Patent Publication Number: US-2003227763-A1

Title: Apparatus for seating a SIM card

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for seating a SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) card, and in particular to an apparatus to protect and fix the SIM card therein.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART  
       [0002]FIG. 1 shows a conventional SIM card-seating apparatus. A depressed portion is disposed on the back of a cell phone to contain a SIM card  10 . A connector (not shown) is embedded in the depressed portion to contact the SIM card  10 . A plate  11  is disposed to cover a portion of the depressed portion, and is slidable in the direction shown in FIG. 1 so that the SIM card  10  is fixed in the depressed portion. Furthermore, a pair of grooves is disposed on sides of the plate  11  to limit the sliding direction of plate  11 .  
       [0003] Conventionally, the SIM card  10  is easily abraded because of the plate  11  sliding, thereby compromising the apparatus&#39; function.  
       [0004]FIG. 2 shows another conventional SIM card-seating apparatus. A depressed portion  22  is disposed on the back of a cell phone to contain a SIM card  10 , wherein a pair of grooves  21  are defined on the sides of the depressed portion  22 . The grooves are utilized to receive insertion of the SIM card in the direction shown in FIG. 2. A connector (not shown) is embedded in the depressed portion to contact the SIM card  10 .  
       [0005] As shown in FIG. 2, the conventional apparatus lacks a fixture member to effectively constrain the SIM card  10  from sliding in the depressed portion and to solidly connect the SIM card and connector.  
       [0006]FIG. 3 shows another conventional SIM card-seating apparatus. In this case, a fixture cover  13  is disposed above the connector  23  to solidly connect the SIM card and connector. However, this structure makes it inconvenient to replace SIM cards. In addition, the fixture cover  13  will loosen after frequent SIM card replacement.  
       [0007] Hence, there is a need for a better apparatus for seating a SIM card.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for seating a SIM card, wherein the apparatus is embedded in a case of a cell phone and includes a first plate and a second plate. The first plate includes a pair of shafts and defines a pair of parallel grooves for receiving the SIM card. The second plate includes a depressed portion to contain the first plate, wherein the depressed portion defines a pair of holes and a pair of channels connecting the pair of holes, the shafts of the first plate slidably disposed in the channels.  
       [0009] The first plate is slidably connected to the second plate so that the first plate moves between a first position and a second position, wherein the first plate is rotatable with respect to the second plate in the first position, and is engaged with the second plate in the second position.  
       [0010] The present invention has the following advantages: the first plate embedded in the depressed portion allows the height of the apparatus to be reduced, the SIM card enters the grooves without abrading, a portion of the apparatus is covered by the case of the cell phone so that the SIM card can be fixed more easily, the apparatus is fabricated independent from the connector, reducing costs, and finally has the advantage of electromagnetic interference shielding material.  
       [0011] A detailed description is given in the following embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
     [0012]FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a first conventional SIM card-seating apparatus;  
     [0013]FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a second conventional SIM card-seating apparatus;  
     [0014]FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a third conventional SIM card-seating apparatus;  
     [0015]FIG. 4A is a schematic view of the apparatus of the present invention;  
     [0016]FIG. 4B shows part of the apparatus of the invention;  
     [0017]FIG. 5 shows the apparatus of the present invention disposed on a printed circuit board;  
     [0018]FIG. 6 shows the apparatus of the present invention embedded in the case of a call phone;  
     [0019]FIG. 7 shows the first plate in the first position;  
     [0020]FIG. 8 shows the first plate in the second position. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     [0021]FIG. 4A is a schematic view of the apparatus of the present invention. A first plate  31  and a second plate  41  are made of electromagnetic interference shielding material. The first plate  31  and the second plate  41  are the main fixture elements in the present invention. The first plate  31  includes a pair of shafts  32  and tabs  33  and defines a pair of parallel grooves  34  for receiving the SIM card. The first plate  31  further includes a flange  35  and defines an opening  36  thereon, wherein the flange  35  is formed at the edge of the first plate  31  to ease engagement thereof.  
     [0022] The second plate  41  includes a depressed portion  42  to contain the first plate  31  and defines a through hole  48 . The depressed portion  42  defines a pair of first holes  43 , a pair of first channels  45 , a pair of second holes  44  and a pair of second channels  46 , wherein the pair of first channels  45  connect the pair of first holes  43 , the pair of second channels  46  connect the pair of second holes  44 , the pair of shafts  32  of the first plate  31  are slidably disposed in the pair of first channels  45 , and the pair of tabs  33  are slidably disposed in the pair of second channels  46 . The through hole  48  is utilized to connect the SIM card and a connector (not shown).  
     [0023]FIG. 5 shows the apparatus of the present invention disposed on the printed circuit board. The apparatus having the first plate  31  and the second plate  41  is disposed on a printed circuit board  50  in the case of a cell phone. The position on the printed circuit board of the apparatus in the present invention corresponds to the connector  23 .  
     [0024]FIG. 6 shows the second plate  41  and the printed circuit board  50  embedded in a case  60  of a cell phone and the depressed portion  42  exposed in the case  60 . In addition, the first holes  43 , the first channels  45  and the second channel  46  are covered by the case  60 . The first plate  31  is slidably connected to the second plate  41  so that the first plate  31  is slidable between a first position and a second position. Furthermore, the first plate  31  is rotatable with respect to the second plate  41  in the first position, and is engaged with the second plate  41  in the second position.  
     [0025] As shown in FIG. 7, the grooves of the first plate  31  receive a SIM card (not shown) and the first plate  31  is rotated to cover the second plates  41  in the first position, wherein the tabs  33  are disposed in the second holes  44 .  
     [0026] As shown in FIG. 8, the first plate  31  moves to the second position by engagement of the flange  35 , wherein the shafts  32  and the tabs  33  slide in the first channels(not shown) and the second channels(not shown) respectively. Furthermore, the spring-type connector  23  also assists in fixing the SIM card between the first and second plates. The spring-type connector  23  biases the SIM card (not shown) against the second plate and subsequently solidly contacts the shafts  32  and tabs  33  with the edges of channels so that friction fixes the first plate  31  in the second position. In addition, the SIM card can be replaced by reversing the steps described above.  
     [0027] While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.