Patent Publication Number: US-10770827-B2

Title: Waterproof structure for preventing water from penetrating into electronic products and waterproof annular ring

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to annular ring, and particularly to a waterproof structure for preventing water from penetrating into electronic products and a waterproof annular ring. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     An O-ring, also known as a packing, or a toric joint, is a mechanical gasket in the shape of a torus; it is a loop of elastomer with a round cross-section, designed to be seated in a groove and compressed during assembly between two or more parts, creating a seal at the interface. 
     O-rings are one of the most common seals used in machine design because they are inexpensive, easy to make, reliable and have simple mounting requirements. They can seal tens of megapascals (thousands of psi) of pressure. The O-ring may be used in static applications or in dynamic applications where there is relative motion between the parts and the O-ring. Dynamic examples include rotating pump shafts and hydraulic cylinder pistons. 
     O-ring materials may fail because of high or low temperatures, chemical attack, vibration, abrasion, and movement. Elastomers are selected according to the situation. 
     There are O-ring materials which can tolerate temperatures as low as 73K or as high as 523K. At the low end, nearly all engineering materials become rigid and fail to seal; at the high end, the materials often burn or decompose. Chemical attack can degrade the material, start brittle cracks or cause it to swell. For example, NBR seals can crack when exposed to ozone gas at very low concentrations, unless protected. Swelling by contact with a low viscosity fluid causes an increase in dimensions, and also lowers the tensile strength of the rubber. Other failures can be caused by using the wrong size of ring for a specific recess, which may cause extrusion of the rubber. 
     A traditional O-ring is typically the structure shown in  FIG. 1 . Please refer to  FIG. 1 , which illustrates the configurations and mounting setting of the traditional O-ring. Generally, the traditional O-ring  102  is disposed in a groove  104  of an electronic product  100  and must be pushed inwards and to the bottom of the groove  104 , so as to achieve the waterproof function when being combined with a protruded edge of a housing. However, the traditional O-ring suffers from some problems. For example, if the O-ring is not completely pushed to the bottom of the groove  104  when being mounted and only part of the O-ring is pushed to the bottom, part of the O-ring fits the protruded edge of the housing and the other part of the O-ring is not attached to the protruded edge of the housing during assembly, which will cause water to penetrate into the electronic product. In other words, the waterproof function of the traditional O-ring can be reduced or fail easily because different persons or different machines assemble the electronic product in different ways. 
     Therefore, there is still a need for a solution which can solve the problem that the waterproof function of the traditional O-ring can be reduced or fail easily because of different assembling methods. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To overcome the problems that the waterproof function of the traditional O-ring can be reduced or fail easily because of different assembling methods, the present invention provides a novel annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into electronic products. 
     In one aspect, the present invention discloses an annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into electronic products, including: an annular ring body, a cross-section of the annular ring body having a shape with a concave notch; wherein the notch sleeves a protruded edge on a component of an electronic product. 
     In one embodiment, an outer lateral surface of the annular ring body may fit a lateral wall of a concave groove in a housing of the electronic product. In one embodiment, the shape with the concave notch may include U shape. In one embodiment, the annular ring body may be square or circular. In one embodiment, the electronic product may include a transformer, and the component may include a socket. 
     In another aspect, the present invention discloses an annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into electronic products, including: an annular ring body, a cross-section of the annular ring body is slice shaped; wherein the annular ring body is disposed at a lateral side of a protruded edge on a component of an electronic product, such that a lateral surface of the annular ring body fits a lateral surface of the protruded edge. 
     In one embodiment, one or more strip-shaped protruded portions may be formed on another lateral surface of the annular ring body to provide non-skid function. In one embodiment, the another lateral surface may fit a lateral wall of a concave groove in a housing of the electronic product. In one embodiment, another lateral surface of the protruded edge may fit another lateral wall of the concave groove in the housing of the electronic product. In one embodiment, the annular ring body may be square or circular. In one embodiment, the electronic product may include a transformer, and the component may include a socket. 
     In still another aspect, the present invention discloses a waterproof structure for preventing water from penetrating into electronic products, including: an electronic product housing having a protruded edge; an annular ring body, a cross-section of the annular ring body having a shape with a concave notch, wherein the notch sleeves the protruded edge, wherein an outer lateral surface of the annular ring body fits a lateral wall of a concave groove in the electronic product housing. 
     One advantage of the present invention is that the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product of the present invention can achieve the function of enabling the annular ring to be mounted steadily and easily, and rendering the annular ring not to be shifted easily and not to fall off easily. 
     Another advantage of the present invention is that the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product of the present invention can achieve the function of rendering the annular ring not to have waterproof effect reduced due to different assembling methods. 
     These and other advantages will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments taken together with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention may be understood by some preferred embodiments and detailed descriptions in the specification and the attached drawings below. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a diagram showing a traditional O-ring mounted onto the electronic product. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a diagram showing an annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product of the present invention mounted onto the electronic product in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a cross-sectional diagram showing the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product of the present invention mounted onto the electronic product in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a diagram showing an annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product of the present invention mounted onto the electronic product in accordance with another embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a cross-sectional diagram showing the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product of the present invention mounted onto the electronic product in accordance with another embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a cross-sectional diagram showing the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product of the present invention mounted onto the electronic product in accordance with still another embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a cross-sectional diagram showing the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product of the present invention mounted onto the electronic product in accordance with yet another embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention will now be described with the preferred embodiments and aspects and these descriptions interpret structure and procedures of the present invention only for illustrating but not for limiting the Claims of the present invention. Therefore, except the preferred embodiments in the specification, the present invention may also be widely used in other embodiments. 
     References throughout the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, method, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, methods, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. 
     The present invention provides a novel annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product, which may be applied to any electronic products that need waterproof design, for instance but not limited to the socket of the transformer. Please refer to  FIGS. 2 and 3 . In one embodiment, the cross-section of the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  202  of the present invention may have a shape with a concave notch, such as U shape. In one embodiment, the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  202  may be manufactured by molding. In one embodiment, the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  202  may be made of synthetic rubber (also known as thermosetting polymer) for example but not limited to butadiene rubber (BR), isobutylene isoprene rubber (IIR), complete supplement mixture (CSM), ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR), fluorocarbon (FKM), nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), perfluoroelastomer (FFKM), polyacrylate rubber (ACR), chloroprene rubber (CR), polyisoprene rubber (IR), polysulfide rubber (PSR), silicone rubber (SIR), styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), or thermoplastics for instance but not limited to thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) (for example styrene), thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) (such as low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), ultra low density polyethylene (ULDPE)), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) (for instance polyether, polyester), thermoplastic polyester/polyether elastomers (TEEE), thermoplastic polyamide (TPA) (for example polyamide), melt processable rubber (MPR), thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV). As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the U shaped notch of the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  202  may sleeve the protruded edge  204  on the electronic product for instance, but not limited to, the socket  200  of the transformer to tightly fit the protruded edge  204 . In one embodiment, one or more strip-shaped protruded portions (not shown) may be optionally formed on one or two outer lateral surfaces of the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  202  to provide non-skid function. Thus, the dimension and the shape of the U-shaped notch of the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  202  match the dimension and the shape of the protruded edge  204 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  202  sleeving the protruded edge  204  may be further disposed in the concave groove  206  in the housing  210 , such that an outer lateral surface of the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  202  tightly fits a lateral wall  208  of the concave groove  206 , so as to achieve the waterproof effect. The annular ring can be mounted easily, cannot be shifted easily, will not fall off easily and will not have waterproof effect reduced due to different assembling methods because the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  202  shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3  has a U-shaped notch which may sleeve the protruded edge  204 . It should be appreciated by the person having ordinary skill in the art that  FIGS. 2 and 3  are shown for illustrating, not for limiting the present invention. Therefore, the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  202  is not limited to the square shape shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , and may be in the shape of circle, rectangle, hexagon or any other applicable shapes. 
     Please further refer to  FIGS. 4 and 5 . In another embodiment of the present invention, the cross-section of the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  302  of the present invention may be slice shaped. In one embodiment, the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  302  may be manufactured by molding. In one embodiment, the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  302  may be made of synthetic rubber (also known as thermosetting polymer) for example but not limited to butadiene rubber (BR), isobutylene isoprene rubber (IIR), complete supplement mixture (CSM), ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR), fluorocarbon (FKM), nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), perfluoroelastomer (FFKM), polyacrylate rubber (ACR), chloroprene rubber (CR), polyisoprene rubber (IR), polysulfide rubber (PSR), silicone rubber (SIR), styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), or thermoplastics for instance but not limited to thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) (for example styrene), thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) (such as low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), ultra low density polyethylene (ULDPE)), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) (for instance polyether, polyester), thermoplastic polyester/polyether elastomers (TEEE), thermoplastic polyamide (TPA) (for example polyamide), melt processable rubber (MPR), thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV). As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , one or more strip-shaped protruded portions  304  may be formed on one or two lateral surfaces of the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  302  to provide non-skid function. In one embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the shape of the strip-shaped protruded portions  304  may be the same as that of the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  302 . For example, but not limited thereto, when the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  302  is square shaped, the strip-shaped protruded portions  304  may be in the shape of square. With reference to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  302  may be disposed at a lateral side of a protruded edge  306  on the electronic product for instance but not limited to the socket  300  of the transformer, such that the lateral surface of the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  302  tightly fits a lateral surface of the protruded edge  306 . In one embodiment, the dimension and the shape of the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  302  match the dimension and the shape of the protruded edge  306 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  302  disposed at the lateral side of the protruded edge  306  may be further disposed in the concave groove  308  in the housing  310  together with the protruded edge  306 , such that the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  302  and the protruded edge  306  can tightly fit the lateral wall  314  and the lateral wall  312  of the concave groove  308  respectively, so as to achieve the waterproof effect. The lateral wall  314  is opposite to the lateral wall  312 . In one embodiment, referring to  FIG. 5 , the width of the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  302  plus the width of the protruded edge  306  may substantially equal the width of the concave groove  308 , such that the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  302  and the protruded edge  306  may be lodged in the concave groove  308 . The annular ring can be mounted steadily, cannot be shifted easily, will not fall off easily and will not have waterproof effect reduced due to different assembling methods because the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  302  shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5  has one or more strip-shaped protruded portions  304  which can enhance frictional force between the lateral wall  314  of the concave groove  308  and the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  302  to provide non-skid function. It should be appreciated by the person having ordinary skill in the art that  FIGS. 4 and 5  are shown for illustrating, not for limiting the present invention. Therefore, the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product  302  is not limited to the square shape shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , and may be in the shape of circle, rectangle, hexagon or any other applicable shapes. 
     As aforementioned, the annular ring for preventing water from penetrating into the electronic product of the present invention can achieve the function of enabling the annular ring to be mounted steadily and easily, and rendering the annular ring not to be shifted easily, not to fall off easily and not to have waterproof effect reduced due to different assembling methods because of special U-shaped notch or one or more strip-shaped protruded portions. 
     The foregoing description is a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be appreciated that this embodiment is described for purposes of illustration only, not for limiting, and that numerous alterations and modifications may be practiced by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is intended that all such modifications and alterations are included insofar as they come within the scope of the present invention as claimed or the equivalents thereof.