Patent Application
20140002971
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to surface contact card holders for electronic devices.
2. Description of related art
Commonly, portable electronic devices such as mobile phones include a surface contact card holder for holding a surface contact card, such as a subscriber identity module (SIM) card therein.
Surface contact card holders of related art include a tray slidably assembled to the mobile phone. Although the surface contact card holders may be simple, it can be difficult and very fiddly for the surface contact card to be removed from the surface contact card holder.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.
Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the views.
The disclosed surface contact card holder holds and seats surface contact cards such as SIM cards, compact flash cards, multimedia cards, and others. The disclosed electronic device, shown in the exemplary embodiment as a mobile phone, can be a personal digital assistant, camera, recorder, or similar device within the scope of the disclosure.
The main body 10 can be assembled in a housing of an electronic device or be integrally formed with the housing of the electronic device. In the exemplary embodiment, the main body 10 is integrally formed with the housing of the electronic device to be a portion of the housing. The main body 10 includes a bottom wall 11, a peripheral wall 13 protruding from an edge of the bottom wall 11, and a compartment 15 surrounded by the bottom wall 11 and the peripheral wall 13. The peripheral wall 13 defines an entrance 131 communicating with the compartment 15, thus forming an entrance sidewall 1310 surrounding the entrance 131. The door 50 is mounted to the entrance 131. A limiting portion 1311 protrudes from the entrance sidewall 1310 towards the entrance 131. When the door 50 is mounted in the entrance 131, the limiting portion 1311 blocks the door 50, so as to prevent the door 50 from dropping into the interior of the electronic device. A locking hole 1313 is defined through the limiting portion 1311. The locking hole 1313 is configured for locking the door 50. The peripheral wall 13 defines a recess 133 at an outer surface thereof. The recess 133 communicates with the entrance 131 and is proximate to the limiting portion 1311. The recess 133 facilitates a user's fingertip hooking or scratching the door 50 out from the recess 133, so as to pull out the door 50 from the entrance 131.
The fastening assembly 30 holds the tray 40 when the tray 40 is assembled in the main body 10. The fastening assembly 30 includes a latching member 31 for clamping the tray 40, and a receiving frame 33 for receiving the tray 40 therein.
The latching member 31 is substantially U-shaped, and includes two flexible arms 311 parallel to each other and a connecting portion 313 connecting with the two flexible arms 311. A portion of each flexible arm 311 bends towards the other flexible arm 311 to form a protrusion 3111. In the exemplary embodiment, each protrusion 3111 is adjacent to a first end of a flexible arm 311 which connects to the connecting portion 313. The two protrusions 3111 are opposite to each other and configured to resist and then to release the tray 40. In the exemplary embodiment, the two protrusions 3111 are arcuate. Each flexible arm 311 has a fastening portion 3113 perpendicularly extending therefrom and towards the other flexible arm 311. Each fastening portion 3113 is adjacent to a second end of a flexible arm 311 which is furthest from the connecting portion 313. Each fastening portion 3113 defines a first fastening hole 3115.
The receiving frame 33 includes a frame bottom wall 331, two opposite frame sidewalls 333, a frame end wall 335, and an opening 337. The two opposite frame sidewalls 333 and the frame end wall 335 extend from three adjacent edges of the frame bottom wall 331. The frame bottom wall 331, the two frame sidewalls 333, and the frame end wall 335 cooperatively surround a receiving space 339 for receiving the tray 40. The frame bottom wall 331 defines two second fastening holes 3312, corresponding to the two first fastening holes 3115. The opening 337 is opposite to the frame end wall 335 and communicates with the receiving space 339. Each frame sidewall 333 defines a through hole 3331. The latching member 31 abuts the periphery of the receiving frame 33 from an outside of the receiving frame 33. That is, each flexible arm 311 abuts against one of the two frame sidewalls 333, and the protrusions 3111 of the flexible arms 311 enter the receiving space 339 through the through holes 3331 of the frame sidewalls 333, so as to elastically clamp the tray 40 received in the receiving space 339. Each fastening portion 3113 abuts and is fastened to the frame bottom wall 331 by screws secured into the first and second fastening holes 3115, 3312, for example, thus securing the latching member 31 to the receiving frame 33 (see
The fastening assembly 30 is received in the compartment 15. In the exemplary embodiment, the receiving frame 33 is attached to a circuit board 70 secured in the compartment 15, with the opening 337 of the receiving frame 33 facing the entrance 131. When the tray 40 is received in the receiving frame 33, the card 200 held in the tray 40 is electronically connected to the circuit board 70.
The tray 40 may be of metal and defines an accommodating recess 41 (shown in
The door 50 includes an operation board 51 and a fastening board 53 attached to the operation board 51. In the exemplary embodiment, the operation board 51 and the fastening board 53 are integrally formed to be one part by a double-shot molding process. The operation board 51 is made of elastic material, such as rubber. In one embodiment, the operation board 51 is made of thermoplastic polyurethane. The fastening board 53 is made of plastic.
The operation board 51 includes a bonding portion 511 and an operation portion 513 connected to the bonding portion 511. A retaining tab 5131 protrudes from the operation portion 513 and is located at a front side of the operation board 51 facing the entrance 131.
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It is to be understood, however, that even through numerous characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of assembly and function, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in the matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201210221019X | Jun 2012 | CN | national |
