Abstract:
A housing assembly includes a base body. The base body includes a plate having a mounting side, and a cover member. An opening is defined in the plate, the opening has a first end portion adjacent to the mounting side and an opposite second end portion communicating with the first end portion. The cover member is inserted into and partially shields the opening, the first end portion and a side of the cover member at the first end portion cooperatively define a fixing hole for allowing a hinge module to extend therethrough.

Description:
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to housing assemblies and, more particularly, to a housing assembly having a shielding structure and a method of assembly the same. 
       2. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
       [0002]    Display panels, printed circuit boards and the like used in electronic devices, such as mobile phones, notebook computers, or portable disk players, are generally protected by various housing assemblies for water-resistance, dust-proof and etc. 
         [0003]    A general housing assembly adopted in a foldable disk player is used as an example for illustration. The housing assembly includes a base, a cover, and a hinge unit. The base and the cover are coupled to each other via the hinge unit. 
         [0004]    The base includes an upper case and a lower case secured to the upper case. The upper case includes a plate and a rear wall perpendicularly extends from a rear side of the plate. The hinge unit is in a horizontal H-shape, and includes a shaft, a fixing sheet, and a pintle. The shaft and the fixing sheet are parallel to each other, and separately arranged at two opposite ends of the pintle. The pintle substantially perpendicularly interconnects the shaft and the fixing sheet. The shaft is positioned in the cover whilst the fixing sheet is mounted to the base. The cover can thus be rotated around axial directions of the shaft and the pintle, and be positioned at specific angles. It is convenient for users to view the panel at different angles. 
         [0005]    However, the hinge unit has generally been adjusted to satisfy various mechanical characteristic requirements before shipment. The hinge unit is sold as a whole and generally adopted in the housing assembly without being disassembled. A part of the rear wall attached to the base is designed to be removable so that the fixing sheet can thus be inserted therethrough and mounted to the base. Aesthetic feeling of the base is adversely affected because there are slits in the rear wall facing outside. Moreover, strength of the rear wall is reduced. 
         [0006]    Therefore, a housing assembly with a shielding structure and a high strength is desired. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    In one aspect, a housing assembly includes a base body. The base body includes a plate having a mounting side, and a cover member. An opening is defined in the plate, the opening has a first end portion adjacent to the mounting side and an opposite second end portion communicating with the first end portion. The cover member is inserted into and partially shields the opening, the first end portion and a side of the cover member at the first end portion cooperatively define a fixing hole for allowing a hinge module to extend therethrough. 
         [0008]    In another aspect, a housing assembly includes a primary housing, a secondary housing and a hinge module. The primary housing includes a plate having a mounting side, and a cover member. An opening is defined in the plate, and the opening has a first end portion adjacent to the mounting side. The cover member is inserted into and partially shields the opening. The hinge module pivotally interconnects the primary housing and the secondary housing. The hinge module is inserted through the opening and engages with the secondary housing in a manner so as to prevent the hinge module from becoming disengaged from the opening. 
         [0009]    In still another aspect, a method of assembling a housing assembly includes steps of: providing a base body having a plate having a mounting side, an opening being defined in the plate, the opening having a first opening portion adjacent to the mounting side, and a second opening portion communicating with the first opening portion; receiving a hinge module through the second opening portion with a pintle of the hinge module being received in the second opening portion and a fixing member being received in the base, the fixing member being mounted to the pintle; moving the pintle from the second opening portion to the first opening portion along the opening; mounting a cover member to the plate in a manner so as to shield the opening; and securing the fixing member to the base body in a manner so as to prevent the pintle from becoming disengaged from the opening. 
         [0010]    Other advantages and novel features will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a housing assembly of a portable disk player in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the housing assembly of  FIG. 1 , with a lid being opened; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is an isometric view of an upper case of  FIG. 2 , with a cover sheet being removed; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is an inversed, isometric view of the upper case of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is an isometric view of the cover sheet of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is an isometric view of the upper case of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is an isometric view of a hinge of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is an isometric view of an assembly of the upper case and the hinge module of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  is an inversed, isometric view of the assembly of the upper case and the hinge module of  FIG. 8 ; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  is an inversed, isometric view of the housing assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0021]    In the following embodiments, a housing assembly of a portable disk player is used as an example for illustration. It is noted that housing assemblies in these embodiments may be housing assemblies of notebook computers, mobile phones, or any other electronic apparatuses. 
         [0022]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a housing assembly  20  according to a preferred embodiment is illustrated. The housing assembly  20  includes a cover  30 , a base  40 , and a hinge module  50 . The cover  30  is pivotally coupled to the base  40  via the hinge module  50 . The cover  30  is capable of accommodating a panel that can display pictures and images for viewing. The base  40  accommodates various components for receiving and driving a disk (not shown) loaded therein, reproducing signals from the disk. 
         [0023]    Referring also to  FIGS. 2 through 4 , the base  40  includes an upper case  42 , a lower case  44  coupled to the upper case  42 , and a lid  46  pivotally mounted on the upper case  42  for shielding the disk thereunder. The upper case  42  includes an upper plate  420 , a rear wall  422  and a cover sheet  424 . The rear wall  422  substantially perpendicularly extends from peripheries of the upper plate  420 . A pickup window  426  is defined in the upper plate  420 . 
         [0024]    Referring also to  FIG. 3 , the upper plate  420  includes a rear side  420   a  where the lid  46  is pivotally mounted. An opening  428  is defined in the upper plate  420  and shielded by the cover sheet  424 . The opening  428  includes a first end portion  428   a  and an opposite second end portion  428   b . The first end portion  428   a  is adjacent to the rear wall  422  and constructed as a semicircle. The second end portion  428   b  communicates with the pickup window  426 . 
         [0025]    Referring also to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the cover sheet  424  includes a third end portion  424   a  and an opposite fourth end portion  424   b . The third end portion  424   a  corresponds to the first end portion  428   a . A lug  424   c  extends out each side of the third end portion  424   a . A wing sheet  424   d  extends out each side of the fourth end portion  424   b . The cover sheet  424  can be attached to an underside  420   b  of the upper case  42  via the lug  424   c  and the wing sheet  424   d . Flanges  424   e  extend out from a periphery of the cover sheet  424  for engaging with edges that bounds the opening  428 . The third end portion  424   a  defines a semicircular cutout  428   f  corresponding to the first end portion  428   a  of the opening  428 . A cutout  424   f  is defined in the third end portion  424   a . The cutout  424   f  connects to the first end portion  428   a  so that a fixing hole  429  is defined therebetween. 
         [0026]    Referring also to  FIG. 7 , the hinge module  50  includes a shaft  52 , two first fixing sheets  54 , a second fixing sheet  56  and a pintle  58 . The two first fixing sheets  54  are pivotally arranged at two opposite ends of the shaft  52  for being secured to the cover  30 . The second fixing sheet  56  is secured to the underside  420   b  of the upper plate  420 . The pintle  58  is inserted through the opening  428  and perpendicularly interconnects the shaft  52  and the second sheet  56 . The shaft  52  can be rotated around an axis of the pintle  58 . 
         [0027]    Referring also to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the hinge module  50  is assembled to the housing assembly  20  as a unit. The pintle  58  is inserted into the pickup window  426  and then is moved along the opening  428  from the second end portion  428   b  to the first end portion  428   a . The second fixing sheet  56  follows the motion of the pintle  58 . The cover sheet  424  is inserted between the second fixing sheet  56  and the underside  420   b  of the upper plate  420 , and then secured onto the underside  420   b  via the two lug  424   c , the two wing sheets  424   d , and the flanges  424   e . The second fixing sheet  56  is secured onto the underside  420   b . The pintle  58  is thus positioned at the fixing hole  429 . The cover  30  can rotate around an axial direction of the shaft  52 , and also rotate around an axial direction of the pintle  58 . 
         [0028]    The first end portion  428   a  of the opening  428  and the third end portion  424   a  conform with a circumference of the pintle  58 . The cover sheet  424  covers the opening  428 , and the disk lid  46  shields the cover sheet  424  and the opening  428 . The opening  428  can thus be substantially hidden from view when the pintle  58  is insert into the first end portion  428   a  of the opening  428 . Furthermore, referring also to  FIG. 9 , there is no additional slit defined in an exterior of the rear wall  422 . Therefore, adversely affection against aesthetic feeling of the housing assembly  20  can be well eliminated. In addition, a relatively high strength of the rear wall  422  can be achieved. 
         [0029]    The pickup window  426  is defined for an optical pickup (not shown) to slip therein. The optical pickup can thus record/reproduce signals for the disk over the pickup window  426 . Moreover, the second fixing sheet  56  can pass through the pickup window  426  before it is positioned in the fixing hole  429  if a size of the second fixing sheet  56  is too great to insert into the opening  428 . Housing assemblies of other kinds of electronic devices such as a housing assembly of a notebook computer (not shown) may also be configured as the housing assembly  20 . That is, the housing assembly of the notebook computer defines an opening (not shown) in the similar position where the opening  428  is defined in the housing assembly  20 . A cover sheet (not shown) is also adopted to engage with the opening. Considering absence of a pickup window  426  defined in the housing assembly  20 , keyboard (not shown) can be utilized to shield the cover sheet and the opening. Thus aesthetic feeling of the housing assembly and high strength of a rear wall of the housing assembly can be achieved. 
         [0030]    The embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention. Other arrangements and advantages may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention should be deemed not to be limited to the above detailed description, but rather by the spirit and scope of the claims that follow, and their equivalents.