Abstract:
A portable electronic device ( 101 ) includes a battery cover ( 200 ), a latch ( 200 ) and a housing ( 300 ). The battery cover has a resisting portion ( 114 ). One end of the latch has a limiting portion ( 207 ), another end of the latch having an engaging portion ( 208 ). The housing has a positioning portion. The latch moveably engages with the housing, and the resisting portion of the cover locks with the engaging portion for releasably locking the battery cover. The limiting portion engages with the positioning portion so as to limit the cover to open relative to the housing. This release provides a user with convenient and easy to use disassembly mechanism for the device.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to battery cover assemblies and, particularly, to a battery cover assembly for use in a portable electronic device. 
     2. Discussion of the Related Art 
     Batteries are widely used in portable electronic devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, and so on. Conventional batteries are attachably received in the electronic device, and battery covers are designed to connect with housings of the electronic devices to package the batteries. The batteries have to be replaced by opening the battery covers when, for example, the batteries are damaged and/or dead (i.e. no longer rechargeable). 
     In a typical battery cover assembly, a removable battery cover includes an upper wall, a left sidewall, a right sidewall and a top wall. The battery cover has a pair of tabs extending from one end thereof opposite to the upper wall. The tabs are for engaging in two grooves of a housing. In assembly, the tabs are firstly inserted into the grooves of the housing. Then, the cover is pressed toward the housing so as to make the upper wall, the left sidewall and the right wall abut on the peripheral wall of the housing. Accordingly the cover is mounted on the housing. Although the battery cover assembly is simple, the engagement between the battery cover and the housing of the mobile phone is too firm to be easily detached from each other. 
     Another typical battery cover assembly is disclosed in Chinese Patent Application Number 03102952.3. The battery cover assembly includes a cover, a housing, a button and a spring. The housing has a groove defined therein. The bottom of the button is connected with the spring. The button and the spring are together received in the groove of the housing, and the button may move relative to the housing under the role of the elastic force of the spring. A pair of clasps is disposed at two sides of the button. The cover has two spaced cutouts defined therein, which receives the clasps of the button. In assembly, the button is pressed downward. At the same time, the cover is disposed on the housing. Then, the button is released, and the button moves upward under the force of the spring. Accordingly, each of the clasps is engaged in a given cutout of the cover. The battery cover is thus assembled to the housing of the mobile phone. However, the battery cover is complicate in structure. During disassembly, the button is susceptible to damage. Furthermore, the spring will deteriorate over time due to metal-fatigue thus effecting the longevity of the battery cover assembly. 
     Therefore, a new battery cover assembly is desired in order to overcome the above-described shortcomings. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one embodiment thereof, a portable electronic device includes a battery cover, a latch and a housing. The battery cover has a resisting portion. One end of the latch has a limiting portion, another end of the latch has an engaging portion. The housing has a positioning portion. The latch moveably engages with the housing, and the resisting portion of the cover locks with the engaging portion thus facilitating the releasable locking of the battery cover. The limiting portion engages with the positioning portion so as to limit the cover to open relative to the housing. 
     Other advantages and novel features will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the battery cover assembly 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 battery cover assembly. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded, isometric view of a portable electronic device employing a battery cover assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is similar to  FIG. 1 , but viewed from another aspect, 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged view of the cover shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of the latch shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an enlarged view of the housing shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an assembled view of the battery cover assembly in  FIG. 1 , but viewed from another aspect, and 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged, partial cut-away view of the battery cover assembly in  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings in detail,  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  show a portable electronic device  101  such as a mobile phone employing a battery cover assembly  201 . The mobile phone  101  is taken here as an exemplary application, for the purposes of describing details of a battery cover assembly of a preferred embodiment. The battery cover assembly  201  incorporates a removable battery cover  100 , a latch  200 , and a housing  300 . The latch  200  is configured for releasably latching (i.e. attaching, locking, engaging) the removable battery cover  100  to the housing  300 . 
     Referring also to  FIG. 3 , the cover  100  includes a main body  110 , two opposite sidewalls  120  and two opposite end walls  122 ,  123 . The main body  110  has an inner surface  111 , which together with the end walls  122 ,  123 , and the sidewalls  120 , defines a substantially rectangular space (not labeled). Two spaced clasps  112  are respectively formed on each of the sidewalls  120 . Two spaced hooks  113  perpendicularly extend from a fringe of the inner surface  111 , and are adjacent to the end wall  122 . In order to strengthen the connection between the hooks  113  and the main body  110 , a number of ribs  115  are formed on one side of each of the hooks  113 . A resisting portion  114  is formed on the main body  110  and adjacent to the end wall  123 . A distal end of the resisting portion  114  bends toward one of the sidewalls  120 , thereby forming a hooked configuration. 
     Referring also to  FIG. 4 , the latch  200  includes a rectangular main portion  202 . An operation portion  204  is disposed at one side of the main portion  202 . An arm portion  206  and an engaging portion  208  are formed together at an opposite side of the main portion  202 . The arm portion  206  is opposite to the engaging portion  208 . The operation portion  204  is substantially elliptical in shape. The outer surface of the operation portion  204  has a grip portion (unlabelled) to facilitate pushing by a user. The arm portion  206  is basically rod-like in shape. Adjacent to a distal end of the arm portion  206 , a projection  207  is formed on the bottom of the arm portion  206 . The engaging portion  208  has a hooked configuration formed at a bottom thereof, thereby engaging with the resisting portion  114  of the cover  100 . 
     The housing  300  is a back housing of the mobile phone  101 . The housing  300  includes two opposite side boards  310  and two opposite end boards  312 , thereby cooperatively defining a rectangular space. A main partition board  320  is disposed at a middle of the housing  300 , and separates a first compartment  330  from an opposite second compartment  340 . The first compartment  330  is configured for accommodating an electronic device (not shown), such as a printed circuit board. This accommodation is achieved when the housing  300  is assembled with other housings (not shown) of the mobile phone  101 . The second compartment  340  is used to engagingly receive the cover  100 . The partition board  320  has a rectangular cavity  341  defined in a middle upper portion and adapted for receiving a battery (not shown) therein. Two spaced grips  342  are disposed at the partition board  320  adjacent to each of the side boards  310 . Two spaced, symmetrically-opposing cutouts  344  are defined at a bottom end of the partition board  320  of the second compartment  340 . 
     Referring also to  FIG. 5 , opposite to the cutouts  344  at the first compartment  330 , a receiving groove  346  is formed in the partition board  320 , thereby the latch  200  is received in the receiving groove  346 . The bottom of the receiving groove  346  defines a rectangular through hole  350 . The through hole  350  is in communication with the partition board  320 . One of the end boards  310 , adjacent to the receiving groove  346 , defines a button hole  360 . The button hole  360  communicates with the receiving groove  346 . The shape of the button hole  360  corresponds to the operation portion  204  of the latch  200 . A sectional area of the operation portion  204  is slightly smaller than that of the button hole  360  of the housing  300 , thus the operation portion  204  can be received in the button hole  360  and moves along the button hole  360  at a range. Opposite to the receiving groove  346 , three spaced blocks  370  are disposed at the partition board  320  and abut (i.e. adjoins) one of the end boards  312 . Two spaced latching groove  372  are formed between the spaced blocks  370 , for receiving the projection  207  of the latch  200 . 
     In assembly, referring now to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the latch  200  is aligned with the through hole  350  of the housing  300  at the second compartment  340 , and the operation portion  204  of the latch  200  faces towards the button hole  360  of the housing  300 . The latch  200  is then inserted into the receiving groove  346 . Accordingly, the main portion  202  of the latch  200  abuts against the end board  312 . At the same time, the engaging portion  208  passes through the through hole  350 , and the operation portion  204  is exposed to the outside through the button hole  360  of the housing  300 . The projection  207  of the latch  200  engages in a given latching groove  372 , thereby mounting the latch  200  into the housing  300 . 
     With the latch  200  mounted on the housing  300 , the next step is for the cover  100  to be mounted in the housing  300 . First, the inner surface  111  of the cover  100  is directed toward the first compartment  330  of the housing  300 . The hooks  113  are inserted into the cutouts  344  of the housing  300 . At the same time, the clasps  112  of the cover  20  are positioned relative to the grips  342  of the housing  300 , the resisting portion  114  is directed toward the through hole  350  of the housing  300 . Next, the cover  100  is pressed onto the housing  300  using the end wall  122  adjacent to the hooks  113  as a rotational axis. The clasps  112  are locked into the grips  342 . The resisting portion  114  is received in the through hole  350  of the housing  300 . The latch  200  is pushed so as to make the engaging portion  208  engage with the resisting portion  114  of the cover  100 . At the same time, the projection  207  of the latch  200  engages in the next latching groove  372  of the housing  300 . Accordingly, the cover  100  is thus removably attached to the housing  300 . 
     When the cover  100  is detached from the housing  300 , the operation portion  204  of the latch  200  is pushed down by a user&#39;s finger. The projection  207  of the latch  200  falls out from the latching groove  372 . At the same time, the engaging portion  208  is caused to slide relative to the cover  100 . Furthermore, the engaging portion  208  falls out from the resisting portion  114  of the cover  100 . As a result, the clasps  112  disengaged with the grips  342  of the housing  300 , thus the cover is detached from the housing  300 . 
     In alternative embodiments, the engagement between the hooked configuration of the resisting portion and the engaging portion of the latch act as a locking structure to releasably lock the cover to the housing. Furthermore, the locking structure may be replaced with other structure such as magnetic structure so as to attract the engaging portion of the latch by magnetic force. In the above-mentioned embodiments, the three blocks  370  disclosed above may be replaced with other positioning portion. Moreover, the engagement between the three blocks and the projection disclosed above may be replaced with other limiting structures such as toothed structure so as to selectably engage in one of the positioning portions of the housing. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the latch is slidable between a locked position where the locking structure locks the cover in a locked state and an unlocked position where the locking structure release the cover so as to detach the cover. 
     As described above, the preferred embodiment provides a battery cover assembly for portable electronic devices, such as mobile phones. When the button is pushed, the cover of the battery cover assembly can be easily removed. This push-button removal step makes the operation of the device more user-friendly. 
     It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments of the invention.