Docking station

• US 9,192,067 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2013
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Jong-Hae, Kim, Won-Tae, Park, Ji-Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hoa C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cunningham, Xanthia C
• Application Number:
  US13/966,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20140063703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/02 Arrangements of circuit components or wiring on supporting structure

Abstract

A docking station for an electronic device is provided. The docking station includes a housing having an inner space, a rotator disposed in a rotatable manner inside the housing, and partially exposed outwardly to the housing when completely open, a movable member coupled to the rotator, and exposed together with a device mounting groove for mounting an electronic device thereon when the rotator is completely open, and a stopper coupled to the movable member to selectively control the movable member so that a position of the movable member is fixed when the rotator is completely open and so that the movable member moves in a closing direction together when the rotator is closed.

Claims

1. A docking station comprising:

a housing having an inner space;

a rotator disposed in a rotatable manner inside the housing, and partially exposed to an outside of the housing when completely open;

a movable member coupled to the rotator and including a device mounting groove configured to have an electronic device mounted therein when the rotator is completely open, the movable member and the device mounting groove not being exposed to the outside of the housing when the rotator is completely closed, such that the electronic device cannot be mounted therein; and

a stopper coupled to the movable member to selectively control the movable member so that a position of the movable member is fixed when the rotator is completely open,

wherein the rotator comprises;

a body,

an upper surface formed in a rear direction of the body and at least aligned with a top surface of the housing when the rotator is completely closed, and

a movable member mounting groove formed in a direction facing the upper surface such that the movable member is disposed within the movable member mounting groove in a movable manner,

wherein the stopper is disposed at both lateral sides of the movable member and partially protrudes from an elongated hole having a specific length and formed in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the electronic device is mounted, and

wherein one end of the elongated hole is pressed by a spring disposed inside the movable member.

2. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the movable member moves in a closing direction together with the rotator when the rotator is closed.

3. The docking station of claim 1,

wherein the rotator includes a guide protrusion at both lateral sides thereof, and

wherein the guide protrusion is guided by being inserted into a first guide slit having a specific length and formed at both lateral sides of the housing.

4. The docking station of claim 1, wherein a shaft having a specific length is formed in a protruding manner at both lateral sides of the body, and is inserted in a shaft support hole formed at a lateral side of the housing to guide a rotation operation of the rotator.

5. The docking station of claim 4, wherein a torsion spring is coupled to the housing in such a manner that one end of the torsion spring presses the shaft to rotate the rotator in an opening direction, and another end of the torsion spring is supported by the housing.

6. The docking station of claim 5, wherein the housing further includes a locking element of which a location is fixed when the rotator is completely closed and which opens the rotator only by a user'"'"'s manipulation.

7. The docking station of claim 5, wherein a rotation gear is coupled to the shaft at least at an angle by which the rotator rotates.

8. The docking station of claim 1,

wherein a second guide slit is formed in the housing to guide the stopper protruding from the movable member according to an opening/closing operation of the rotator, and

wherein an upper end of the second guide slit includes a hanger extending in a parallel direction with respect to the elongated hole so that the protruding stopper is located at the hanger when the rotator is completely open.

9. The docking station of claim 8, wherein the stopper is pressed by the spring in a direction in which the hanger of the elongated hole is formed.

10. The docking station of claim 9, wherein a slant cam having a slant portion is formed at both lateral sides of the rotator to interfere with the stopper when the opening/closing operation of the rotator is performed.

11. The docking station of claim 10, wherein the slant cam moves the stopper in a direction for deviating from the hanger of the housing when the rotator operates in a closing direction.

12. The docking station of claim 1, wherein an auxiliary guide protrusion is formed at both lateral sides of the movable member in a protruding manner, and a range of movement of the auxiliary guide protrusion is limited as a result of being coupled to and then guided by an auxiliary guide slit having a specific length and formed in the movable member mounting groove of the rotator.

13. The docking station of claim 1, wherein a connector electrically connected to a connector port of the electronic device is disposed in a protruding manner to the device mounting groove.

14. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the docking station performs at least one of a removable speaker function, a charging function, and a data communication function which operates by mounting the electronic device therein.

15. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a portable terminal.

16. An electronic device comprising a docking station according to claim 1.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the electronic device is a portable terminal.

18. A docking station comprising:

a housing having an inner space;

a rotator disposed in a rotatable manner inside the housing, and partially exposed to an outside of the housing when completely open;

a movable member coupled to the rotator and including a device mounting groove configured to have an electronic device mounted therein when the rotator is completely open, the movable member and the device mounting groove not being exposed to the outside of the housing when the rotator is completely closed, such that the electronic device cannot be mounted therein;

a stopper disposed in a protruding manner to protrude from an elongated hole formed at a lateral side of the movable member and pressed to one side of the elongated hole by an elastic means;

a guide slit formed at a lateral side of the housing to guide the stopper according to a rotation of the rotator;

a hanger extended in a horizontal direction from an upper portion of the guide slit to prevent the movable member from moving in a direction of mounting the electronic device by allowing the stopper to be caught while being pressed by the elastic means when the rotator is completely open; and

a slant cam formed in a slanting manner to a lateral side of the rotator to allow the stopper to deviate from the hanger by moving the stopper along a slant portion according to a rotation operation for closing the rotator,

wherein the rotator comprises;

a body,

an upper surface formed in a rear direction of the body and at least aligned with a top surface of the housing when the rotator is completely closed, and

a movable member mounting groove formed in a direction facing the upper surface such that the movable member is disposed within the movable member mounting groove in a movable manner,

wherein the stopper is disposed at both lateral sides of the movable member and partially protrudes from an elongated hole having a specific length and formed in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the electronic device is mounted, and

wherein one end of the elongated hole is pressed by a spring disposed inside the movable member.