Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6353968
-
Patent Number
6,353,968
-
Date Filed
Wednesday, August 23, 200024 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, March 12, 200222 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 016 334
- 016 324
- 016 325
- 016 326
- 016 335
- 016 377
- 016 281
- 016 370
- 016 85
- 016 86 R
- 016 86 A
- 403 92
- 403 93
- 403 94
- 049 386
- 049 394
- 292 302
- 292 300
- 312 3191
- 312 3192
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A single-button support mechanism is provided to improve a turning means joining an upper portion and a body of a device. The support mechanism constructs a pivot and a holding groove at the upper portion and, at the body, a cam trough, a button groove, and another groove for accommodating a retaining member to further hold a first spring. The cam is formed as saw type teeth at a peripheral thereof, and each tooth of the cam has a notch engageable with a position button. By applying the single-button support mechanism, the turning means can utilize the cam moving in the cam trough for engaging with the upper portion at a selected angle, and utilize the position button movable in the button groove for controlling the opening or closing of the upper portion.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a single-button support mechanism for an electronic device that employs a single push button to control the opening of an upper portion from a main body at a desired angle.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Electronic devices such as a scanner, a printer, a copier and the like are widely used nowadays. Each of those electronic devices usually includes an upper portion resting upon a main body for shielding internal delicate mechanisms away from any external contamination, in which the upper portion has to be openable for further repairs and maintenance of the internal mechanisms as required.
Conventionally, means for opening the upper portion of aforesaid electronic devices generally include two following types:
1. Push button and torsion spring means. The upper portion can be lifted by only utilizing a torsion spring after releasing a push button. In this type of mechanism, as the torsion spring becomes fatigue after a long time usage; the upper portion may not be lifted to a desired angle anyway.
2. Push button and hydraulic cylinder. The upper portion can be lifted after releasing a push button and then supported by a hydraulic cylinder. In this design, different weights of upper portions need to use different sizes of hydraulic cylinders. So, the design and production of the mechanism become more complicated and more expensive.
In addition to aforesaid mechanisms, there is also a two-step upper portion opening means being developed and used to lift the upper portion. However, the design is also complicated and the cost is hard to be reduced as well. Yet, there is stillroom for improvement upon a simpler and low-cost upper portion lifting means.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a single-button support mechanism for opening and lifting the upper portion of an electronic device that includes a small number of parts and offers enhanced function even at a lower production cost.
The support means of the present invention utilizes a spring to take only charge of separating the upper portion from a device body of the electronic device, and leaves the supporting of the upper portion after being lifted to a rigid structure. Therefore, the spring of the present invention can be less prone to resilient fatigue like the conventional upper portion support means does. On the other hand, the rigid structure of the support mechanism in accordance with the present invention may be mass produced at lower cost, and may have a wider usage for supporting various sizes and weights of the upper portions without changing its structure.
The single-button support mechanism according to this invention includes a resilient means, a position button and a support means. The position button is located in the device body and further has a holding bar. The support means can be embodied as a cam located at the upper portion and further has a plurality of notches engageable with the holding bar. While pressing the position button, the resilient means located in the device body may make the upper portion separated from the device body. Then, the upper portion is free to be lifted rotationally upward and may be positioned notch by notch to a selected position by engaging the specific notch of the cam with the holding bar.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention, as well as its many advantages, may be further understood by the following detailed description and drawings in which:
FIG. 1
is a side view of a first embodiment of the single-button support mechanism in accordance with the present invention, in which part of the device body is removed to shown the support mechanism thereinside;
FIG. 1A
is an enlarged view of the retaining member according to the present invention.
FIG. 2
is a fragmentary perspective view of the first embodiment shown in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 2A
is an enlarged perspective view of the position button of the present invention.
FIGS. 3A
,
3
B and
3
C are side views of the first embodiment, showing different operating states;
FIGS. 4A
,
4
B and
4
C are perspective views of a turning means for
FIGS. 3A
,
3
B and
3
C;
FIG. 5
is a side view of a second embodiment of the cam of this invention;
FIG. 6
is a side view of a third embodiment of the cam of this invention; and
FIG. 7
is a side view of a fourth embodiment of the single-button support mechanism in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
This invention aims at providing a single-button support mechanism for an electronic device such as a printer, a copier, a fax machine, a scanner, a multifunctional peripheral (MFP) and the like. It is designed for opening and lifting the upper portion of the device to a selected angle easily and smoothly. Generally, the upper portion may provide protect function for the internal mechanism of the device, and may be disassembled from a device body as required for repairs and maintenance upon the internal mechanism.
Referring now to
FIG. 1
, a normal operation condition of the device is schematically shown with the upper portion
1
and the device body
2
engaged by a support mechanism. In the body
2
, there is a vertical groove
3
at one end for holding a retaining member
32
thereinside. A first spring
31
is arranged inside the groove
3
and restrained between the retaining member
32
and the body
2
. The upper portion
1
and the body
2
are pivotally engaged at another end of the device through a turning means, which includes a cam
4
, fixed at the upper portion
1
. The body
2
has a respective cam trough
7
to house the cam
4
. The cam
4
as shown can pair with a position button
5
located at the body
2
to determine an opening position of the upper portion
1
. As shown, the position button
5
is housed in a button trough
8
located in the body
2
. The upper portion
1
also has a holding groove
6
for accommodating a respective portion of the position button
5
and a respective portion of the cam
4
.
As shown in the enlarged portion of
FIG. 1
, the groove
3
for accommodating the retaining member
32
and the first spring
31
has an enlarged bottom structure cut further into the body
2
with right angle step walls. The retaining member
32
is formed as a reversed “U” shape member with two external hook type feet formed at the bottom ends engageable with the right angle step walls.
When the upper portion
1
is laid upon and fixed to the body
2
as shown in
FIG. 3A
, the position button
5
engages with the cam
4
at a respective limit position for holding together the body
2
and the upper portion
1
, the retaining member
32
is pressed downward into the groove
3
and the first spring
31
is compressed. Referring to
FIG. 3B
, when the position button
5
is moved sideward (leftward in the figures) for the position button
5
to disengage with the cam
4
, the fist spring
31
will push the retaining member
32
upward to lift the upper portion
1
open slightly at the respective end of the device by a selected distance. The retaining member
32
as shown is mostly held in the groove
3
due to the hook type feet engaging with the step walls of the groove
3
. However, at this stage, the upper portion
1
is free to be rotationally lifted upward.
Referring now to
FIG. 2
, the turning means which includes the cam
4
and the position button
5
is shown in detail. The cam
4
of the present invention has a pair of top flanges
45
which have screw tapping
47
formed therein for being fastened with the upper portion
1
by means of screws
412
. At a front edge of one flange
45
, a step member
41
is disposed thereon for pairing with a wedge tongue
50
of the position button
5
, in which the step member
41
includes an upper step member
414
and a lower step member
410
protruding beyond the flange
45
. While the upper portion
1
rests upon the body
2
, the step member
41
of the cam
4
and the wedge tongue
50
of the position button
5
forms as a restriction structure to confirm the combination of the upper portion
1
and the body
2
.
As shown, the cam
4
has a plurality of saw-type teeth formed at a peripheral edge thereof. Each tooth has a notch
40
formed at the tooth root for occasionally engaging with a holding bar
56
of the position button
5
. By providing the holding bar
56
and the notch
40
of the cam
4
, the upper portion
1
can then be pulled to a desired angle from the body
2
.
The position button
5
, located in the body
2
, has a horizontal wedge tongue
50
engageable with the lower step member
410
and a vertical wedge wall
51
sandwiched by a pair of front side walls
58
and rear side walls
59
. The position button
5
also includes a lug
54
extending out of the body
2
. Between the front side walls
58
, a round holding bar
56
is provided for engaging with the notch
40
of the cam
4
. Between the rear side walls
59
and behind the wedge wall
51
, a second spring
52
is provided. The second spring
52
has its one end contacting with the wedge wall
51
and another end contacting with the body
2
. The position button
5
is mostly housed in the button trough
8
formed in the body
2
. The holding groove
6
formed respective in the upper portion
1
also provide a substantial room to accommodate part of the step member
41
and the position button
5
.
Referring now to
FIG. 3A
to
FIG. 3C
, a series of operation states upon lifting the upper portion
1
from the body
2
are shown orderly, Also, respective engaging between the position button
5
and the cam
4
can be observed from
FIG. 4A
to FIG.
4
C.
FIG. 3A
shows a normal operation state with the upper portion
1
resting closely on top of the body
2
. When the upper portion
1
engaged with the body
2
for the normal operation, the wedge tongue
50
engages with the lower step member
410
as shown in FIG.
4
A. While the upper portion
1
is latched and laid upon the body
2
, the retaining member
32
is pressed downward and the first spring
31
is compressed. Also, the holding bar
56
of the position button
5
engages with the limited one of the notches
40
of the cam
4
.
FIG. 3B
shows the operation state that the upper portion
1
is just released from the body
2
. At this stage, referring now to
FIGS. 3B and 4B
, the lug
54
is pushed against the second spring
52
to disengage the wedge tongue
50
of the position button
5
with the lower step member
410
of the cam
4
. The holding bar
56
of the position button
5
then moves away from the notch
40
of the cam
4
to release the engagement of the upper portion
1
and the body
2
. The first spring
31
then can release the built-in compression energy and push the retaining member
32
upward, which consequently pushes pivotally the upper portion
1
upward slightly. The upper portion
1
thus is unlatched and at a state ready for lifting.
Referring to
FIGS. 3C and 4C
, the disengaged upper portion
1
is now free to be lifted pivotally from the end of the body
2
locating the groove
3
. While lifting the upper portion
1
, the teeth of the cam
4
can slide over the holding bar
56
without any application upon the position button
5
, due to the wedge form of the teeth. When a desirable lifting angle is reached, the lifting will be removed to have the weight of the upper portion
1
to drop the upper portion
1
a little bit for the second spring
52
pushing the holding bar
56
forward to engage with the respective notch
40
of the cam
4
. The upper portion
1
thus may maintain the opened and lifted position as desired. In the present invention, the number and pitch of the teeth of the cam
4
may be set arbitrarily or may be decided according to the lifting angles as desired.
While closing the upper portion
1
over the body
2
for another run of normal operation again, the lug
54
is needed to be pushed against the second spring
52
for disengaging the holding bar
56
of the position button
5
from the respective notch
40
of the cam
4
, and then the upper portion
1
may be placed pivotally down onto the body
2
until the position state shown in
FIG. 3A
or
4
A is achieved.
FIG. 5
shows a second embodiment of the cam
4
for the present invention. Instead of the saw-type cam peripheral shown in the first embodiment of
FIG. 1
, the second embodiment of the cam can utilize a section of a ratchet wheel
500
. As shown, the ratchet teeth
510
structure of the second embodiment enables the upper portion I to be opened and lifted at various angles as desired.
FIG. 6
shows a third embodiment of the cam
4
in accordance with the present invention. In the embodiment, the cam utilizes a section of gear
600
, which includes asymmetrical teeth
610
for directionally supporting the upper portion
1
at various angles as desired.
Referring now to
FIG. 7
, a fourth embodiment of this invention is shown. Instead of using a first spring to push the upper portion
1
at the initial lifting stage in the first embodiments described above, a torsion spring
710
, disposed around the shaft
700
of the turning means pivoting the upper portion
1
and the body
2
, is introduced in this embodiment for providing an uplifting forcing to separate pivotally the upper portion
1
from the body
2
while the position button
5
and the cam
4
are disengaged.
By means of the structure set forth above, the initial opening of the upper portion
1
may be achieved by means of the first spring
31
or the torsion spring
710
. The holding and supporting of the lifted upper portion
1
can be done through the engagement of the notch of the cam
4
with the holding bar
56
of the position button
5
. In the present invention, the cam
4
and the position button
5
can be made of rigid and strong materials for supporting various sizes and weights of upper portions
1
. In this present invention, the resilient fatigue of the spring thus may be minimized. The lifting angle of the upper portion
1
may have a wider range of selection depends on the teeth number and pitch of the cam.
In the following description, another wording or realization of the present invention can also be utilized.
The position button
5
can have a first position and a second position. While the position button
5
is posed at the first position, the holding bar
56
can engage with one of the notches
40
and the upper portion
1
and the body
2
can form a selected angle therebetween, as shown in
FIG. 3C
or in FIG.
3
A. While the position button
5
is posed at the second position as shown in
FIG. 3B
, the holding bar
56
may disengage with the notch
40
and the upper portion
1
can be lifted pivotally with respect to the body
2
.
Also, the groove
3
, the retaining member
32
and the first spring
31
can form an ejection means for moving the upper portion
1
away from the body
2
for a selected distance when the position button
5
is at the second position.
It may thus be seen that the objects of the present invention set forth herein, as well as those made apparent from the foregoing description, are efficiently attained. While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth for purpose of disclosure, modifications of the disclosed embodiment of the invention as well as other embodiment thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to upper portion all embodiments, which do not depart from the spirits and scope of the invention.
Claims
- 1. A single-button support mechanism for improving a turning means joining an upper portion and a body, the body having a pivot end and a free end, comprising:a holding groove located in the upper portion; a cam trough and a button groove, located in the body and close to the pivot end; a retaining groove, located in a top surface of the body, the retaining groove having a closed bottom end; a retaining member slidably received within the retaining groove with a top end of the retaining member contacting with the upper portion; a first spring disposed within the retaining groove, the first spring restrained by the retaining member and the closed bottom end; a position button slidably received within the button groove and movable between a first position and a second position; and a cam rotatably received within the cam trough pivotally connecting the body and the upper portion, the cam having saw-type teeth formed at a periphery thereof, each of the teeth being selectively engageable with the position button, wherein the position button engaged the locking groove when the position button is in the first position, and the position button disengaged with the teeth and the locking groove when the position button is in the second position enabling the retaining member to push the upper portion upward.
- 2. The single-bufton support mechanism of claim 1, wherein the retaining groove in the body has a narrow upper portion and an enlarged lower portion.
- 3. The single-button support mechanism of claim 1, wherein the retaining member is an inverted “U”-shape member having two feet hooks at a bottom thereof engaged with the groove.
- 4. The single-button support mechanism of claim 1, wherein the cam includes a step member engageable with the position button for latching the upper portion to the body.
- 5. The single-button support mechanism of claim 4, wherein each of the teeth has a curved shape engaging with the position button to fix the upper portion at a desired location.
- 6. The single-button support mechanism of claim 5, wherein the cam has a flange fastened with the upper portion by screws engaging screw bores formed in the flange.
- 7. The single-button support mechanism of claim 4, wherein the step member comprises a lower step member and an upper step member, which has screw bores formed therein and is fastened with the cam by means of screws.
- 8. A single-button support mechanism for improving a turning means joining an upper portion and a body, comprising:a cam, movably located in the body and having a plurality of notches formed thereon; and a position button, located in the body and movable between a first position and a second position and including a holding bar; an ejection means for moving the upper portion away from the body for a selected distance when the position button is at the second position; wherein the upper portion and the body form a selected angle therebetween when the position button is at the first position and the holding bar engaged with one of the notches; and wherein the holding bar disengages with the notch when the position button is at the second position.
- 9. The single-button support mechanism of claim 8, wherein the holding bar is round and is engageable with one of the plurality of notches of the cam.
- 10. The single-button support mechanism of claim 8, wherein the ejection means is located in the body and includes a groove, a retaining member and a first spring.
- 11. The single-button support mechanism of claim 10, wherein the groove has a narrow upper portion and an enlarged lower portion forming a right angle side wall, the retaining member is an inverted “U” shape member, having a foot hook at a bottom engaged with a right angle side wall for preventing the retaining member from disengaging from the groove under the pushing force of the first spring.
- 12. The single-button support mechanism of claim 10, wherein the ejection means is a torsion spring located at a juncture of the upper portion and the body.
- 13. The single-button support mechanism of claim 8, wherein the notches are gear valleys.
- 14. The single-button support mechanism of claim 8, wherein the notches are formed as a section of a ratchet.
- 15. The single-button support mechanism of claim 8, wherein the notches are formed as a section of an asymmetrical gear.
- 16. The single-button support mechanism of claim 8, wherein the position button has a wedge tongue engageable with a step member fastened to the cam when the position button is located at the first position.
- 17. The single-button support mechanism of claim 8, wherein the position button is movable between the first and the second positions by means of a second spring.
- 18. A pivotal connecting mechanism for connecting an upper portion onto a body, the pivotal connecting mechanism comprising:a locking groove formed on the upper portion; a retaining groove, a cam trough, and a button groove formed on a top surface of the body, the retaining groove having a closed bottom end; a retaining member slidably received within the retaining groove, a top end of the retaining member contacting with the upper portion; a spring disposed within the retaining groove, the spring restrained between the retaining member and the closed bottom end; a position button slidably received within the button groove and slidable between a first position and a second position; and a cam rotatably received within the cam trough pivotally connecting the body and the upper portion, the cam having a plurality of teeth formed at a periphery; wherein the position button is engaged with the locking groove when the position button is in the first position, and the position button disengaged with the teeth and the locking groove when the position button is in the second position enabling the retaining member to push the upper portion upward.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
88215699 U |
Sep 1999 |
TW |
|
US Referenced Citations (10)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2662464 |
Nov 1991 |
FR |