Patent Publication Number: US-2011058323-A1

Title: Engageable Structure and Engageable Electronic Apparatus Using the Same

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an engageable structure, and more particularly to an engageable structure that enables two parts to be firmly engaged and quickly detached from each other. The present invention also relates to an engageable electronic apparatus using such engageable structure. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In recent years, the market demands for various types of point-of-sale (POS) terminals present stable growth. In shopping malls, department stores and convenient chain stores, at least one set of the most frequently seen POS terminals, such as a cash register, is arranged at every check-out stand. 
     However, the POS terminals currently available in the market usually have a fixed support. When a user wants to install a POS terminal, the support must be directly inserted into a main body of the POS terminal and then be locked in place using other auxiliary parts, such as screws. Moreover, when the user wants to move or dismount the POS terminal, related tools must be used to assist in separation of the fixed support from the main body. Therefore, the conventional POS terminals are inconvenient for use. 
     It is therefore tried by the inventor to develop an improved engageable structure and an engageable electronic apparatus using same to overcome the above problems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide an engageable structure, so that an electronic device, such as a POS terminal, with such engageable structure can be conveniently moved or dismounted without the need for using any related tool to separate its fixed support from a main body thereof. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide an engageable electronic apparatus having the above-mentioned engageable structure, so that the engageable electronic apparatus, which can be, for example, a POS terminal, can be conveniently moved or dismounted without the need for using any related tool to separate its electronic device from a supporting base thereof. 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, the engageable structure includes a housing and a support. The housing has a first hole and a second hole, wherein the first hole defines a first position and a second position in the first hole, the second hole defines a third position and a fourth position in the second hole, and the second position corresponds to the third position. The support includes a first pivot section and a second pivot section, wherein the first pivot section has a plurality of first sunken holes for fastening on a first coupling unit, and the second pivot section has a plurality of second sunken holes for fastening on a second coupling unit. When the first pivot section and the second pivot section fasten on the first coupling unit and the second coupling unit respectively, and the first coupling unit and the second coupling unit are pivotably coupled to the first hole and the second hole respectively and then moved into the second position and the third position respectively, the support and the housing are engaged. 
     According to another embodiment of the present invention, the engageable electronic apparatus includes a supporting base and an electronic device. The supporting base has a first hole and a second hole, wherein the first hole defines a first position and a second position in the first hole, the second hole defines a third position and a fourth position in the second hole, and the second position corresponds to the third position. The electronic device includes a first pivot section and a second pivot section, wherein the first pivot section has a plurality of first sunken holes for fastening on a first coupling unit, and the second pivot section has a plurality of second sunken holes for fastening on a second coupling unit. When the first pivot section and the second pivot section fasten on the first coupling unit and the second coupling unit respectively, and the first coupling unit and the second coupling unit are pivotably coupled to the first hole and the second hole respectively and then moved into the second position and the third position respectively, the electronic device and the supporting base are engaged. 
     In conclusion, with the engageable structure and the engageable electronic apparatus provided by the present invention, two separate parts can be tightly engaged to each other and easily detached from each other through disposing the coupling units provided on one part into corresponding holes provided on the other part without the need for using additional auxiliary elements, such as screws, insertion pins or hinges. Therefore, with the present invention, it is possible to largely reduce the production cost as well as the labor and time needed to assemble the parts, making the products more competitive in the market. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of an engageable structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of a first pivot section of a support for the engageable structure of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3A  shows two figure-8-shaped holes on a housing of the engageable structure and two coupling units of the support before the holes and the coupling units are coupled; 
         FIG. 3B  shows the two figure-8-shaped holes on the housing and the two coupling units of the support after the holes and the coupling units are coupled; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view of an engageable electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of a first pivot section for the engageable electronic apparatus of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6A  shows two holes on a supporting base of the engageable electronic apparatus and two coupling units on an electronic device before the holes and the coupling units are coupled; 
         FIG. 6B  shows the two holes on the supporting base and the two coupling units of the two coupling units after the holes and the coupling units are coupled. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view of an engageable structure  1  according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the engageable structure  1  includes a housing  10  and a support  12 . The housing used in the invention can take the usual meanings of the word “housing.” In the illustrated embodiment, the housing  10  may be provided for accommodating a plurality of electronic circuits of a POS terminal and may comprise an expansion port exposed for adding an expansion device. The housing further has a first figure-8-shaped hole  100  and a second figure-8-shaped hole  102 . Hereinafter, the first figure-8-shaped hole  100  and the second figure-8-shaped hole  102  are called the first hole  100  and the second hole  102  respectively for short. The hole  100  further defines a first position  1000  and a second position  1002  in the first hole  100 ; and the hole  102  further defines a third position  1020  and a fourth position  1022  in the second hole  102 . 
     More particularly, the housing  10  can have at least one first hole  100  and at least one second hole  102 ; and the first holes  100  and the second holes  102  are provided in pairs. In practical application, the provision of the holes is helpful in the adjustment of the position of the support  12  relative to the housing  10 . Thus, in practical design, the distribution and the number of the holes on the housing  10  can be properly adjusted according to the size of the housing  10  and the user&#39;s actual requirements. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the support  12  includes a first pivot section  120  and a second pivot section  122 . In practical implementation, since the first and the second pivot sections  120 ,  122  are very similar in structure, they can be advantageously mass-produced.  FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the first pivot section  120  of the support  12  shown in  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the first pivot section  120  has a plurality of first sunken holes  128  for fastening on a first coupling unit  124 ; and the second pivot section  122  has a plurality of second sunken holes (not shown) for fastening on a second coupling unit  126 . 
     In practical application, since the first and the second coupling units  124 ,  126  are very similar in structure, only the first coupling unit  124  will be described with reference to  FIG. 2  herein. In the illustrated embodiment, the first coupling unit  124  comprises a member  130  and a coupling member  132 . The member  130  is capable of fitting the housing  10  and has a plurality of threaded holes  134 . Accordingly the member  130  can be called a fitting member. The member  130  may e.g. be elastic and have a curved surface, as in the illustrated embodiment. The fitting member  130  of the first coupling unit  124  is used for fastening on the first pivot section  120 , and the fitting member  130  of the second coupling unit  126  is used for fastening on the second pivot section  122 . In practical application, since the fitting member  130  must be produced with its curvature matching that of the housing  10 , the fitting member  130  can also be a plane surface, depending on actual need. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the coupling member  132  is integrally formed on the fitting member  130  in the course of manufacturing. The coupling members  132  of the first coupling unit  124  and the second coupling unit  126  have a function of being detachably coupled to the first hole  100  and the second hole  102 . It is particularly noted the coupling member  132  of the first coupling unit  124  and the coupling member  132  of the second coupling unit  126  should be arranged in such a way that they are oriented toward two opposite directions, in order to match the disposition of the holes. 
     A plurality of fastening element  138  is provided corresponding to the threaded holes  134  on the fitting members  130 ; and the fastening elements  138  are separately inserted through the threaded holes  134  into the first sunken holes  128  on the first pivot section  120  and the second sunken holes (not shown) on the second pivot section  122  to thereby firmly fasten the first and second coupling units  124 ,  126  to the first pivot section  120  and the second pivot section  122 , respectively. At this point, the elastic fitting members  130  are deformed for the first coupling unit  124  and the second coupling unit  126  to more tightly fasten on the first pivot section  120  and the second pivot section  122 , respectively. In practical implementation, the fastening elements  138  can include, without being limited to, screws, insertion pins, or the like. 
       FIG. 3A  schematically shows the holes  100 ,  102  on the housing  10  and the coupling units  124 ,  126  before the holes and the coupling units are coupled. The first coupling unit  124  and the second coupling unit  126  have a function of being pivotably coupled to the first hole  100  and the second hole  102 , respectively, and the second position  1002  corresponds to the third position  1020 . When the first coupling unit  124  and the second coupling unit  126  are respectively disposed in the first position  1000  of the first hole  100  and the fourth position  1022  of the second hole  102  at an oblique angle relative to a line extended between the second position  1002  and the third position  1020 , the housing  10  and the support  12  are not yet engaged. 
       FIG. 3B  schematically shows the holes  100 ,  102  on the housing  10  and the coupling units  124 ,  126  after the holes and the coupling units are coupled. As shown in  FIG. 3B , when the support  12  is rotated relative to the housing  10  by an angle θ for the first coupling unit  124  to move into the second position  1002  of the first hole  100  and the second coupling unit  126  into the third position  1020  of the second hole  102 , the housing  10  and the support  12  will become engaged. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the support  12  can engage with the housing  10  by rotating the support  12  clockwise by an angle θ relative to the housing  10 . In other words, the support  12  can be easily separated from the housing  10  simply by rotating the support  12  counterclockwise. 
     In practical application, the housing  10  can include an electronic device, such as a main system of a calculator or other types of POS (point-of-sale) terminals. Further, the housing  10  can include some specific areas, at where input interfaces of the electronic device are exposed to a surface of the housing  10 , allowing a user to, for example, conveniently expand the storage device of or add a new input device to the electronic device. Therefore, in practical implementation, the housing  10  and the specific areas may respectively have a different appearance and the specific areas may be arranged on the housing  10  at other suitable positions without being particularly restricted to those as shown in  FIG. 1 . The housing  10  and the specific areas can be designed according to the user&#39;s requirements. Moreover, the support  12  is used to support a display unit. The display unit can be, without being limited to, such as a display or a touchscreen. 
     In  FIG. 4 , an engageable electronic apparatus  3  according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. In practical applications, the engageable electronic apparatus  3  can be any type of POS terminal or a monitor. As can be seen from  FIG. 4 , the engageable electronic apparatus  3  includes a supporting base  30  and an electronic device  32 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the supporting base  30  has a first hole  300  and a second hole  302 . The first hole  300  defines a first position  3000  and a second position  3002  in the first hole  300 ; and the second hole  302  defines a third position  3020  and a fourth position  3022  in the second hole  302 . The supporting base  30  has a curved outer surface, and has at least one first hole  300  and at least one second hole  302 . The first holes  300  and the second holes  302  are arranged on the surface of the supporting base  30  in pairs. In practical applications, the electronic device  32  can be adjusted in position via the distribution of the first and second holes  300 ,  302  on the supporting base  30 , allowing a user to operate the electronic device  32  in a more convenient manner. In the illustrated embodiment, the first hole  300  and the second hole  302  are not particularly restricted any specific shape, compared to the above-mentioned holes  100 ,  102 . Therefore, the present invention is not limited by the description herein. 
     The electronic device  32  includes a first pivot section  320  and a second pivot section  322 .  FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the first pivot section  320  of the electronic device  32  shown in  FIG. 4 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the first pivot section  320  has a plurality of first sunken holes  328  for fastening on a first coupling unit  324 ; and the second pivot section  322  has a plurality of second sunken holes (not shown) for fastening on a second coupling unit  326 . In practical implementation, since the first and the second pivot sections  320 ,  322  are very similar in structure, they can be advantageously mass-produced. 
     In practical applications, since the first and the second coupling units  324 ,  326  are very similar in structure, only the first coupling unit  324  will be described with reference to  FIG. 5  herein. In the illustrated embodiment, the first coupling unit  324  includes a member  330  and a coupling member  332 . The member  330  is capable of fitting the supporting base  30 , and has a plurality of threaded holes  334 . Accordingly the member  330  can be called a fitting member. The member  330  may be elastic and have a curved surface, as in the illustrated embodiment. The fitting member  330  of the first coupling unit  324  is used for fastening on the first pivot section  320 , and the fitting member  330  of the second coupling unit  326  is used for fastening on the second pivot section  322 . Since the fitting members  330  each has a curvature provided in a manner similar to that of the fitting members  130  as described above with reference to  FIG. 2 , they are not described repeatedly herein. 
     The coupling member  332  is integrally formed on the fitting member  330  in the course of manufacturing. Since the coupling members  332  are arranged in a manner similar to the coupling members  132  as described above with reference to  FIG. 2 , they are not described repeatedly herein. The coupling members  332  of the first coupling unit  324  and the second coupling unit  326  have a function of being detachably coupled to the first hole  300  and the second hole  302 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of fastening element  338  is provided corresponding to the threaded holes  334  on the fitting members  330 ; and the fastening elements  338  are separately inserted through the threaded holes  334  into the first sunken holes  328  on the first pivot section  320  and the second sunken holes (not shown) on the second pivot section  322  to thereby firmly fasten the coupling units  324 ,  326  to the first pivot section  320  and the second pivot section  322 , respectively. At this point, the elastic fitting members  330  are deformed for the first coupling unit  324  and the second coupling unit  326  to more tightly fasten on the first pivot section  320  and the second pivot section  322 , respectively. 
       FIG. 6A  shows the situation when the first coupling unit  324  and the second coupling unit  326  are not coupled to the first hole  300  and the second  302  respectively, and  FIG. 6B  shows the situation when the first coupling unit  324  and the second coupling unit  326  are coupled to the first hole  300  and the second  302  respectively. Specifically  FIG. 6A  schematically shows the holes  300 ,  302  on the supporting base  30  and the coupling units  324 ,  326  before the holes and the coupling units are coupled, and  FIG. 6B  schematically shows the holes  300 ,  302  on the supporting base  30  and the coupling units  324 ,  326  after the holes and the coupling units are coupled. As shown in  FIG. 6A , the second position  3002  corresponds to the third position  3020 . When the first coupling unit  324  and the second coupling unit  326  are respectively disposed in the first position  3000  of the first hole  300  and the fourth position  3022  of the second hole  302 , it means the supporting base  30  and the electronic device  32  are not yet engaged. At this point, when the electronic device  32  is rotated clockwise relative to the supporting base  30  by an angle θ for the first coupling unit  324  to move into the second position  3002  of the first hole  300  and the second coupling unit  126  into the third position  3020  of the second hole  302 , the supporting base  30  and the electronic device  32  will become engaged. In other words, the electronic device  32  can be easily separated from the supporting base  30  simply by rotating the electronic device  32  counterclockwise by the same angle θ. 
     In conclusion, with the engageable structure and the engageable electronic apparatus provided by the present invention, two separate parts can be tightly engaged and easily detached from each other through disposing the coupling units on one part into corresponding holes on the other part without the need for using additional auxiliary elements, such as screws, insertion pins or hinges. Therefore, with the present invention, it is possible to largely reduce the production cost as well as the labor and time needed to assemble the parts, making the products more competitive in the market. 
     The present invention has been described with some preferred embodiments thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications in the described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.