Cover structure, electronic equipment and cover structure mounting method

• US 7,903,396 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2009
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sasaki, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Gandhi; Jayprakash N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAUGHTON, ANTHONY MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US12/360,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20090190292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 220/836, 384/276, 361/679.01, 361/679.4, 361/679.45, 361/679.58, 439/135, 455/575.8, 379/433.11
• US Class Current: 361/679.01
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/03 Covers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

With a cover structure of the present invention, a cover body includes a cover portion that is large enough to cover a terminal portion and a shaft portion whose one end is connected to the cover portion and whose cross section is oval, a casing includes a bearing portion in which the shaft portion is fitted loosely, and the bearing portion has a inner diameter larger than a shaft diameter of a major diameter portion of the shaft portion and includes an opening portion that is larger than a shaft diameter of a minor diameter portion of the shaft portion and smaller than the shaft diameter of the major diameter portion. With this configuration, the cover body can be smoothly shifted from an opened state to a closed state and a portion to be covered can be covered properly. Furthermore, the assembling workability of the cover structure can be improved.

Claims

1. A cover structure comprising;

a cover portion that covers a part of a casing;

a shaft portion that is provided to the cover portion, the shaft portion being positioned substantially perpendicular relative to a back surface of the cover portion;

a bearing portion that is provided to the casing; and

an opening portion that is provided to the bearing portion,

wherein a cross section at one position of the shaft portion has at least first and second shaft diameters with a plurality of lengths passing through a centroid of the cross section, and

the largest shaft diameter of the shaft diameters of the cross section of the shaft portion is larger than an inner diameter of the opening portion and smaller than an inner diameter of the bearing portion, and

the smallest shaft diameter of the shaft diameters of the cross section of the shaft portion is smaller than the inner diameter of the opening portion.

2. The cover structure according to claim 1,

wherein a cross-section shape of the shaft portion is oval or elliptic.

3. The cover structure according to claim 1,

wherein a cross-section shape of the shall portion is regular hexagonal or rectangular.

4. The cover structure according to claim 1,

wherein the shaft portion is disposed near the end of the cover portion.

5. The cover structure according to claim 1, further comprising an end portion that is disposed on the end of the shaft portion and has a shaft diameter larger than the largest shaft diameter of the shaft diameters of the cross section of the shaft portion.

6. The cover structure according to claim 5,

wherein the end portion has a taper-shaped side on a back side of the surface to which the shaft portion is provided.

7. Electronic equipment comprising:

a casing; and

a cover body that can cover a portion to be covered disposed on the casing,

the casing comprising a bearing portion and an opening portion that is provided for the

bearing portion,

the cover body comprising;

a cover portion that covers the portion to be covered; and

a shaft portion that is provided to the cover portion, the shaft portion being positioned substantially perpendicular relative to a back surface of the cover body;

wherein a cross section at one position of the shaft portion has at least first and second shaft diameters with a plurality of lengths passing through a centroid of the cross section, and

the largest shaft diameter of the shaft diameters of the cross section of the shaft portion is larger than an inner diameter of the opening portion, but smaller than an inner diameter of the bearing portion, and

the smallest shaft diameter of the shaft diameters of the cross section of the shaft portion is smaller than the inner diameter of the opening portion.

8. The electronic equipment according to claim 7,

wherein a cross-section shape of the shaft portion is oval or elliptic.

9. The electronic equipment according to claim 7,

wherein a cross-section shape of the shaft portion is regular hexagonal or rectangular.

10. The electronic equipment according to claim 7,

wherein the shaft portion is disposed near the end of the cover portion.

11. The electronic equipment according to claim 7, further comprising an end portion that is disposed on the end of the shaft portion and has a shaft diameter larger than the largest shaft diameter of the shaft diameters of the cross section of the shaft portion.

12. The electronic equipment according to claim 11,

wherein the end portion has a taper-shaped side on a back side of the surface to which the shaft portion is provided.

13. A method for mounting a cover structure comprising:

a cover portion that covers a part of a casing;

a shaft portion that is provided to the cover portion, the shaft portion being positioned substantially perpendicular relative to a back surface of the cover portion;

a bearing portion that is provided for the casing; and

an opening portion that is provided to the bearing portion,

wherein a cross section at one position of the shaft portion has at least first and second shaft diameters with a plurality of lengths passing through a centroid of the cross section, and the largest shaft diameter of the shaft diameters of the cross section of the shaft portion is larger than an inner diameter of the opening portion, but smaller than an inner diameter of the bearing portion, and the smallest shaft diameter of shaft diameters of the cross section of the shaft portion is smaller than the inner diameter of the opening portion,

the method comprising;

inserting the shaft portion into the bearing portion via the opening portion in the direction with smaller than the inner diameter shaft diameter of the shaft diameters of its cross section; and

rotating the cover portion about the shaft portion as an axis such that the cover portion is in a position where the direction of the largest shaft diameter of the shaft diameters of the cross section of the shaft portion is substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the shaft portion in the opening portion.