Cover mechanism for casing

• US 8,929,057 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2011
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polar Electro Oy
• Original Assignee: Polar Electro Oy
• Inventors: Rauta, Visa, Onnela, Hannu
• Primary Examiner(s): Haughton, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): WRIGHT, INGRID D
• Application Number:
  US13/115,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20120298536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.01, 361/679.02, 361/679.55, 361/679.56, 361/679.58, 361/679.4, 361/679.31, 3122231-2232, 206/301, 206/320, 206/305
• US Class Current: 361/679.01
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/38 for delicate optical, measuring, calculating or control apparatus
• 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: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers

Abstract

It is disclosed an apparatus comprising a casing for a portable electronic device. The casing comprises: an opening configured to accommodate a signal connector; at least one magnet configured to provide magnetic interaction; a cap configured to cover the opening in a closed position and to expose the opening in an open position; and a seal arranged to seal the opening when the cap is in a closed position. The cap is fixed to the closed position through the magnetic interaction between the casing and the cap as provided by said at least one magnet.

Claims

1. A portable electronic apparatus comprising:

a casing for a portable electronic device, the casing comprising an opening configured to accommodate a signal connector;

at least one magnet configured to provide magnetic interaction;

a cap configured to cover the opening in a closed position and to expose the opening in an open position; and

a seal arranged to enter and seal the opening when the cap is in a closed position,

wherein the cap is fixed to the closed position through the magnetic interaction between the casing and the cap as provided by said at least one magnet,

the seal including a cup-like cross-section, a flat bottom of the cup-like cross-section being attached to the cap, a ring-shaped top side of the cup-like cross-section being arranged to contact the casing around the opening when the cap is in the closed position, the seal covering the opening, thereby preventing entry of moisture into the opening even if the seal is loose from the cap.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the casing comprises a recession in an outer surface of the casing, wherein the opening is arranged in the recession, and wherein the cap is arranged to cover the recession.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the cap covers the recession completely in the closed position, and wherein a shape of an outer surface of the cap is uniform with the shape of the casing around the recession.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the seal is pressed between the cap and the casing by the magnetic interaction when the cap is in the closed position.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a surface of the seal that contacts the casing when the cap is closed has dimensions that are smaller than the dimensions of the opening, thereby allowing the seal to partially enter the opening when the cap is closed, and wherein the dimensions of the seal increase gradually towards the cap to allow the seal to contact the casing around the opening when the cap is closed.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cap comprises a recession to accommodate the flat bottom of the seal.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a hinge, wherein the cap is configured to swivel about the hinge between the open position and the closed position.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the hinge comprises a pivot, and wherein the cap is detachably connected to the pivot.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the cap comprises at least one grip element arranged to contact with the pivot and partially surround the pivot so as to provide a mechanical attachment between the cap and the pivot while allowing the cap to swivel freely about the pivot.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the cap is configured to swivel freely about the hinge when the cap is in the open position.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the signal connector is an electric signal connector.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the magnetic interaction is provided by at least one magnetic pair comprising said magnet and a magnetic counterpart member, wherein one of said magnet and the counterpart member of a magnetic is provided in the cap while the other one of said magnet and the counterpart member of the magnetic is provided in the casing.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein at least one magnet or at least one counterpart member is covered by a surface of the cap or the casing.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one electronic circuitry in the casing, wherein said signal connector disposed in the opening is connected to said at least one electronic circuitry.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a sports watch.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a sports sensor.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a bike computer.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the location of the at least magnet is arranged to position the cap with respect to the casing through the magnetic interaction.

19. An electronic wrist device comprising:

a casing for an electronic circuitry of the wrist device, the casing comprising an opening configured to accommodate a signal connector, wherein the opening is provided in a recession at a bottom surface of the casing;

a cap configured to cover the recession and the opening completely in a closed position and to expose the recession and the opening in an open position, wherein a shape of an outer surface of the cap is uniform with the shape of the casing around the recession;

at least one magnet configured to provide magnetic interaction to fix the cap to the closed position through the magnetic interaction between the casing and the cap as provided by said at least one magnet; and

a seal arranged to enter and seal the opening when the cap is in the closed position, the seal including a cup-like cross-section, a flat bottom of the cup-like cross-section being attached to the cap, a ring-shaped top side of the cup-like cross-section being arranged to contact the casing around the opening when the cap is in the closed position, the seal covering the opening, thereby preventing entry of moisture into the opening even if the seal is loose from the cap.

20. The wrist device of claim 19, wherein the cap forms a planar surface together with the bottom surface of the casing where the cap is located.

21. The wrist device of claim 19, wherein the seal has a cup-like cross-section, wherein a flat bottom of the cup-like cross-section is attached to the cap, and wherein a ring-shaped top side of the cup-like cross-section is arranged to contact the casing around the opening when the cap is in the closed position.

22. The wrist device of claim 19, wherein a top surface and said bottom surface form flat surfaces, and wherein side surfaces having smaller dimensions than the top surface and the bottom surface connect the top surface and the bottom surface.

23. The wrist device of claim 19, wherein magnetic force of the at least one magnet fixes the cap to the casing, thus sealing the opening when the cap is in the closed position.