Patent Application
20100309613
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to cover mechanisms used in electronic devices (e.g., mobile phones).
2. Description of Related Art
Electronic devices usually have external interfaces (e.g., universal serial bus (USB)) for electrically connecting peripheral devices (e.g., printers), accessories (e.g., USB flash drives) or other electronic devices. Such external interfaces should be protected by cover mechanisms from e.g., dust or water, to maintain proper functioning.
The cover mechanisms usually include covers with locks. The covers are typically locked to the electronic devices by latches to cover the area through which the interfaces of electronic devices are exposed. However, the covers are often not permanently attached to the electronic device. Thus, the covers may easily be misplaced or lost when not locked to the electronic devices.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.
Many aspects of the embodiments can be better understood with references to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present cover mechanism. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which:
The cover mechanism 100 includes a base member 20 and a cover member 30. The base member 20 may be portions of the electronic device 200 and includes a bottom wall 21 and a sidewall 22 perpendicular to the bottom wall 21. The sidewall 22 includes an outer surface 221 and an inner surface 222. The outer surface 221 of the sidewall 22 includes a receiving groove 23 defined by four side surfaces 230 and a bottom surface 231. The bottom surface 231 defines a hole 24 and a pin hole 232. The pin hole 232 is positioned at one end of the bottom surface 231, and communicates with the inner surface 222. The hole 24 extends through the inner surface 222, and communicates with the receiving groove 23. In this embodiment, the hole 24 is a connector interface hole. The outer surface 221 adjacent to one of the side surfaces 230 defines an arucate cutout 233 for conveniently operating the cover member 30.
The cover member 30 may be received in the receiving groove 23 of the base member 20 and cover the hole 24. The cover member 30 is made of flexible and elastic material such as rubber and soft plastics. Referring to
In
Referring to
To close and lock the cover mechanism 100, the above process is reversed and the cover member 30 moved from the opened position to the closed position. The closing process ends when the cover portion 312 latches the sidewall 22.
It is understood that the cover portion 312 is connected with the fixed portion 311 at a suitable angle at an original state. In addition, only the connecting portion 312 of the cover member 30 is made of elastic material for allowing the cover portion 312 to be bent relative to the fixed portion 311.
It is to be understood, however, that even through numerous characteristics and advantages of the exemplary invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200910303051.0 | Jun 2009 | CN | national |
