DE9002228U1 - Portable computer unit - Google Patents

Description

EI$&flPÜHR, SPEISER JSTRASSE

Bremen

European Patent Attorneys

[**.-*«-Dieter K. Speiser Dating. JoacMm Sirasse · D

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Allerdata EDV... A 699 22 February New registration

Allerdata EDV-Service O Brunnenweg 1/ 2810 Verden

Portable computer unit Description

The invention relates to a portable computer unit with a computer/printer containing a keyboard and a transport case in which the computer and the printer are housed.

Such portable computer units are known in many different forms. The computer and printer are usually held in a foam bed in the bottom part of the transport case.

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However, the operation of conventional computer units was cumbersome, as additional manual operations were required to operate the printer, read the printouts and print them. The reason for such cumbersome operation lay in the arrangement of the printer in relation to the computer, particularly when the printer was arranged transversely or offset to the side of the computer. Such an arrangement also meant that the transport case had to be particularly large and bulky, which in turn made handling the transport case more difficult.

Therefore, the object of the invention is to improve a portable computer unit in such a way that both a simpler operation of the printer and a most compact arrangement of the computer and the printer are possible in order to make the transport case as compact as possible in its dimensions.

~\ This problem is solved by arranging the printer lengthwise behind the computer, with the paper printed out during a printing process facing the user operating the computer keyboard with its printed side.

The inventive arrangement of the printer behind the computer offers the advantage that the paper running out of the printer during the printing process runs in the line of sight of the user sitting in front of the keyboard of the computer and operating it, and thus

can be read and torn off without any further manipulation. In this way, the operation of the printer is made considerably easier, since, in contrast to the prior art, no additional manipulation is required to operate the printer and read and torn off the printouts. The user sitting in front of the computer keyboard does not need to leave his seat for this. Furthermore, the arrangement of the printer behind the computer according to the invention enables it to be stored in a very space-saving and compact manner within the transport case, so that it can be made compact in terms of its dimensions. In this way, the handling of the transport case is made easier.

The computer preferably consists of a PC laptop with a foldable, flat screen, which is hinged to the rear edge of the computer next to the printer. Such a personal computer is particularly compact and is therefore particularly suitable for the computer unit according to the invention. A further advantage of this computer is that in addition to the keyboard, it also has the required screen, which can be folded onto the top of the computer in a space-saving manner and thus takes up very little space when the transport case is closed.

In order to keep the transport case particularly compact in its cross-sectional dimensions, the arrangement of computer and printer can preferably be

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&ngr;&ogr;&eegr; essentially fill the opening area limited by the side walls of the transport case.

To achieve this with a computer and a printer, each of which has an essentially rectangular shape, the printer is conveniently positioned with its front edge adjacent to the rear edge of the computer.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the computer and the printer are arranged transversely to the longitudinal extension of the transport case, which results in particularly good use of space in the transport case.

A further preferred embodiment, in which the computer and the printer are mounted on the lower part of the transport case at a distance from the bottom surface, is characterized in that the printer is arranged lowered towards the bottom surface relative to the computer. In this way, a spatial arrangement of the computer and the printer is achieved.

realized in two different levels. An important advantage of this lowered arrangement is that the computer and the printer, which is lowered behind it, are both in the line of sight of the user sitting in front of the computer keyboard. Another advantage is that the two devices cannot interfere with each other during use. This is particularly the case when the PC laptop mentioned above is used as the computer. Depending on

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The design of the devices using this may cause the paper printed by the printer to run against the laptop computer's folded-back screen. The lowered position of the printer creates a larger distance from the folded-back screen, which creates more space for the paper to be printed out from the printer. In addition, the lowered position of the printer is also of

Advantage" if the printer is higher than the computer in front of it, so that in this case the printer and the computer can be placed with their surfaces essentially on the same level, which in turn is advantageous for a compact and low design of the upper part of the transport case serving as the lid.

In a further development of this embodiment, a support plate is attached to the lower part of the transport case at a distance from and essentially parallel to its base surface, the support plate having two (') plate sections, of which the first plate section carries the computer and the second plate section carries the printer. In this way, the two devices can be easily mounted.

In the lowered arrangement of the printer, the distance of the second plate section to the floor surface is less than that of the first plate section, and a third plate section is provided which connects the first with the second plate section.

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section. Preferably, the third plate section is arranged essentially at right angles to the first and second plate sections. In this way, the support plate has a Z-shape or a Z-profile in the longitudinal section. The lowered arrangement of the second plate section thus creates a receiving compartment in the support plate for receiving and securing the printer. The printer is held not only by the side walls of the transport case, but also by the third plate section.

In a further expedient development, the first and second plate sections are provided as separate and removable first and second partial plates and a power supply compartment is formed between the first partial plate and the base surface and a paper compartment is formed between the second partial plate and the base surface. Thus, the remaining

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a power supply unit and paper for the printer . The power supply compartment and the paper compartment are accessible from above via the removable sub-panels.

Preferably, both sub-panels are connected to each other via a hinge, with the joint axis of the hinge running essentially between the computer and the printer. This further development enables convenient access to the compartments located underneath the sub-panels (power supply compartment and paper compartment) without the devices having to be removed from the

Partial plates or the carrier plate must be removed. One partial plate can be folded up with the associated device while the other partial plate is in its holding position. Thus, one partial plate always serves to fix the other when it is folded up. The relevant partial plate can be folded up together with the associated device without the device having to be removed, which makes it easier to use.

If the computer and the printer have a substantially rectangular shape and the printer is located with its front edge adjacent to the rear edge of the computer, the hinge axis can preferably run substantially parallel and adjacent to the rear edge of the computer and the front edge of the printer and between them.

In a hinged construction of this design, the third plate section is formed in one piece with the second partial plate and the hinge is located between the third plate section and the first partial plate.

In a further expedient development of this embodiment, at least one recess is provided in the first plate section for the passage of connection cables for the computer and at least one recess is provided in the second plate section for the passage of connection cables and paper for the printer.

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Another practical embodiment of the invention is characterized by the fact that the transport case is designed as a shell case made of aluminum. This results in a particularly light and at the same time stable construction.

An example of the implementation of the invention is explained below using the attached drawings.

It shows:

Fig. 1 is a top view of a lower shell of a transport case with the lid removed;

Fig. 2 a section through the transport case along the line H-II of Fig. 1 with an inserted PC and printer;

Fig. 3 the same section without the devices; and

Fig. 4 shows a section through the transport case, offset by 90° compared to Fig. 2 and 3, along the line IV-IV of Fig.

Fig. 1 shows a top view of a lower shell of a transport case 2 with the lid removed. The transport case 2 serves to accommodate a computer and a printer - which will later

will be described in more detail later - and together with the computer and the printer forms a portable IT unit.

As Fig. 1 shows, in the embodiment shown the transport case Z is rectangular _- the longitudinal walls 3 and 4 being longer than the transverse walls 5 and 6.

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A 3PC support plate 8 and a printer support plate 10 are arranged one inside the other. The PC support plate 8 is located adjacent to the 6 and extends between the long walls 3 and 4 and serves to hold a personal computer. The printer support plate 10 is located adjacent to the opposite transverse wall 5 and also extends between the two long walls 3 and 4 and serves to hold a printer. Both support plates 8, 10 are essentially rectangular and connected to one another via hinges 12, the

( j Joint axis runs perpendicular to the longitudinal walls 3 and or parallel to the transverse walls 5 and 6. The PC support plate 8 is provided with a foam pad 14 and spacers 16 for holding a PC. The PC support plate also has cutouts 17 and 18 for the passage of power and connection cables. The printer support plate 10 is also provided with foam pads 20 for the soft holding of a printer. The printer support plate 10 also has a cutout 21 for the passage of power and connection cables.

f Between the transverse wall 5 and the adjacent

% running side edge of the printer support plate 10

J is a gap 22 for the implementation of the

printing papers«

Fig. 2 and * show a longitudinal section through the

Carrying case 2. The lower shell 24 is in

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: -. dashed lines. As shown in Fig. 2 and 3

f, the support plates 8 and 10 are in

I! a distance to the bottom surface 25 of the lower shell 24

- arranged. Both support plates 8, 10 are supported by

: the floor is held by supports 27 arranged on 25.

As can be seen from Fig. 2 and 3, the distance between the printer support plate 10 and the base surface 25 is smaller than that of the PC support plate 8, which means that the printer support plate 10 is arranged lowered relative to the PC support plate 8 towards the base surface 25. In order to achieve the connection via the hinge 12 with the PC support plate 8,

\ the edge section 28 of the printer support plate 10 is bent upwards at a right angle and connected with its free longitudinal edge to the PC support plate 8 via the hinges 12.

Below the FC support plate 8, a power supply compartment 30 is designed to accommodate a power supply and other additional devices such as a modem. Below the printer support plate 10, there is essentially a paper compartment 32 designed to accommodate printer paper. The paper compartment 32 extends

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Furthermore, it partially extends into an area below the PC-8 support plate &bgr; and is separated from the power supply compartment 30 by a partition wall 34.

In Fig. 2, the arrangement of a personal computer PC 36 and a printer 38 is shown schematically. The PC 36 lies on the PC support plate, while the printer is attached to the printer support plate 10. In order to use the available space in the transport case 2 as effectively as possible and to keep the dimensions of the transport case 2 as compact as possible, the printer 38 is arranged close behind the PC 36 and the arrangement of the PC 36 and printer 38 essentially completely fills the opening area delimited by the side walls 4 to 7 of the transport case 2 (see Fig. 1). The printer 38 is arranged longitudinally behind the PC 36 in such a way that the paper printed out during a printing process faces with its rear side in the direction of the view of the keyboard 46 of the user operating the PC 36. This means that the printer 38 with its front edge 42 is located directly behind the rear edge 40 of the PC 36. The PC 36 in the illustrated embodiment consists of a laptop with a flat screen 44 hinged to the rear edge 40 via a hinge 43, which is folded over the keyboard 46 when in the idle state, as shown in Fig. 2. With its front side 48 opposite the rear edge 40, the PC 36 is arranged adjacent to the transverse wall 6. The keyboard 46 extends from the front side 48 on the surface of the PC 36 in the direction of the rear edge 40, so that the front side 48 is the user's

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facing side of the PC 36. According to Fig. 2, a user would therefore sit to the left in front of the transverse wall 6 in order to work on the PC 36. For this purpose, the flat screen 44 is then folded up around the hinge 43 in the direction of the printer 38.

Since the printer support plate 8 is recessed, the printer 38 is also lower than the PC 36. If the flat screen 44 is folded back very far and protrudes diagonally backwards beyond the rear edge 40 of the PC, the recessed arrangement of the printer 38 creates a greater distance between the surface of the printer 38 and the flat screen 44 than would be the case if the PC 36 and the printer 38 were arranged on the same level. In this way, the printed paper has more space and does not hit the back of the flat screen 44. In addition, the paper is easier to spread.

Fig. 3 shows the same sectional view as Fig. 2, but without the PC 36 and printer 38. Instead, the PC support bar 8 and the printer support plate 10 are shown in dashed lines in Fig. 3 in the folded-up position 8' and 10'. Due to the connection via the hinges 12, both plates 8, 10 can be folded up. For practical use, however, only one of the two plates 8, 10 can be folded up at a time, since the other of the two plates 8, 10 serves for fixing. Since each of the two plates 8, 10

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can be folded up with the device attached to it, both devices 36, 38 would also interfere with each other when folded up. In this context, it should also be noted that the recessed arrangement of the printer 38 is also advantageous for folding up the printer support plate 10, since

»W X BWUVIl UVl I1WIHJ VfIJL Off b VIl ULUWflOI.-0LUte|/iaLtO XV (Fig. 3) and the rear edge 40 of the PC 36 (Fig. 2) there is enough space for the printer 38 so that it does not hinder the folding up.

In Fig. 4, the support plates 8, 10 are also shown by dashed lines in their folded-up positions 8' and 10', respectively.

From the previous explanations it follows that the PC 36 and the printer 38 are arranged transversely to the longitudinal extension of the transport case 2. In this way the space in the transport case is nnfinally used. near4 is- that irrelevant. oh the

Lid shell 26 (see Fig. 2 to 4) is hinged to one of the / \ longitudinal walls 3 or 4 - as is usually the case - or to one of the transverse walls 5 or 6. It is also conceivable that the lid shell 26 is not hinged to the lower shell 24, but can be fastened by means of snap fasteners (not shown) in order to close the transport case 2.

Finally, it should be noted that the transport case 2 shown in the design is designed as a shell case made of aluminum. However, other materials can also be selected.

Claims (15)

EXPECTATIONS 1. Portable computer unit with a computer (36) containing a keyboard (46), a printer (38) and ainaai Trantnnrf linf for 13\. in &Lgr; am dar fVimr»ii4-ov i 1t%\ and the printer (38) are housed, characterized in that the printer (38) is located in the -/longitudinal direction behind the computer (36), whereby the paper printed out during a printing process has its printed side facing the view of the user operating the keyboard (46) of the computer (36). 2. Computer unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the computer (36) consists of a PC laptop with a foldable flat screen (44) which is hinged to the rear edge (40) of the computer (36) adjacent to the printer (38). 3. EDP unit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the arrangement of computer (36) and printer (38) essentially fills the opening area delimited by the time turns (4 - 7) of the transport case (2). 4. EDP unit according to one of claims 1 to 3, in which the computer (36) and the printer (38) have a substantially rectangular shape, characterized in that the printer (38) with &bull;» » - 15 - its front edge (42) is adjacent to the rear edge (40) of the computer (36). 5. EDP unit according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the computer (36) and the printer (38) are arranged transversely to the longitudinal extension of the transport case (2). 6. EDP unit according to one of claims 1 to 5, in which the computer (36) and the printer (38) ^ on the bottom part (24) of the transport case (2) in a Distance from the bottom surface (25), characterized in that the printer (38) is arranged lowered towards the bottom surface (25) relative to the computer (36). 7. Computer unit according to claim 6, characterized in that a support plate (8, 10) is attached to the lower part (24) of the transport case (2) at a distance from and substantially parallel to its bottom surface (25) and has two plate sections (8, 10), of which the first plate section (8) carries the computer (36) and the second plate section (X0) carries the printer (38). 8. Computer unit according to claim 6 and 7, characterized in that the distance of the second plate section (10) to the base surface (25) is smaller than that of the first plate section (8) and that a third plate section (28) is provided which connects the first to the second plate section (8, 10). - 16 - 9. Computer unit according to claim 8, characterized in that the third plate section (2S) is arranged substantially at right angles to the first and »wide plate abscissas (S, 10). 10. Computer unit according to one of claims 7 to 9, d. -r-isseh characterized in that the first and second platfcea sections are provided as separate and removable first ^ and second partial platforms {8, 10) and a feeding compartment (30) is formed between the first partial plate (8) and the base surface (25) and a paper compartment (32) is formed between the second partial plate (10) and the base surface (25). 11. Computer unit according to claim 10, characterized in that both partial plates (8, 10) are connected to one another in an articulated manner via a hinge (12), the articulation axis of the hinge (12) running essentially between the computer (36) and the printer (38). 12. Computer unit according to claim 11 and 4, characterized in that the hinge axis extends substantially parallel and adjacent to the rear edge (40) of the computer (36) and the front edge (42) of the printer (38) and between them. 13. Computer unit according to claim 11 or 12 and claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the third plate section (28) is formed integrally with the second partial plate (10) and the hinge (12) sits between the third plate section (28) and the first partial plate (8). 14. EDP unit according to one of the claims 1 to 13, characterized in that in the first plate section (8) at least one recess (17, 18) for the passage of cables for the computer ' (36) and in the second section (&Igr;&oacgr;) at least one recess (21, 2.2C) for the passage of connection cables and paper for the second printer (38) is provided. 15. EDP unit according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the transport case (2) is designed as a shell case made of aluminum.