Patent Publication Number: US-2010124953-A1

Title: Electronic device with a sliding and rotating cover

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electronic device; in particular, to an electronic device having a casing and a cover connected to the casing, with the cover being capable of sliding and rotating relatively with the casing. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     In a conventional electronic device with a cover, such as mobile phone, the ways to open the cover can be generally categorized as cover-raising type and cover-sliding type, in which the cover of a cover-sliding mobile phone should be connected with the body and slides relatively to the body, meaning that, upon opening or closing the cover, it is required to push the cover. In a currently available cover-sliding mobile phone, after sliding out the cover, the screen of the cover is mainly parallel to the body; but such an arrangement actually does not meet ergonomic requirements, so that the user tend to feel uncomfortable when viewing the screen, causing inconvenience in use. 
     Consequently, because of the above technical defects, the inventor keeps on carving unflaggingly through wholehearted experience and research to develop the present invention, which can effectively improve the defects described above. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The essential objective of the present invention is to provide an electronic device with a sliding and rotating cover, in which the cover may rotate and change its angle as it slides, so that the user can conveniently view the screen installed thereon. 
     To achieve the aforementioned objective, the present invention provides an electronic device with a sliding and rotating cover, comprising: a fixed member; a rotating member pivoted with the fixed member; an elastic member disposed between the rotating member and the fixed member; a sliding member installed at the rotating member and slides relatively to the rotating member; a casing connected with the fixed member, the casing having a front end portion and a rear end portion opposite to the front end portion; and a cover connected with the sliding member so as to allow the cover to slide conjunctively with the sliding member, wherein the cover has a front end portion and a rear end portion respectively corresponding to the front end portion and the rear end portion of the casing; thereby the elastic member can drive the rotating member to conjunctively move the sliding member and rotate it relatively to the fixed member, thus allowing the cover to rotate relatively to the casing. 
     The present invention provides the following beneficial effects: through the special structural design composed of the sliding member, rotating member, and fixed member, the present invention allows the cover connected to the sliding member to rotate relatively with the casing connected to the fixed member, thereby enabling the user to conveniently view the screen installed on the cover. 
     In order to facilitate further understanding of the technologies, methods, and contents taken by the present invention to achieve the prescribed objectives, references are herein made to the detailed descriptions and appended drawings of the present invention, and it is believed that the purposes, characteristics, and features of the present invention can be thereby thoroughly and concretely appreciated; however, the appended drawings are simply referential and illustrative, rather than being applied to limit the scope of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a stereo dissembled diagram of a first embodiment according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows a stereo dissembled diagram at another angle of the first embodiment according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  shows a stereo assembled diagram of the first embodiment according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  shows a motion diagram ( 1 ) of the first embodiment according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  shows a motion diagram ( 2 ) of the first embodiment according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  shows a motion diagram ( 3 ) of the first embodiment according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  shows a state diagram of the rotating member, sliding member, and second elastic member when the first embodiment according to the present invention is in a retracted state. 
         FIG. 8  shows a state diagram of the rotating member, sliding member, and second elastic member when the first embodiment according to the present invention is in a sliding state. 
         FIG. 9  shows a stereo dissembled diagram of the rotating member, sliding member, and first elastic member of the first embodiment according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  shows a side view diagram of the rotating member, sliding member, and first elastic member of the first embodiment according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  shows a stereo dissembled diagram of another rotating member, sliding member, and first elastic member according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  shows a stereo dissembled diagram at another angle of another rotating member, sliding member, and first elastic member according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 12A  shows an enlarged diagram of portion A in  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 12B  shows an enlarged diagram of portion B in  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 13  shows a diagram of an axle according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  shows a side view diagram of another rotating member, sliding member, and first elastic member according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 15  shows a motion diagram ( 1 ) of the second embodiment according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 16  shows a motion diagram ( 2 ) of the second embodiment according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 17  shows a motion diagram ( 3 ) of the second embodiment according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the first embodiment according to the present invention is shown therein and provides an electronic device with a sliding and rotating cover, in which the electronic device may be a mobile phone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) etc., herein a mobile phone is taken as an example, but the present invention by no means limited thereto. The electronic device comprises: a fixed member  10 , a rotating member  20 , at least one first elastic member  30 , a sliding member  40 , a casing  70 ; and a cover  80 . 
     On the front end of the fixed member  10  there installs at least one first fastening portion  11 , and on the front end of the sliding member  20  there install two second fastening portions  21  corresponding to the first fastening portion  11 , wherein the two second fastening portions  21  being individually connected to two sides of the first fastening portion  11 . Additionally, the sliding member  20  has two sidewalls  22 , and on these two sidewalls  22  there respectively installs a guiding groove  23 . 
     The first elastic member  30  is installed between the rotating member  20  and fixed member  10 ; in the present embodiment, the first elastic member  30  is a torque spring, which is not limited in terms of number, but merely exemplified as two torque springs in the figures. The first elastic member  30  provides the rotating member  20  with a torque, force rotating upward, so that the rotating member  20  can rotate relatively to the fixed member  10 . 
     On two sides of the sliding member  40  there respectively installs a guiding track  41 , wherein the two guiding tracks  41  being installed at the two guiding grooves  23  of the rotating member  20  so that the two guiding tracks  41  may slide along the two guiding grooves  23 , thereby the sliding member  41  can slide relatively to the rotating member  20 . 
     The casing  70  has a front end portion  71  and a rear end portion  72  opposite to the front end portion  71 . The casing  70  is configured with an installation portion  73  corresponding to the fixed member  10 , which in the present embodiment, is exemplified as a recess space, but not limited thereto. The fixed member  10  is accommodated in the recess space and fixed to the casing  70 , while there on the surface of one side of the casing  70  near the cover  80  installs a recess area  74 . 
     The cover  80  also has a front end portion  81  and a rear end portion  82 , in which the front end portion  81  and the rear end portion  82  respectively corresponds to the front end portion  71  and the rear end portion  72  of the casing  70 . On the surface of one side of the cover  80  near to the casing  70  installs an installation portion  83  (refer to  FIG. 2 ), which, in the present embodiment, is exemplified as a recess space, but not limited thereto; the sliding member  40  is accommodated in the recess space and fixed to the cover  80 , and the cover  80  may slide with the sliding member  40  relatively to the casing  70 . On the surface of cover  80  there installs a screen  84 ; through the above-described configuration, the electronic device with a sliding and rotating cover is formed. 
     Refer now to  FIG. 4 , wherein, as the electronic device (i.e. the mobile phone) is in a retracted state, the cover  80  is folded on the casing  70 , and the front end portion  81  and the rear end portion  82  of the cover  80  are respectively located in correspondence over the front end portion  71  and the rear end portion  72  of the casing  70 . When the user intends to use the mobile phone, it is possible to push the cover  80 , thus making the sliding member  40  driven by the cover  80  to slide toward the rear end portion  72  of the casing  70 . 
     Refer now to  FIG. 5 , when the front end portion  81  of the cover  80  slides over the recess area  74  of the casing  70 , the rotating member  20  driven by the first elastic member  30  conjunctively drives the sliding member  40  to rotate relatively to the fixed member  10 , so that the front end portion  81  of the cover  80  moves downward into the recess area  74 ; while the rear end portion  82  thereof rises up, thus the cover  80  can rotate upward freely relatively to the casing  70 . 
     Meanwhile, the sliding member  40  keeps sliding relatively to the rotating member  20 ; as the cover  80  continues to slide slantwise upward to a position, the mobile phone is in a slide-up state as shown in  FIG. 6 , which allows the screen  84  to face up at a certain angle relative with the casing  70 , so that the user can conveniently view the contents displayed on the screen  84 . 
     Referring again to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the electronic device shown therein may further comprise at least one second elastic member  50 , in which the second elastic member  50  may be a spring, the spring being formed by bending a spring line, and on the line segment of the spring line there form plural bended portions  51 . The second elastic member  50  has a first end  52  and a second end  53 , in which the first end  52  and the second end  53  of the second elastic member  50  can be matched with two rivets  60 , thereby pivoting the first end  52  with the rotating member  20 , and also pivoting the second end  53  with the sliding member  40  in order to allow the second end  53  to move conjunctively with the sliding member  40 . The second elastic member  50  is installed slantwise between the rotating member  20  and the sliding member  40 . The number of the second elastic member  50  is not limited; two second elastic members  50  are shown in Figures as an example. 
     Refer once again to  FIG. 4 . At this moment, the electronic device has not been started yet, thus the cover  80  is folded over the casing  70  and the positions of the two second elastic members  50  at this moment are shown in  FIG. 7 . To open the electronic device, the user may apply a force to push the cover  80 , and such a force needs to be greater than the resistance of the second elastic member  50  to make the cover  80  slide, conjunctively driving the sliding member  40  to move toward the rear end portion  72  of the casing  70 , meanwhile allowing the bended portion  51  of the second elastic member  50  to be compressed to store kinetic energy. 
     When the pivoting point between the sliding member  40  and the second end  53  of the second elastic member  50  passes over the pivoting point between the rotating member  20  and the first end  52  of the second elastic member  50 , the user may no longer need to apply force to push the cover  80 , but may make the sliding member  40  continue to slide through via the force  54  applied on the sliding member  40  which is generated by the expansion of the second elastic member  50  (as shown in  FIG. 8 ), so as to allow the cover  80  to automatically slide to a fixed position (as shown in  FIG. 6 ). 
     Furthermore, as the sliding member  40  slides to the fixed position, the second elastic member  50  can provide the sliding member  40  with a supportive force which causes the sliding member  40  to be kept at the fixed position with no further motion. Thereby, the cover  80  can automatically slide and be maintained at an up-rise position, facilitating the user to conveniently watch the screen  84  installed on the cover  80 . 
     Also, the connection relationship among the aforementioned fixed member  10 , rotating member  20 , and first elastic member  30  will now be further explained with reference to  FIGS. 9 and 10 . 
     The above-mentioned first elastic member  30  has a spring coil  31 , in which a first end  32  and a second end  33  respectively extends slantwise from the two ends of the spring coil  31 , and the slant angles of the first end  32  and the second end  33  are different. On both sides of the first fastening portion  11  of the front end in the fixed member  10  respectively installs a first fastening hole  111  and a first buckling hole  112  connected to the first fastening hole  111 . On the two second fastening portions  21  of the rotating member  20  there respectively installs a second fastening hole  211  corresponding to the first fastening hole  111 , and a second buckling hole  212  connected to the second fastening hole  211 . 
     The second fastening hole  211  of the rotating member  20  and the corresponding first fastening hole  111  of the fixed member  10  individually receives a portion of the spring coil  31  in the first elastic member  30 , in which the first end  32  of the first elastic member  30  is plugged in the first buckling hole  112 , and the second end  33  thereof is plugged in the second buckling hole  212 . Hence, the second fasten portion  21  of the rotating member  20  may be connected in rotation with the first fastening portion  11  of the fixed member  10  through the first elastic member  30 , and the rotating member  20  can be driven by the first elastic member  30  so as to rotate relatively with the fixed member  10 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 11 to 14 , another type of the fixed member  10 , rotating member  20 , and first elastic member  30  is disclosed, wherein the first elastic member  30  also has a spring coil  31  as well as the first end  32  and second end  33  extending from the both ends of the spring coil  31 ; the terminal portion of the first end  32  is additionally bended to form a hook  321 , and the slant angles of the second end  33  and the first end  32  are different. 
     On two sides of the top side of the fixed member  10  there respectively installs an installation groove  12 , while on the inner side of each installation groove  12  there installs a bumpy post  13 ; the first end  32  of each first elastic member  30  is accommodated in the installation groove  12 , and the hook  321  buckles to the post  13 , thereby the fixed member  10  provides the first elastic member  30  with a supportive force. On two lower sides of the rotating member  20  there respectively installs an accommodation groove  24  and a plugging hole.  25  which is connected to the accommodation groove  24 , in which the spring coil  31  of the first elastic member  30  is received in the accommodation groove  24 , and the second end  33  is inserted into the plugging hole  25 . 
     Additionally, the electronic device further comprises an axle  90  which is largely in a form of cylinder, and a stopping bar  91  extends from one side of the axle  90  along the axial direction thereof (as shown in  FIG. 13 ). On two second fastening portions  21  of the rotating member  20  there respectively installs a second fastening hole  211  and a plugging groove  213  connected to the second fastening hole  211  (as shown in  FIG. 12A ), in which the width of the plugging groove  213  is exactly the same as the stopping bar  91 . The two ends of the axle  90  are respectively inserted into the corresponding second fastening holes  211 , and the two ends of the stopping bar  91  are plugged into the two plugging grooves  213 , allowing the rotating member  20  to drive the axle  90  to rotate. The first fastening portion  11  of the fixed member  10  is installed and penetrates a first fastening hole  111  and a positioning groove  113 , wherein the position groove  113  is connected to the first fastening hole  111  (as shown in  FIG. 12B ). In the present embodiment, the cross-section of the positioning groove  113  is fan-shaped, and the cross-section area thereof is greater than the plugging groove  213 . The middle portion of the axle  90  is installed and penetrates through the first fastening hole  111 , and the middle portion of stopping bar  91  is placed in the positioning groove  113 . 
     Therefore, the second fastening portion  21  of the rotating member  20  can be connected in rotation to the first fastening portion  11  of the fixed member  10  through the axle  90 , and the first elastic member  30  can be used to drive the rotating member  20  to rotate relatively with the fixed member  10 . At the same time, it is possible to use the two opposite inner walls of the positioning groove  113  to block the rotation of the stopping bar  91  of the axle  90 , thereby achieving the function for limiting the rotation angle of the cover  80 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 15 to 17 , the second embodiment according to the present invention is shown therein, which is different from the first embodiment in that: 
     On the surface of one side of the cover  80  near to the casing  70  there installs a recess area  85 , such that when the front end portion  81  of the cover  80  slides to the middle section of the casing  70 , the cover  80  can be free from the restriction of the casing  70  by the recess area  85  and rotates relatively to the casing  70 . Similarly, the cover  80  of the electronic device can start to slide in a state of being folded over the casing  70  (as shown in  FIG. 15 ), rotating upward relatively to the casing  70  through the driving of the first elastic member  30  (as shown in  FIG. 16 ), finally moving upward slantwise to a positioning state (as shown in  FIG. 17 ), thereby achieving the function of rising up the screen  84  at an angle relatively to the casing  70 . As such, the electronic device with a sliding and rotating cover according to the present invention provides the following features and functions: 
     1. the sliding member  40  of the present invention can slide relatively to the rotating member  20 , and the rotating member  20  can rotate relatively to the fixed member  10 , such that the cover  80  connected to the sliding member  40  can rotate relatively to the casing  70  that is connected to the fixed member  10 , allowing the screen  84  installed on the cover  80  to rise up and positioned at a preferred angle-of-view relative with the user&#39;s face, enabling more comfortable and convenient viewing of the screen  84  by the user; 
     2. after sliding for a certain distance, the sliding member  40  of the present invention can be otherwise driven by a force from the second elastic member  50  to automatically push the sliding member  40  to a fixed position; 
     3. after the sliding member  40  of the present invention being pushed to slide to the fixed position, it is possible to use a supportive force provided by the second elastic member  50  to allow the sliding member  40  of the present invention to be continuously fixed at the required position. 
     The aforementioned descriptions illustrate simply the preferred embodiments of the present invention, rather than being used to limit the scope of the present invention thereto. It is noted that all effectively equivalent changes and modifications made based on the present disclosure and appended drawings thereof are reasonably deemed to be encompassed within the scope of the present invention.