and slidably coupled to a coupling hole formed on the base.

11. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the support comprises:
a coupling projection extending from the display;
an arm formed at a front end of the coupling projection; and
a fixing projection formed at a front end of the arm and coupled to a fixing hole formed on the base.

12. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a frequency of the vibrator coincides with a natural frequency of the support.

13. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the support is formed to project from the frame.

14. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the frame and the support are integrally injection-molded.

15. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electronic apparatus is at least one of an image forming apparatus, medical equipment, and industrial equipment.

16. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
a main body; and
a user interface including:
a display including: a touch screen to receive a touch input on a front side of the touch screen, and a frame fixed to a rear side of the touch screen;
a base, connectable to the main body of the image forming apparatus, having an edge portion that surrounds a side portion of the display and which is spaced apart from the side portion of the display in a direction perpendicular to a front-to-rear direction of the display;
a buffering member, disposed on an inner side surface of the edge portion between the edge portion of the base and the side portion of the display and spaced apart from the side portion of the display in the direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction of the display, to prevent the side portion of the display from contacting the edge portion of the base when the display moves in the direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction of the display;
a vibrator fixed to the display and to induce vibrations on the display based on the received touch input; and
a plurality of supports separably connecting the base to the display so that the display is structurally isolated from the base except for being connected by the plurality of supports, to thereby reduce a transfer of the vibrations on the display to the base.

17. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the display is elastically supported on the base through the plurality of supports.

18. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the plurality of supports are made of an elastic material.

19. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 16 , wherein
the base includes a rear housing, a support frame connected to the frame of the display via the plurality of supports, and a support plate disposed between the support frame and the rear housing,
the edge portion is formed in the support frame, and
at least one of the plurality of supports comprises:
a support projection which extends in the front-to-rear direction through a through-hole provided in a rear side of the frame of the display, and
a coupling projection which extends from the support projection into a coupling hole provided in the support frame, the coupling projection being moveable in the direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction of the display when the display moves in the direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction of the display.

20. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 16 , wherein
the base includes a rear housing, a support frame connected to the frame of the display via the plurality of supports, and a support plate disposed between the support frame and the rear housing, and
at least one of the plurality of supports is moveable in the direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction when the display moves in the direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction, the at least one of the plurality of supports comprising:
a connector protruding in the front-to-rear direction from a rear side of the frame,
a first support projection extending from a first side of the connector and a second support projection extending from a second side of the connector, opposite of the first side of the connector, each of the first and second support projections protruding in the front-to-rear direction through a through-hole provided in the rear side of the frame of the display, and
an arm having one end that extends from a third side of the connector and another end having a fixing projection extending in the front-to-rear direction into a fixing hole of the support plate.

Assignees

• Hp Printing Korea Co Ltd
• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• An Hwi-Kyeong
• Song Sung-Weon

Classifications

• H04N1/00488

  providing an audible output to the user · CPC title

• H04N1/00493

  Particular location of the interface or console · CPC title

• G06F1/1658

  related to the mounting of internal components, e.g. disc drive or any other functional module · CPC title

• G06F3/016 Primary

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title

• H04N1/00411 Primary

  the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen · CPC title