Source: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8206163.html
Timestamp: 2019-01-22 08:10:38
Document Index: 462843580

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 200810006325', 'Application No. 10150216', 'Application No. 2', 'Application No. 201010004951', 'Application No. 10', 'Application No. 11154365', 'Application No. 10', 'Application No. 2', 'Application No. 2010', 'Application No. 10', 'art 1822', 'art 1823', 'art 1824', 'art 1822', 'art 1823', 'art 1823', 'art 1824', 'art 1823', 'art 1824', 'art 1824']

USB connector and USB device - Huawei Device Co., Ltd.
United States Patent 8206163
Zhao, Menglong (Shenzhen, CN)
13/110605
439/11, 439/936, 439/947
439/8, 439/11, 439/13, 439/21, 439/131, 439/936, 439/947, 439/954
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1. A USB connector comprising: a substrate; metal legs positioned at a surface of the substrate; a connecting line, one end of the connecting line electrically connected with one end of the metal legs; and a rotating shaft assembly at least partially received within an aperture defined in the substrate, wherein the rotating shaft assembly comprise a rotating shaft and a rotating shaft sleeve, the rotating shaft being rotatable in the rotating shaft sleeve.
4. A USB device comprising: a housing; a USB connector positioned at an end of the housing, the USB connector comprising metal legs, a connecting line, and a substrate, the metal legs being positioned at a surface of the substrate, one end of the connecting line electrically connected with one end of the metal legs, the USB connector further comprising a rotating shaft assembly at least partially received within an aperture defined in the substrate, wherein the rotating shaft assembly comprise a rotating shaft and a rotating shaft sleeve, the rotating shaft being rotatable in the rotating shaft sleeve; a printed circuit board disposed inside a cavity of the housing and electrically connected with another end of the connecting line; and the housing defining a receptacle for receiving the USB connector.
8. A USB device comprising: a substrate; a rotating shaft sleeve having a cavity defined by a first wall that is substantially parallel to a second wall and a third wall that is substantially parallel to a fourth wall; a rotating shaft substantially disposed in an elastic part that is disposed in the cavity of the rotating shaft sleeve, the rotating shaft capable of rotating relative to the rotating shaft sleeve, wherein the rotating shaft has a first positioning structure thereon and the rotating shaft sleeve has a second positioning structure therein so that the first positioning structure is engagable with the second positioning structure to realize relative movement; metal legs positioned at a surface of the substrate, wherein an axis of the rotating shaft is substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate where the metal legs are positioned and is substantially perpendicular to an extending direction of the metal legs; a connecting line adjacent the surface of the substrate, wherein one end of the metal legs electrically connects with one end of the connecting line; a printed circuit board electrically connected to the metal legs through the connecting line; and a housing, wherein the printed circuit board is disposed inside a cavity of the housing and wherein the substrate is rotatably attached to an end of the housing so that the substrate can rotate around the axis of the rotating shaft.
Further, in order to ensure flexibility when the USB connector is in use, as shown in FIG. 2a, a rotating shaft assembly 18 is fixed to the surface of the substrate 13. The rotating shaft assembly 18 may be fixed to the surface of the substrate 13 by means of ultrasonic welding, bonding and so on. See FIGS. 5a and 5b, when the USB connector 51 is installed to other components by the rotating shaft assembly 18 to form a USB device such as a U-disk or a wireless network adaptor, the USB connector 51 may rotate relative to other components by means of the rotating shaft assembly 18. Further, see FIGS. 3 and 4, the rotating shaft assembly 18 may include a rotating shaft 181 and a rotating shaft sleeve 182. The rotating shaft sleeve 182 is fixed on the surface of the substrate 13 and the rotating shaft 181 may rotate in the rotating shaft sleeve 182. The rotating shaft 181 has a first positioning structure 1811 thereon, and the rotating shaft sleeve 182 has a second positioning structure 1821 therein. The first positioning structure 1811 works with the second positioning structure 1821 to realize the positioning function. The rotating shaft assembly 18 with the first positioning structure 1811 and the second positioning structure 1821 could realize positioning when the USB connector 51 is rotating. For example, the USB connector 51 may stop when rotating every 45° or every 90°. The first positioning structure 1811 and the second positioning structure 1821 may adopt the conventional positioning structure. For example, the first positioning structure 1811 includes elastic projections, and the second positioning structure 1821 includes positioning holes or positioning grooves distributed regularly within the rotating shaft sleeve 182 according to the positioning requirements when the USB connector 51 rotates. When the rotating shaft 181 rotates relative to the rotating shaft sleeve 182 and the first location structure 1811 meets the second location structure 1821, the elastic projections insert into the positioning holes or the positioning grooves, thereby stopping and positioning the USB connector 51. When a force for continuously rotating the USB connector 51 has effect on the USB connector 51, the elastic projections deform under extrusion of the inner wall of the positioning holes or the positioning grooves and disengage from the positioning holes, so that the USB connector may continue to rotate in an original direction or an opposite direction.
In order to facilitate mounting the USB connector 51 to other components to form the USB device, the rotating shaft assembly 18 may also include a rotating shaft support 183. Unlike the way in which the rotating shaft sleeve 182 is fixed on the surface of the substrate 13, the rotating shaft assembly 18 with the rotating shaft support 183 is fixed on the surface of the substrate 13 by the rotating shaft support 183. As shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, the rotating shaft assembly provided with a rotating shaft support is fixed on the surface of the substrate in the following way: the rotating shaft support 183 is nested in the surface of the substrate 13, a portion of the rotating shaft support 183 which comes into contact with the surface of the substrate 13 is fixedly connected, a first support hole 1831 and a second support hole 1832 are provided at either side of the rotating shaft support 183 respectively, the other end of the connecting line 12 passes through the first support hole 1831 to connect with the PCB; the rotating shaft sleeve 182 passes through the second support hole 1832. As shown in FIG. 1, five wires are twisted together to form the connecting line 12, one end of the five wires connects with the metal legs 11 and the other end passes through the first support hole 1831. As shown in FIG. 6, the USB connector has been installed to other components to form a USB device, the USB connector may rotate clockwise or anti-clockwise relative to other components by means of the rotating shaft assembly 18. During rotation, the connecting line 12 twists or untwists like a fried-dough-twist. Further, the rotating shaft sleeve 182 includes a first sleeve part 1822, a second sleeve part 1823 and an elastic part 1824. The first sleeve part 1822 has a through hole thereon. The second sleeve part 1823 has a cavity 28231 therein and a hole 18232 formed in the side wall of the second sleeve part 1823. The elastic part 1824 may be a spring and so on. The rotating shaft 181 comprises a elastic square head 1811 and a trailing end 1812 which connects with the elastic square head. The trailing end 1812 passes through the first sleeve part and cooperates with the second sleeve part 1823 of the rotating shaft sleeve 182 to press the elastic part 1824. After the trailing end 1812 is fitted into the cavity 18231 of the second sleeve part, the elastic deformation of the elastic part 1824 resumes so that the elastic square head 1811 is ejected out of the hole 18232 of the side wall of the second sleeve part.
In the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5a, 5b and 6, a USB device such as a U-disk or a wireless network adaptor and so on comprises the USB connector 51 as described in the first embodiment, a housing 52 and a PCB. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are indicated by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment. The USB connector 51 comprises metal legs 11, a connecting line 12, a substrate 13 and a rotating shaft assembly 18. One end of the metal legs 11 connects with one end of the connecting line 12. The metal legs 11 are formed on the surface of the substrate 13. The rotating shaft assembly 18 is fixed to the surface of the substrate 13. The USB connector is installed at the end of the housing 52 by the rotating shaft assembly 18. The PCB is disposed inside the cavity of the housing and the end of the PCB connects with other end of the connecting line 12. A receptacle 521 for accommodating the USB connector is provided in the surface of the housing.
In order to facilitate assembling, the housing generally includes a first housing 522 and a second housing 523. The first and second housings join together to form a cavity in which the PCB is disposed. When assembled, each of both ends of the USB connector is fitted into one corresponding hole which is provided at either side of one end of the first housing. The USB connector is thus installed at one end of the first housing by the rotating shaft assembly 18; then the first housing is covered with the second housing to form the USB device. The USB connector may rotate with respect to the housing and ensures the continuity of the connecting line 12. Mounting the USB connector at one end of the first housing by the rotating shaft assembly 18 may be implemented in the following ways: the rotating shaft assembly comprises a rotating shaft sleeve and a rotating shaft, the rotating shaft may rotate in the shaft sleeve, the rotating shaft sleeve is fixed to the surface of the substrate, and each of both ends of the rotating shaft is fitted into the corresponding hole of either side of the one end of the first housing; alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b, the rotating shaft assembly 18 comprises a rotating shaft sleeve 182, a rotating shaft 181 and a rotating shaft support 183; the rotating shaft support 183 is fixed to the surface of the substrate 13; the rotating shaft sleeve 182 passes from inside through the second support hole 1832 at one side of the rotating shaft support 183 and a hole 5221 formed at one side of the one end of the first housing; the rotating shaft 181 may rotate in the rotating shaft sleeve 182; a first supporting portion which is coaxial with the rotating shaft 181 is provided on the rotating shaft support 183, and a second supporting portion corresponding to the first supporting portion is provided at the first housing; the first supporting portion cooperates with the second supporting portion so as to connect pivotably the USB connector with the first housing. The first supporting portion may be a projection 1831 protruding outward from the rotating shaft support 183, and the second supporting portion may be a hole 5222 formed at other side of the one end of the first housing, and the projection is nested into the hole. Alternatively, the first supporting portion may be a groove formed on the rotating shaft support 183, the second supporting portion may be a projection protruding inward from other side of the one end of the first housing, and the projection is nested into the groove.
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