Notebook computer and docking station having anti-theft lock

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 2002-1011, filed Jan. 8, 2002, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] The present invention relates in general to notebook computers, and more particularly, to a notebook computer in which a computer body and a docking station can be locked together using a lock.

[0005] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0006] Recently, users prefer notebook computers whose bodies are slim. Coping with such user preference, notebook computers whose main bodies can be connected with docking stations have recently become popular.

[0007] The docking station generally includes a hardware frame and a series of interfaces that provide electrical connections with external devices. Using the docking station, functions of a notebook computer can be executed effectively like a desktop computer. These interfaces typically allow the notebook computer to communicate with a local printer, large-capacity storage devices or backup drives and other devices, which are separately provided to a notebook computer. A docking station may further include a network interface card (NIC) with which the notebook computer is allowed to access a local area network (LAN). Variations of the docking station include a port extending device, a device that extends the number of ports which can be used in a notebook computer, and a storage expanding device holding therein a CD-ROM drive, a floppy disk drive, and additional storage units.

[0008] The docking station also includes a lock hole through which a KENSINGTON lock is locked to prevent the loss or theft of the docking station. The KENSINGTON Lock generally refers to a plastic-coated steel cable with a lock. One end is fixed at an opening on one side of the notebook with a special key and locked. The other end is attached to a fixed point. Without the appropriate key, you cannot remove the notebook computer without damaging it.

[0009] However, in the conventional notebook computer, whose main body is connected with the docking station, a locking function is not provided to the computer main body connected to the docking station when the docking station is fastened with the KENSINGTON lock. Thus, the computer main body may be lost or stolen.

[0010] In order to prevent both the computer main body and the docking station from being stolen, a plurality of KENSINGTON locks must be installed separately to the computer body and the docking station, thereby causing trouble or inconvenience to the users.

[0011] The present invention has been made keeping in mind the above and other shortcomings, and an object of the present invention is to provide a notebook computer in which a computer body and a docking station can be locked with a lock to thereby prevent the computer main body and the docking station from being lost or stolen.

[0012] Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

[0013] This and other objects of the present invention may be achieved by providing a notebook computer having a computer main body and a docking station detachably installed to a lower part of the computer main body, and cooperating with the computer main body according to an embodiment of the invention, comprising a lock having a lock member, a lock hole part provided in the docking station through which the lock member of the lock is inserted, a link slidably installed in the docking station to lock and release the lock member of the lock, a lock part provided in the docking station to allow the docking station to be coupled to or released from the lower part of the computer main body, and a rotation-limiting part provided between the link and the lock part to limit a limiting rotation of the lock part when the link is locked to the lock member of the lock according to the sliding movement of the link.

[0014] According to an aspect of the invention, the link further comprises a spring to elastically bias the link so as to allow the link to be locked to the lock member of the lock.

[0015] According to an aspect of the invention, the rotation-limiting part comprises a rib extended from one side of the link toward the lock part, thereby being in contact with or separated from the lock part according to the sliding movement of the link.

[0016] According to yet another aspect of the invention, the rotation-limiting part further comprises a rotation arm having a first wing rotatably combined in the docking station and being in contact with a side of the link, and a second wing in contact with or separated from the lock part according to the sliding movement of the link.

[0017] The present invention will be better understood and its various objects and advantages will be more fully appreciated from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a computer main body and a docking station of a notebook computer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] FIG. 2 is a top plan partial view showing an inner part of the docking station according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1;

[0020] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a main portion of FIG. 2;

[0021] FIGS. 4A and 4B are views showing a configuration and an operation state of the lock part of FIG. 2;

[0022] FIG. 5 is a top plan view showing partially an inner part of the docking station, illustrating the locking state of the docking station; and

[0023] FIG. 6 is a view showing a state which the computer main body is fastened to a table by a KENSINGTON lock, by way of example.

[0024] Hereinbelow, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a computer main body 11 and a docking station 21 of a notebook computer according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a top plan view showing partially an inner part of the docking station 21 according to the present invention and FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a main portion of FIG. 2. As illustrated therein, a notebook computer according to the present invention includes the computer main body 11 equipped with a central processing unit (CPU), a display unit 19 to receive a picture signal generated from the computer main body 11 and to display the picture. The docking station 21 is detachably installed on a lower part of the computer main body 11 and cooperates with the computer main body 11. A lock 81 includes a lock member 83 and a cable 85 (shown in FIG. 6). According to an embodiment of the invention, the lock 81 is a KENSINGTON lock, but can be any lock suitable to secure the docking station 21.

[0026] The computer main body 11 includes a keyboard part and a touch pad (not shown), which are mechanisms that transmit an input signal into the computer main body 11. A pair of hook grooves 17 are formed on corresponding opposite sides of the bottom of the computer main body 11. The hook grooves 17 allow hooks 67 of holder units 63 (see FIGS. 4A and 4B) to be inserted thereinto or released therefrom as will be described below.

[0027] The docking station 21 includes a lock hole 31 allowing a lock member 83 of the lock 81 to be inserted or released. An embodiment of a transmission member includes a link 33 locks or releases the lock member 83 of the lock 81. First and second lock parts 45a, 45ballow the docking station 21 to be coupled to or released from a bottom face of the computer main body 11. Embodiments of a rotation limiting part include a rib 71 and a rotation arm 73, which are respectively formed between opposite end parts of the link 33 and the first and second lock parts 45, 45bto limit a rotation of the first and second lock parts 45a, 45bwhen the link 33 fastens the lock member 83 of the lock 81 according to a sliding movement of the link 33.

[0028] An external appearance of the docking station 21 is defined by a casing 23, which is shown with a rectangular box shape according to an embodiment of the invention. A pair of hook-passing holes 25 are formed on corresponding opposite sides of a top plate of the casing 23. The hooks 67 of the holder parts 63 pass through the holes 25. Each of a pair of lift-passing holes 27 is formed adjacent a corresponding one of the hook-passing holes 25. Lifts 61 of the first and second lock parts 45a, 45bpass through corresponding holes 27. An interface part 29 is also provided on the top plate of the casing 23. The interface part 29 receives and transmits data between the docking station 21 and the computer main body 11. The open lock hole 31 is formed on a front side of the casing 23 according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0029] The link 33 is slidably installed so as to slide along the directions indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2. On opposite end parts of the link 33 are formed a pair of elongated grooves 35 having a predetermined length. Each of a pair of stopper pins 37a, 37bis received in a corresponding elongated groove 35 to prevent the link 33 from detaching from the lower plate of the casing 23. The stopper pins 37a, 37balso limit the sliding movement of the link 33. The stopper pin 37b, which is positioned on one side of the link 33 (the right side of FIG. 2) to which the lock member 83 of the lock 81 is installed, also closely fastens and secures the lock member 83 of the lock 81.

[0030] The link 33 includes a wing-receiving groove 39 to receive an end part of a first wing 77 of the rotation arm 73 to be described below. Using the groove 39, the rotation arm 73 is rotated in response to the sliding movement of the link 33. One end part of a spring 41 is coupled to a spring-coupling part 33anear the center of the link 33. This spring 41 restores the link 33 to its original position or allows the lock member 83 of the lock 81 to be fastened. One end part of the link 33 (the left side of FIG. 2) is coupled to a knob 43, which allows a user to slide the link 33. The knob 43 protrudes from a front of the casing 23 opposite to the lock hole 31.

[0031] The first and second lock parts 45a, 45ballow the docking station to be coupled to or released from the bottom face of the computer main body 11 and are provided in both inner sides of the docking station 21. The first lock part 45aallows the docking station 21 to be coupled to or released from a left bottom face of the computer main body 11. The second lock part 45ballows the docking station 21 to be coupled to or released from a right bottom face of the computer main body 11.

[0032] Each of the lock parts 45a, 45bincludes a rotator part 47 that is rotatably coupled to the bottom face of the computer main body. A lift part 61 of the lock parts 45a, 45bis lifted up or down in response to the rotation of the rotator part 47 so as to be coupled to or released from the bottom face of the computer main body 11. A holder part 63 is (see FIGS. 4A and 4B) coupled to or released from the bottom face of the computer main body 11. The holder part 63 is advanced or retracted in response to the rotation of the rotator part 47 so as to engage the corresponding groove 17 of the computer main body 11.

[0033] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4B, the rotator part 47 has a rotating plate 49 of an approximate quarter circle shape on which a cam 58 is partially formed. The rotating part 47 is rotatably coupled to the bottom face of the casing 23 by a rotation shaft 51. One side of the rotating plate 49 is coupled to a lever 53 that protrudes from a side of the casing 23. While not shown, a twist coil spring is provided on the bottom of the rotating plate 49. The elasticity of the twist coil spring is applied in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of the lever 53. The rotation direction of the lever 53 is the direction that the lever 53 moves to detach the docking station 21 from the computer main body 11. However, the twist coil spring is not required in all aspects of the invention.

[0034] An arc-shaped guide 57 is provided near the outer circumference of the rotating plate 49, spaced from the outer circumference of the rotating plate 49 by a predetermined distance. One end part of the guide 57 and one end part of the rotating plate 49 are interconnected by a connecting pin 59. The guide 57 has an upwardly inclined face that is inclined opposite to the rotation direction of the lever 53 to detach the docking station 21 from the computer main body 11.

[0035] The lift part 61 is bar-shaped and is closely coupled to the inclined face of the guide 57. The lift part 61 slides along the inclined face of the guide 57 according to the rotation of the rotator part 47. Due to the sliding movement, the lift part 61 moves up and down vertically.

[0036] The holder part 63 includes a bar-shaped rod 65 that is advanced or retracted. The holder part 63 is closely coupled to the outer circumference of the cam 58 of the rotating plate 49. A hook 67 is at an end of the rod 65. According to an embodiment of the invention, the hook 67 is a bent end of the rod 65. The hook 67 is detachably coupled to the hook groove 17 on the rear face of the computer main body 11. On the outer circumference of the rod 65 is provided an auxiliary spring 69 to elastically bias the rod 65 to be restored to its original, retracted, position.

[0037] FIGS. 4A and 4B are views showing the configuration and the operation of the lock parts 45a, 45bof FIG. 2. Specifically, FIG. 4A shows a state before the rotator part 47 of the lock parts 45a, 45bis rotated, and FIG. 4B shows a state after the rotator part 47 of the lock parts 45a, 45bis rotated. As illustrated therein, if the lever 53 of the rotator part 47 is rotated counterclockwise, the rotating plate 49 and the guide 57 are rotated counterclockwise. The counterclockwise rotation lifts the lift part 61 upward as the lift part 61 slides along the inclined face of the guide 57. The lift part 61 is thereby pressed up against the bottom face of the computer body 11. The pressing action of the lift part 61 allows the computer main body 11 to be more easily detached from the docking station 21. However, it is understood that the lift part 61 need not be used in all instances.

[0038] At the same time, the cam 58 of the rotating plate 49 presses the rod 65 of the holder part 63 so as to allow the rod 65 of the holder part 63 to be advanced. The movement of the rod 65 moves the hook 67 so as to be detached from the hook groove 17 of the computer main body 11.

[0039] Conversely, if the lever 53 of the rotator part 47 is rotated clockwise to be restored to its original position, the rotating plate 49 and the guide 57 are rotated clockwise. The lift part 61 is moved downward along the inclined face of the guide 57, thereby separating the lift part 61 from the lower face of the computer main body 11. The movement of the rotating plate 49 also presses the rod 65 of the holder part 63 so as to be released. As the rod 65 is subsequently retracted to its original position by the elasticity of the auxiliary spring 69 of the holder part 63, the hook 67 is also retracted. When the hook 67 is retracted, it becomes coupled to the hook groove 17 of the computer main body 11.

[0040] The docking station 21 also includes the rib 71 and the rotation arm 73, which limit the rotation of the lock parts 45a, 45b. The rib 71 extends from the link 33 by a predetermined length toward the rotator part 47 of the first lock part 45atransversely to a lengthwise direction of the link 33 from a first side of the link 33 (the left side of FIG. 2). The rib 71 is in contact with or separated from an outer circumference of the rotating plate 49 of the first lock part 45ain response to the sliding movement of the link 33.

[0041] The rotation arm 73 is rotatably coupled to the lower plate of the casing 23 by the rotation arm shaft 75. The rotation arm 73 has the first wing 77 and a second wing part 79. The first wing part 77 is received in the wing-receiving groove 39 of the link 33 and the second wing 79 is in contact with or separated from an outer circumference of the second lock part 45baccording to the sliding movement of the link 33. The first wing 77 and the second wing 79 form a predetermined angle relative to each other.

[0042] The lock member 83 of the lock 81 has a rectangular shape having a short side and a long side. The lock member 83 is detachably connected to the link 33. The lock member 83 is rotated by a key (not shown), whereby the long side or the short side of the lock member 83 is positioned between the link 33 and the stopper pin 37. The rotation of the lock member 83 locks or unlocks the computer main body 11 to or from the docking station 21.

[0043] Although it has not been shown, it is understood that a rear of the docking station 21 includes installed peripheral devices generally used with docking stations 21. These devices include, but are not limited to a CD-ROM drive and a floppy disk drive. Similarly, openings are in the rear plate of the casing 23 through which CDs and floppy disks are inserted.

[0044] With this configuration, the locking and releasing of the computer main body 11 and the docking station 21 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described as follows. The hook 67 of the holder part 63 provided in the docking station 21 is coupled to the hook groove 17 in the lower face of the computer main body 11. As shown in FIG. 5, the lock hole 31 is opened by pushing the knob 43 of the docking station 21 to the left (i.e., in the locking direction). The lock member 83 of the lock 81 is then inserted through the lock hole 31 so as to be installed in contact with the link 33. The lock member 83 is rotated by a key (not shown), which positions the long side of the lock member 83 between the link 33 and the stopper pin 37. Thus, the lock member 83 is locked to the docking station 21.

[0045] The link 33 is moved to the left by the width of the long side of the lock member 83. Due to the bias of the spring 41, the lock member 83 is secured between the link 33 and the stopper pin 37. The movement of the link 33 to the left by the lock member 83 places the rib 71 of the link 33 in contact with the outer circumference of the rotating plate 49 of the first lock part 45a. The first wing part 77 of the rotation arm 73, which is received in the wing-receiving groove 39 of the link 33, is rotated clockwise with the predetermined angle due to the movement of the link 33. The second wing part 79 contacts with the outer circumference of the rotating plate 49 of the second lock part 45b. Thus, while the lock member 83 is in the lock position, even if the levers 53 of the lock parts 45a, 45bare rotated backward in order to release the computer main body 11 from the docking station 21, the rotations of the rotator parts 47 of the lock parts 45a, 45bare limited by the rib 71, the rotation arm 73, and the link 33. Accordingly, the lift parts 61 and the hooks 67 do not work, and the computer main body 11 remains integrally connected to the docking station 21.

[0046] Next, a process of releasing/unlocking the computer main body 11 from the docking station will be described as follows. The lock member 83 of the lock 81 is rotated by a key (not shown), which positions the short side of the lock member 83 between the link 33 and the stopper pin 37. The lock member 83 is thereby detachable from the docking station 21 through the lock hole 31. When the lock member 83 is detachable, the link 33 is moved to the right by the elasticity of the spring 41 as shown in FIG. 2. The movement of the link 33 is limited by the stopper pins 37a, 37breceived in the elongated grooves 35 provided in the link 33.

[0047] At the same time, the rib 71 is also moved to the right by the predetermined distance, which allows the rib 71 to separate from the outer circumference of the rotating plate 49 of the first lock part 45a. Also, the movement of the link 33 rotates the first wing 77 of the rotation arm 73 counterclockwise with the predetermined angle according to movement of the link 33. The second wing part 79 is separated from the outer circumference of the rotating plate 49 of the second lock part 45b. Thus, if the levers 53 of the lock parts 45a, 45bare rotated backward so as to release the computer main body 11 from the docking station 21, each rotator part 47 is not bound by the rib 71 or the rotation arm 73.

[0048] Accordingly, the rod 65 of the holder part 63 is advanced to the front according to the rotation of each rotator part 47. The movement of the rod 65 advances the hooks 67 to the front, which separates the hooks 67 from the hook grooves 17 of the computer main body 11. The lift parts 61 slide along the upward inclined face of the guide 57 of the rotator parts 47 while the hooks 67 are advanced according to rotation of the rotator parts 47. The lift parts 61 are thereby lifted to press the lower surface of the computer main body 11. Therefore, the computer main body 11 and the docking station 21 are separated from each other.

[0049] FIG. 6 shows the state that the main body of the notebook computer and the docking station according to the present invention are locked to a desk 100 by the lock 81. The shown example is a KENSINGTON lock, but it is understood that other types of locks could be used.

[0050] As disclosed herein, a rotation-limiting part is provided between the link and the lock part that limits a rotation of the lock part when the link is locked using the lock member of the inserted lock. The rotation of the lock part is limited according to the sliding movement of the link, thereby allowing the computer main body and the docking station to be detachably coupled to each other and simultaneously preventing them from being stolen or lost.

[0051] As described above, according to the present invention there is provided a notebook computer capable of locking the computer main body and the docking station with a lock and also preventing them from being lost or stolen.

[0052] While not shown, it is understood that the shapes and locations of the casing, holes, and the link can be varied according to a type of the notebook computer and the docking station.

[0053] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims and equivalents thereof.