1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus including an apparatus supporting member.
2. Description of Related Art
Many electronic apparatuses that can be used on a desk like notebook computers, desktop computers, and so on are provided with an apparatus supporting member referred to as, for example, a “foot rubber” on a ground contact surface that is to be brought into contact with the desktop. The foot rubber is often formed of soft rubber and serves to soften an impact or a vibration applied to an electronic apparatus. For the purpose of efficient buffering and vibration absorption, in many cases, an electronic apparatus is provided with a plurality of foot rubbers. However, in recent years, there has been a trend toward reducing the weight of the main body of mobile apparatuses such as notebook computers so as to improve the portability, and with this trend, housings have become thinner. If the thickness of a housing of an apparatus is reduced, the housing may experience plastic deformation when an external strong impact or pressing force is applied thereto, and there are cases where a variation occurs in the ground contact state among a plurality of foot rubbers such that, for example, a part of the foot rubbers can no longer make contact with the desktop. When a variation occurs in the ground contact state among the foot rubbers, the position of the electronic apparatus when placed on the desktop or the like becomes unstable. Thus, a configuration that can adjust the height of the foot rubbers has been proposed.
JP H5-7084A discloses a structure of a foot portion for absorbing installation unsteadiness of a desktop apparatus. The structure consists of an adjustment foot that is rotationally inserted in a bottom surface of the desktop apparatus, biased in such a direction that it is prevented from falling out, and provided with two to four protrusions that are disposed on a surface opposing the bottom surface and equiangularly spaced in a radial direction. An insertion seat is provided on the bottom surface and has, in its center, an insertion hole in which the adjustment foot is inserted and has recesses with which tip portions of the protrusions engage. The recesses are equiangularly spaced at intervals of θ/N in the radial direction such that a series of N step-like engagement positions extending over a predetermined distance in an axial direction is repeatedly provided on the entire bottom surface.
However, since the configuration disclosed in JP H5-7084A is a configuration in which the adjustment foot is retained on the bottom surface of the desktop apparatus via a plate spring and a coil spring, positioning in the direction in which the adjustment foot falls out is not sufficient, and as a result, the adjustment foot may be displaced easily in the axial direction of an insertion axis portion. Accordingly, the adjustment foot can be rotated easily in the radial direction, resulting in changes in the height of the adjustment foot.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds