Frame structure of electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9436227-B2
Application number	US-201314132209-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2013
Priority date	Jan 4, 2013
Publication date	Sep 6, 2016
Grant date	Sep 6, 2016

Abstract

There is provided a portable apparatus including a top layer portion, a bottom layer portion, and a frame layer portion provided between the top layer portion and the bottom layer portion, wherein the frame layer portion is formed of a rigid material and comprises a plurality of compartmented openings, and wherein the compartmented openings are formed as volumes of spaces partitioned by an arrangement of crosspiece portions forming at least a part of the frame layer portion, and a circuitry component constituting a part of the portable apparatus is placed within at least one of the compartmented openings.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable apparatus comprising:
a top layer portion;
a bottom layer portion; and
a frame layer portion provided between the top layer portion and the bottom layer portion,
wherein the frame layer portion is formed of a rigid material and comprises a plurality of compartmented openings,
wherein the compartmented openings are formed as volumes of spaces partitioned by an arrangement of crosspiece portions forming at least a part of the frame layer portion, and a circuitry component constituting a part of the portable apparatus is placed within at least one of the compartmented openings, and
wherein the bottom layer portion is arranged to be fixed within a concave portion of the frame layer portion.

2. The portable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the frame layer portion is formed of a thickness greater than or equal to a maximum thickness of components that are placed within the compartmented openings.

3. The portable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the frame layer portion is formed to abut a plurality of side surfaces of the portable apparatus.

4. The portable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of side surfaces of the frame layer portion are configured to form external side surfaces of the portable apparatus.

5. The portable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the top layer portion is a keyboard layer or a display-side housing of the portable apparatus.

6. The portable apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the top layer portion is the keyboard layer, a support plate is provided beneath the keyboard layer and the support plate is mounted from an upper side of the frame layer portion, and the bottom layer portion is mounted from a lower side of the frame layer portion.

7. The portable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the frame layer portion suppresses a torsional flex and is configured to secure rigidity of the portable apparatus.

8. The portable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of a battery component, a network communication module, and a cooling fan is secured within at least one compartmented opening of the frame layer portion.

9. The portable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of battery cells are secured within corresponding ones of the plurality of compartmented openings of the frame layer portion.

10. The portable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein two cooling fans are secured within corresponding ones of the plurality of compartmented openings of the frame layer portion.

11. The portable apparatus of claim 10 , wherein a processor module is provided to be affixed between the two cooling fans.

12. The portable apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the two cooling fans generate an air flow having a flow path that flows across an exterior face of the processor module.

13. The portable apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the processor module is secured within one of the compartmented openings of the frame layer portion.

14. The portable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the frame layer portion is configured to function as a heat sync of heat generated by a processor module.

15. The portable apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising a heat pipe that connects the processor module to one of the crosspiece portions of the frame layer portion, the heat pipe configured as a conduit for heat transfer between the processor module and the one of the crosspiece portions.

16. The portable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of circuitry components of the portable apparatus are affixed to the crosspiece portions of the frame layer portion.

17. The portable apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of circuitry components are affixed to be secured within the volumes of spaces of the compartmented openings of the frame layer portion.

18. The portable apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the portable apparatus is a notebook computer or a tablet computer.

19. A portable apparatus comprising:
a top layer portion;
a bottom layer portion; and
a frame layer portion provided between the top layer portion and the bottom layer portion,
wherein the frame layer portion is a torsionally rigid structure and comprises a plurality of cutout portions configured to accommodate a plurality of electronic components therewithin, and
wherein the bottom layer portion is arranged to be fixed within a concave portion of the frame layer portion.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Kotaka Hiroshi
• Ishizuka Hiroyoshi

Classifications

• G06F1/203

  for portable computers, e.g. for laptops · CPC title

• H05K5/10

  comprising several parts forming a closed casing · CPC title

• G06F1/1656

  Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories (mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203) · CPC title

• G06F1/1616

  with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position · CPC title

• G06F1/1658 Primary

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