International Business Machines Corporation

Dennis Crompton

Richard Hunter Harris

Jeff David Thomas

Herbert Gene Leonard

George Hufford, Iii

Aaron Roger Cox

John R Dewitt

Kevin K Cooke

Paul A Kerezman

Mark Gehres McDonald

Alfred William Connor

Edward H Bishop

Myron F Davis

Paul J Galinis

Victor V Zaderej

Lau H Nguyen

Terry M Espersen

A front cover assembly is provided for use with a touch sensitive display device. The touch sensitive display device includes a display such as a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) or Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). The front cover assembly has a top cover, an infrared bezel and a piece of glass. The top cover is inserted into a mold along with the piece of glass. The top cover and glass are then held in place by a vacuum while polyurethane is injected to fill the void between the glass and the top cover and the mold. The polyurethane is injected using injection molding techniques. The polyurethane used must have the properties of flexibility, durability and must also be transparent to infrared light. The polyurethane provides a mechanical lock around the glass and top cover and thus the polyurethane compensates for the different rates of expansion and contraction of the glass and the top cover due to temperature variations in the ambient environment. The polyurethane provides a mechanical lock that prevents liquids from seeping or entering from the top portion of the front cover assembly protecting the touch sensitive display device.

Front cover assembly for touch sensitive device

A tilt adjustment mechanism having an upper housing, a lower housing and a shaft assembly is disclosed. The shaft assembly receives the gears which are pressed on either end of shaft. The shaft fits through locating slots in the lower housing. Each of the gears are activated by internal gears located on each side of the upper housing. The internal gears are integrally formed with the upper housing. The upper housing is hinged on the lower housing and can rotate 20 degrees. The shaft assembly mechanism provides a torsion bar function to insure that the upper housing moves evenly with respect to the lower housing. Even motion in the upwards and downwards directions of the housing is provided by even rotational torsional motion and opposite rotational torsional motion of the shaft assembly of the tilt adjustment mechanism. The shaft assembly mechanism decouples the frictional load in the two different rotational directions about its shaft. This permits the adjustment of the forces to optimal levels in both directions. A relatively high force is desired to move the upper housing in a downward direction. This prevents the operator's touches on a display tablet, mounted to the upper housing to cause the tilt adjustment mechanism to move in the downward direction. A relatively low force is required to move the tilt adjustment mechanism in the upwards direction.

Computer system with a tilt adjustment mechanism

Front cover assembly for a touch sensitive device

Tilt adjustment mechanism

Shaft assembly for a tilt adjustment mechanism

Computer housing

A pivotable power supply for a computer rotates away from the computer circuit board so that servicing of system components located behind the power supply is facilitated. The power supply is provided with a ground strap which remains attached during power supply pivoting thus assuring that the power supply will be grounded after system servicing. Also, a threaded, spring-loaded fastener for locking the power supply in position is designed such that the covers cannot be replaced on the housing unless the power supply is connected to the system circuit board.

Pivoting power supply

Growing community of inventors

Apex, NC, United States of America

Dennis Crompton