Patent Publication Number: US-6991490-B1

Title: Electronic device with a waterproof connector port cover

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to an electronic device with a connector port, more particularly to an electronic device with a waterproof connector port cover. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the housing  11  of a conventional electronic device  1  is provided with a connector port  12 , and is formed with an access hole  110  for access to the connector port  12 . A connector port cover  13  is employed to protect the connector port  12 . The connector port cover  13  is made integrally from rubber, and has an anchor extension  131  connected to the housing  11 . Hence, when the connector port cover  13  is removed from the access hole  110  to uncover the connector port  12 , the connector port cover  13  is suspended from the housing  11  via the anchor extension  131  to prevent the cover  13  from being misplaced. It is noted that if the dimensions of the connector port cover  13  are too large, too much effort is needed when the connector port cover  13  is inserted into or removed from the access hole  110 . On the other hand, if the dimensions of the connector port cover  13  are too small, although the connector port cover  13  can be inserted into or removed from the access hole  110  with relative ease, the connector port cover  13  is unable to establish a watertight seal with the housing  11 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , another conventional electronic device  2  is shown to similarly include a housing  21  provided with a connector port  211  and formed with an access hole  210  for access to the connector port  211 . A connector port cover  22  is employed to cover and uncover the connector port  211 , and includes a plastic cover body  221 , a rubber gasket  222 , a flexible connecting strip  223 , a plurality of fasteners  224 , and a rotary stop unit  225 . The gasket  222  is provided on a periphery of the cover body  221 , such as through adhesive bonding or injection molding techniques. The flexible connecting strip  223  is connected to the cover body  221  and the housing  21  by means of the fasteners  224 . The stop unit  225  is mounted rotatably on the housing  21 , and is operable to a locking position (as indicated by the broken lines in  FIG. 2 ) for retaining the connector port cover  22  at a covering position (not shown). When the connector port cover  22  is at the covering position, the cover body  221  is able to press the gasket  222  toward the connector port  211 , thereby causing the gasket  222  to deform in the access hole  210  so as to establish a watertight seal between the connector port cover  22  and the housing  21 . When removed from the access hole  210 , the connector port cover  22  is suspended from the housing  21  by the connecting strip  223 . 
     However, since the connector port cover  22  includes the connecting strip  223  and the fasteners  224 , assembly of the cover  22  is relatively inconvenient to conduct, the size of the cover  22  is relatively large, and higher production costs are incurred for the cover  22 . Moreover, since the connection area between the cover body  221  and the gasket  222  is relatively small, the connecting strength between the same is relatively weak, thus resulting in undesired removal of the gasket  222  from the cover body  221  with relative ease during use, which can lead to failure of the waterproofing function of the cover  22 . 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device with a waterproof connector port cover that can overcome at least one of the aforesaid drawbacks associated with the prior art. 
     Accordingly, an electronic device of this invention comprises a housing and a connector port cover. 
     The housing is provided with a connector port, and is formed with an access hole for access to the connector port. The access hole has opposite first and second ends, and is defined by a hole-confining wall. The housing further has an anchor hole disposed proximate to the first end of the access hole. 
     The connector port cover is operable between a covering position for covering the connector port, and an uncovering position for uncovering the connector port. The connector port cover includes a sealer layer, a pressing layer, and a fastener. The sealer layer is made from a deformable and water-impervious material, has dimensions sufficient for the sealer layer to fill the access hole when the connector port cover is disposed at the covering position, and further has opposite first and second sides to be respectively disposed remote from and proximate to the connector port. The sealer layer further has an anchor extension that extends from the second side of the sealer layer and that has a distal end retained in the anchor hole. The anchor extension is stretchable along the length thereof, and pulls the sealer layer toward the connector port. The pressing layer is made from a rigid material, and is connected integrally to the first side of the sealer layer. The fastener is operable between tightened and loosened states for retaining releasably the connector port cover at the covering position. The fastener applies a pressing force on the pressing layer when in the tightened state for urging the sealer layer toward the connector port such that the sealer layer deforms in the access hole to establish a watertight seal between the hole-confining wall and the sealer layer. The fastener permits operation of the pressing layer to remove the sealer layer from the access hole when in the loosened state so as to dispose the connector port cover at the uncovering position. The anchor extension is stretched and suspends the connector port cover from the housing when the connector port cover is disposed at the uncovering position. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a fragmentary schematic sectional view of an electronic device with a conventional connector port cover; 
         FIG. 2  is a fragmentary perspective view of an electronic device with another conventional connector port cover; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded fragmentary perspective view of the preferred embodiment of an electronic device with a waterproof connector port cover according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a fragmentary perspective view of the preferred embodiment to illustrate the connector port cover at an uncovering position; 
         FIG. 5  is a fragmentary perspective view of the preferred embodiment to illustrate the connector port cover at a covering position; 
         FIG. 6  is a fragmentary schematic sectional view of the preferred embodiment, illustrating the connector port cover at the covering position; and 
         FIG. 7  is a fragmentary schematic sectional view of the preferred embodiment, illustrating the connector port cover at the uncovering position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 to 7 , the preferred embodiment of an electronic device according to the present invention is shown to include a housing  3  and a connector port cover  7 . 
     The housing  3  is provided with a connector port  30  (see  FIGS. 6 and 7 ), and has a lateral side  31  formed with an access hole  32  for access to the connector port  30 . As best shown in  FIG. 7 , the access hole  32  has opposite first and second ends  321 ,  322  and is defined by a hole-confining wall  320 . The housing  3  further has an anchor hole  33  disposed proximate to the first end  321  of the access hole  32 , and a fastener-engaging hole  34  disposed proximate to the second end  322  of the access hole  32 . 
     The connector port cover  7  is operable between a covering position (see  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) for covering the connector port  30 , and an uncovering position (see  FIGS. 4 and 7 ) for uncovering the connector port  30 . The connector port cover  7  includes a sealer layer  4 , a pressing layer  5 , and a fastener  6 . 
     The sealer layer  4  is made from a deformable and water-impervious material, such as rubber, has dimensions sufficient for the sealer layer  4  to fill the access hole  32  when the connector port cover  7  is disposed at the covering position, and further has opposite first and second sides  43 ,  44  (see  FIG. 7 ) to be respectively disposed remote from and proximate to the connector port  30 . The sealer layer  4  further has an anchor extension  41  that extends from the second side  44  of the sealer layer  4  and that has a distal end  411  retained in the anchor hole  33 . The anchor extension  41  is stretchable along the length thereof, and pulls the sealer layer  4  toward the connector port  30 . In this embodiment, the anchor hole  33  of the housing  3  is configured with a larger inner portion  331  and a restricted outer portion  332 , as best shown in  FIG. 6 . The distal end  411  of the anchor extension  41  is received in the inner portion  331  of the anchor hole  33 , and is prevented by the outer portion  332  of the anchor hole  33  from escaping from the inner portion  331  of the anchor hole  33 . The sealer layer  4  is further formed with a through hole  42  to be aligned with the fastener-engaging hole  34  when the connector port cover  7  is disposed at the covering position. 
     The pressing layer  5  is made from a rigid material, such as plastic, is connected integrally to the first side  43  of the sealer layer  4 , such as through injection molding techniques, and is formed with a through hole  51  that is aligned with the through hole  42  in the sealer layer  4 . 
     The fastener  6  is operable between tightened and loosened states for retaining releasably the connector port cover  7  at the covering position. In this embodiment, the fastener  6  extends rotatably through the through holes  51 ,  42  in the pressing and sealer layers  5 ,  4 , and is capable of releasable engagement with the housing  3  at the fastener-engaging hole  34 . In particular, the fastener  6  has a distal end provided with key projections  61 . The fastener-engaging hole  34  has a hole periphery that engages the key projections  61  to prevent the key projections  61  from escaping from the fastener-engaging hole  34  and to result in tight clamping of the connector port cover  7  against the housing  3  when the fastener  6  is at a tightened state, as best shown in  FIG. 6 , and that permits extension of the key projections  61  through the fastener-engaging hole  34  to result in loose and removable retention of the connector port cover  7  in the access hole  32  when the fastener  6  is at a loosened state. In more detail, when in the tightened state of  FIG. 6 , the fastener  6  applies a pressing force on the pressing layer  5  for urging the sealer layer  4  toward the connector port  30  such that the sealer layer  4  deforms in the access hole  32  to establish a watertight seal between the hole-confining wall  320  and the sealer layer  4 . When in the loosened state, the fastener  6  permits operation of the pressing layer  5  to remove the sealer layer  4  from the access hole  32  so as to dispose the connector port cover  7  at the uncovering position, as best shown in  FIG. 7 . It is noted that the anchor extension  41  is stretched and suspends the connector port cover  7  from the housing  3  when the connector port cover  7  is disposed at the uncovering position. 
     In this embodiment, a complementary pair of engaging units are provided respectively on the hole-confining wall  320  of the access hole  32  and on the pressing layer  5 , and engage each other when the connector port cover  7  is disposed at the covering position. In this embodiment, the engaging units include a tongue  35  projecting from the hole-confining wall  320  at the first end  321  of the access hole  32  in a direction toward the second end  322  of the access hole  32 , and a groove  52  formed in the pressing layer  5  to engage the tongue  35  when the connector port cover  7  is disposed at the covering position. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 ,  5  and  6 , when it is desired to cover the connector port  30 , the connector port cover  7  is operated to engage the tongue  35  with the groove  52 , and to permit extension of the fastener  6  through the fastener-engaging hole  34 . The fastener  6  is then operated from the loosened state to the tightened state such that the sealer layer  4  deforms in the access hole  32  to establish a watertight seal between the hole-confining wall  320  and the sealer layer  4  in the manner described hereinabove. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 ,  5  and  7 , when it is desired to uncover the connector port  30 , the fastener  6  is operated from the tightened state to the loosened state, and the pressing layer  5  is operated to disengage the tongue  35  from the groove  52 , and to remove the sealer layer  4  from the access hole  32 . At this time, the anchor extension  41  is stretched and suspends the connector port cover  7  from the housing  3 . 
     It has thus been shown that the connector port cover  7  can provide a waterproofing function for the electronic device of this invention. In addition, the large connection area between the pressing layer  5  and the sealer layer  4  results in enhanced connection strength between the same to avoid undesired removal of the sealer layer  4  from the pressing layer  5 . Moreover, since the anchor extension  41  of the sealer layer  4  is used to connect the connector port cover  7  to the housing  3 , assembly of the cover  7  to the housing  3  can be conducted with relative ease, and production costs for the connector port cover  7  can be reduced in view of the relatively simple configuration of the same. 
     While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.