Abstract:
A stylus is disclosed including a main barrel, a main body receiving the main barrel, a stylus cover covering the main body, and a sliding rod assembled to the main barrel. The main body is slidably assembled to the sliding rod to transfer between being latched inside the main barrel and being exposed out of the main barrel.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is one of the nine related co-pending U.S. patent applications listed below. All listed applications have the same assignees. The disclosure of each of the listed applications is incorporated by reference into all the other listed applications. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 Attorney Docket No. 
                 Title 
                 Inventors 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 US27626 
                 STYLUS 
                 Wang et al. 
               
               
                 US29632 
                 STYLUS 
                 Liang et al. 
               
               
                 US30242 
                 TOUCH STYLUS 
                 Shi-Xu Liang 
               
               
                 US30383 
                 TOUCH STYLUS FOR 
                 Shi-Xu Liang 
               
               
                   
                 ELECTRONIC DEVICE 
               
               
                 US30930 
                 STYLUS 
                 Liang et al. 
               
               
                 US31159 
                 STYLUS 
                 Shi-Xu Liang 
               
               
                 US31366 
                 STYLUS 
                 Shi-Xu Liang 
               
               
                 US32040 
                 STYLUS 
                 Shi-Xu Liang 
               
               
                 US32043 
                 STYLUS 
                 Shi-Xu Liang 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Technical Field 
         [0003]    The present disclosure relates to styluses, and particularly, to a stylus used with portable electronic devices. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    With the development of wireless communication and information processing technologies, portable electronic devices, such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs), are now in widespread use. 
         [0006]    Styluses are usually provided and are secured within the outside wall of the portable electronic device for inputting information. The stylus need to be small or thin for a compact requirement of the portable electronic device. However, they may be uncomfortable to use. 
         [0007]    Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    Many aspects of the present stylus and the portable electronic device using the same can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present stylus and a portable electronic device using the same. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of an exemplary stylus according to an embodiment. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged view of a sliding rod of the stylus shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is an assembled view of the stylus shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of the assembled stylus shown in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is another assembled view of the stylus shown in  FIG. 1 , the main body partially exposed to the outside. 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view of the assembled stylus shown in  FIG. 5 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is another assembled view of the stylus shown in  FIG. 1 , the main body completely exposed to the outside. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]      FIG. 1  shows an exemplary stylus  100  used in a portable electronic device such as a mobile phone, or a personal digital assistant (PDA), including a main barrel  10 , a sliding rod  20 , a main body  30  and a stylus cover  40 . The sliding rod  20  and the main body  30  are assembled within the main barrel  10 . The stylus cover  40  is mounted to the end of the main barrel  10 . 
         [0017]    The main barrel  10  is generally hollow defining an accommodating cavity  11 . The accommodating cavity  11  is enclosed by sidewalls  111 . The main barrel  10  further includes two opposite latching holes  13  and a securing pin  15 . The two latching holes  13  are defined through and aligned substantially perpendicularly to two parallel sidewalls  111 . The securing pin  15  can engage through and secure into the latching hole  13 . When the latching hole  13  secures the securing pin  15 , the opposite ends of the securing pin  15  are coplanar (flush) with the corresponding exterior surfaces of the sidewalls  111 , respectively. 
         [0018]      FIG. 2  shows the sliding rod  20  having substantially the length with the main barrel  10 , and accordingly can be accommodated completely inside the main barrel  10 . The sliding rod  20  includes a rod base  21  and a rod body  23 . The rod base  21  has substantially the same shape and size with the accommodating cavity  11  to be slidably received in the accommodating cavity  11 . The rod body  23  protrudes substantially perpendicularly from the surface of the rod base  21 . The rod body  23  includes an exterior wall  231 , a securing holes  233  and a sliding groove  237 . The securing holes  233  have substantially the same shape and size as the latching hole  13 , and are defined through the exterior wall  231  adjacent to the rod base  21 . The securing holes  233  secures the securing pin  15  therein for securing the sliding rod  20  with the main barrel  10 . 
         [0019]    The exterior wall  231  further defines a through longitudinal sliding groove  237 . The sliding groove  237  includes a sliding section  2371 , two opposite limiting sections  2373  and two opposite securing sections  2375 . The sliding section  2371  is located between and communicates with the two limiting sections  2373 . The securing sections  2375  are positioned at opposite ends of the sliding groove  237  and communicate with the limiting sections  2373  respectively. Each limiting section  2373  is located between and narrower than the sliding section  2371  and the securing section  2375 . 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  shows the hollow main body  30  including a hollow body section  31  and a head section  33  connecting the hollow body section  31 . The body section  31  has substantially the same shape and size as the accommodating cavity  11 . The body section  31  includes a receiving space  311 , two positioning holes  313  and a positioning pin  315 . The body section  31  can receive rod body  23  therein. The two positioning holes  313  are defined through the body section  31  in communication with the receiving space  311  for latching the positioning pin  315  therein. The positioning pin  315  can be secured in the securing sections  2375  and the positioning holes  313  to secure the main body  30  with the sliding rod  20 . The head section  33  is opposite to the positioning holes  313  and defines a wedge-shaped latching slit  331  on the periphery of the main body  30 . 
         [0021]      FIGS. 1 and 4  show the hollow stylus cover  40  having an end connected with a string  41 , and an opposite end integrally formed with e.g. two opposite latching portions  43  on the interior wall. The string  41  can be threaded into a connecting hole in an outside portion of the portable electronic device, enabling the securing of the stylus  100  with the portable electronic device. The latching portions  43  can latch in the latching slit  331 . Each latching portion  43  has a wedge-shaped section and includes a limiting wall  431  and an opposite resisting wall  433 . The limiting wall  431  is generally perpendicular with the interior wall of the stylus cover  10 , and the resisting wall  433  is inclined relative to the interior wall of the stylus cover  10 . 
         [0022]      FIGS. 3 and 4  show an assembly of the stylus  100 . The rod body  23  is placed into the receiving space  311  with the positioning holes  313  aligning with the securing sections  2375 . The positioning holes  313  and the securing sections  2375  secures the positioning pin  315 . At this time, the main body  30  is slidably mounted on the sliding rod  20 . The assembled unit of the main body  30  and the sliding rod  20  is placed into the accommodating cavity  11  with the rod base  21  near the latching hole  13  and the securing holes  233  aligned with the latching hole  13 . The securing holes  233  and the latching hole  13  latch the securing pin  15  therein, and accordingly the main barrel  10  latches with the sliding rod  20  and the main body  30 . The latching slit  331  latches the latching portions  43  therein with the limiting walls  431  and the resisting walls  433  resisting against the interior wall of the latching slit  331 , latching the stylus cover  40  with the head section  33  accordingly, the assembly of the stylus  100  is completed. 
         [0023]      FIGS. 4 through 7  show a process of changing the stylus  100  from a closed position to an open position. The stylus cover  40  is pulled away from the main barrel  10 . Due to the fixing of the sliding rod  20  with the main barrel  10  and the latching of the latching portions  43  into the latching slit  331 , the head section  33  and the body section  31  move relative to the sliding rod  20  and the main barrel  10 . In this process, the positioning pin  315  passes one of the limiting section  2373  into the sliding section  2371 , slides along the sliding section  2371  and passes the other limiting section  2373  to latch into the securing sections  2375  distal to the rod base  21 . At this time, the body section  31  is exposed completely out of the main barrel  10 . The stylus cover  40  can be further pulled to release the latching of the latching portions  43  and the latching slit  331  and accordingly removed away from the main body  30 . When the head section  33  is exposed the stylus  100  is ready for use. 
         [0024]    It is to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of assemblies and functions of various embodiments, 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 present invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.