The present invention relates generally to an object retaining structure for an electronic device, and more particularly to a composite stylus retaining structure in an electronic device.
There are several types of touch modules in touch displays. Some of the touch modules (e.g., electromagnetic induction touch modules) need special styluses for inputting signals and the other ones may use the users' fingers as a stylus. However, to provide more accurate touching and for the convenience of users, a general stylus can also be included in touch electronic devices.
The present invention provides a composite stylus retaining structure in an electronic device, which is capable of retaining a stylus without an additional fixing plate.
The present disclosure provides a composite stylus retaining structure, in which a housing defines an accommodating space for receiving a stylus. Thus, there is no need to provided additional fixing plate on a surface of the housing to fix the stylus.
In one embodiment, a composite stylus retaining structure includes a housing and a stylus. The stylus includes a body, a head and a connecting rod connected between the body and the head. An outer diameter of the connecting rod is less than that of the head and the body. The housing includes a first wall and a second wall connected to each other, and a first receiving groove and a second receiving groove are formed at an intersection of the first wall and the second wall. The first receiving groove is used to receive the head. A retaining member is disposed in the first receiving groove to retain the stylus. The second receiving groove is used to receive the head.
In one embodiment, a composite stylus retaining structure includes a housing and a stylus. The stylus includes a body, a head and a connecting rod connected between the body and the head. An outer diameter of the connecting rod is less than that of the head and the body. The housing includes a first wall and a second wall connected to each other, and an accommodating space for receiving the stylus is formed in an intersection of the first wall and the second wall. A retaining member is disposed in the accommodating space to retain the stylus.
In the above stylus retaining structures, the first receiving groove and the second receiving groove are formed on the housing, and the retaining member is disposed in the first receiving groove. Thus, the stylus can be received by the first receiving groove and the second receiving groove, and the stylus is also retained by the retaining member such that the stylus doesn't easily drops. Therefore, the stylus is retained without forming additional fixing plate. The material cost of the fixing plate is saved. In addition, the first receiving groove, the second receiving groove, and the retaining member can be simultaneously formed in one process (e.g., an injection molding process). The fabricating process is simplified and the fabrication cost is reduced.
The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:
The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed.
The stylus 20 includes a body 21, a head 23, and a connecting rod 25. The connecting rod 25 is connected between the body 21 and the head 23. In the present embodiment, the body 21 and the connecting rod 25 are substantially column shaped, and the head 23 is spherical. A diameter of the connecting rod 25 is less than that of the body 21 and the head 23. However, the present embodiment doesn't limit the shape of the body 21, the connecting rod 25 or the head 23.
The housing 30 includes a first wall 31 and a second wall 32 connected with each other. The first wall 31, for example, is at a back side of the display surface 33. The second wall 32 is connected between the first wall 31 and the display surface 33. A first receiving groove 34 and a second receiving groove 35 are formed in the intersection (i.e., an edge of the housing 30) of the first wall 31 and the second wall 32. In the present embodiment, the first receiving groove 34 and the second receiving groove 35 are embedded in the first wall 31; the second receiving groove 35 is embedded in the second wall 32. To improve the convenience of taking out the stylus 20, the first receiving groove 34 can also be further embedded in the second wall 32. In another embodiment (as shown in
Referring again to
The second receiving groove 35 is used to receive the head 23 of the stylus 20. The second receiving groove 35, for example, has a cavity 350 that is covered by a portion of the first wall 31. In other words, the first wall 31 extends to cover a portion of the accommodating space (i.e., the cavity 350). If not used, the stylus 20 can be received in the accommodating space of the housing 30 including the first receiving groove 34 and the second receiving grove 35. In detail, during a receiving procedure of the stylus 20, the head 23 is set in the second receiving groove 35, and then is moved along a direction perpendicular to the second wall 32, as indicated by an arrow S in
After the head 23 is set in the second receiving groove 35, the body 21 can be rotated along a direction as indicated by an arrow T until the body 21 is set in the first receiving groove 34. In addition, as shown in
Referring to
In the present embodiment, the first receiving groove 34 and the second receiving groove 35 are formed on or within the housing 30, and the retaining member 37 is disposed in the first receiving groove 34. Thus, the stylus 20 can be received by the first receiving groove 34 and the second receiving groove 35, and retained by the retaining member 37 such that the stylus doesn't easily drops off. Therefore, the stylus 20 is retained without forming additional fixing plate. The material cost of the fixing plate is saved. In addition, the first receiving groove 34, the second receiving groove 35, and the retaining member 37 can be simultaneously formed in one process (e.g., an injection molding process). The fabricating process is simplified and the fabrication cost is reduced.
It is to be noted that the cavity 350 of the second receiving grove 35 can also be omitted in other embodiments. In such circumstance, to achieve the object of that the stylus 20 doesn't drop off from the second receiving groove 34, the position and the number of clamping member 37 can be adjusted.
In other embodiments, the supporter 36 may only include one of the bearing portion 38 and the stop block 39. In addition, the supporter 36 shown in
While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2011 1 0182817 | Jun 2011 | CN | national |
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