Patent Application
20080291641
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a lockable door assembly of a housing, and more particularly to a lockable door assembly that has fine structure durability and provides multi-locking mechanisms.
2. Related Art
With rapid development of computers, laptops or portable computers which are quite convenient to be carried have gradually become the mainstream products in the market instead of desktop computers. However, in the early days, business or home laptops or portable computers have no space for future upgrade like desktop computers in consideration of manufacturing, costs, and so on, so that consumers cannot add some peripheral hardware devices such as hard disk drives and optical disk drives at will. Hence, in order to provide space for future upgrade, laptops or portable computers of certain types that allow users to install or replace hardware devices freely have developed in this industry.
A laptop or portable computer upgradeable has reserved inside the housing for consumers to assemble peripheral device at will, and an opening is formed on the housing for communicating the space. A user can detach or install peripheral devices directly through the opening without disassembling the housing, thereby avoiding malfunctions due to improper disassembling of the housing. On the other hand, a shield, e.g. a lockable door, is required to cover and seal the opening of the housing to prevent dust or other foreign substances from getting into the housing. Furthermore, for the purpose of applying an upgradeable laptop or a portable computer in a tough and severe environment, the lockable door for covering and sealing the opening of the housing must be dustproof and waterproof while not affecting the convenience in use. Therefore, the convenience of use and the shielding in the environment must be taken in account at the same time. For example, Taiwan Patent 1260192 has disclosed a relevant design having the aforementioned functions.
Taiwan Patent 1260192 provides a lockable door assembly for a laptop or a portable computer, which may be securely locked on the housing for covering and sealing the opening, such that the door will not be opened unexpectedly under the tough conditions of vibration and impact in external environment, and meanwhile, the door may be opened conveniently and has dustproof and waterproof functions. However, some project or military rugged mobile computers with a special specification have strict requirements on using environment, the lockable door assembly disclosed in 1260192 is complicated in the case of having large number of parts and cannot be fully adapted to the rugged mobile computers. Furthermore, 1260192 does not provide a solution directed to the problem that the door may be mistakenly opened. Therefore, the lockable door assembly disclosed in 1260192 still needs an improvement on the structure durability and protection.
The lockable door assembly in the prior art is complicated in the case of having large number of parts, and has no relevant mechanisms to avoid being opened accidentally. The object of the present invention is directed to provide a lockable door assembly that has reduced number of parts and can provide a double secure mechanism having a multi-locking function.
In order to achieve the aforementioned object, a lockable door assembly of the present invention is provided for covering and sealing an opening of a housing of an electronic device, wherein the housing has a rib formed thereon adjacent to the opening. The lockable assembly includes a door, a fixing member, a first sliding member, and at least one second sliding member. The door is pivoted to the housing for covering the opening, and the fixing member is fixed on the door. The first sliding member is movably disposed on the fixing member, and slides between a first position and a second position relative to the door. The first sliding member has a latching portion and at least one nick. The latching portion is engaged with the rib adjacent to the opening at the first position, so as to stop the door from rotating relative to the housing. The second sliding member is movably disposed on the fixing member, and the sliding paths of the second sliding member and the first sliding member are intersected on the same plane. The second sliding member is used for being inserted into the nick of the first sliding member to prevent the first sliding member departing from the first position, such that the latching portion of the first sliding member remains being engaged with the rib, thereby prevent the door from be released from the opening.
The advantages of the present invention lie in that the lockable door assembly has reduced number of parts and a simplified structure, so as to effectively enhancing structure strength and structure durability. And sliding paths of the first sliding member and the second sliding member slide are intersected on the same plane, thus not only reducing the thickness of the lockable door assembly, but also providing a double secure mechanism, thereby preventing the door from being opened due to the first sliding member being accidentally moved.
The detailed features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail in the following embodiments. Those skilled in the arts can easily understand and implement the content of the present invention. Furthermore, the relative objects and advantages of the present invention are apparent to those skilled in the arts with reference to the content disclosed in the specification, claims, and drawings.
It is to be understood that, both the above description of the content of the present invention and the following detailed description intend to demonstrate and illustrate the principle of the invention, and to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below for illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
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The first sliding member 50 has two opposite sliding tracks 51, a plurality of limiting holes 52, a latching portion 53, an accommodation slot 54, two positioning holes 55, and a decoration element 56. The sliding tracks 51 are formed symmetrically on two opposite edges of the first sliding member 50, and one end of each of the sliding tracks 51 is closed and a gap 511 is formed at the middle section of each sliding track 51. A pair of the lobes 32 enters the sliding tracks 51 through the gaps 511, and meanwhile the other pair of the lobes slides into the sliding tracks 51 through the other ends of the sliding tracks 51. The sliding track 51 is used to accommodate the lobes 32 of the fixing member 30 to slide therein, such that the first sliding member 50 is movably disposed on the fixing member 30, and is guided by the lobes 32 to slide relative to the fixing member 30. Each of the limiting holes 52 is oblong and is formed in the first sliding member 50 to communicating two side surface of the first sliding member 50. The number and configuration position of the limiting holes 52 are corresponding to those of each bolt hole 31 of the fixing member 30 and each fixing holes 24 of the door 20. The limiting holes 52 are provided for the front end of the bolting member 70 protruding from one side of the fixing member 30 to extend therein, so as to limit the first sliding member 50 to slide between the first position and the second position relative to the door 20 (the fixing member 30), i.e., the first sliding member 50 is guided by the bolting member 70 through the limiting holes 52. The latching portion 53 is formed on the side adjacent to the closed end of the sliding track 51 on the first sliding member 50, and is accommodated into the gap 21 of the door 20. An engaged depression 531 is formed on the latching portion 53 and is engaged with the rib 12 of the housing 10 at the first position to prevent the door 20 from rotating relative to the housing 10. The accommodation slot 54 is formed on the first sliding member 50 and depressed inward from the side adjacent to the opening of the sliding track 51 on the first sliding member 50, and corresponds to the sliding slot 33 of the fixing member 30 and the positioning holes 26 of the door 20. A nick 541 is further formed on one side edge of the accommodation slot 54, such that the accommodation slot 54 communicates with the nick 541. The positioning holes 55 are formed side by side in the central portion of the first sliding member 50 along a longitudinal axis direction are corresponding to the abutting sheet 34 of the fixing member 30. The positioning holes 55 are disposed corresponding to the first position and the second position, such that the abutting sheet 34 is moved together with the first sliding member 50 to coupled the positioning holes 55 at the first position or the second position respectively, so as to retain the first sliding member 50 at the first position or the second position respectively. The decoration element 56 is attached on the outer side surface of the first sliding member 50 to cover the limiting holes 52 and provide the dustproof function and beautiful appearance of the first sliding member 50.
Referring to
The second sliding member 60 includes a slider 61, a stopper 62, and a positioning sheet 63. The slider 61 has a bolt hole 65 and the positioning sheet 63 has a positioning hole 64 for a bolting member 71 to pass through and to be screwed into the bolt hole 65, so as to mount the positioning sheet 63 on the slider 61. The slider 61 is movably disposed in the sliding slot 33 of the fixing member 30, and is guided by the sliding slot 33 to slide relative to the fixing member 30, so as to limit a sliding travel (i.e., along the transverse axis direction) of the second sliding member 60 for the stopper 62 to enter or withdraw from the nick 541. The stopper 62 is provided for being inserted in the nick 541 of the first sliding member 50, so as to prevent the first sliding member 50 from sliding relative to the door 20. Thus the latching portion 53 of the first sliding member 50 remains being engaged with the rib 12 of the housing 10, and the door 20 securely cover and seal the opening 11 of the housing 10. The positioning sheet 63 further has a flexible and bent abutting leaf 631. The abutting leaf 631 extends from one side of the positioning sheet 63, and is moved together with the second sliding member 60 relative to the positioning sheet 63 for being coupled with the positioning hole 26 on the door 20 at the first position or the second position, so as to retain the second sliding member 60.
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The fixing member 30 is fixed on the door 20 by the bolting member 70, and the first sliding member 50 is movably disposed on the fixing member 30 through placing lobs 32 of the fixing member 30 is the sliding tracks 51, so as to slide along the longitudinal axis direction relative to the door 20. Each limiting hole 52 of the first sliding member 50 has one of the bolting member 70 disposed therein, such that the first sliding member 50 can slide between the first position in
Referring to
The second sliding member 60 is movably disposed on the fixing member 30 by disposing the slider 61 in the sliding slot 33, such that the slider 61 of the second sliding member 60 is limited by the sliding slot 33 to slide in the transverse axis direction relative to the door 20 only, so as to be inserted into or withdrawn from the nick 541. The second sliding member 60 is also inserted in the accommodation slot 54 of the first sliding member 50, such that the second sliding member 60 and the first sliding member 50 slides on the same plane, which reduces the thickness of the second sliding member 60 and the first sliding member 50. Meanwhile, the stopper 62 of the second sliding member 60 is inserted in the nick 541 of the first sliding member 50, so as to prevent the first sliding member 50 from departing from the first position. Therefore, if the user intends to push the first sliding member 50 from the first position to the second position, he/she must withdraw the second sliding member 60 from the nick 541 of the first sliding member 50 firstly to further release the first secure mechanism and then open the door 20, that is, the second sliding member 60 is a second secure mechanism provided by the lockable door assembly of the first embodiment. When releasing the second sliding member 60, the abutting leaf 631 of the positioning sheet 63 is coupled with each positioning hole 26 of the door 20 at two end points of the sliding travel while knocking each other to make a sound, which indicates that the second sliding member 60 is located at a third position and a fourth position respectively and is a message of reaching the position.
Referring to
Under the implementation architecture based on the first embodiment of the present invention, the second embodiment further includes another two second sliding members 90, which are movable disposed on the door 20 outside the U-shaped flange 23, and slide in the transverse axis direction relative to the door 20 respectively. Two symmetric sliding slots 28 are formed on the door 20 to accommodate the second sliding members 90 to slide on the door 20. Two through holes 231 penetrating through the U-shaped flange 23 are formed on the door 20 respectively, and each of the through holes 231 is communicated with the inner region surrounded by the U-shaped flange 23 through each of the sliding slots 28. A nick 512 is formed on each of the sliding track 51 of the first sliding member 50 respectively, each of the nicks 512 is formed on the bottom wall of the sliding track 51 and corresponds to each of the gaps 511 and communicates the bottom wall of the sliding track 51. Each of the second sliding members 90 has a slider 91 and a stopper 92. Each of the sliders 91 may be inserted into the corresponding sliding slot 28 of the door 20, such that the second sliding members 90 may slide relative to the door 20 and each of the second sliding members 90 has a sliding travel (along the transverse axis direction) for the stopper 92 to enter or withdraw from the nick 512. Each of the stoppers 92 passes through the corresponding through hole 231 to be inserted into the nick 512 of each sliding track 51, so as to prevent the first sliding member 50 from departing from the first position, and make the door 20 to cover and seal the opening of the housing 10 at the first position.
Therefore, if the user intends to move the first sliding member 50 from the first position to the second position (i.e., before releasing the first securen mechanism), each of the second sliding members 90 must be moved firstly to withdraw from the nicks 512 of the first sliding member 50, and then the first secure mechanism may be released to open the door 20. In the second embodiment, the third and fourth secure mechanisms provided by the lockable door assembly may prevent the door 20 from being mistakenly opened if the second secure mechanism is released accidentally.
The lockable door assembly of the present invention has reduced number of parts and a simplified structure, thereby effectively enhancing structure strength and structure durability. The first sliding member 50 and the second sliding member 60 slide on the same plane, thus not only reducing the thickness of the lockable door assembly, but also providing a double secure mechanism that prevents the door 20 from being mistakenly opened respectively, and provides suitable protection for the opening 11 on an electronic device for expansion and replacement. The additional protection mechanisms provided by the second sliding members 90 can further enhance the protection provided by the lockable door assembly to the electronic device.
The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 096118847 | May 2007 | TW | national |
