Connecting mechanism for a battery case and a body of a portable electronic device

• US 7,180,754 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2004
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FIH (Hong Kong) Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Shenzhen Futaihong Precision Industrial Company Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Shenzhen Futaihong Precision Industrial Company Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Sutech Trading Limited
• Inventors: Chen, Chia-Hua, Hu, Lin, Qin, Shui Yuan, He, Jiang Yuan, Lee, Yu-Chieh, Li, Changzhi
• Primary Examiner(s): Enad; Elvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bui; Hung S.
• Application Number:
  US10/843,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20040224556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• Field of Search: 361/797, 361/715, 361/755, 361/756, 455/575.4, 455/575.1, 455/566, 455/575.3, 163/66, 163/42, 163/03, 163/05
• US Class Current: 361/797
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A connecting mechanism for a battery case and a main body of a portable electronic device includes a main body (10), a connecting member (20), a cover (30), and a shaft (40). The main body has a receptacle (162), and a recessed portion (192) for receiving the battery case. The connecting member has a body (22) and one or more mounting portions (24). The cover defines a sliding space. The shaft extends through the mounting portions and is received in the receptacle. Thus the connecting member is rotatable relative to the main body about the shaft. The connecting member is received in the sliding space and can slide along the sliding space relative to the cover. Thus the cover is both rotatable and slidable relative to the main body, and need not be detached from the main body.

Claims

1. A connecting mechanism for a battery case and a body of a portable electronic device, comprising:

a main body, having a receptacle;

a connecting member, having a body and at least one mounting portion;

a cover defining a sliding space;

a shaft extending through said at least one mounting portion and mounted in the receptacle;

wherein the connecting member is slidably received in the sliding space of the cover, and the connecting member is rotatable together with the cover about the shaft;

wherein the cover defines at least one groove in an inside thereof, at least one block is formed on the inside of the cover at an outer side of said at least one groove such that it partially underlies said at least one groove, and a space defined by said at least one block together with said at least one groove cooperatively defines the sliding space;

wherein the cover includes a bent portion at one side thereof, at least one projection is provided on an inside of the bent portion, a sidewall of the main body defines at least one notch, and said at least one projection of the bent portion is engaged in said at least one notch of the sidewall of the main body when the cover is in a fully closed position; and

wherein a guiding projection is formed on an inside of the cover, the connecting member defines a slot, and the guiding projection is slidably received in the slot.

2. The connecting mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein a side of the main body defines at least one socket, a side of the cover opposite to the bent portion provides at least one holder, and said at least one holder engages in said at least one socket when the cover is fully closed.

3. The connecting mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein a press portion is formed on an outside of the cover, and the press portion has a plurality of protrusions tin facilitating manual operation thereof.

4. The connecting mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connecting mechanism further includes a spring member, which is received in the receptacle.

5. The connecting mechanism as claimed in claim 4, wherein the main body has a hole defined at a bottom of the receptacle, the cover has a slot defined in an inner surface thereof, and the spring member has a spring body, a resisting end extending obliquely from the spring body, and an active end extending perpendicularly from the spring body, the resisting end and the active end being respectively received in the hole of the main body and the slot of the cover.

6. The connecting mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one mounting portion is a pair of mounting rings defining a through hole, and the shaft extends through the through hole.

7. A connecting mechanism for a battery case and a body of a portable electronic device, comprising:

a main body, having a receptacle;

a connecting member, having a body and at least one mounting portion;

a cover defining a sliding space;

a shaft;

a spring member;

wherein the shaft extends through said at least one mounting portion and the spring member and is received in the receptacle, the connecting member is rotatable about the shaft, and the connecting member is received in the sliding space and can slide along the sliding space relative to the cover, and the cover is rotatably secured to the main body via the connecting member;

wherein the cover defines at least one groove in an inside thereof, and at least one block is formed on the inside of the cover at an outer side of said at least one groove such that said at least one block partially underlies said at least one groove, and a space defined by said at least one block together with said at least one groove cooperatively defines the sliding space;

wherein the cover includes a bent portion at one side thereof, and at least one projection is provided on an inside of the bent portion, a sidewall of the main body defines at least one notch, and said at least one projection of the cover is engaged in said at least one notch of the main body when the cover is fully closed; and

wherein a guiding projection is formed on an inside of the cover, the connecting member defines a slot, and the guiding projection is slidably received in the slot.

8. The connecting mechanism as claimed in claim 7, wherein a side of the main body defines at least one socket, a side of the cover opposite to the bent portion provides at least one holder, and said at least one holder engages in said at least one socket when the cover is fully closed.

9. The connecting mechanism as claimed in claim 7, wherein the receptacle comprises a mounting part, for securing the shaft to the main body.

10. The connecting mechanism as claimed in claim 7, wherein the spring member is generally cylindrical, and includes a spring body, a resistinig end extending obliquely from the spring body, and an active end extending perpendicularly from the spring body.

11. The connecting mechanism as claimed in claim 10, wherein the main body has a hole defined at a bottom of the receptacle, and the cover has a slot defined in an inner surface thereof, the resisting end and the active end being respectively received in the hole of the main body and the slot of the cover.

12. The connecting mechanism as claimed in claim 7, wherein a press portion is formed on an outside of the cover, and the press portion has a plurality of protrusions for facilitating manual operation thereof.