Docking station for electronic device

• US 8,780,546 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2011
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futaihua Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Futaihua Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Zhou, Cong-Bing
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hoa C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cunningham, Xanthia C
• Application Number:
  US13/279,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20120293949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 710/303, 710/304
• US Class Current: 361/679.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/06 for computer periphery
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 27/00 Coupling parts adapted for co-operation with two or more dissimilar counterparts for dissimilar contact members H01R13/35; supported only by co-operation with a counterpart H01R31/00; with a holder adapted for supporting apparatus to which its counterpart is attached H01R33/90
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 29/00 Coupling parts for selective co-operation with a counterpart in different ways to establish different circuits, e.g. for voltage selection, for series-parallel selection, programmable connectors

Abstract

A docking station used for receiving an electronic device. The docking station includes a housing, a retractable docking port, and a rotating shaft. The housing defines a receiving groove. The docking port can be positioned by manipulation of the rotating shaft to be exposed in the receiving groove or retracted and hidden inside the housing.

Claims

1. A docking station for receiving an electronic device, comprising:

a housing defining a receiving groove, wherein the receiving groove is partially surrounded by a bottom wall and a rear wall connected to the bottom wall, the bottom wall defines a first through hole and the rear wall defines a second through hole, the first through hole and the second through hole meet to define a slot;

a retractable docking port received in the housing, the docking port comprising a connector engageable with the electronic device when the electronic device is inserted in the docking station and a sliding assembly connected to the connector for holding the connector, the connector being capable of interchanging between a first position exposed in the receiving groove and a second position passing through the slot into the housing and being hidden inside the housing, the sliding assembly being slidable relative to the housing to allow the docking port to be hidden inside the housing; and

a rotating shaft connected to the docking port, the rotating shaft driving the docking port to slide towards the second position from the first position when being operated.

2. The docking station as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotating shaft comprises a connection end rotatably connected to the docking port and an operating end opposite to the connection end, the operating end is extendable out of the housing to be pulled or pushed to drive the docking port to move to the second position from the first position.

3. The docking station as claimed in claim 2, wherein the housing defines a third through hole to allow the rotating shaft to extend therethrough, the docking station further comprises a connection rod fixed in the third through hole, and the rotating shaft is further rotatably connected to the connection rod.

4. The docking station as claimed in claim 2, wherein the docking station further comprises at least one elastic member disposed between the docking port and the housing for driving the docking port to be exposed in the receiving groove.

5. The docking station as claimed in claim 1, wherein the docking station further comprises a guiding assembly connected to the docking port and the housing for guiding the moving of the docking port.

6. The docking station as claimed in claim 5, wherein the guiding assembly comprises a guiding rod passing through the docking port for guiding the moving direction of the docking port.

7. The docking station as claimed in claim 6, wherein the guiding assembly further comprises two restricting members located at two opposite sides of the docking port and defining a channel for receiving the docking port.

8. The docking station as claimed in claim 7, wherein each restricting member defines an opening for partly receiving the docking port and limiting the moving distance of the docking port.

9. The docking station as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a top wall and four sidewalls respectively protruding downwards from four rims of the top wall, the receiving groove is defined in the top wall, the rear wall slants upward from the top wall and forms an angle with the top wall;

the bottom wall is perpendicular to the rear wall and cooperates with the rear wall to support the electronic device in an inclined position when the electronic device is received in the receiving groove.

10. A docking station, comprising:

a housing defining a receiving groove, a slot defined in the receiving groove; and

a retractable docking port comprising;

a connector engageable with a socket of an electronic device when the electronic device is inserted in the receiving groove; and

a sliding assembly disposed inside the housing and connected to the connector for holding the connector, the sliding assembly being slidable relative to the housing to interchangeably arrange the connector in the receiving groove and retract the connector to pass through the slot into the housing to hide the connector inside the housing;

wherein the receiving groove is partially surrounded by a bottom wall and a rear wall substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall, the bottom wall and the rear wall are capable of corresponding to sides of the electronic device, and the connector is extendable out of the housing through the bottom wall and passable through the rear wall to hide inside the housing.

11. The docking station as claimed in claim 10, wherein a first through hole is defined in the bottom wall and a second through hole is defined in the rear wall, the first through hole and the second through hole meet to define the slot through which the connector can pass.

12. The docking station as claimed in claim 10, wherein the docking station further comprises a rotating shaft connected to the sliding assembly, the rotating shaft drives the sliding assembly to slide relative to the housing to a second position from a first position when being operated.

13. The docking station as claimed in claim 12, wherein one end of the rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the sliding assembly and the other end thereof is extendable out of the housing through a third through hole defined in the housing.

14. The docking station as claimed in claim 12, wherein the docking station further comprises at least one elastic member connected to the housing and the sliding assembly for driving the docking port back to the first position.

15. The docking station as claimed in claim 10, wherein the docking station further comprises a guiding rod connected to the sliding assembly for guiding the moving direction of the sliding assembly.

16. The docking station as claimed in claim 10, wherein the docking station further comprises two restricting members located at two opposite sides of the sliding assembly for limiting the moving distance of the sliding assembly.

17. The docking station as claimed in claim 16, wherein each restricting member defines an opening partially receiving the sliding assembly for limiting the moving distance of the sliding assembly.