TOKYO - Sony Corp. said on Thursday that overheating notebook computers slightly injured seven people and urged customers to bring in some 440,000 units for repairs.

More than 200 laptop computers of Sony's Vaio TZ series, manufactured from May 2007 to July 2008, overheated, the company said. Of the cases, 83 were reported in Japan and the rest overseas.

Seven people suffered light burns which were not serious, it said.

Sony urged the owners of 440,000 laptop computers, which span 280 models, to come to the manufacturer for free repairs.

'The laptop computers overheat in the section connecting the display and the keyboard, as the joint section bites into a bunch of wires inside the computer,' a Sony spokesman said.

But the company will not recall the products because there is no risk of fires or serious injuries, the spokesman said. -- AFP