Abstract:
The present invention discloses a housing assembly of a portable electronic device. The housing assembly includes the first housing having a clasp and the second housing having a clasp and a clip. The first and second plates have latches and are slidably disposed on the first housing respectively. When the first and second housing are assembled together, the clasps on the first and second housings are joined together. Subsequently, the first and second plates slide and the clips are coupled to the latches. The first and second plates may be replaced by a U-shape plate. The U-shape plate is slidably disposed on the first housing and has a latch. When the first and second housing are assembled together, the clasps on the first and second housings are joined together. Subsequently, the U-shape plate slides and the clip is coupled to the latch.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
         [0001]    This application claims priority of Taiwan Patent Application Serial No. 091214300 entitled “Housing Assembly of Portable Electronic Device”, filed Sep. 11, 2002.  
         FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a housing assembly of a portable electronic device, and especially to a changeable housing assembly of a mobile phone.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    The portable electronic devices become more and more popular as the modern technology develops. For example, portable electronic devices with wireless communication module, such as mobile phone, are widely used in work, everyday life, and even entertainment. Moreover, the consumers consider to purchase mobile phones not only because the capabilities of communication but also other additional aspects, such as the capability of selectively changing the housing in their favor.  
           [0004]    Conventional housing-changeable mobile phone has a front housing and a rear housing. One of the housing has a clasp and the other housing has a corresponding indentation. The clasp and the indentation are configured to make the housings manual detachable and changeable. However, such design can not provide both convenience and stability during assembling at the same time. For example, a shorter clasp is used in order to be easily detached. However, the housing tends to detach accidentally in some circumstances due to the shorter clasp.  
           [0005]    Contrarily, a longer clasp is used to prevent the accidentally detachment of the housing. However, the clasp will be difficult detached from the indentation when a user wants to change the housing. Therefore, a housing assembly with features of both convenience and stability is an essential factor in research and development.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The aspect of the present invention is to provide a changeable housing assembly of a portable electronic device, e.g. a changeable housing assembly of a mobile phone.  
           [0007]    According to one embodiment of the present invention, a housing assembly of a portable electronic device is disclosed. The housing assembly includes a first housing, a second housing, and a first side plate. The first housing has a first clasp and a first side wall. The second housing has a second clasp and a first clip. The first side wall has a first slot. The first side plate has a first rib and a first latch, wherein the first rib is inserted into the first slot to allow the first side plate selectively locating at a first position and a second position relative to the first housing. The first clasp is engaged with the second clasp to position the second housing. When the first side plate is at the first position, the first latch is engaged with the first clip to lock the second housing to form the housing assembly. When the first side plate is at the second position, the first latch is detached from the first clip to release the second housing.  
           [0008]    The above-mentioned housing assembly further includes a second side plate. The second plate has a second rib and a second latch. The first housing further includes a second side wall and a second slot. The second housing further includes a second clip. The second rib is inserted into the second slot to allow the second side plate selectively locating at a first position and a second position relative to the first housing. When the second side plate is at the first position, the second latch is engaged with the second clip to lock the second housing to form the housing assembly. When the second side plate is at the second position, the second latch is detached from the second clip to release the second housing.  
           [0009]    According to another embodiment of the present invention, a housing assembly of a portable electronic device is disclosed. The housing assembly includes a first housing, a second housing, and a U-shaped plate. The first housing includes at least one first clasp, a first side wall and a second side wall. The first side wall has a first slot and the second side wall has a second slot. The U-shaped plate has a first rib, a second rib, and a first latch. The first rib is inserted into the first slot and the second rib is insert into the second slot to allow the U-shaped plate slidably engage with the first housing. The U-shaped plate is selectively located at a first position and a second position. The second housing has at least one second clasp and a clip. The first clasp is engaged with the second clasp to position the second housing. When the U-shaped plate is at the first position, the first latch is engaged with the first clip to lock the second housing to form the housing assembly. When the U-shaped plate is at the second position, the first latch is detached from the first clip to release the second housing. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 shows the first housing in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 shows the second housing in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 shows the first side plate and the second side plate;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 shows the first side plate and the second side plate slidably engaged with the first housing;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5A shows the side plate being at first position and locking the second housing;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5B shows the side plate being at second position and releasing the second housing;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 shows the elastic element disposed between the block and the rib with the first and the second side plate;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 7 shows the U-shaped plate in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 8 shows the U-shaped plate slidably engaged with the first housing; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 9 shows the elastic element disposed between the block and the rib with the U-shaped plate. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]    The present invention provides a housing assembly of a portable electronic device. The housing assembly can be easily installed and detached by users. Such housing assembly is suitable for a changeable housing of a mobile phone. Users can choose their favor from various housing assemblies.  
         [0021]    The housing assembly essentially includes a first housing and a second housing. A side plate affixes the second housing to the first housing. In one embodiment, the present invention is embodied as a mobile phone. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 respectively depict a first housing  10  and a second housing  20 . The housing assembly covers the phone module (not illustrated). The phone module includes well-known elements such as an antenna, a keypad, a liquid crystal display, a printed circuit board, and so on. As shown in FIG. 1, the first housing  10  may include a plurality of opening for accessing the phone module by users, e.g. reading information from the liquid crystal display, and operating the keypad.  
         [0022]    When a user wants to change the housing assembly of the mobile phone, the essential aspects are the first housing  10  and the second housing  20  of the present invention. The other units, such as the phone module, are not elaborated here for conciseness. Referring to the FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the first housing  10  and the second housing  20  respectively have at least one first clasp  102  and at least one second clasp  202 . The numbers and locations of the first clasp  102  and the second clasp  202  depend on the shape of the housing assembly. The second housing  20  further includes a first clip  204  and a second clip  206 .  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 3 shows a first side plate  302  and a second side plate  304 . The numbers of the side plate can be one or more depending on the designed shape of the housing assembly. Two side plates, the first plate  302  and the second side plate  304 , are used as an exemplary embodiment here. The first housing  10  includes a first side wall  104  and a second side wall  108  (illustrated in FIG. 1). The first side wall  104  and the second side wall  108  respectively have a first slot  106  and a second slot  110 . The first side plate  302  and the second side plate  304  respectively have a first rib  306 , a second rib  308 , a first latch  310 , and a second latch  312 . Referring to FIG. 4, the first rib  306  and the second rib  308  are respectively inserted into the first slot  106  and the second slot  110  to allow the first side plate  302  and the second side plate  304  slidably engaged with the first housing  10 . In order to further strengthen the structure of the housing assembly, the first side plate  302  and the second side plate  304  can respectively have a third clasp  314  and a fourth clasp  316  (illustrated in FIG. 3). The first side wall  104  and the second side wall  108  of the first housing  10  can respectively have a third slot  112  and a fourth slot  114  (illustrated in FIG. 1). The third clasp  314  and the fourth clasp  316  are respectively engaged with the third slot  112  and the fourth slot  114 .  
         [0024]    The first side plate  302  and the second side plate  304  selectively locate at a first position and a second position relative to the first housing  10 . FIG. 5A shows the first side plate  302  locating at the first position and locking the second housing  20 . When the first plate  302  locates at the first position, the first latch  310  is engaged with the first first clip  204  to lock the second housing  20 . FIG. 5B shows the first side plate  302  locating at the second position and releasing the second housing  20 . When the first plate  302  slides to the second position, the first latch  310  is detached from the first clip  204  to release the second housing  20 . The second plate  304  operates at the similar way, selectively locking or releasing the second housing  20  by interaction between the second latch  312  and the second clip  206  (not illustrated).  
         [0025]    Referring to FIG. 6, the first side wall  104  (illustrated in FIG. 1) of the housing assembly further includes a first elastic element (not illustrated), e.g. a spring and other elastic object with similar function, and a first block (not illustrated) near the first slot  106  (illustrated in FIG. 1). Similarly, the second side wall  108  (illustrated in FIG. 1) of the housing assembly further includes a second elastic element  318  and a second block  320 . The second block  320  is disposed near the second slot  110 . The second elastic element  318  is disposed between the second rib  308  and the second block  320  to provide a restore force to the second rib  308  to push the second side plate  304  back to the first position. The first elastic element and the first block operate in similar way and is not elaborated here for conciseness.  
         [0026]    The assembling process between the first housing  10  and the second housing  20  is as following description. The first clasp  102  is engages with the second clasp  202  to position the second housing  20 . The first side plate  302  slides to the first position to engage the first latch  310  with the first clip  204 . The second side plate  304  slides to the first position to engage the second latch  312  with the second clip  206 . So, the first side plate  302  and the second side plate  304  lock the second housing  20  to form the housing assembly.  
         [0027]    The detaching process between the first housing  10  and the second housing  20  is as following description. The first side plate  302  slides to the second position to detach the first latch  310  from the first clip  204 . The second side plate  304  slides to the second position to detach the second latch  312  from the second clip  206 . The first clasp  102  is disengaged from the second clasp  202  to detach the second housing  20  from the first housing  10 .  
         [0028]    In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the first side plate  302  and the second side plate  304  can be replaced by a U-shaped plate. Referring to FIG. 7, a U-shaped plate  40  has two arms substantially paralleled with each other. The U-shaped plate  40  includes a first rib  402 , a second rib  404  and at least one latch  406 . The numbers and locations of the latch can be one or more depending on the designed shape of the housing assembly, and two latches  406  are used as an exemplary embodiment here. When the first rib  402  and the second rib  404  are respectively inserted into the first slot  106  and the second slot  110  (illustrated in FIG. 1), the U-shaped plate is slidably engaged with the first housing and selectively located at a first position and a second position. As shown in FIG. 8, the first side wall  104  and the second side wall  108  of the first housing  10  further respectively include a third slot  112  and a fourth slot  114 . The U-shaped plate  40  further includes a third clasp  408  and a fourth clasp  410  respectively inserted into the third slot  112  and fourth slot  114  to further strengthen the structure of the housing assembly.  
         [0029]    Referring to FIG. 9, the first side wall  104  (illustrated in FIG. 1) of the housing assembly further includes a first elastic element (not illustrated), e.g. a spring and other elastic object with similar function, and a first block (not illustrated) near the first slot  106  (illustrated in FIG. 1). Similarly, the second side wall  108  (illustrated in FIG. 1) of the housing assembly further includes a second elastic element  412  and a second block  320 . The second block  320  is disposed near the second slot  110  (illustrated in FIG. 1). The second elastic element  412  is disposed between the second rib  404  and the second block  320  to provide a restore force to the second rib  404  to push the U-shaped plate  40  back to the first position. The first elastic element and the first block operate in similar way and is not elaborated here for conciseness.  
         [0030]    The assembling process between the first housing  10  and the second housing  20  is as following description. The first clasp  102  is engages with the second clasp  202  to position the second housing  20 . The U-shaped plate  40  slides to the first position to engage the latches  406  with the first clip  204  and the second clip  206 . So, the U-shaped plate  40  locks the second housing  20  to form the housing assembly.  
         [0031]    The detaching process between the first housing  10  and the second housing  20  is as following description. The U-shaped plate  40  slides to the second position to detach the latches  406  from the first clip  204  and the second clip  206 . The first clasp  102  is disengaged from the second clasp  202  to detach the second housing  20  from the first housing  10 .  
         [0032]    It should be noted that the above description sets forth various preferred embodiments of the invention only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described in these embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the protected scope of the present invention is as set forth in the appended claims.