Patent Publication Number: US-7724504-B2

Title: Satellite receiver

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a satellite receiver, and more particularly, to a satellite receiver having a cover. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   Since typical satellite receivers are positioned outside, a cover is usually coupled with a satellite receiver to protect signal transmission connectors of the satellite receiver from rain. Generally, the cover is a plastic cover. However, the main body of a satellite receiver is typically made of aluminum alloy, and thereby includes a plastic main body to receive the connector of the cover. The prior art relies on plastic-to-plastic connector of the cover to the satellite receiver, and therefore has increased cost. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The claimed invention provides a satellite receiver. The satellite receiver comprises a main body and a cover. There are a first stopper and a second stopper positioned on the main body. The cover comprises a block disposed on an inner side of the cover. The block is capable of sliding between the first stopper and the second stopper when the cover is coupled with the main body. 
   These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an illustration of a satellite receiver based on the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is an enlargement of the three stoppers of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is an illustration of a cover based on the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is an enlargement of a portion of  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 5  is an illustration of the three stoppers on the right side of the satellite receiver of  FIG. 1  and the block on the right inner side of the cover of  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7  are illustrations of coupling the cover of  FIG. 3  with the satellite receiver of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 8  is an illustration of another embodiment of the cover based on the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   In order to reduce cost and protect signal transmission connectors of the satellite receiver from rain, the present invention provides a method of connecting a cover and a satellite receiver, even though the materials of the cover and the satellite receiver are different. 
   Please refer to  FIG. 1 , which is an illustration of a satellite receiver  1  based on the present invention. The satellite receiver  1  comprises a main body  10  and a plurality of signal transmission connectors  12  positioned at a side of the main body  10 . There are a first stopper  14 , a second stopper  16 , and a third stopper  18  positioned on the main body  10 . The enlargement of the three stoppers  14 ,  16 ,  18  is shown in  FIG. 2 . The main body  10  further comprises a track  20  on which the three stoppers  14 ,  16 ,  18  are positioned. 
   Please refer to  FIG. 3 , which is an illustration of a cover  3  of the present invention. There are blocks  30  disposed on both inner sides of the cover  3 . The block  30  engages the first stopper  14 , the second stopper  16 , or the third stopper  18  to locate the cover  3  on the main body  10 . There is a slot  34  formed on the cover, as shown in  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 4  is an enlargement of dashed-line encircled part of  FIG. 3 . The block  30  of the cover  3  is positioned at an end of the slot  34 . The slot  34  is capable of assisting the block  30  in crossing the first stopper  14  or the second stopper  16  of the main body  10 .  FIGS. 3 and 4  only show the block  30  and the slot  34  on the left inner side. There is also a block  30  and a slot  34  on the right inner side of the cover  3 . Additionally, there is a plurality of tapered ribs  36  on the inner sides of the cover  3 . When the cover  3  is coupled with the main body  10 , the ribs  36  assist the cover  3  in contacting the main body  10  closely. In addition, during injection press molding, it is convenient to pull out the mold using the ribs  36 . 
   Since the main body  10  of the satellite receiver  1  is made of aluminum alloy and the cover is made of plastic, the present invention adds the first stopper  14 , the second stopper  16 , and the third stopper  18  on the main body  10  to engage the block  30  of the cover  3  so as to locate the cover  3  on the main body  10 . Thus, the present invention accomplishes the purpose of connecting elements of different materials. The distance between the first stopper  14  and the second stopper  16  is an allowable distance for the cover  3 , the allowable distance being termed “stroke.” When establishing the stroke, the sizes of the signal transmission connectors  12  should be considered to make the cover  3  cover all signal transmission connectors  12  and protect them from rain. 
   Please refer to  FIG. 5 , which is an illustration of the three stoppers  14 ,  16 ,  18  on the right side of the satellite receiver  1  of  FIG. 1  and the block  30  on the right inner side of the cover  3  of  FIG. 3 . The block  30  of the cover  3  crosses the first stopper  14  to couple the cover  3  with the satellite receiver  1 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , an angle formed between a first end of the first stopper  14  and a side of the main body  10  is an obtuse angle, and thereby the block  30  is capable of crossing the first stopper  14  from the first side of the first stopper  14 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . An angle formed between a second end of the first stopper  14  and the side of the main body  10  is an acute or right angle so that the second side of the first stopper  14  is capable of preventing the block  30  from crossing the first stopper  14  from the second side of the first stopper  14 , and the cover  3  is capable of protecting the signal transmission connectors  12 . Angles between each side of the second stopper  16  and the side of the main body  10  are obtuse angles, such that the block  30  is capable of crossing the second stopper  16  from both sides of the second stopper  16 . 
   If the block  30  crosses the second stopper  16 , the block  30  is finally located between the second stopper  16  and the third stopper  18 , as shown in  FIG. 7 . An angle formed between a side of the third stopper  18  near the second stopper  16  and the side of the main body  10  is an acute or right angle, thereby preventing the block  30  from crossing the third stopper  18 . In addition, since the cover is made of plastic, the plastic material around slots  34  can deflect a little to assist the block  30  in crossing the second stopper  16  or the first stopper  14 . 
   In order to make the cover  3  move along the main body  10  stably, the present invention adds a plurality of ribs  36  on the inner side of the cover  3  to reduce space between the cover  3  and the satellite receiver  1 . When the cover  3  is pulled out, the cover  3  is capable of contacting the satellite receiver  1  closely. Additionally, the cover  3  of the present invention is a sleeve-shaped cover or a plate cover. The cover  3  of  FIG. 3  is an embodiment of a sleeve-shaped cover, and a cover  4  of  FIG. 8  is an embodiment of a plate cover. Since the satellite receiver  1  is positioned outside, the side on which the signal transmission connectors  12  are positioned faces down. Thus, the covers  3  and  4  can protect the signal transmission connectors  12  from rain. 
   The present invention provides a method of connecting elements of different materials, which reduces the cost of the plastic main body coupled with the aluminum alloy main body, and also achieves the purpose of keeping rain away from the signal transmission connectors. 
   Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.