This application claims priority from Taiwanese invention patent application no. 107132178, filed on Sep. 13, 2018.
The disclosure relates to an electronic device, more particularly to a portable communication device and a slide positioning mechanism thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,432,490 B2 discloses a portable electronic device including a first housing, and a second housing slidably coupled to the first housing. The first housing and the second housing is movable between a closed position, an open position and a transition position between the open position and the closed position. At least one input device and at least one position sensor are operable to detect whether the portable electronic device is in the open position, the closed position or the transition position. When the at least one position sensor detects the transition position, the at least one input device is disabled.
An object of the disclosure is to provide a novel electronic device including a base cover, a cover plate which is slidable relative to the base cover, and a slide positioning mechanism between the base cover and the cover plate. With the provision of the sliding position mechanism, the electronic device may have a relatively small thickness.
According to a first aspect of the disclosure, an electronic device includes a base cover with a concealed area, a cover plate, and a slide positioning mechanism. The cover plate has a front marginal region and is slidable relative to the base cover in a longitudinal direction among a closed position, where the front marginal region covers the concealed area, an open position, where the front marginal region exposes the concealed area, and a transition position between the closed and open positions. The slide positioning mechanism is disposed between the base cover and the cover plate to permit the cover plate to be slidably positioned relative to the base cover in a selected one of the closed and open positions. The slide positioning mechanism includes a base frame mounted on the base cover, a guided frame, and at least one positioning assembly. The guided frame is mounted beneath the cover plate to slide therewith, and is configured to be slidably guided by the base frame so as to permit the cover plate to be guided to slide relative to the base cover. The positioning assembly includes a first magnetically attractive unit and a second magnetically attractive unit. The first magnetically attractive unit is mounted on and outboard of the base frame, and has a plurality of first magnetically attractive members arranged in tandem in the longitudinal direction. The second magnetically attractive unit is mounted beneath the cover plate to slide therewith, and has a plurality of second magnetically attractive members arranged in tandem in the longitudinal direction. The first and second magnetically attractive members respectively have north poles and south poles oriented such that when the cover plate is moved to the selected one of the closed and open positions, a relatively strong force of attraction is generated between the first and second magnetically attractive units so as to position the cover plate in the selected one of the closed and open positions, and such that once the cover plate is displaced to the transition position, a relatively strong force of repulsion is generated between the first and second magnetically attractive units to facilitate movement of the cover plate away from the transition position.
According to a second aspect of the disclosure, a sliding positioning mechanism for an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a base cover with a concealed area, and a cover plate which has a front marginal region and which is slidable relative to the base cover in a longitudinal direction among a closed position, where the front marginal region covers the concealed area, an open position, where the front marginal region exposes the concealed area, and a transition position between the closed and open positions. The slide positioning mechanism includes a base frame mounted on the base cover, a guided frame, and at least one positioning assembly. The guided frame is mounted beneath the cover plate to slide therewith, and is configured to be slidably guided by the base frame so as to permit the cover plate to be guided to slide relative to the base cover. The positioning assembly includes a first magnetically attractive unit and a second magnetically attractive unit. The first magnetically attractive unit is mounted on and outboard of the base frame, and has a plurality of first magnetically attractive members arranged in tandem in the longitudinal direction. The second magnetically attractive unit is mounted beneath the cover plate to slide therewith, and has a plurality of second magnetically attractive members arranged in tandem in the longitudinal direction. The first and second magnetically attractive members respectively have north poles and south poles oriented such that when the cover plate is moved to the selected one of the closed and open positions, a relatively strong force of attraction is generated between the first and second magnetically attractive units so as to position the cover plate in the selected one of the closed and open positions, and such that once the cover plate is displaced to the transition position, a relatively strong force of repulsion is generated between the first and second magnetically attractive units to facilitate movement of the cover plate away from the transition position.
Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment(s) with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
To aid in describing the disclosure, directional terms may be used in the specification and claims to describe portions of the present disclosure (e.g., front, rear, left, right, top, bottom, etc.). These directional definitions are intended to merely assist in describing and claiming the disclosure and are not intended to limit the disclosure in any way.
Referring to
The cover plate 2 has a front marginal region 20 and is slidable relative to the base cover 1 in a longitudinal direction (D1) among a closed position (
The slide positioning mechanism 3 is disposed between the base cover 1 and the cover plate 2 to permit the cover plate 2 to be slidably positioned relative to the base cover 1 in a selected one of the closed and open positions. As shown in
The base frame 31 is mounted on the base cover 1, and defines two elongated grooves 310 which respectively extend in the longitudinal direction (D1).
In an embodiment shown in
The guided frame 32 is mounted beneath the cover plate 2 to slide therewith, and has two guided marginal regions 320 configured to be slidably retained in the elongated grooves 310, respectively, so as to permit the cover plate 2 to be guided to slide relative to the base cover 1. In an alternative not shown embodiment, each of the base frame 31 and the guided frame 32 may be formed integrally with a respective one of the base cover 1 and the cover plate 2.
The first magnetically attractive unit 332 is mounted on and outboard of the base frame 31, and has a plurality of first magnetically attractive members 334a, 334b, 334c, 334d arranged in tandem in the longitudinal direction (D1). The second magnetically attractive unit 333 is mounted beneath the cover plate 2 to slide therewith, and has a plurality of second magnetically attractive members 337a, 337b, 337c arranged in tandem in the longitudinal direction (D1). The first and second magnetically attractive members 334a, 334b, 334c, 334d, 337a, 337b, 337c respectively have north poles and south poles oriented such that when the cover plate 2 is moved to the selected one of the closed and open positions, a relatively strong force of attraction is generated between the first and second magnetically attractive units 332, 333 so as to position the cover plate 2 in the selected one of the closed and open positions, and such that once the cover plate 2 is displaced to the transition position, a relatively strong force of repulsion is generated between the first and second magnetically attractive units 332, 333 to facilitate movement of the cover plate 2 away from the transition position. With the provision of the sliding position mechanism 3, the electronic device may have a relatively small thickness.
In an embodiment shown in
In an embodiment shown in
In one embodiment, each of the first and second mounting seats 335, 338 may be made from a magnetic shielding material to shield at least part of a magnetic field from a respective one of the first and second magnetically attractive units 332, 333 so as to permit the magnetic fields from the first and second magnetic attractive units 332, 333 to be directed toward each other. The magnetic shielding material may be any material for shielding a magnetic field, such as a non-magnetic material or magnetic material. In an embodiment, each of the first and second mounting seats 335, 338 may be made from metal. Alternatively, the first mounting seat 335 may be integrally formed with the base frame 31, and the second mounting seat 338 may be integrally formed with the cover plate 2.
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When the cover plate 2 is in the transition position (
When the cover plate 2 is in the open position (
With the above arrangement, the cover plate 2 may be easily switchable by a manually force.
In an embodiment shown in
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In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment(s). It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.
While the disclosure has been described in connection with what is (are) considered the exemplary embodiment(s), it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment(s) but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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107132178 A | Sep 2018 | TW | national |
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7385150 | Siddiqui | Jun 2008 | B1 |
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20190132971 | Zeng | May 2019 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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200928138 | Jul 2009 | TW |
201504788 | Feb 2015 | TW |
201516618 | May 2015 | TW |
Entry |
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Search Report appended to an Office Action, which was issued to Taiwanese counterpart application No. 107132178 by the TIPO dated Jul. 8, 2019, with an English translation thereof. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20200090846 A1 | Mar 2020 | US |