Slider assembly for a housing of a mobile computing device

• US 8,233,948 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2007
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Francisco, Michael, Hulick, Troy, Matsuoka, Yoshimichi, Alcorta, Jose Efrain, Northway, David, Carter, Troy, Klaubert, Heather Lynn, Meissner, Susanne
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John J
• Application Number:
  US11/954,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20090147471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,694 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575.4, 455/575.1, 455/550.1, 455/90.3, 455/556.2, 379/433.01
• US Class Current: 455/575.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1679 for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA G06F1/1681 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0237 Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom

Abstract

A mobile computing device is provided that includes a front housing segment and a back housing segment. The front housing segment includes a first front slot and a first front securement feature or cleat. The back housing segment includes a first back slot and a first securement feature or cleat. The front housing segment and the back housing segment are positioned so that the first back securement feature is received and slideably engaged with the first front slot, and the first front securement feature is received and slideably engaged with the first back cleat. A combination of (i) the first back securement feature being received and slideably engaged with the first front slot, and (ii) the first front securement feature being received and slideably engaged with the first back securement feature, enable the front housing segment and the back housing segment to slide along a path that includes an extended position and a contracted position. As described with one or more embodiments, the path may be arced or otherwise include a radius of curvature.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device comprising:

a front housing segment having a front structure that is provided as part of an integrated layer of at least a portion of the front housing segment, the front structure including a first front slot and a first front securement feature;

a back housing segment having a rear structure that is provided as part of an integrated layer of at least a portion of the back housing segment, the back structure including a first back slot and a first back securement feature;

wherein the front structure and the back structure combine to form a slider assembly that includes (i) the first back securement feature being received and slideably engaged with the first front slot, and (ii) the first front securement feature being received and slideably engaged with the first back slot;

wherein the slider assembly formed by the front structure and the back structure enable the front housing segment and the back housing segment to move between an extended position and a contracted position.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the front structure of the front housing segment is provided as part of the integrated layer that includes at least a portion of a back surface of the front housing segment that slides against the back housing segment.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the back structure of the back housing segment is provided as part of the integrated layer that includes at least a portion of a front surface of the back housing segment that slides against the back surface of the front housing segment.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the slider assembly enables the front housing segment and the back housing segment to move in an arc when moving between the extended position and the contracted position.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 4, wherein at least one of the front structure and the back structure corresponds to a plate that is fixed and secured to the respective front housing segment or the back housing segment.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising:

the front structure of the front housing segment including a second front slot and a second front securement feature;

the back structure of the back housing segment including a second back slot and a second back securement feature;

wherein the front structure and the back structure are positioned so that the second back securement feature is received and slideably engaged with the second front slot, and the second front securement feature is received and slideably engaged with the second back securement feature.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising a biasing mechanism that is biased against the front housing segment being moved out of either the contracted position or the extended position.

8. The mobile computing device of claim 7, wherein the biasing mechanism corresponds to a spring structure.

9. The mobile computing device of claim 8, wherein the spring structure is bi-stable so that the front and back housing segments are biased into remaining in one of the extended or contracted positions, but not in between.

10. The mobile computing device of claim 8, wherein the spring structure includes a plurality of bends and a variable thickness in its cross-section.

11. The mobile computing device of claim 7, wherein the biasing mechanism includes one or more magnets positioned to attract the securement features into remaining in either of the contracted or extended positions.

12. A slider assembly for a computing device housing, the slider housing comprising:

a front plate including at least a first front slot and at least a first front securement feature that extends from the front plate; and

a back plate that is slideably coupled to the front plate by including (i) at least a first back slot that receives and is slideably engaged with the first front securement feature of the front plate, and (ii) at least a first back securement feature that is received and slideably engaged with the first front slot of the front plate;

wherein the front plate is structured to integrate within a front housing segment of the computing device, and the back plate is structured to integrate within a back housing segment of the computing device, and wherein the front plate and the back plate are slideably coupled to one to another move between an extended position and a contracted position.

13. The slider assembly of claim 12, wherein each of the front plate and the back plate is integrated into the corresponding front or back housing segment by being either secured into or unitarily formed with that corresponding front or back housing segment.

14. The slider assembly of claim 12, further comprising a biasing mechanism that is coupled to the front plate and the back plate, wherein the mechanism is structured to bias against the front plate and the back plate being moved out of either the contracted position or the extended position.

15. The slider assembly of claim 14, wherein the biasing mechanism corresponds to one or more springs, and wherein each of the one or more springs is coupled to the front plate and the back plate.

16. The slider assembly of claim 14, wherein the biasing mechanism corresponds to an arrangement of magnets, including a magnet provided on each of the front plate and the back plate, wherein the arrangement of magnets provides magnetic attraction to bias the front plate and the back plate into remaining or moving into the contracted position and the extended position, and against moving in between the contracted or extended position.

17. The slider assembly of claim 12,

wherein the front plate includes at least a second front slot and at least a second front securement feature that extends from the front plate;

wherein the back plate is slideably coupled to the front plate by including (i) at least a second back slot that receives and is slideably engaged with the second front securement feature of the front plate, and (ii) at least a second back securement feature that is received and slideably engaged with the second front slot of the front plate.

18. A housing assembly for a computing device, the housing comprising:

a front housing segment;

a back housing segment; and

a slider assembly that includes;

a front plate including at least a first front slot and at least a first front securement feature that extends from the front plate; and

a back plate is slideably coupled to the front plate by including (i) at least a first back slot that receives and is slideably engaged with the first front securement feature of the front plate, and (ii) at least a first back securement feature that is received and slideably engaged with the first front slot of the front plate;

wherein the front plate is structured to integrate within the front housing segment, and the back plate is structured to integrate within the back housing of the back housing segment, so that the front housing segment and the back housing segment are slideably coupled to one another by the front plate and the back plate to move between at least an extended position and a contracted position.

19. The housing assembly of claim 18, wherein the front plate is secured into the front housing segment to extend at or adjacent to a back surface of the front housing segment, and wherein the back plate is secured into the back housing segment to extend at or adjacent to a front surface of the back housing segment.

20. The housing assembly of claim 18, further comprising a biasing mechanism that is coupled to the front plate and the back plate, wherein the biasing mechanism is structured to bias against the front plate and the back plate being moved out of either the contracted position or the extended position.

21. The housing assembly of claim 20, wherein the biasing mechanism includes one of (i) one or more springs, or (ii) an arrangement of magnets.

22. The housing assembly of claim 18, wherein the front housing segment and the back housing segment are slideably coupled to move along an arc when moving between the extended position and the contracted position.