Hand-held data collection terminal with battery compartment sealing lid and lid-tethering hand strap
First Claim
1. A portable data collection terminal comprising:
- an elongate, sealed housing of substantially rectangular shape between respective top and bottom ends of the housing, the housing having front and rear portions, the front portion having an operator accessible frontal surface including a keyboard and a display screen for operator interaction therewith;
a power compartment disposed within the sealed housing, the power compartment having an access opening following the contour of the housing and having a generally planar extent, the opening terminating in a peripheral, contoured ledge defined in the rear portion of the housing;
a lid of a size covering the power compartment opening, the lid having a peripheral rim and a peripheral seal retained by the rim;
the contoured ledge being disposed with respect to the peripheral seal when the lid is positioned to cover the opening, sealingly engaging the lid seal in lateral and perpendicular directions with respect to the general extent of the opening within the housing;
means latching the lid within the opening, whereby, when the lid is latched within the opening, the opening becomes substantially sealed against access by external contaminants; and
a hand strap of resiliently stretchable material disposed along the rear portion of the housing, the hand strap being attached at one end adjacent the top end of the housing and at a second end to the lid, whereby the lid upon being removed from the opening of the power compartment remains tethered to the housing by the strap.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A portable, hand-held data collection terminal is housed in an elongate, protective housing. A frontal surface of the housing includes a display screen and a keyboard. A battery compartment of the data collection terminal has an access opening which is covered and sealed by a lid. The resiliency of a peripheral seal of the lid also absorbes impact forces directed against the terminal. The battery compartment is closed by placing an upper end of the lid under a ledge of the housing and locking an opposite end to the housing with a detented quarter-turn lock button. Detented positions of the lock button indicate the fully locked and fully unlocked positions of the lid. A hand strap on the rear of the housing is attached to the housing and to the lid to support an operator'"'"'s handgrip on the terminal and to tether the lid to the terminal when the battery compartment is opened. Two types of protectors for indicia on keyboard keys are also disclosed. One type features rigid caps with inwardly projecting ridges which dig into deformable sides of the keys. Another type protector features caps formed of pliable material with base flanges. The flanges are capatured beneath a faceplate of the housing through which the capped keys protrude.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A portable data collection terminal comprising:
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an elongate, sealed housing of substantially rectangular shape between respective top and bottom ends of the housing, the housing having front and rear portions, the front portion having an operator accessible frontal surface including a keyboard and a display screen for operator interaction therewith; a power compartment disposed within the sealed housing, the power compartment having an access opening following the contour of the housing and having a generally planar extent, the opening terminating in a peripheral, contoured ledge defined in the rear portion of the housing; a lid of a size covering the power compartment opening, the lid having a peripheral rim and a peripheral seal retained by the rim; the contoured ledge being disposed with respect to the peripheral seal when the lid is positioned to cover the opening, sealingly engaging the lid seal in lateral and perpendicular directions with respect to the general extent of the opening within the housing; means latching the lid within the opening, whereby, when the lid is latched within the opening, the opening becomes substantially sealed against access by external contaminants; and a hand strap of resiliently stretchable material disposed along the rear portion of the housing, the hand strap being attached at one end adjacent the top end of the housing and at a second end to the lid, whereby the lid upon being removed from the opening of the power compartment remains tethered to the housing by the strap. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A portable data collection terminal comprising:
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an elongate, sealed housing of substantially rectangular shape and having longitudinally opposite top and bottom ends, the housing having a frontal and rear housing portions, the frontal housing portion including a keyboard and a display screen accessible to an operator for interaction therewith; a power compartment disposed adjacent the bottom end of the housing and having an access opening in the rear housing portion adjacent the bottom end of the housing, the opening having an undercut ledge along one edge thereof and having a sealing ledge extending peripherally about the opening, the sealing ledge being sloped with respect to the planar extent of the opening; and a lid of a size and configuration corresponding to the opening of the power compartment, the lid having a rim including a peripheral recess, a peripheral seal retained by the recess, the seal complementarily engaging the sloped sealing ledge of the access opening upon insertion of the lid into the access opening, the lid further having a protruding ledge along one edge thereof, the protruding ledge extending beyond the rim of the lid and insertible under the undercut ledge of the access opening upon insertion of the lid into the access opening, and a latch means disposed in the lid at an edge opposite the edge having the protruding ledge, the latch means locking the inserted lid within the access opening to retain the seal engaged with the sloped sealing ledge of the access opening, the sloped sealing ledge of the access opening seatingly locating the seal of the lid in the lateral and vertical directions with respect to the general extent of the access opening and the lid. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A portable data collection terminal comprising:
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a housing having top and bottom ends and a frontal and rear housing portion, the frontal housing portion having a keyboard and a display accessible to an operator; a power compartment disposed at one end of the housing, the power compartment having an access opening, the access opening having a sealing ledge defined by a surface having a slope with respect to the plane in which the opening extends, the housing having a receiving ledge on an inner surface of the housing adjacent one edge of the access opening; a lid of a size to fit the opening, the lid having a rim including a peripheral recess retaining an O-ring seal, the seal being disposed to engage the slope of the sealing ledge of the access opening when the lid is disposed within the access opening;
the lid comprising a protruding ledge disposed to engage the receiving ledge of the housing upon the lid being inserted into the opening of the housing, the protruding ledge retaining one end of the lid with respect to the housing, and latch means disposed at an opposite end of the housing, the latch means latching the lid within the opening and urging the O-ring into engagement with the sloped surface of the sealing ledge, the engaging contact locating the lid resiliently in the vertical and horizontal directions with respect to the housing; anda hand strap attached at one end to the housing and at the other end to the lid to tether the lid to the housing when the lid is removed from the opening. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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Specification