Abstract:
The chip card holder includes a body member, a card receiving space formed on the body member and a releasing piece. The card receiving space has an opening to insert a chip card along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the card receiving space. The releasing piece is slidablely mounted on the body member along the longitudinal direction and is configured for either exposing the opening to insert the chip card or locking the chip card in the card receiving space.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is related to co-pending U.S. Patent Application (Attorney Docket No. US22492), both entitled “CHIP CARD HOLDER”. Such application has the same assignee as the present application. The above-identified application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Technical Field 
         [0003]    The exemplary disclosure generally relates to a chip card holder for a portable electronic device. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    With the development of wireless technology, portable electronic devices are becoming widely used and multifunctional. Portable electronic devices such as mobile phones typically have chip cards (e.g., SIM card) for storing usable information. It is necessary to provide chip card holders for holding/securing the chip card within the portable electronic device. 
         [0006]    The chip card holder usually defines a receiving space and a holding member. The chip card can be partially received and held in the receiving space by the holding member. Accordingly, the chip card has an exposed portion which is not received in the receiving space. The exposed portion is used for the removal (e.g., to be pulled by users) of the chip card out of the receiving space. However, the exposed portion is usually too small and therefore difficult for a user to grasp in removing the chip card from the holder. 
         [0007]    Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    Many aspects of the exemplary chip card holder can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. These drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present methods. Moreover, in the drawings like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements of an embodiment. 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  shows a disassembled perspective view of a chip card holder according to an exemplary embodiment. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the releasing piece of the chip card holder. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of the chip card holder, wherein, a chip card is partially assembled and accommodated within the card receiving space of the chip card holder 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of the chip card holder, wherein, a chip card is assembled and accommodated within the card receiving space of the chip card holder. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]      FIG. 1  shows an exemplary chip card holder  100  used in a portable electronic device (e.g., a mobile phone). The chip card holder  100  is used to hold a chip card  90  therein and includes a body member  10 , a circuit board  30 , two clamping pieces  40  and a releasing piece  50 . 
         [0014]    The body member  10  may be part of a housing (e.g., a bottom wall thereof) of the portable electronic device. The body member  10  includes a sidewall  12  and defines a groove  121  recessed from the sidewall  12  adjacent to one end thereof so as to assemble the releasing piece  50 . The groove  121  includes an outer sidewall  123  and an opposite inner sidewall  125 . The outer sidewall  123  defines a guiding slot  13  recessed therefrom parallel to the groove  121 . The length of the guiding slot  13  is substantially the same as the length of the groove  121 . The guiding slot  13  defines a first positioning portion  15  and an opposite second positioning portion  17  at the two ends of the guiding slot  13 . The first positioning portion  15  and the second positioning portion  17  both include at least one hemispherical positioning depression recessed from the bottom wall of the guiding slot  13 . In the present embodiment, the first positioning portion  15  and the second positioning portion  17  both include two hemispherical positioning depressions spaced recessed from the bottom wall of the guiding slot  13 . 
         [0015]    The circuit board  30  is mounted on the body member  10  adjacent to the groove  121 . The circuit board  30  includes a card connector  31  disposed thereon adjacent to one end of the groove  121  of the body member  10 . 
         [0016]    The two clamping pieces  40  are disposed on the circuit board  30  and located at the two opposite sides of the card connector  31 . The two clamping piece  40 , the circuit board  30 , the card connector  31  form a card receiving space  33 . The card receiving space  33  has an opening (not labeled) toward the second positioning portion  17  and perpendicular to the sidewall  12  to receive the chip card  90 . The opening is used to insert the chip card  90  along a longitudinal direction of the card receiving space  33 . Thus, the groove  121  is disposed at a longitudinal direction of the card receiving space  33  and adjacent to the opening of the card receiving space  33 . 
         [0017]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the releasing piece  50  is a substantially U-shaped cross sectional body and is slidably mounted on the outer sidewall  123  of the groove  121  along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the card receiving space  33  and partially accommodated within the groove  121  of the body member  10  so as to lock and release the chip card  90 . The releasing piece  50  includes a latching wall  51 , a resisting wall  53  spaced and parallel to the latching wall  51 , and an assembling space  55  formed between the latching wall  51  and the resisting wall  53 . The inner surface of the latching wall  51  opposite to the resisting wall  53  defines at least one hemispherical guiding protrusion  52  protruding therefrom corresponding to the at least one hemispherical positioning depression of the guiding slot  13 . In the present embodiment, the inner surface of the latching wall  51  opposite to the resisting wall  53  defines two spaced hemispherical guiding protrusions  52  protruding therefrom corresponding to the two hemispherical positioning depressions of the guiding slot  13 . The interval distance between the latching wall  51  and the resisting wall  53  is substantially the same as the thickness of the outer sidewall  123  of the body member  10 . The thickness of the resisting wall  53  is substantially the same as the width of the groove  121 . Thus, the latching wall  51  and the resisting wall  53  tightly resist on the two sides of the outer sidewall  123  respectively. The two spaced hemispherical guiding protrusions  52  are slidably assembled within the guiding slot  13  and could be positioned at the first positioning portion  15  or the second positioning portion  17 . 
         [0018]    Also referring to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , when assembling the chip card  90  into the card receiving space  33  of the chip card holder  100 , the releasing piece  50  is moved along the guiding slot  13  from the second positioning portion  17  toward the first positioning portion  15  and located at the first positioning portion  15 . The two spaced hemispherical guiding protrusions  52  are latched into the corresponding two hemispherical positioning depressions of the first positioning portion  15 . Then, the releasing piece  50  is located adjacent to the card receiving space  33 , but is not aligned with the card receiving space  33  to expose the opening. One end of the chip card  90  slides along the two clamping pieces  40  into the card receiving space  33  of the chip card holder  100 . The sliding direction of the releasing piece  50  is perpendicular to the inserting direction of the chip card  90 . The releasing piece  50  is moved along the guiding slot  13  from the first positioning portion  15  toward the second positioning portion  17  and located at the second positioning portion  17  at the front of the opening of the card receiving space  33 . The two spaced hemispherical guiding protrusions  52  are latched into the corresponding two hemispherical positioning depressions of the second positioning portion  17 . The releasing piece  50  resists on the opposite end of the chip card  90  to hold and prevent the chip card  90  departing from the card receiving space  33 , thus, the chip card  90  is tightly locked and accommodated within the card receiving space  33 . 
         [0019]    To release the chip card  90  from the card receiving space  33  of the chip card holder  100 , the releasing piece  50  is moved toward the first positioning portion  15  end till the releasing piece  50  slide aside to the opening of the car receiving space  33 . Thus, the chip card  90  can be taken out easily by sliding out along the two clamping pieces  40  and the releasing piece  50  is released to return back to the original position. 
         [0020]    It is to be understood, however, that even through numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.