Abstract:
This invention discloses an electronic device with storable earphone, wherein an earphone cable is wrapped in an earphone strap and a coiler of the electronic device adjusts the extension and contraction of the earphone strap, so that a user may adjust and use the earphone in different environments. When the earphone strap is coiled, the strap is coiled evenly by a guider on the coiler to avoid the jam caused by coiling the strap onto one side of the collector. The structure of the coiler is simple, which makes use of one side of the existing battery compartment of the electronic device for its storage, and thus not occupying additional space in the electronic device.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   I. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates generally to an electronic device, and more specifically to an electronic device with a storable earphone. 
   II. Description of the Prior Art 
   Since the communications in the present so-called e-Century are so fast and people have high demand on information exchange, therefore many portable electronic devices such as music players (portable CD player), Motion Picture Coding Expert Group Audio Layer-3 (MP3) players, mobile phones, and other audio playback products are widely used in different industries, and become indispensable to our daily life. 
   As to the product application in the present market, most users either using music players or MP3 players have the experience of coiling the cable of their earphone around the player. However, this is not a good way to store earphones, because coiling the cable of the earphone around the player will break the small conductive wire in the cable, and the user may not be able to hear any sound from the earphone. Furthermore, the untidy tangled cable around the player makes the player look bad. 
   Therefore, it is an important topic for audio player designers and manufacturers to solve the problem and improve the way of combining the earphone cable with the audio player. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In view of the conventional way of storing the earphone cable, audio products do not comply with the humanistic design, and the users get used to coil the earphone cable around the audio player which causes all kinds of problems, the inventor of this invention based on years of experience on the manufacture of related products to conduct extensive research and experiments and finally invented a simple-structured electronic device with storable earphone in accordance with the present invention. 
   The primary object of the invention is to provide an electronic device with storable earphone, wherein the earphone cable is wrapped in an earphone strap and the coiler of the electronic device adjusts the extension and contraction of the earphone strap, so that a user may adjust and use the earphone in different environments. When the earphone strap is coiled, the strap is coiled evenly by a guider on the coiler to avoid the jam caused by coiling the strap onto one side of the collector. The structure of the coiler is simple, which makes use of one side of the existing battery compartment of the electronic device for its storage, and thus not occupying additional space in the electronic device. 
   Another object of the invention is to provide an electronic device with storable earphone, wherein the earphone cable and the earphone strap are combined into one, therefore it is more convenient to use and carry, and the earphone strap is exposed from the top of the electronic device and a soft bag is disposed at the top of the electronic device for storing the earphone, and a buckle is used to buckle the soft bag. The soft bag can help reducing the pressure and discomfort on the user&#39;s neck caused by hanging the electronic device on the neck. Further, a door panel is set at the exit of the earphone strap to assure the user&#39;s safety on the application. When the door panel is shut, the door panel will press a trigger which will force to stop the whole operation of the coiler. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The accomplishment of the above-mentioned object of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and its accompanying drawings which disclose illustrative an embodiment of the present invention, and are as follows: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the disassembled parts of the structure of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is an illustrative view of the external appearance of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is an illustrative view of the external appearance of the coiler of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is another illustrative view of the external appearance of the coiler of the present invention. 
       FIG. 5  is an illustrative view of the motion of the coiler of the present invention. 
       FIG. 6  is another illustrative view of the motion of the coiler of the present invention. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   In the market, many portable electronic devices such as music players (portable CD player), MP3 players, mobile phones, and other audio products come with an earphone. However, these electronic device manufacturers do not have special design for extending or contracting the earphone cable, such that the user usually coil the earphone around the electronic device when the earphone cable is not in use. However, such arrangement will affect the hearing effect, and the overall appearance will look messy and untidy. 
   Please refer to  FIGS. 1  to  6  for the electronic device with storable earphone according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The electronic device could be a music player (portable CD player), a MP3 player, a mobile phone, or other audio products comprising a first casing  10  and a second casing  20 ; wherein the first casing  10  comprises a coiler  40  of an earphone strap  30  therein, and the coiler  40  is disposed between a battery pillar  111  of a battery compartment  11  and the first casing  10 . 
   The coiler  40  comprises a rotary motor  41  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , a gear  411  disposed under the rotary motor  41 , and the gear  411  indirectly drives a first gear  421  at one end of a coiling rod  42  and a second gear  431  at one end of a guiding axle  43 , such that the coiling rod  42  and the guiding axle  43  rotate accordingly, wherein the gear  411 , the first gear  421 , and the second gear  431  are mutually engaged and rotate in the same direction. 
   In this embodiment, a support panel  12  and a bottom panel  13  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3  are respectively disposed on both ends on one side of the battery compartment  11 , and two holed bases  131  are disposed on the bottom panel  13  such that both ends of the coiling rod  42  and the guiding axle  43  are pivotally coupled into the fixed holes  121  and the holed base  131  respectively for the rotation. 
   In this embodiment, the body of the coiling rod  42  comprises at least one through hole  422  for letting an earphone cable pass through the bottom panel  13  into holed base  131  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4  and then pass directly through the inside of the coiling rod  42  via the through hole  422  to the outside of the rod body. The exterior of the conductive wire  51  passing out of the rod body is wrapped with an earphone strap  30 . 
   Further, the guiding axle  43  at its surface has a guiding groove  432  as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  3 , and  4  for providing a guiding path for evenly tying the strap  30 , and has a guider  44  outside the guiding axle  43 . The guider  44  at its end has a covering ring  441  for covering the guiding axle  43 , and the covering ring  441  at its interior has a protruded pillar  442  as shown in  FIG. 1 , which precisely falls into the guiding groove  432 . Further, the guider  44  at another end comprises at least a through hole  443  for letting the earphone strap  30  pass through the through hole  422  on the coiling rod  42  into the through hole  443  (as shown in FIGS.  1  and  4 ), and the other edge  444  of the guider  44  is inserted into a sliding member  101  in the casing  10 , and the sliding member  101  can slide vertically along a sliding groove  102  (as shown in FIGS.  5  and  6 ). When the coiling rod  42  is rotating, the guider  44  can only slide vertically on the guiding axle  43  since the protruded pillar  442  in the covering ring  441  falls into the guiding groove  432 . The guiding grooves  432  on the top and bottom ends of the guiding axle  43  are designed to bend backward for changing the moving direction, and it thus allows the strap  30  to be wrapped around the periphery of the rod body along the guiding groove  432  at the top and bottom ends of the coiling rod  42 . 
   In the embodiment, the second casing  20  comprises a control switch  201  (as shown in FIG.  1 ). The rotary motor  41  can be controlled and turned on, off, or locked respectively by moving the position of the control switch  201 . When the control switch  201  is moved to the ON position, the rotary motor  41  is on, and the earphone strap  30  will be coiled and stored. When the control switch  201  is moved to the OFF position, the entire rotary motor  41  will be turned off, and the earphone strap  30  cannot be pulled out or received. When the control switch  201  is moved to the locked position, the gear  411  of the rotary motor  41  is set to the idle state. The earphone strap  30  can be pulled out at this time. When the user pulls it to an appropriate length and moves the control switch  201  to the locked position, the rotary motor  41  will be turned off, and the earphone strap  30  cannot be pulled out or received again. 
   In this embodiment, a door panel  103  (as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  3 ) is disposed at the exit  106  of the earphone strap  30  of the casing  10  to assure the safety on the application and prevent the rotary motor  41  from being affected by gravity and jumping forces. When the user pulls out the earphone strap  30  to the desired length, the door panel  103  will shut the exit  106 . The user may lock the door panel  103  with a lock button  104 . Such arrangement can prevent the damage to the conductive wire  51  inside the earphone strap  30 , and a gap is set between the door panel  103  and the exit  106  such that the door panel  103  will not clip and damage the conductive wire  51 . Further, a trigger  105  (as shown in  FIG. 2 ) is disposed on one side of the exit  106  of the casing  10  for being pressed when the door panel  103  is shut, and thus turning off the entire operation of the coiler  40 . No matter which position of the control switch  201  is set, the coiler  40  will be forced to stop its operation. Such arrangement can prevent the user to turn on the control switch  201  by mistake for receiving the earphone strap  30  when the door panel  103  has clipped the earphone strap  30 . 
   In this embodiment, the earphone strap  30  exposed outside the top of the casing  10  has a soft bag  31  (as shown in FIG.  2 ), and the soft bag  31  can store the earphone  50 , and a buckle  311  is used to buckle the soft bag  31 , so that the earphone strap  30  can be stored tidily, and the earphone  50  will not fall onto the user&#39;s neck. 
   By means of the foregoing components, users may hang the earphone strap  30  on their neck, and put the electronic device in their pocket, hand, or backpack. The earphone strap  30  in accordance with this invention fits different lengths, and the soft bag  31  can reduce the user&#39;s pressure and discomfort caused by hanging the electronic device at the neck. 
   While the invention has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.