Abstract:
A chip card holder includes a body member, a card receiving space formed on the body member and a releasing piece. The releasing piece is slidablely mounted on the body member along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the card receiving space and is slid to be in front of the opening of the card receiving space to lock the chip card in the card receiving space or to expose the opening of the card receiving space to unlock the chip card.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is related to co-pending U.S. Patent Application (Attorney Docket No. US22481), both entitled “CHIP CARD HOLDER”. Such application has the same assignee as the present application. The above-identified application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACK GROUND 
       [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 chip card holder, wherein, a chip card is partially assembled and accommodated within the card receiving space of the chip card holder. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  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. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  shows a top plan view of the chip card holder shown in  FIG. 3 . 
       
    
    
     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 , a releasing piece  50  and an elastic piece  70 . 
         [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  defines a groove  12  recessed therein adjacent to one side edge thereof so as to assemble the releasing piece  50 . One end of the groove  12  defines a cylindrical post  15  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) protruding outwardly from the end wall (not labeled) thereof toward the opposite end of the groove  12  and accommodated within the groove  12 . One side wall of the groove  12  defines a guiding block  17  protruding outwardly toward and spaced to the side edge of the body member  10 . 
         [0015]    The circuit board  30  is mounted on the body member  10  adjacent to the groove  12 . The circuit board  30  includes a card connector  31  disposed thereon adjacent to the opposite end of the groove  12  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  respectively. The two clamping piece  40 , the circuit board  30 , and the card connector  31  together form a card receiving space  33 . The card receiving space  33  has an opening (not labeled) toward the opposite end of the groove  12  so as to receive the chip card  90  therein. The opening is used to insert the chip card in the longitudinal direction of the card receiving space  33 . Thus, the groove  12  is disposed in the longitudinal direction of the card receiving space  33  and adjacent to the opening of the card receiving space  33 . 
         [0017]    The releasing piece  50  is a substantially Z-shaped cross sectional body and is slidably assembled to the groove  12  along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the card receiving space  33  and partially accommodated within the groove  12  of the body member  10  so as to lock and release the chip card  90 . The releasing piece  50  includes a connecting board  55 , an assembling end  51  and an opposite controlling end  53 . The connecting portion  55  is configured for being slidably assembled with the groove  12  along the guiding block  17 . The assembling end  51  defines an assembling blind hole  57  in the side wall thereof corresponding to the cylindrical post  15  within the groove  12  of the body member  10 . The controlling end  53  is configured for being slidably assembled with the body member  10  and located in front of the opening of the card receiving space  33 . 
         [0018]    The elastic piece  70  may be a coil spring and is elastically assembled within the groove  12  of the body member  10 . It is to be understood that the elastic piece  70  also could be a sponge, a plate spring, a compressing spring and so on. 
         [0019]    Also referring to  FIG. 4 , in assembly, the elastic piece  70  is assembled within the groove  12  of the body member  10 , one end of the elastic piece  70  wraps around the post  15  and resists on the end wall of the groove  12 . The releasing piece  50  is assembled to the groove  12  of the body member  10 . The assembling end  51  is inserted into the groove  12  with the blind hole  57  aligned with the post  15 . The opposite end of the elastic piece  70  is compressed to align with and be inserted into the blind hole  57  of the assembling end  51 . The assembling end  51  of the releasing piece  50  is pushed by the opposite end of the elastic piece  70  and resist on the opposite end wall of the groove  12  adjacent to the card receiving space  33  side. The connecting portion  55  is slidably clamped between the guiding block  17  and the opposite side wall of the groove  12 . The controlling end  53  is exposed out of the groove  12  and resist on the side wall of the groove  12 . The controlling end  53  pushed by the elastic piece  70  and is located in front of the opening of the card receiving space  33  so as to lock the chip card  90  within the card receiving space  33 . 
         [0020]    Also referring to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , when assembling the chip card  90  into the card receiving space  33  of the chip card holder  100 , the releasing piece  50  is pushed toward the post  15  end till the releasing piece  50  slides aside to not obstruct the opening of the card receiving space  33 . The releasing piece  50  compresses the elastic piece  70  simultaneously. 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 released and pushed by the elastic piece  70  to slide toward the opening of the card receiving space  33  and return back to the front of the opening of the card receiving space  33 . 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 . 
         [0021]    To release the chip card  90  from the card receiving space  33  of the chip card holder  100 , the releasing piece  50  is pushed toward the post  15  end to compress the elastic piece  70  till the releasing piece  50  slides aside to not obstruct the opening of the card 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. 
         [0022]    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.