Compaq Computer Corporation, Inc.

Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Joseph R Fester

Donald E Moore

Rome Bloomfield

The present invention is adapted for electrically grounding a printed circuit board to a chassis having mounting studs with each stud having an upper nose. The ground clip of the present invention has a generally circular upper body portion with a side opening, and a plurality of retentive leads extending from the upper body portion. Each ground clip is connected to the circuit board around a portion of a mounting hole such that the upper body portion contacts the upper nose to provide electrical grounding of the circuit board to the chassis.

Method and apparatus for grounding a processor board

A notebook computer is provided with a collapsible keyboard structure in which, in response to closing of the computer housing lid, a shifting mechanism retracts the keys to a storage/transport orientation in which the overall thickness of the keyboard structure is reduced by an amount essentially equal to the stroke distance of the keys. When the lid is subsequently opened, the shifting mechanism extends the keys outwardly to their extended operating positions. Incorporated into the collapsible keyboard structure is a cursor position control pointing stick device that, via the shifting mechanism, is automatically retracted to a collapsed orientation in response to a corresponding collapsing of the keys, and automatically extended back to a use orientation in response to a corresponding return of the keys to their extended use orientations. Operation of the shifting means rotates the pointing stick in an associated housing in which side projections of the pointing stick are carried in ramped, thread-like grooves within the housing. Rotation of the stick in opposite directions by the shifting means causes the pointing stick to correspondingly move axially in the desired extension and retraction directions thereof.

Collapsible keyboard/pointing stick structure

An AC-powerable portable computer has an interior sheet metal chassis portion within which computer operating components are operatively disposed. The chassis has a removable metal access wall portion and is positioned within a plastic outer housing of the computer having a removable access wall that outwardly overlies the sheet metal access wall portion. A key-operable security locking system incorporated in the computer has a pawl portion positioned within the sheet metal chassis. The pawl is selectively movable to a locking position in which it interlocks with each of the plastic and sheet metal access walls and precludes their normal removal from the computer. When the plastic and sheet metal access walls are locked to the computer in this manner, entry into the chassis interior requires that the plastic access wall be broken, and that the metal access wall be forcibly bent away from the balance of the chassis structure. Accordingly, the access walls cannot be reinstalled on the computer without leaving readily visible evidence of the forcible entry into the computer. The locking system thus provides a dual barrier to unauthorized physical entry into the chassis, and visually alerts the legitimate user of the computer that a break-in has been attempted or achieved.

Growing community of inventors

Tomball, TX, United States of America

Joseph R Fester