Electronic device with locking assembly

An electronic device includes an enclosure and a locking assembly. The locking assembly includes a fixing sleeve including a fixing end hermetically fixed to the enclosure, and an opening end away from the enclosure, and a locking bracket. The locking bracket is attached to the fixing sleeve and defines a through hole defining a passing portion and at least one locking portion communicating with each other. The electronic device is position to a fastener by the fastener passing through the passing portion and being positioned in the locking portion of the through hole.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to electronic devices, and more particularly to a locking assembly of an electronic device.

2. Description of Related Art

Many electronic devices, such as IP phones, or LCD TVs, are mounted on walls by use of bolts or other fasteners. Generally, these electronic devices are configured with grooves to receive the bolts or fasteners. However, the electronic devices are not always configured with structures to lock or secure the electronic devices to the fasteners. The lack of such structures can lead to potential disengagement of the electronic devices from the fasteners, and correspondingly result in damage to the electronic devices.

Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring toFIGS. 1-2, an electronic device of an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. The electronic device includes an enclosure200and a locking assembly100attached to the enclosure200to lock the electronic device to a fastener92comprising a head922and a pole924fixed on a wall90, shown inFIGS. 8-11. The electronic device may be but not limited to a phone, a router, a switch, or an LCD TV, for example. The locking assembly100comprises a fixing sleeve20, a positioning element40fixed in the fixing sleeve20, a locking bracket60and a spring50urged between the positioning element40and the locking bracket60.

Referring toFIGS. 3-4, the fixing sleeve20comprises a fixing end22hermetically fixed to the enclosure200, an opening end24away from the enclosure200and a latching portion26extruding inwardly in a circular path. In this embodiment, the latching portion26is configured on an inner surface21of the fixing sleeve20and faces towards the fixing end22.

In this embodiment, the fixing end22of the fixing sleeve20comprises a plurality of protrusions224collectively forming a cone-shape structure. A screw hole222extending along a center axis of the fixing sleeve20is defined in the fixing end22. The enclosure200defines a recess202communicating with exterior environment to receive the cone-shape structure formed by the protrusions224. Referring toFIG. 6, the electronic device comprises a printed circuit board (PCB)210fixed in the enclosure200by a bolt230comprising a screw portion232passing through the enclosure200at a center of the recess202and extending in the recess202. That is, the screw portion232of the bolt230passes through the enclosure200and screws with the screw hole222to fix the fixing end22to the enclosure200. In this embodiment, the locking assembly100further comprises a spring washer10coiled around the screw portion232and mounted between the fixing sleeve20and the enclosure200to make a secure connection between the fixing sleeve20and the enclosure200. That is, the spring washer10resists between the fixing sleeve20and the enclosure200to prevent the fixing sleeve20from disengaging with the screw portion232.

Referring toFIG. 5, the locking bracket60comprises a body62defining a through hole61and a plurality of resilient arms64perpendicularly extending from the body62and surrounding the through hole61. The through hole61defines a passing portion612and at least one locking portion614communicating with each other. Each of the resilient arms64comprises a first projection642and a second projection644spaced from each other. In the embodiment, the first projections642are configured between the body62and the second projections644.

Referring toFIGS. 6-7, the lock bracket60is mounted to the fixing sleeve20with the plurality of resilient arms64engage with the fixing sleeve20, where the second projections644firstly engage with the latching portion26to allow the fastener92to pass through the passing portion612and be positioned in the locking portion614of the through hole61, and then the second projections644disengage from and the first projections642engage with the latching portion26, and the body62of the locking bracket60and the positioning element40cooperatively prevent the fastener92from moving away from the locking portion614of the through hole61by accident.

The locking assembly100is attached to the enclosure200by the fixing sleeve20screwing with the screw portion232passing through the enclosure200from inner to exterior. The through hole61is defined in the locking bracket60and used to lock the electronic device to the fastener92. Therefore, the enclosure100does not have any holes which can be used to provide a waterproofing function for the electronic device.

When the second projections644engage with the latching portion26, a gap D is formed between the positioning element40and the body62of locking bracket60to provide a path for the fastener92passing through the passing portion612and subsequently position at the locking portion614. In this embodiment, referring toFIG. 6, when the first projections642engage with the latching portion26, the positioning element40engages with the passing portion612of the through hole61and blocks the fastener92from moving away the locking portion614. In other embodiments, referring toFIG. 12, when the first projections642engage with the latching portion26, a distance L between the positioning element40and the body62is less than a thickness H of the head portion922so that the free end420of the positioning pole42blocks the fastener92from moving away from the locking portion614.

The positioning element40comprises a positioning pole42and a positioning base44perpendicularly extending from the positioning pole42and attached to the fixing end22of the fixing sleeve20. The positioning pole42axially extends in the fixing sleeve20and comprises a free end420extending out from the opening end24of the fixing sleeve20. When the first projections642engage with the latching portion26, the free end420of the positioning pole42is received in the passing portion612of the through hole61. The spring50is resisted between the positioning base44of the positioning element40and the body62of the locking bracket60.

In this embodiment, when the second projections644of the resilient arms64engage with the latching portion26of the fixing sleeve20, the first projections642engage an inner edge242of the opening end24of the fixing sleeve20to securely position the locking bracket60to the fixing sleeve20.

In this embodiment, the locking bracket60comprises a plurality of steps65surrounded by the plurality of resilient arms64. The plurality of steps65and the plurality of resilient arms64collectively define a plurality of receiving grooves652to position the spring50. One end the spring50is received in the plurality of receiving grooves652, and the other end of the spring50resists on the positioning base44, so as to position the positioning element40to the fixing end22of the fixing sleeve20by elasticity of the spring50. The fixing sleeve20comprises a plurality of positioning blocks27protruding inwardly from the inner surface21of the fixing sleeve20, close to the fixing end22and cooperatively positioning the positioning base44, thereby the positioning element40being failed to move in the fixing sleeve20.

FIGS. 8-11are schematic views illustrating the electronic device fixed to the fastener92. Referring toFIG. 8, the locking bracket60is pulled out relative to the fixing sleeve20to make the second protrusions644engage with the latching portion26of the fixing sleeve20, in this position, the passing portion612of the through hole61of the locking bracket60faces toward and is aligned with the head922of the fastener92. Referring toFIG. 9, the head922of the fastener92pass through the passing portion612and is received in the locking assembly100. Referring toFIG. 10, the electronic device is moved to make the head922of the fastener92arrive at the locking portion614of the through hole61. Referring toFIG. 11, the electronic device is pushed to make the first protrusions642of the resilient arms64of the locking bracket60engage with the latching portion26of the fixing sleeve20, in this position, the free end420of the positioning pole42of the positioning element40is received in the passing portion612of the through hole61, thereby the electronic device being locked with the fastener92.

In summary, the fastener92is positioned at the locking portion614by way of the passing portion612of the through hole61of the first receiving hole12, the free end420of positioning pole42blocks the passing portion612to prevent the head922of the fastener92from moving away the locking portion614, thereby securely mounting the electronic device to the fastener92.

The locking bracket60can rotate relatively to the fixing sleeve20freely, therefore, an angle between the through hole61and the electronic device can be adjusted in assembly. In this embodiment, the through hole61defines two locking portions614symmetrically arranged on two opposite sides of the passing portion612, and the two locking portions614can be designed with different sizes to match various fasteners92.

While an embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, it should be understood that it has been presented by way of example only and not by way of limitation. Thus the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by the above-described embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.