Arrangement for securing the SIM card in a mobile telephone

• US 5,699,406 A
• Filed: 08/30/1995
• Issued: 12/16/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Liikanen, Petteri, Nyqvist, Jouni
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAUNG, NAY AUNG
• Application Number:
  US08/521,355
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/257, 379/430, 379/433, 379/428, D14/144, D14/146, D14/217, D14/240, D14/252, D14/256, D14/142, D14/138, D14/253, 235/380, 235/382.5, 235/441, 235/379, 455/89, 455/90
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 13/0831 the ejection arrangement comprising a slide, carriage or drawer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 13/085 using an arrangement for locking the inserted card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0021 for reading/sensing record carriers having surface contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3816 Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device

Abstract

The invention relates to an arrangement for securing the SIM card (6) in a mobile telephone. By means of the arrangement according to the invention the SIM card (6), which is normally held in place by the spring force exerted by a spring (11) attached to the battery (10) of the telephone, will remain in place while the battery (10) is in place and also while the battery (10) is being removed from the mobile telephone frame (1). This is accomplished by including in the telephone frame a protrusion (8), behind which the SIM card (6) is locked as a result of said spring force. The arrangement according to the invention can advantageously be applied to portable mobile telephones with SIM cards (SIM, Subscriber Identity Module).

Claims

1. An arrangement for securing a SIM card (6) in a mobile telephone, the arrangement comprising a mobile telephone casing frame (1) with guiding means (2) for inserting said SIM card into said mobile telephone casing frame (1) and a SIM connector (4) with connector lugs (5) for making contact with said SIM card (6) after the insertion of said SIM card (6) into said mobile telephone casing frame (1) using said guiding means (2), characterized in that said mobile telephone also comprises a protrusion (8) as a part of said mobile telephone casing frame (1), and the relative position of said guiding means (2), said protrusion (8) and said connector lugs (5) is arranged such that when said SIM card (6) is inserted into said mobile telephone casing frame (1) using said guiding means (2) a force is applied to said SIM card to cause a flexible deformation in the shape of said SIM card (6) such that said SIM card (6) is enabled to slide over said protrusion (8), and when said SIM card (6) is fully inserted into said mobile telephone casing frame (1) and a pressing force (F) is introduced to urge said SIM card (6) toward said connector lugs (5), said SIM card takes a position in which said protrusion hinders said SIM card (6) from moving along said guiding means (2).

2. A securing arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that when said SIM card (6) is fully or partially inserted into said mobile telephone casing frame (1) using said guiding means (2), said connector lugs (5) exert the force to cause the flexible deformation in the shape of said SIM card (6).

3. A securing arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that said protrusion (8) is designed so that its shape corresponds to a bent inner surface of said SIM card (6) when said SIM card (6) is in its deformed shade.

4. An arrangement for securing a SIM card in a mobile telephone, comprising:

a mobile telephone casing frame having a protrusion and a guiding means, said guiding means for directing said SIM card into said mobile telephone casing frame; and

a SIM connector having connector lugs, said connector lugs for making contact with said SIM card and for causing a flexible deformation in the shape of said SIM card as said SIM card is inserted into said mobile telephone casing frame;

wherein when said SIM card is inserted into said mobile telephone casing frame said protrusion, said guiding means, and said connector lugs are disposed to cause said connector lugs to apply a force to said SIM card resulting in a flexible deformation in the shape of said SIM card such that said SIM card is enabled to slide over said protrusion, and when a pressing force (F) is applied to said SIM card said pressing force urges said SIM card toward said connector lugs such that said protrusion hinders said SIM card from moving along said guiding means.

5. A securing arrangement as in claim 4, further comprising:

a rechargeable battery unit; and

a spring disposed upon said rechargeable battery unit;

wherein when said rechargeable battery unit is installed into said mobile telephone casing frame said spring applies said pressing force (F) to said SIM card.

6. A securing arrangement as in claim 4, wherein said protrusion has an outer, curved surface, said outer, curved surface corresponding to a curvature of said SIM card when said SIM card has the deformed shape.

7. A method for inserting and retaining an electronic card in a radiotelephone, comprising the steps of:

sliding the electronic card through an opening in a case of the radiotelephone, the step of sliding passing the electronic card over a protrusion disposed within the opening until the electronic card is fully inserted into an operating position behind the protrusion;

electrically coupling the fully inserted electronic card to a plurality of electrical contacts, the contacts exerting a first force on a first surface of the electronic card for bowing the electronic card by an amount sufficient to enable the electronic card to be withdrawn from the enclosure by passing the electronic card back over the protrusion and back through the opening; and

retaining the electronic card in the operating position by exerting a second force on a second surface of the electronic card that is opposite the first surface, the second force being sufficient to counteract at least a portion of the first force so that the amount of bowing is reduced to an extent that the electronic card cannot be passed over the protrusion.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein the step of retaining includes a step of inserting a battery module into the radiotelephone, the battery module including a spring for exerting the second force on the electronic card.