Patent Grant
7056141
The present invention relates generally to interconnections for a portable electronic device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus of latching various interconnections to a portable electronic device.
Portable telephone systems and personal digital assistants (“PDA”) have gained widespread acceptance as an efficient means for voice and data communications. While early mobile units were large and complex, miniaturization has made possible hand-held units with full functional telephony capabilities allowing the user freedom to use a phone in a mobile environment or at a location remote from a hard wired connection to an existing telephone system. In addition, the cost of purchasing and using a portable phone has substantially declined and the quality and clarity of communication over a portable phone has increased causing increased and widespread demand for portable phones by the public. Such a demand has resulted in the competitive need for increased reliability in the portable phone and PDA.
Portable phones and PDA's typically include an electrical interface connector having both a power port and data port for charging and transferring data to the portable phone and PDA. Such an interface connector includes a dielectric elongate housing with electrically conductive terminals in each of the power port and data ports for electrically conducting and engaging with a power cable and data cable. The electrically conductive terminals are interconnected to circuitry in the portable phone and PDA.
The power cable and data cable are most often configured to engage with the interface connector and maintain such engagement with a latching system which holds the power cable and/or data cable in a mated condition. Such a latching system also is releasable to allow the power cable and/or data cable to be disengaged from the mated condition.
One of the problems with latching systems for the power cable and data cable described above is the potential of damage to the latches, themselves. In other words, too often the power cable and/or the data cable are hastily positioned and latched in a misaligned fashion which causes strain and fatigue on the latches. The result may be inadvertent damage to the latches. Often the latches of the latching system are formed from a polymeric material that experiences torque and stresses reducing the life span of the latches.
Another problem with such systems relates to the interface connector of the portable phone and PDA. Such an interface connector is a small, elongated and narrow structure which includes a housing molded of dielectric or polymeric material or the like. When latching cavities are formed in the very narrow housing along with the cavities for the power port and data ports, open spaces are created which tend to allow the molded plastic housing of the interface connector to bow. The interface connector is designed for mounting on a printed circuit board, and even the slightest bowing of the housing prevents the connector from lying completely flat on the circuit board.
It has been recognized that it would be advantageous to develop an improved method and apparatus for an interconnection system for a portable electronic device that provides a more reliable latching mechanism and a more simplified interface connector with improved structural characteristics and, further, provides greater efficiency in cost and time in manufacturing the interface connector.
The present invention relates to an interconnection system configured for a portable electronic device. The interconnection system includes an interface connector having a power port configured to be positioned at a peripheral portion of the portable electronic device. The interconnection system is directed to a latching contact mechanism that provides both electrical engagement and a latching mechanism between a power connector and the interface connector disposed in the portable electronic device.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those or ordinary skill in the art through consideration of the ensuing description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming that which is regarded as the present invention, the advantages of this invention may be ascertained from the following description of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 7(a) illustrates an exploded perspective view of another embodiment of the power cable, depicting various components of the power cable;
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and additional applications of the principles of the inventions as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention.
With reference to
The interface connector 110 can include an elongate housing 112 having an elongated cubic shape defining a plurality of different types of interface ports 114 therein. With such elongated cubic shape, the elongate housing 112 includes a front surface 120, a back surface 130, a top surface 140 and a bottom surface 150. The elongate housing 112 can be formed from a dielectric material, such as a polymeric or polyimide material. Other suitable dielectric materials can also be utilized, such as a ceramic or composite.
The front surface 120 of the elongate housing 112 includes the plurality of interface ports 114 formed therein. The front surface 120 with the ports 114 defined therein are configured to be exposed at a peripheral portion of the portable electronic device. The plurality of ports 114 can include a power port 122 and data ports 124. The power port 122 can be a single cavity extending from the front surface 112 into a portion of the elongate housing 112. The power port 122 can include an elongate groove 121 in one of the surfaces therein and an elongate protrusion 123 on another one of the surfaces, such as an opposing surface to the groove 121. Such elongate groove 121 and elongate protrusion 123 within the power port 122 can serve to control the polarity with which the power cable (not shown) is inserted into the power port 122.
The data ports 124 can include multiple cavities, which may include data latching ports 126 configured for latching a data cable thereto and data signal ports 128 for transmitting data therethrough. In one embodiment, the data latching ports 126 can include power and ground contacts if desired so that the data ports 124 can be utilized for both transmitting data through the data signal ports and transmitting power through the data latching ports 126. Such power port 122 and data ports 124 can extend partially into the front surface 120, without extending through the back surface 130. As with the power port 122, the data latching ports 126 can also include various configurations, such as grooves and/or protrusions, to control the polarity by which the data connector (not shown) is inserted into the data latching ports 126.
The top surface 140 can include multiple alignment retaining openings 142 defined therein. Each of the alignment-retaining openings 142 extends through the top surface 140 and into one of the plurality of interface ports 114. Each interface port 114 can include at least two alignment-retaining openings 142, wherein the power port 122 can include at least four alignment-retaining openings 142.
With respect to
Further, each plate opening 152 is aligned and configured to correspond with at least two of the alignment-retaining openings 142 (FIG. 2). Such alignment between the plate openings 152 in the bottom surface 150 and the alignment-retaining openings 142 in the top surface 140 provides a mechanism for inserting, aligning and retaining strike plates 160 into the elongate housing 112. It should be noted that such plate openings 152 are not limited to being formed in the bottom surface 150 and may be formed in other surfaces in the elongate housing, such as the back surface 130 and top surface 140.
With reference to
Referring to
Turning to
The latching contacts 171 can be configured to be spring biased in an outward direction so as to bias outwardly when moved to an inward position and, specifically, configured to be moved inwardly and outwardly when being engaged and disengaged with the power port 122 and engaging the strike plates 160. As depicted in a cut-out portion of the contact housing 176 in
FIG. 7(a) illustrates another embodiment of the power cable 170a. In this embodiment, the power cable 170a is substantially the same as the power cable depicted in
In another embodiment, the strike plates can include a springing latch element configured to latch to contacts of the power cable. As such, the interconnection of this embodiment both latches and electrically conducts, but in a reverse configuration of the interconnection previously described between the power port and the power cable.
Referring to
In another embodiment, the latches 184 extending from the shield 188 of the data cable 180 can function as power contacts as well as latches 184. In this embodiment, one of the signal contact points 189 can function as a ground contact. In still another embodiment, it is contemplated that one of the latches 184 can be configured as a ground contact while the other one of the latches 184 can be configured as a power contact while also functioning as a latching mechanism.
It can therefore be readily recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art that the strike plate 160 configuration disposed in the interface connector 110 provides both a latching mechanism and an electrical interconnection mechanism with the latching contacts 171 of the power cable 170. Such strike plates 160 in the interface connector 110 are configured to engage and disengage with the latching contacts 171 of the power cable 170 via the spring loaded movement of the latching contacts 171 and the protrusions 172p and 173p extending therefrom. In this manner, the spring loaded latching contacts 171 secure the power cable 170 to the power port 122 and can be readily removed manually by pulling the power cable 170 away from the interface connector 110. The pulling force readily overcomes the spring biasing force securing the power cable 170 to the power port 122 to move the latching contacts 171 inward to, thereby, allow the power cable 170 to slide out of the power port 122.
Likewise, strike plates 160, identical to those used for the power port 122, are also used for the data ports 124. Therefore, the data latching ports 126 can provide both a latching mechanism and an electrical interconnection mechanism with the latches 184 of the data cable 180. As such, the data ports 124 having the strike plates 160 disposed therein can be configured to readily engage and disengage with the data cable 180 as previously described for the power cable 170.
The duel function of both latching and electrically conducting provided by the latching contacts 171 and strike plates 160 simplifies the design of both the interface connector 110 and power cable 170. In particular, by eliminating the requirement of forming separate latching cavities in the interface connector for latching the power cable thereto, the number of cavities formed in the interface connector 110 is reduced. Such a reduction in cavities simplifies the configuration and increases the structural integrity and strength of the interface connector 110 and, specifically, reduces the potential chances of the small elongate housing 112 from slightly warping, resulting in an inoperable interface connector. By simplifying the interface connector design, the interface connector also is more easily manufactured with less chance of error.
It can also be readily recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art that the power cable 170 will have a greater fatigue life than conventional power cables having latches, which are formed from a polymeric material and separate from the electrical contact. Rather, the latching contacts 171 described herein are formed of a durable metallic, electrically conductive material configured to hold-up against inadvertent torques and stresses placed on the latching contacts. Further, the latching contacts are housed in the contact housing 176, which substantially eliminates the ability for inadvertent torques and stresses placed on the latching contacts.
As previously set forth, the strike plates 160 are configured such that they provide both a securing mechanism as well as conduct electricity therethrough. Each of the interface ports 114 are configured to receive an identical strike plate 160 and, therefore, each of the power port 122, data latching ports 126 and data signal ports 128 can perform the latching function or electrical conducting function, or both. Such a strike plate 160 further simplifies the manufacturing process of forming the interface connector 110 in minimizing cost and time required for preparing the interface connector 110. Such interface connector 110 featuring the ability to utilize identical strike plates 160 also provides greater throughput in minimizing the potential for error in the final product of the interface connector 110.
With reference to
It is to be understood that the above-referenced arrangements are illustrative of the application for the principles of the present invention. Numerous modifications and alternative arrangements can be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention while the present invention has been shown in the drawings and described above in connection with the exemplary embodiments(s) of the invention. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications can be made without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention as set forth herein.
This application claims priority of application Ser. No. 60/435,955, filed on Dec. 20, 2002.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 60435955 | Dec 2002 | US |
