Patent Publication Number: US-2006019530-A1

Title: Battery pack locking apparatus for portable terminal

Description:
PRIORITY  
      This application claims priority to an application entitled “Battery Pack Locking Apparatus For Portable Terminal” filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Jul. 21, 2004 and assigned Serial No. 2004-56883, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a portable terminal, and more particularly to a battery pack locking apparatus mounted on a terminal to secure the battery pack in a releasable manner.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      In general, portable terminals have a battery pack mounted on the rear surface of the body of the terminal housing as a power source. The battery pack is locked by a locking apparatus which is positioned on the body.  
      Two different methods are currently used to mount the battery pack as follows: according to one method, after an end of the battery pack is engaged with a support groove of the terminal housing by a support protrusion, the battery pack is fastened on a seating surface of the terminal housing. According to the other method, the battery pack is slid to be mounted on the rear surface of the terminal housing by a guide rib.  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a portable terminal having a battery pack locking apparatus  16  according to an embodiment of the prior art. As shown in  FIG. 1 , a portable terminal  10  having a battery pack locking apparatus  16  according to an embodiment of the prior art includes an upper casing frame  12  and a lower casing frame  11 , on which a battery pack  14  is mounted.  
      The lower casing frame  11  has a seating surface  13  formed on the rear surface thereof. The seating surface  13  has connection terminals protruding from an end thereof and a locking apparatus  16  positioned on the other end thereof for securing the mounted battery pack  14 .  
      The battery pack  14  has at least one support protrusion  15  formed on an end thereof to be engaged with the rear end of the terminal housing  10 . Although not shown in the drawing, the housing  10  has a support groove formed on the rear surface thereof, in which the support protrusion  15  can be inserted.  
      When the battery pack  14  configured as above is to be mounted on the body  10 , the support protrusion  15  of the battery pack  14  is inserted into the support groove formed on the rear surface of the housing  10 . The battery pack  14  is then lowered about the support protrusion  15  toward the seating surface  13  of the housing  10 . Consequently, a hook  17  of the locking apparatus  16  is engaged with a groove (not shown) formed on the other end of the battery pack  14 . As such, the battery pack  14  is firmly held on the terminal housing  10  by the support protrusion  15  and the locking apparatus  16 .  
      On the other hand, when the battery pack  14  is to be separated from the body  10 , the locking apparatus  16  is typically moved along the longitudinal direction of the housing  10  to separate the hook  17  of the locking apparatus  16  from the battery pack  14 . The support protrusion  15  is then released from the housing  10  to complete the separation.  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing a portable terminal  20  having a battery pack locking apparatus  27  according to another embodiment of the prior art. As shown in  FIG. 2 , portable terminal  20  includes an upper casing frame  22  and a lower casing frame  21 , on which a battery pack  24  is mounted.  
      The lower casing frame  21  has a seating surface  23  formed thereon. The seating surface  23  has a locking apparatus  27  positioned on an end thereof for holding the battery pack  24  and at least one guide rib  26  formed on both lateral surfaces thereof for guiding the battery pack  24  up to the locking apparatus  27 . The battery pack  24  has guide tabs  25  formed on both lateral surfaces thereof to be coupled with the guide rib  26  on the seating surface  23 .  
      When the battery pack  24  is to be locked on the portable terminal  20 , the battery pack  24  is placed on the seating surface  23  and then slid in a horizontal direction, specifically, in such a direction that it is fastened on the locking apparatus  27  which is positioned on an end of the seating surface  23 . The locking apparatus  27  is then moved in the vertical direction. When the battery pack  24  is fastened on the locking apparatus  27 , a hook  28  formed on the locking apparatus  27  is locked into a groove (not shown) formed on the battery  24  and prevents the battery pack  24  from being released.  
      When the battery pack  24  is to be separated from the terminal  20 , the locking apparatus  27  is pressed to release the battery pack  24  from the locking apparatus  27 . The battery pack  24  is then lifted to separate it from the seating surface  23 .  
      As mentioned above, conventional battery packs can be separated after the locking apparatus is unlocked, and both lateral surfaces of the battery packs are open while they are mounted on the terminal.  
      However, according to conventional battery pack mounting structure, battery packs are barely released from the seating surface of terminals even in an unlocked state. Users must inconveniently separate the battery packs from the terminals in the unlocked state. In addition, battery packs cannot be firmly held on the terminals, because both lateral surfaces of the battery packs are open, when the battery packs are mounted on the terminals, and they are held either by a locking apparatus and both end portions or by a locking apparatus and a guide rib. When the terminals are used over an extended period of time, the locking apparatus or the guide rib may wear and make it difficult to firmly hold the battery packs.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack locking apparatus for a portable terminal making it possible to easily mount and separate a battery pack.  
      Another object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack locking apparatus for a portable terminal capable of improving durability while maintaining a firmly locked state.  
      In order to accomplish this object, there is provided a battery pack locking apparatus for a portable terminal including at least one locking groove formed on the battery pack and at least one locking protrusion which is positioned on the terminal in such a manner that it can linearly reciprocate and which is adapted to be engaged with the locking groove while the battery pack is mounted on the terminal, wherein the battery pack is adapted to be released from the terminal as the locking protrusion linearly reciprocates in the locking groove while being engaged with the locking groove.  
      In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery pack locking apparatus for a portable terminal having a battery mounting groove formed on a surface thereof, a battery pack adapted to be fastened on and released from the battery mounting groove, and a locking apparatus for holding the battery pack which is mounted in the battery mounting groove, the locking apparatus including at least one locking groove formed on the battery pack and a locking button positioned adjacently to the battery mounting groove and having a locking protrusion protruding from a lateral wall of the battery mounting groove to be selectively engaged with the locking groove, wherein the locking button is adapted to linearly reciprocate parallel to the lateral wall of the battery mounting groove. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a portable terminal having a battery pack locking apparatus according to an embodiment of the prior art;  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing a portable terminal having a battery pack locking apparatus according to another embodiment of the prior art;  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing a portable terminal having a battery pack locking apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view showing how the battery pack locking apparatus shown in  FIG. 3  is assembled to the terminal;  
       FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view showing the battery pack locking apparatus shown in  FIG. 3 ;  
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing the battery pack of the portable terminal shown in  FIG. 3 ; and  
      FIGS.  7  to  10  illustrate the operation of the battery pack locking apparatus shown in  FIG. 3 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention unclear.  
      As shown in FIGS.  3  to  6 , a battery pack  113  is secured by locking apparatus  200  to a portable terminal  100  according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Locking apparatus  200  includes a locking button  201  and a button cover  202  and is adapted to linearly reciprocate parallel to a lateral wall  115   b  of a mounting groove  115  of the terminal  100 , in which the battery pack  113  is mounted, to gradually release the battery pack  113  from the battery mounting groove  115 .  
      The portable terminal  100  has first and second housings  111  and  112 , which can be folded on each other. The battery pack  113  is mounted in the battery mounting groove  115  formed on the rear surface of the first housing  111 . The battery mounting groove  115  is recessed a predetermined depth from the rear surface of the first housing  111  in such a manner that, when the battery pack  113  is mounted therein, only the outer surface of the battery pack  113  is exposed. The battery pack  113  has a support piece  114  formed on an end thereof to be supported on the mounting groove  115  and a locking groove  204  formed on the other end thereof ( FIG. 6 ) to be engaged with the locking apparatus  200 , so that the battery pack  113  can be fixedly positioned in the mounting groove  115 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 3 , the battery pack  113  is held on the mounting groove  115  in the following manner: the support piece  114  of the battery pack  113  is supported on an end of the mounting groove  115  along arrow {circle around ( 1 )} and the battery pack  113  is rotated along arrow {circle around ( 2 )} to fasten it on the mounting groove  115 . After being held in the mounting groove  115 , the battery pack  113  can be separated by linearly moving the locking button  201  [PLEASE ADD  201  IN  FIG. 3 ] along arrow {circle around ( 3 )}.  
      The construction and function of the locking apparatus  200  will now be described in detail.  
      The locking button  201  includes a button body  211 , a locking protrusion  213 , and a support rib  215 . The locking button  201  is coupled to the inner surface of a rear case  111   a  of the first housing  111  in such a manner that it can slide and is provided with an elastic force in a first direction. The rear case  111   a  has a button opening  119   a  formed adjacently to the battery mounting groove  115  and a locking opening  119   b  formed on a lateral wall of the mounting groove  115 . When the locking button  201  is coupled to the rear case  111   a , the button body  211  and the locking protrusion  213  are exposed through the button opening  119   a  and the locking opening  119   b , respectively. As such, the locking protrusion  213  protrudes out of the lateral wall  115   b.    
      The button body  211  is exposed through the button opening  119   a  and is used as a handle operated by a user to separate the battery pack  113  from the portable terminal  100 . The button body  211  is linearly moved against the elastic force on the outer peripheral surface of the terminal  100  in a direction parallel to the lateral wall  115   b  of the mounting groove  115 .  
      The support rib  215  extends from the outer peripheral surface of the button body  211 . From a different view of the locking button  201 , it could also be said that the button body  211  protrudes from the upper surface of the support rib  215 . When the locking button  201  is coupled to the inner surface of the rear case  111   a , the support rib  215  is supported on the inner surface of the rear case  111   a  in such a manner that it can slide. The button opening  119   a  is completely closed by the support rib  215  when the locking button  201  is coupled to the rear case  111   a . The support rib  215  still closes the button opening  119   a  even when the locking button  201  is linearly moved. The support rib  215  has a spring groove  219  formed on the lower surface thereof, in which a spring  203  is contained for providing the elastic force to the locking button  201  in the first direction.  
      A pair of locking protrusions  213  extend parallel to each other from the outer peripheral surface of the button body  211 , more specifically from the outer peripheral surface of the support rib  215 , and have a second slant surface  217  formed on the upper surface thereof with a slant in a direction.  
      As the locking button  201  linearly reciprocates on the terminal  100 , the battery pack  113  is separated from the mounting groove  115 . The button cover  202  is held on the inner surface of the rear case  111   a  of the terminal  100  and supports the lower surface of the locking button  201 , in order to prevent the locking button  201  from being released from the rear case  111   a.    
      In one embodiment, the rear case  111   a  has a holding rib  291  formed on the inner surface thereof and holding protrusions  293  protruding from the holding ribs  291 , in order to hold the button cover  202 . The button cover  202  has holding holes  229  formed thereon, which correspond to the holding protrusions  293 . When the holding protrusions  293  and the holding holes  229  are engaged with each other, they may be glued or melted to each other in order to completely hold the button cover  202  on the rear case  111   a.    
      As best seen in  FIG. 5 , the button cover  202  has a pair of cover plates  223  formed on a lateral end thereof for closing the locking openings  119   b  and a support protrusion  221  formed on a surface thereof for supporting an end of the spring  203 , which is contained in the spring groove  219  of the locking button  201 . As such, the spring  203  has an end supported on an end wall of the spring groove  219  and the other end supported on the support protrusion  221  to provide an elastic force.  
      The protrusion  221  closes an open end of the spring groove  219  and is adapted to slide in the spring groove  219 , as the locking button  201  slides on the terminal  100 .  
      When the button cover  202  is coupled to the rear case  111   a , while the locking button  201  is coupled on the rear case  111   a , the button cover  202  supports the lower surface of the locking button  201  and closes the locking openings  119   b . Consequently, the locking button  201  can be moved linearly without being released from the rear case  111   a.    
      Referring to  FIG. 6 , the locking groove  204 , which is formed on the other end of the battery pack  113 , includes a locking portion  241  extending along the traveling direction of the locking button  201  and a movement portion  243  extending from an end of the locking portion  241  toward the lower surface of the battery pack  113 , in a curved shape.  
      The locking portion  241  is engaged with the locking protrusion  213 , when the battery pack  113  in mounted in the mounting groove  115 , and prevents the battery pack  113  from being released from the mounting groove  115 . The spring  203  provides an elastic force in such a direction that the locking protrusion  213  is positioned in the locking groove  204 .  
      A lateral wall  245   a  of the locking portion  241  is connected to a lateral wall  245   b  of the movement portion  243  via a curved surface  245   c . The lateral wall  245   b  of the movement portion  243  can be configured only by a curved surface extending from the lateral wall  245   a  of the locking portion  241 . For example, the lateral wall  245   b  of the movement portion  243  may be configured by a planar surface, as in the present embodiment, connected with a curved surface  245   c  extending from the lower surface of the battery pack  113  in a direction perpendicular to the lateral wall  245   a  of the locking portion  241 .  
      The other lateral wall of the movement portion  243  provides a first slant surface  245   d  extending with a slant while facing the lateral wall  245   b  of the movement portion  243  in such a manner that, the closer to the lower surface of the battery pack  113 , the wider the movement portion  243  becomes. The first slant surface  245   d  is adapted to selectively face the second slant surface  217  of the locking protrusion  213 .  
      The separation of the battery pack  113  from the mounting groove  115  by the locking apparatus  200  will now be described with reference to FIGS.  7  to  10 .  
       FIG. 7  shows the locking protrusion  213  which is positioned in the locking portion  241  of the locking groove  204 , while the battery pack  113  is coupled to the mounting groove  115 . The spring  203 , which is contained beneath the locking button  201 , provides an elastic force in such a direction that the locking protrusion  213  is positioned in the locking portion  241 . Consequently, the locking protrusion  213  cannot travel toward the movement portion  243  as long as no external force is applied.  
       FIGS. 8 and 9  show the locking button  201  which is moved by an external force, e.g., through a user&#39;s operation, along arrow {circle around ( 3 )}. As the locking button  201  is moved by an external force, the locking protrusion  213  travels along arrow {circle around ( 3 )} and pushes against the curved surface  245   c  of the locking groove  204  with its upper end. The battery pack  113  is then moved along arrow {circle around ( 4 )} and is released from the mounting groove  115 . As soon as the upper end of the locking protrusion  213  contacts the curved surface  245   c , the locking protrusion  213  is positioned on the movement portion  243  and allows the battery pack  113  to be released from the mounting groove  115 , as seen in  FIG. 10 .  
      When the locking protrusion  213  is fully moved along arrow {circle around ( 3 )} and contacts a lateral wall of the movement portion  243 , as shown in  FIG. 9 , the first slant surface  245   d  of the movement portion  243  faces the second slant surface  217  of the locking protrusion  213 .  
      If the external force, which has been moving the locking button  201  along arrow {circle around ( 3 )}, is removed while the first slant surface  245   d  faces the second slant surface  217 , the locking button  201  is moved by an elastic force provided by the spring  203  in a direction opposite to the arrow {circle around ( 3 )}.  
      As the locking button  201  is moved in a direction opposite to the arrow {circle around ( 3 )}, the second slant surface  217  pushes the first slant surface  245   d  upward. The battery pack  113  is then additionally moved along arrow {circle around ( 4 )} and is completely separated from the mounting groove  115 , as seen in  FIG. 10 .  
      When using conventional battery pack locking apparatuses, users have to manually separate the battery pack from the mounting groove even after the battery pack is unlocked. However, the battery pack  113  locking apparatus  200  according to the present invention, as mentioned above, is configured in such a manner that the battery pack  113  is separated from the mounting groove  115  by simply operating the locking button  201 .  
      The mounting procedure of the battery pack  113  will now be described with reference to  FIG. 3 . The support piece  114 , which is positioned on an end of the battery pack  113 , is supported on an end of the mounting groove  115  along arrow {circle around ( 1 )}. The battery pack  13  is then rotated along arrow {circle around ( 2 )}. While the battery pack  113  is fastened on the mounting groove  115 , the first surface  245   d  pushes against the second slant surface  217  and moves the locking protrusion  213  along arrow {circle around ( 3 )}.  
      If the battery pack  113  is further rotated along arrow {circle around ( 2 )} and is fastened on the mounting groove  115 , the second slant surface  217  is moved out of the way of the first slant surface  245   d , as shown in  FIG. 8 , and the locking protrusion  213  is positioned on the locking portion  241 . The elastic force from the spring  203  then moves the locking protrusion  213  along arrow {circle around ( 3 )} of  FIG. 3 . As a result, the locking protrusion  213  is completely engaged with the locking portion  241 , and the battery pack  113  is completely held in the mounting groove  115 .  
      As mentioned above, the battery pack locking apparatus for a portable terminal according to the present invention is advantageous in that the battery pack, which is held in the mounting groove, is unlocked by simply operating the locking button and is simultaneously separated from the mounting groove in a convenient manner. In addition, the battery pack is completely contained in the mounting groove, except for the outer surface thereof. This prevents the battery pack from being damaged and causes it to be firmly held continuously. Since the exposure of the components for mounting the battery pack is minimized, the durability of the battery pack mounting structure is improved.  
      While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.