On-vehicle card holding mechanism for accommodating cardholder to hold memory card

• US 6,778,384 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2002
• Issued: 08/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Iwamoto, Nobuaki, Miyaguchi, Hiroyuki, Kashiwabara, Fumihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): DUONG, HUNG V
• Application Number:
  US10/300,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20030100977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 361/737, 361/679-687, 361/724-727, 701/1, 705/42, 705/50, 235/379, 235/380
• US Class Current: 361/679.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 13/08 Feeding or discharging cards

Abstract

According to this invention, when a user presses a manipulation part, a slider is pressed to a cardholder integrated with the manipulation part to move against a spring force of coil springs, which releases engagement of a protruding part at a center of a heart-shaped cam with a pin. When the manipulation part is released from being pressed, the cardholder is pushed out by the coil springs through the slider, and the manipulation part protrudes from a surface of an instrument panel. When the user holds the manipulation part to pull it out, a force acts on second pawls from first pawls through slant faces, which bends rods to release engagement of the first pawls with the second pawls.

Claims

1. An on-vehicle card holding mechanism comprising:

a cardholder to hold a memory card;

a case attached to an instrument panel on which instruments and switches are mounted on a front of a driver'"'"'s seat, having an opening into which the cardholder is inserted;

a connector that electrically connects the memory card to specific instruments when the cardholder holding the memory card is housed in the case;

a restraint mechanism that restrains the cardholder from a move to a pullout direction of the cardholder, when the cardholder is housed in the case;

a release mechanism that releases the restraint of the move to interlock with a pressing operation to the cardholder in a state that the cardholder is housed in the case; and

an extrusion mechanism that extrude the cardholder so that the cardholder protrudes from a surface of the instrument panel when the release mechanism releases the restraint.

2. An on-vehicle card holding mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the restraint mechanism and the release mechanism include:

first pawls provided to the cardholder;

second pawls provided to the case, which are engaged with the first pawls when the cardholder is housed in the case;

slant faces that slant in a direction of a force affected when the cardholder is pulled out, which are formed on at least one of contacts of the first pawls to the second pawls and contacts of the second pawls to the first pawls;

allowance parts provided to at least one of the first pawls and the second pawls, which allow the pawls to move in a perpendicular direction to the pullout direction;

restraints that restrain moves of the pawls by the allowance parts when the cardholder is housed;

a slider energized in the pullout direction, which moves along with correspondents of the first pawls and the second pawls; and

a cam that positions the slider so that the pawls with the allowance parts provided become movable in the perpendicular direction when the cardholder is pressed in the state of being housed in the case, and positions the slider so that the moves of the pawls with the allowance parts provided are restrained by the restraints when the cardholder is housed in the case.