Image displaying apparatus
Patent No. US7924366 (titled "Image displaying apparatus") on Jun 2, 2010. The application was issued on Apr 12, 2011.
What is this patent about?
’366 is related to the field of large-size, thin-profile display apparatuses, such as liquid crystal displays (LCD) or plasma displays. Specifically, it addresses the mechanical and safety challenges inherent in mounting heavy internal components like power and signal boards to the rear of a large display panel while maintaining a slim form factor and preventing electrical shorts.
The underlying idea behind ’366 is the use of a dedicated mechanical standoff mechanism integrated directly onto the power source board to maintain a safety buffer. By utilizing projection portions that extend further from the board surface than the electronic components themselves, the invention creates a physical guard that prevents external pressure on the housing from forcing internal surfaces into contact with sensitive circuitry.
The claims of ’366 focus on a display architecture where a signal board and a power source board are arranged horizontally relative to the display panel, featuring a projection portion mounted on the power board's component side. This projection is specifically designed to be taller than the surrounding circuit elements and remains unconnected to the opposing rear member, serving as a passive safety spacer.
In practice, the invention works by placing these spacers—often shaped like T-shaped flat head pins—at strategic locations on an insulated substrate. When the display's rear cover is subjected to external force or impact, these projections act as the primary contact point, ensuring that the air gap required for electrical insulation and cooling is never compromised by the deformation of the chassis.
This approach differs from prior solutions that relied on bulky X-shaped reinforcement frames or thick external housings to provide rigidity. Instead, ’366 achieves structural safety and thin-sizing by integrating the protection mechanism into the board assembly itself, allowing for a more compact internal layout without risking electrical failure due to component-to-frame contact.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical Landscape
In the late 2000s when ’366 was filed, the consumer electronics industry was transitioning toward large-format, thin-profile liquid crystal and plasma display panels at a time when structural rigidity was typically implemented using heavy internal metal chassis or bulky external frames. When systems commonly relied on thick, box-like housings to protect fragile glass substrates and internal backlight units, the increasing surface area of displays made maintaining mechanical integrity non-trivial without significantly increasing the depth and weight of the apparatus. Hardware constraints of the era often required a trade-off between thin-sizing and the structural support needed to mount heavy power supply and driver circuit boards, which were traditionally bolted directly to the rear of the panel or to an 'X'-shaped diagonal brace that added substantial thickness to the overall profile.
Prosecution Position
The disclosed invention represents a technical advancement in the structural architecture of thin-profile displays by integrating reinforcement directly into the peripheral geometry of the panel module frame. By forming a reinforcement portion—such as a U-shaped, circular, or triangular cross-section—along the flange of the thin plate-like frame through a squeezing or bending process, the architecture achieves high torsional rigidity without the need for thick diagonal bracing. This structural shift enables a dual-purpose mounting system where vertical supporting members are anchored between these reinforced peripheral flanges to provide both a mounting substrate for circuit boards and a connection point for the apparatus stand. The technical effect is a reduction in total apparatus thickness and weight while simultaneously improving the mechanical strength required to support internal components and cooling airflow paths.
Claims
The patent contains a total of 10 claims, with claims 1, 5, and 9 serving as the independent claims. These independent claims focus on the structural configuration of a display apparatus, specifically the horizontal arrangement of a signal board and a power source board relative to a display panel, featuring a protective projection on the power source board that extends higher than the circuit elements to prevent contact with opposing internal members. The dependent claims serve to further define the cooling mechanisms using airflow, specify the rear chassis as the opposing member, and detail the protective function of the projection when the rear cover of the device is subjected to external pressure.
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US7924366
- Application Number
- US12792131A
- Filing Date
- Jun 2, 2010
- Publication Date
- Apr 12, 2011
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO , Google Patents