Patent Application
20080090446
The present invention may be further understood with reference to the following description and the appended drawings, wherein like elements are referred to with the same reference numerals. The present invention describes a peripheral device locking arrangement for a host device. According to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the locking arrangement maintains a physical coupling between the peripheral device and the host device even when the host device experiences a shock event, i.e., any force which may cause the peripheral device to lost/shift from its intended physical and/or electrical connection with the host device. The shock event includes, but is not limited to, shaking, drops, transport, inadvertent removal attempts, etc. In a preferred embodiment, the locking arrangement is useful for a single motion insertion.
The card slot 20 may use utilize a locking mechanism (e.g., a conventional push-pull mechanism) to retain the memory card 15 therein. Using the push-pull mechanism, for example, the memory card 15 is inserted into the card slot 20 and engaged by a latch (or other mechanism) to retaining the memory card 15 within the card slot 20. Typically, a portion of the memory card 15 (e.g., a lagging edge) remains exposed from the card slot 20 when the memory card 15 is inserted therein. To remove the memory card 15, the memory card 15 is pushed further into the card slot 20 until the latch disengages, and the memory card 15 is ejected from the card slot 20 (typically by a spring). Other exemplary embodiments of the locking mechanism utilized by the card slot 20 include, but are not limited to, a frictional fit, a snap fit, a magnetic coupling, etc.
The locking arrangement 30 generally includes a body portion 35 and an arm 40. The body portion 35 may be mounted on the card slot 20 using, for example, adhesive, double-sided tape, welding, mechanical means, etc. The body portion 35 may also be coupled to the PCB underlying the card slot 20 using similar coupling means. The body portion 35 may cover substantially all or a selected portion of the card slot 20. The more surface area of the card slot 20 that is covered by the body portion 35, the more force which will be required to move the arm 40 relative thereto, as will be described further below. That is, the body portion 35 may provide stability and leverage for the arm 40.
The arm 40 may be formed by, for example, creating a channel 45 in the body portion 35. The channel 45 separates the arm 40 from the body portion 35 allowing the arm 40 to flex relative thereto. That is, the arm 40 may bend/flex while the body portion 35 remains attached to the card slot 20. Thus, it is preferable that any adhesive, double-sided tape, etc. which is used to secure the body portion 35 to the card slot 25 is not used on the arm 40, allowing the arm 40 to be lifted from an outer surface of the card slot 20. As understood by those of skill in the art, the flexibility of the arm 40 relative to the body portion 35 may be varied by increasing/decreasing a depth with which the channel 45 is formed into the body portion 35. For example, a shallow depth of the channel 45 would limit a height which may be achieved by bending the arm 40 away from the outer surface of card slot 20.
In the exemplary embodiment, the arm 40 extends along an axis substantially parallel with and offset from a longitudinal axis of the body portion 35. However, those of skill in the art will understand that the arm 40 may be formed along the longitudinal axis of the body portion 35. The arm 40 includes a latch 50 for retaining the memory card 15 within the card slot 20. The latch 50 may be formed from a portion of the arm 40 which extends a predetermined distance past the opening 25 of the card slot 20 and includes a retaining member 55 for engaging a portion of the memory card 15 when it is received in the card slot 20. In the exemplary embodiment show in
The retaining member 55 only engages a portion (e.g., the lagging edge) of the memory card 15. However, those of skill in the art will understand that the arm 40, the latch 50 and/or the retaining member 55 may have various dimensions to engage a selected portion of the memory card 15. For example, the arm 40 and the latch 50 may be formed so that the retaining member 55 engages the entire lagging edge of the memory card 15, or there may be embodiments with more than one arm 40, latch 50 and/or retaining member 55 which are independently movable or chain-linked to move simultaneously. In addition, while
The arm 40 may further include a handle 60 coupled to the latch 50 allowing a user to disengage the retaining member 55 from the memory card 15. The handle 60 may be offset from the opening 25 of the card slot 20 so that the handle 60 does not obstruct access to the card slot 20. In the exemplary embodiment, the handle 60 is an L-shaped member with a first leg attached to the retaining member 55 and a second leg extending (in a direction opposite the card slot 20) a predetermined distance substantially perpendicularly from the first leg so that a user may easily manipulate the arm 40 by interfacing with the handle 60. The second leg of the handle 60 may be folded over or otherwise formed (e.g., rounded interface, include a bumper/cover, etc.) so that a sharp edge is not presented to the user.
In the exemplary embodiments, the arm 40 is biased to a locked position in which the retaining member 55 is positioned over a portion of the opening 25 of the card slot 20. However, in other exemplary embodiments, the retaining member 55 may require a user to move the retaining member 55 between the locked and unlocked positions. In the locked position, the arm 40 contacts the outer surface of the card slot 20 along an entire length of the arm 40 up to the latch 50, which extends past the card slot 20. Thus, to insert the memory card 15 into the card slot 20, a leading edge of the memory card 15 may be inserted into the opening 25 while angling the memory card 15 to prevent contact with the retaining member 55. As the memory card 15 is inserted into the card slot 20, the memory card 15 (or the user) may displace the retaining member 55, allowing the memory card 15 to be received within the card slot 20. Displacing the retaining member 55 causes the arm 40 to flex away from the outer surface of the card slot 20 into an unlocked position. When the lagging edge of the memory card 15 has passed the retaining member 55, the bias of the arm 40 causes the retaining member 55 to snap over the lagging edge of the memory card 15 back into the locked position, thereby preventing removal from the card slot 20.
From the above description, those of skill in the art will understand that the present invention may prevent dislodging of a peripheral device when the host device it is coupled to experiences a shock event. Maintaining a physical and electrical coupling during the shock event ensures an integrity of data exchange between the peripheral device and the host device. Thus, the present invention may increase ruggedness of the host device and improve user satisfaction therewith.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the present invention, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
