JP-2026075317-A - Information equipment systems

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an information device system that can increase the versatility of portable information devices. [Solution] The information equipment system comprises a portable information device and an expansion device detachably connected to the portable information device, wherein the portable information device has a housing body with an open bottom, a first cover connecting mechanism provided on the bottom side of the housing body, and a cover member having a first connecting mechanism that is detachably attached to the first cover connecting mechanism and detachably closes the bottom of the housing body, and the expansion device has an expansion housing with at least an open top, and a second connecting mechanism provided on the top side of the expansion housing, which connects the expansion device to the portable information device by being detachably attached to the first cover connecting mechanism of the housing body from which the cover member has been removed. [Selection Diagram] Figure 2

Inventors

• 中垣 佳士
• 中田 和夫
• 潮田 達也
• ▲高▼瀬 允博

Assignees

• レノボ・シンガポール・プライベート・リミテッド

Dates

Publication Date

20260508

Application Date

20241022

Claims (7)

1. An information device system comprising a portable information device and an expansion device detachably connected to the portable information device, The aforementioned portable information device is The main body of the casing has an open bottom, A first cover connecting mechanism provided on the bottom side of the housing body, A cover member having a first connecting mechanism that is attached to and detached from the first cover connecting mechanism, and which detachably closes the bottom surface of the housing body, It has, The aforementioned expansion device is An expansion enclosure with at least an open top, A second connecting mechanism is provided on the upper side of the expansion housing and is attached to and detached from the first cover connecting mechanism of the housing body from which the cover member has been removed, thereby connecting the expansion device to the portable information device. An information equipment system characterized by having [a certain feature].
2. The information equipment system according to claim 1, The aforementioned expansion housing has an open bottom and a second cover connecting mechanism on the bottom side from which the first connecting mechanism can be attached and detached. The information device system is characterized in that the cover member detachably closes the bottom surface of the expansion housing connected to the portable information device by attaching and detaching the first connecting mechanism to the second cover connecting mechanism.
3. The information equipment system according to claim 2, The aforementioned portable information device has legs that protrude from the bottom surface of the housing body, The expansion device has expansion legs that protrude from the bottom surface of the expansion housing, The information equipment system is characterized in that the cover member has holes through which the leg portion and the extension leg portion can be inserted, respectively.
4. The information equipment system according to claim 3, The information equipment system is characterized in that the expansion device is provided so as to face the upper surface of the expansion housing and has a hole into which the legs can be positioned and inserted.
5. An information equipment system according to claim 3 or 4, The information equipment system is characterized in that the holes in the cover member allow the leg portion and the extension leg portion to be positioned and inserted through them, respectively.
6. An information equipment system according to claim 1 or 2, The aforementioned portable information device has legs that protrude from the bottom surface of the housing body, The information equipment system is characterized in that the expansion device is provided so as to face the upper surface of the expansion housing and has a hole into which the legs can be positioned and inserted.
7. The information equipment system according to claim 1, The aforementioned expansion enclosure is equipped with at least a cooling module. The cooling module is characterized in that, when the cover member is removed from the housing body and the expansion device is connected to the portable information device, it is possible to cool the inside of the housing body through an opening in the bottom surface of the housing body.

Description

This invention relates to an information device system comprising a portable information device and an expansion device. For example, there is a strong demand for thinner and lighter casings in portable information devices such as notebook PCs. Therefore, it is difficult to incorporate many functions and components into portable information devices, and improving performance can sometimes be challenging. This applicant proposes an expansion device that connects to such portable information devices (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent No. 5782471 Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of an information equipment system according to one embodiment, seen from the bottom.Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the information equipment system shown in Figure 1.Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of a portable information device seen from the bottom.Figure 4 is a schematic bottom view of the main enclosure.Figure 5 is a plan view of the cover member.Figure 6A is a schematic plan view of the expansion device.Figure 6B is a schematic bottom view of the expansion device.Figure 7A is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a portable information device.Figure 7B is a side cross-sectional view showing the operation of removing the cover member from the portable information device shown in Figure 7A and connecting the expansion device.Figure 7C is a side cross-sectional view of an information equipment system in which an expansion device is connected to the portable information device shown in Figure 7B.Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of the information equipment system related to the modified example. The following describes preferred embodiments of the information equipment system according to the present invention, with reference to the attached drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of an information device system 10 according to one embodiment, viewed from the bottom. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the information device system 10 shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of a portable information device 12, viewed from the bottom. The information device system 10 of this embodiment comprises a portable information device 12 and an expansion device 14. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the information device system 10 can be used in a docked state with the expansion device 14 connected to the portable information device 12. As shown in Figure 3, the information device system 10 can also be used with the portable information device 12 alone, with the expansion device 14 removed. First, we will explain an example configuration of the portable information device 12. The portable information device 12 is a clamshell-type notebook PC. The portable information device 12 has a configuration in which the lid 16 and the casing 18 are connected by a hinge 19 so that they can rotate relative to each other. The portable information device 12 may also be something other than a notebook PC, such as a tablet PC, smartphone, or portable game console. The lid 16 is a thin, flat box. A display 20 is mounted on the front of the lid 16 (see Figure 7A). The display 20 is, for example, an organic EL display or a liquid crystal display. The housing 18 is a thin, flat box. The housing 18 comprises a housing body 22 and a cover member 24. The keyboard device 26 faces the upper surface 22a of the housing body 22 (see Figure 7A). The keyboard device 26 is configured to physically move keycaps up and down using, for example, membrane switches. The portable information device 12 may also have a touch display on the upper surface 22a of the housing body 22, displaying a screen keyboard type keyboard device 26 on it. In the following explanation, the various components of the portable information device 12 and the expansion device 14 connected thereto will be described as follows: the width direction (left and right) of the housing 18 will be referred to as the X1 and X2 directions, the depth direction (front and back) of the housing 18 will be referred to as the Y1 and Y2 directions, and the thickness direction (up and down) of the housing 18 will be referred to as the Z1 and Z2 directions. The X1 and X2 directions may also be collectively referred to as the X direction, and similarly, the Y1 and Y2 directions and the Z1 and Z2 directions may be referred to as the Y direction and Z direction. These directions are defined for the convenience of explanation and may naturally change depending on the usage state or installation orientation of the information device system 10. Figure 4 is a schematic bottom view of the housing body 22. As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the housing body 22 forms the top surface and all four sides of the housing 18. The housing body 22 has an opening 28 across most of its bottom surface 22b. The housing body 22 has a shallow bathtub shape. The opening 28 can be detachably closed by the expansion device 14 or the cover member 24 (see Figures 1 to 3). The