1. Field
One embodiment of the invention relates to a panel attachment assembly and method for fixing, to a housing, a cover panel for covering, for example, a liquid crystal display panel. It also relates to a telephone with a liquid crystal display panel and a cover panel for covering the liquid crystal display panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Office or home telephones incorporate a display for displaying, for example, a telephone number, calendar, time, and dialing/incoming states. Displays have a liquid crystal display panel fitted in a housing, a rectangular opening formed in the upper surface of the housing, and a transparent cover panel held in the opening by a holding frame (see, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2000-305477).
The opening is defined by four edges and positioned at an easily viewable position on the upper surface of the housing. The holding frame holds the outer periphery of the cover panel and is fitted in the opening. As a result, the cover panel faces the display surface of the liquid crystal display panel. The display surface can be seen from the outside of the telephone via the cover panel.
In the conventional display, the edges defining the opening are provided on the upper surface of the housing, therefore the size of the cover panel may be limited, or the outward design of the telephone may be limited. In view of this, in recent years, it has been attempted to extend the opening of the housing so as to open at a corner defined by the upper surface and a side surface of the housing, and to expose an end face of the cover panel through the extended opening. This structure can enhance the flexibility in design of the display.
When the end face of the cover panel is exposed to the outside through the opening, the outer periphery of the cover panel cannot be held by a holding frame. In this case, to fix the cover panel to the housing, it is possible, for example, to adhere an end of the cover panel to the housing by an adhesive, or to provide an engagement claw on the back surface of the cover panel and engage the claw with the housing.
However, the fixing method of adhering the cover panel to the housing requires the process of coating an adhesive on the cover panel or housing, which increases the manufacturing cost of the display. Furthermore, once the cover panel is adhered to the housing, it cannot easily be exchanged for another.
In addition, since the cover panel is made transparent so that the display surface of the liquid crystal display panel can be seen from the outside of the telephone, the adhesive or engagement claw will be seen from the outside through the transparent cover panel. This is not preferable in outward appearance.
Moreover, since the engagement claw projects from the back surface of the cover panel, it is difficult to make the entire back surface flat. As a result, if it has come to be necessary to mask a certain area on the back surface of the cover panel, the back surface cannot be subjected to coating or printing since the engagement claw is in the way.
Therefore, to mask the cover panel, it is necessary to interpose a dedicated masking sheet or decoration sheet between the cover panel and housing, which inevitably increases the number of required components and accordingly the manufacturing cost.