Handset sliding structure

The present invention provides a handset sliding structure for mobile devices comprising a cover, a base and a slider. Therein, a surface of the base comprises two opposing sliding tracks having a narrow section, the shortest distance between them. The cover is slid on the base along the sliding tracks with a slider in between. The slider comprises an elastic member and two ends abutting against the two opposing sliding tracks. Sliding the cover, it can be automatically moved to a predestined end position for opening or closing.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a sliding structure; more particularly, relates to drive the handset to an opening end and a closing end.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

The prior mobile handset with sliding structure disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2004/0085739 A1, as shown inFIG. 13, comprises a main body101, a sub body102and a spring module150. Therein, the spring module150comprises a front cover151, a rear cover153and torsion springs155disposed between the front cover151and the rear cover153. A pair of sliding guides127are disposed on the sub body102for the rear cover153of the spring module150so that the sub body102can be slid to the opening end and the closing end on the main body101by the spring module150and the sub body102can move along the sliding guides127.

Although, by the above-said structure, the main body101and the sub body102can be pushed or pulled by the spring module150and the sub body102can move along the sliding guides127, the spring module150is not reliable for the torsion springs155of the spring module150are not efficient to restore the energy stored by deformation. An end user has to further push or pull he main body101or the sub body102more to the predestined position. Accordingly, the prior art is not convenient and has to be redesigned.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The first object of the present invention is to provide a sliding structure for mobile devices, which efficiently slide the main body or the sub body to predetermined positions.

To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention discloses a handset sliding structure, which comprises a cover, a base and a slider. The cover is designated to slide along the base. The base comprises two opposing sliding tracks each having a continuous curved surface toward each other; and a narrow section is formed between the two sliding tracks. The narrow section is the area, which has the shortest distance between the two sliding tracks. The slider deposited on the cover comprises at least an elastic member, which is adapted to slide between the two sliding tracks. Thereby, the handset can be automatically slid to a predestined position for opening or closing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following descriptions of the preferred embodiments are provided to understand the features and the structures of the present invention.

Please refer toFIG. 1andFIG. 2, the present invention relates to a handset sliding structure comprising a cover10, a base20and a slider30. The first preferred embodiment is an example for a cellular phone.

In the first preferred embodiment, both the cover10and the base20are made by sheet metal. The cover10comprises two buckles12and a concave part11between the two buckles12. The concave part11comprises an assembling member13with two adjacent rivet holes14.

The base20is adapted to slide between the two buckles12deposited at two sides of the cover10. The two sliding tracks21are set on the same surface of the base20. The two sliding tracks21formed a narrow section22where the distance between the two sliding tracks at the narrow section22is the smallest.

The slider30comprises an elastic member31, and two rollers32fixed at two ends314,315of the elastic member31. In this embodiment, the elastic member31is a leaf spring disposed at a proper place on the cover10, and the two rollers32at two ends314,315of the elastic member31are abutted against the continuous curved surfaces of the two sliding tracks21. The elastic member31comprises a rivet part311with a plurality of rivet holes312corresponding to the rivet holes14of the cover10to fix the elastic member31on the cover10by rivets313. Therefore, the elastic member31is fixed in the concave part11of the cover10, and two rollers32disposed at two ends314,315of the elastic member31are abutted against the respectively opposing surfaces of the two sliding tracks21.

Please refer toFIG. 3throughFIG. 6B, in assembling, the cover10is disposed on the main body40of the handset and the base20is disposed on the sub body41of the handset, as shown inFIG. 3. End users can push the main body40to slide the cover10on the base20by the buckles12hooking the base20at two sides of the cover10, in this embodiment.

When the cover10is moved by an external force, applied by end users, the elastic member31fixed on the assembling part13is driven by the cover10to make the rollers32disposed at two distal ends314,315move along the two sliding tracks21. During the rollers32moving along the continuous surfaces of the two sliding tracks21toward the narrow section22, the elastic member31is being compressed by the two distal ends314,315of the elastic member31. When the rollers32move across the narrow section22of the sliding tracks21, where the elastic member31is compressed most, as shown inFIG. 5B, the energy stored in the elastic member begins to be released. Since the energy released by the elastic member31makes the two rollers32, disposed at the two distal ends314,315of the elastic member31to push the sliding tracks21, the elastic member31slides between the sliding tracks21by the rollers32automatically although the external force applied by the end user would be removed at that time. Then, the cover10can automatically slide to one of the predestined positions, the opening end or the closing end, as shown inFIG. 6B, for opening or closing the handset. Besides, in order to ensure the sliding of the elastic member31harmonically, the surfaces of the two sliding tracks21should better be continuous curved surfaces.

In the first embodiment, in order to gain enough energy for ensuring the cover10shall remain at the predestined opening or closing position, except another external force applied to the cover, after the elastic member31is being slid through the narrow section22of the two sliding tracks21, the techniques disclosed in the first preferred embodiment can be simply modified, for example, but not limited to, by shortening the distance between the two sliding tracks for increasing the elasticity of the elastic member31, and/or by folding the elastic member31times to become a wider elastic member31to increase the elasticity of the elastic member31.

Please refer toFIG. 7andFIG. 8, the second preferred embodiment of present invention is a handset sliding structure, comprising a cover10, a base20and a slider30. The second preferred embodiment is fabricated within a handset to slide the cover of the handset to predestined positions, opening and closing ends.

In the second preferred embodiment, the cover10comprises a concave part11with two buckles12at each of two opposite sides of the cover10, and the concave part11comprises an assembling member13with two adjacent wide holes14.

The base20is slidable according to the two buckles12formed at two opposite sides of the cover10. Each of the two sliding tracks21has a continuous curved surface and the two sliding tracks21form a narrow section22where the distance between the two sliding tracks is relatively shorter.

The slider30ais disposed in the concave part11of the cover10, and comprises an elastic member31a, a torsion spring, and two rollers32afixed at two distal ends314a,315aof the elastic member31a. Each of the two rollers32a, disposed at two distal ends314a,315aof the elastic member,31ahaving a jut33at the axis protruding out, abuts against the curved surfaces of one of the two sliding tracks21. The juts33of the two rollers32aare fitted in the wide holes14of the concave part11of the cover10. The juts33are moveable in the two wide holes14aof the assembling part13a.

Please refer toFIG. 9throughFIG. 12B, during assembling the second preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the cover10is deposed on the main body40of the handset and the base20is deposited on the sub body41of the handset, as shown inFIG. 9.

When a user pushes the main body40, or the sub body41, the cover10slides on the base20by the buckles12formed at two opposite sides. At the time, the cover10drives the slider30ato move and the rollers32arise and fall for the sliding tracks21. The juts33of the rollers32amove in the wide holes14arespectively, as shown in the drawings. The two rollers32aslide along the opposite continuous curved surfaces of the sliding tracks21and the elastic member31ais compressed when the rollers32amoves toward the narrow section22the two sliding tracks21. When the rollers32amove through the narrow section22where the elastic member31ais compressed most, as shown inFIG. 11A, the energy stored in the elastic member31ais the maximum. After the two rollers32apass through the narrow section22, the elastic member31astarts to restore the energy stored in the elastic member31awhile pushing the cover10to the predestined position, as shown inFIG. 12Afor opening or closing the main body40of the handset.

In the second preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the elastic member31aslides between the opposite continuous curved surfaces toward the narrow section22between the two sliding tracks21when the elastic member31ais compressed, and the juts33of the rollers32amove in the wide holes14aof the cover10, where the way that the cover10drives the sliders30aor reversed is different from the first embodiment. Because the relationships between the slider30aand the cover10of the first and second preferred embodiments are the similar, the movements between the above two preferred embodiments disclosed are substantially the same.

In the above two preferred embodiments according to the present invention, the rollers are disposed at the distal ends of the elastic member and abut against to the continuous curved surfaces of the sliding tracks on the base so that the friction at contact surfaces, between the rollers of the elastic member and curved surfaces of the sliding tracks are significantly reduced. In order to simplify the assembling, the two rollers of the elastic member can simply be omitted.

According to what is disclosed above, the present invention is to disclose a novel sliding structure that can push the cover of the handset to be relatively slid to a predestined position. The buckles of the cover for buckling two opposite sides of the base in the above two embodiments according to the present invention are the same, but they are examples only, not intend to limit the applications of this invention. One who is skilled in the art would use the sliding structure disclosed above with some other buckles differed from the above two.