Patent Description:
A commonly used structure of a latching member is of a sandwich type, which can be buckled on a case through movement of a material member with a latch relative to a base plate. However, this structure is more complex and has more components, thus generating additional costs.

Document <CIT> discloses a latch having a base configured to be connected to a first surface of a cabinet, two parallel flexible latch arms and a buckle positioned on the extremity of the latch arms. The potential energy stored in the bent latch arms biases the latch toward the engaging position such that when no user is pressing on the latch, the buckle is positioned to engage with a catch if the cabinet door or drawer is pulled in an attempt to open. When using the latch, a user may push on the latch to open the door or drawer.

Document <CIT> discloses a lock for preventing a young child from opening a wing. A slide fastener with two arms can move along a lock shell side notch and a pressure spring is arranged between the sliding fastener and the lock shell to bias the sliding fastener.

Document <CIT> discloses a catch mechanism for use on an appliance comprising an enclosure with an openable door. The catch comprises a flexible or soft member arranged for mounting to a surface of the appliance, said flexible member having a guide recess for cooperating with a striker mechanism, the guide recess including at least one relatively rigid or hard member housed within it.

In view of this, according to the invention, a latching member including a hard material member and a soft material member is provided. The hard material member includes a hard material body, an elastic arm, and a buckle portion. The hard material body has a first side and a second side opposite to each other. One of two ends of the elastic arm is connected to the first side of the hard material body, and at least one hollow portion is between the elastic arm and the hard material body. The buckle portion is connected to the other end of the elastic arm. The soft material member includes a first soft material body, the first soft material body is on the first side of the hard material body and covers the hollow portion and the elastic arm.

In some embodiments, the elastic arm further includes a first arm and a second arm. The first arm is connected to the hard material body, the second arm is connected to the first arm and connected to the buckle portion. The first arm extends in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the hard material body, and the second arm extends in an opposite direction of the extension of the first arm.

In some embodiments, the hard material memberfurther includes an extending portion, and the extending portion extends from the first side of the hard material body. There is at least one spacing portion between the extending portion and the elastic arm. When the first soft material body is on the first side of the hard material body, the first soft material body further covers the at least one spacing portion and a part of the extending portion.

In some embodiments, a waterproof member is further included, and the waterproof member includes a waterproof member body and an assembling convex portion. The assembling convex portion protrudes from the waterproof member body. The hard material member further includes an assembly slot, and the assembly slot is arranged on the hard material body. The assembling convex portion correspondingly passes through the assembly slot, to arrange the waterproof member on the hard material member.

In some embodiments, the waterproof member further includes a waterproof ring, and the waterproof ring surrounds a periphery of the waterproof member body.

In some embodiments, the buckle portion protrudes from the elastic arm to form a hook portion, and one end of the hook portion is provided with a fillet.

In some embodiments, the soft material member further includes a second soft material body, the second soft material body is on the second side of the hard material body, and the second soft material body is provided with a hole portion.

In some embodiments, the first soft material body and the second soft material body are injection-molded on the hard material body.

In some embodiments, the latching member further includes an intermediate member, the hard material member is arranged on the intermediate member, and the intermediate member includes a body, an assembly end, and a hole portion, the hard material body is fixedly arranged on the body, the assembly end is connected to one side of the body, and the hole portion is on the assembly end.

In some embodiments, the intermediate member is formed by plastic injection molding.

In some embodiments, the intermediate member is made of a metal material.

A case including a case body and a latching member is further provided. The case body includes a concave portion. The latching member includes a hard material member and a soft material member. The hard material member includes a hard material body, an elastic arm, and a buckle portion. The hard material body has a first side and a second side opposite to each other. One of two ends of the elastic arm is connected to the first side of the hard material body, and at least one hollow portion is between the elastic arm and the hard material body. The buckle portion is connected to the other end of the elastic arm. The soft material member includes a first soft material body, the first soft material body is on the first side of the hard material body and covers the hollow portion and the elastic arm. The buckle portion of the hard material member is buckled to the concave portion.

In some embodiments, the case body further includes a locking portion, the soft material member further includes a second soft material body, the second soft material body is on the second side of the hard material body, the second soft material body is provided with a hole portion, and the hole portion is arranged on the locking portion correspondingly.

In conclusion, according to the foregoing embodiments, a latching member and a case are provided. The elastic arm of the hard material member deforms elastically relative to the hard material body through the hollow portion. In addition, the integrity of the latching member is maintained by covering the hard material member with the soft material member, and the deformation effect of the elastic arm is maintained through the elasticity of the soft material member. In this way, according to one or some embodiments, the function of a buckle can be achieved by one member combining a hard material and a soft material, which saves redundant components and costs.

Refer to <FIG>. <FIG> is a schematic perspective view (<NUM>) of a latching member according to a first embodiment. <FIG> is a schematic perspective view of a hard material member according to a first embodiment. <FIG> is a schematic exploded view of a case according to a first embodiment. <FIG> is a schematic assembly view of a latching member assembled on a case according to a first embodiment. <FIG> is a schematic perspective view (<NUM>) of a latching member according to a first embodiment. A latching member <NUM> includes a hard material member <NUM> and a soft material member <NUM>. For example, the latching member <NUM> is applied to a case <NUM>. For example, the case <NUM> is a case of an electronic device, such as a notebook computer, a tablet computer, or a handheld electronic device, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The assembly structure of the latching member <NUM> and the case <NUM> is illustrated in detail later. In <FIG> and <FIG>, in order to clearly distinguish the hard material member <NUM> and the soft material member <NUM>, dotted color blocks are used for marking, which is only for convenience of explanation and understanding.

As shown in <FIG>, the hard material member <NUM> includes a hard material body <NUM>, an elastic arm <NUM>, and a buckle portion <NUM>. The hard material body <NUM> has a first side <NUM> and a second side <NUM> opposite to each other. One of two ends of the elastic arm <NUM> is connected to the first side <NUM> of the hard material body <NUM>, and at least one hollow portion <NUM> is between the elastic arm <NUM> and the hard material body <NUM>. The buckle portion <NUM> is connected to the other end of the elastic arm <NUM>. In this way, according to one or some embodiments, through the hollow portion <NUM>, a user can press the elastic arm <NUM>, so that the elastic arm <NUM> is elastically deformed relative to the hard material body <NUM>, and the buckle portion <NUM> is buckled into a slot of the case <NUM> (to be detailed later).

Referring to <FIG> again, the soft material member <NUM> includes a first soft material body <NUM>, and the first soft material body <NUM> is on the first side <NUM> of the hard material body <NUM> and covers the hollow portion <NUM> and the elastic arm <NUM>. In this embodiment, the first soft material body <NUM> is formed on the first side <NUM> of the hard material body <NUM> by injection-molding. The first soft material body <NUM> covers the hard material body <NUM> to maintain the integrity of the latching member <NUM>. In addition, due to the soft material characteristics of the first soft material body <NUM>, the deformation effect of the elastic arm <NUM> can also be maintained.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the elastic arm <NUM> of the hard material member <NUM> may deform elastically relative to the hard material body <NUM> through the hollow portion <NUM>. In order to maintain the integrity of the latching member <NUM>, the hollow portion <NUM> at the first side <NUM> of the hard material member <NUM> can be covered through the soft material member <NUM>. In this case, since the soft material member <NUM> is elastic, the deformation effect of the elastic arm <NUM> can still be maintained. In this way, according to one or some embodiments, the function of a buckle can be achieved through the latching member <NUM> combining the hard material member <NUM> and the soft material member <NUM>, which can also save redundant components and costs.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the latching member <NUM> can be applied to the case <NUM>, the case <NUM> includes a case body <NUM>, and the case body <NUM> is provided with a concave portion <NUM> and an opening <NUM>. The concave portion <NUM> is close to the opening <NUM>, and the concave portion <NUM> is used to accommodate the buckle portion <NUM>. The latching member <NUM> can be arranged on the case <NUM> in such a manner as bonding, locking, or clamping, and a part of the latching member <NUM> can be opened or closed relative to the opening <NUM> of the case body <NUM>. When the latching member <NUM> is about to cover and close the opening <NUM> relative to the case body <NUM> of the case <NUM>, the elastic arm <NUM> can be deformed by pressing the elastic arm <NUM>, the buckle portion <NUM> can be buckled to the concave portion <NUM> of the case body <NUM> to achieve the function of a buckle, and the latching member <NUM> can close the opening <NUM> formed by the case body <NUM>. In some embodiments, an interface/connection port (not shown) is arranged inside the opening <NUM> of the case body <NUM>, and is used for electrically connecting an external connector (not shown) to an interface/connection port of the electronic device.

As shown in <FIG>, in this embodiment, the buckle portion <NUM> protrudes from the elastic arm <NUM> to form a hook portion <NUM>, and one end of the hook portion <NUM> is provided with a fillet R. In this way, according to one or some embodiments, when the user presses the elastic arm <NUM>, the hook portion <NUM>, because of being the fillet R, can enter or leave the concave portion <NUM> more smoothly, and can also avoid scratching the case <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, in this embodiment, the elastic arm <NUM> further includes a first arm <NUM> and a second arm <NUM>. The first arm <NUM> is connected to the hard material body <NUM>, and the second arm <NUM> is connected to the first arm <NUM> and connected to the buckle portion <NUM>. The first arm <NUM> extends in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which a surface of the hard material body <NUM> extends, and the second arm <NUM> extends in an opposite direction of the extension of the first arm <NUM>. In this embodiment, a connection portion <NUM> is further connected between the first arm <NUM> and the second arm <NUM>, and the connection portion <NUM> extends from the first arm <NUM> to the second arm <NUM> in a direction parallel to the direction in which the surface of the hard material body <NUM> extends. In this way, when the user presses the elastic arm <NUM>, since a movement space is between the second arm <NUM> and the first arm <NUM>, the second arm <NUM> can be elastically deformed relative to the first arm <NUM>.

Further, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the elastic arm <NUM> further includes a pressing portion <NUM>, and the pressing portion <NUM> is at a joint between the connection portion <NUM> and the second arm <NUM> and protrudes from the joint in the direction parallel to the direction in which the surface of the hard material body <NUM> extends. In this way, according to one or some embodiments, the user can press the pressing portion <NUM> more intuitively and conveniently, to cause the second arm <NUM> to elastically deform relative to the first arm <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in this embodiment, the hard material member <NUM> further includes an extending portion <NUM>, and the extending portion <NUM> extends from the first side <NUM> of the hard material body <NUM>. At least one spacing portion <NUM> is arranged between the extending portion <NUM> and the elastic arm <NUM>. In this way, according to one or some embodiments, through the spacing portion <NUM>, the extending portion <NUM> does not interfere with the elastic deformation of the elastic arm <NUM>, and the overall structural strength of the latching member <NUM> can also be increased. In addition, when the first soft material body <NUM> is on the first side <NUM> of the hard material body <NUM>, the first slot material body <NUM> further covers the at least one spacing portion <NUM> and a part of the extending portion <NUM> to maintain the integrity of the latching member <NUM> and the deformation effect of the elastic arm <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in this embodiment, a waterproof member <NUM> is further included, and the waterproof member <NUM> includes a waterproof member body <NUM> and an assembling convex portion <NUM>. The assembling convex portion <NUM> protrudes from the waterproof member body <NUM>. The hard material member <NUM> further includes an assembly slot <NUM>, and the assembly slot <NUM> is arranged on the hard material body <NUM> of the hard material member <NUM>. The assembling convex portion <NUM> correspondingly passes through the assembly slot <NUM>, to arrange the waterproof member <NUM> on the hard material member <NUM>. In this way, according to one or some embodiments, when the latching member <NUM> is arranged on the case <NUM> and the opening <NUM> is closed, the waterproof member <NUM> clamped in the latching member can enhance the sealing effect on the opening <NUM> and improve the waterproof performance.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in this embodiment, the waterproof member <NUM> further includes a waterproof ring <NUM>, and the waterproof ring <NUM> surrounds a periphery of the waterproof member body <NUM>. For example, the waterproof ring <NUM> is made of rubber. The rubber waterproof ring <NUM> surrounds the waterproof member body <NUM>, so that when the latching member <NUM> is arranged on the case <NUM>, a gap between the latching member <NUM> and the case <NUM> at the opening <NUM> can be further filled with the waterproof ring <NUM>, to further improve the waterproof effect.

As shown in <FIG>, in this embodiment, the latching member <NUM> further includes a decorative member <NUM>, and the decorative member <NUM> is arranged on the hard material body <NUM> of the hard material member <NUM>. The decorative member <NUM> is used to cover the assembly slot <NUM> of the hard material member <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in this embodiment, the case body <NUM> further includes a locking portion <NUM>, and the locking portion <NUM> is at a side opposite to the concave portion <NUM>. The soft material member <NUM> further includes a second soft material body <NUM>, the second soft material body <NUM> is on the second side <NUM> of the hard material body <NUM>, and the second soft material body <NUM> is provided with a hole portion <NUM>. The hole portion <NUM> is arranged on the locking portion <NUM> correspondingly. In this way, according to one or some embodiments, the latching member <NUM> can be fixed on the case <NUM> in such a manner as screw locking, so as to improve the assembly stability. In this embodiment, the second soft material body <NUM> is also injection-molded on the hard material body <NUM>.

Refer to <FIG> is a schematic exploded viewof a latching member according to a second embodiment. Structures of the second embodiment similar to those of the first embodiment are not repeated. In the first embodiment, the second soft material body <NUM> formed on the second side <NUM> of the hard material body <NUM> by injection-molding is exemplified, and the hole portion <NUM> is arranged on the second soft material body to lock the latching member <NUM>, but this embodiment is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, a separate component can also be used to combine with the hard material body <NUM> of the hard material member <NUM> to lock the latching member <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, a latching member 100a further includes an intermediate member <NUM>, the hard material member <NUM> is arranged on the intermediate member <NUM>, and the intermediate member <NUM> includes a body <NUM>, an assembly end <NUM>, and a hole portion <NUM>. The hard material body <NUM> is fixedly arranged on the body <NUM>, the assembly end <NUM> is connected to one side of the body <NUM>, and the hole portion <NUM> is at the assembly end <NUM>. The hard material member <NUM> can be arranged on the intermediate member <NUM> in a fixing manner such as hooking, screwing, or bonding. In this embodiment, the body <NUM> includes a mating slot <NUM>, and when the hard material body <NUM> is arranged on the body <NUM>, the mating slot <NUM> and the assembly slot <NUM> of the hard material body <NUM> correspond to each other. In this way, according to one or some embodiments, the assembling convex portion <NUM> of the foregoing waterproof member <NUM> can pass through the mating slot <NUM> and the assembly slot <NUM> at the same time, so that the hard material member <NUM> and the intermediate member <NUM> can be combined with each other and fixed. In addition, for example, the intermediate member <NUM> can be formed by plastic injection molding or made of a metal material. In this embodiment, the intermediate member <NUM> is formed by plastic injection molding. In this way, according to one or some embodiments, after a case utilizing the latching member 100a is repeated opened and closed, if the joint between the body <NUM> and the assembly end <NUM> is damaged, the user can replace only the intermediate member <NUM> without replacing the whole latching member 100a.

Finally, please refer to <FIG> is a schematic exploded view of a latching member according to a third embodiment. Structures of the third embodiment similar to those of the first embodiment are not repeated. In the second embodiment, the intermediate member <NUM> made of plastic is exemplified to lock the latching member 100a, but third embodiment is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, an intermediate member <NUM> is made of a metal material to lock a latching member 100b. As can be seen in <FIG>, the intermediate member <NUM> includes a body <NUM>, two assembly ends <NUM>, and a plurality of hole portions <NUM>. The hard material body <NUM> is fixedly arranged on the body <NUM>, the two assembly ends <NUM> are each pivotally connected to one side of the body <NUM>, and the plurality of hole portions <NUM> are at the two assembly ends <NUM> respectively.

In addition, in this embodiment, a hard material member <NUM>, the intermediate member <NUM>, and a waterproof member 150a are arranged and fixed with screws <NUM>. Therefore, the shape of an assembly slot <NUM> on the hard material body <NUM> can be changed into a hole corresponding to the shape of the screw <NUM>; alternatively, in some embodiments, the shape of the assembly slot <NUM> can be still the same as that of the first embodiment, as long as the shape of the assembly slot <NUM> is sufficient for the screw <NUM> to pass through and lock. Moreover, the body <NUM> includes a mating slot <NUM>, and the mating slot <NUM> and the assembly slot <NUM> of the hard material body <NUM> correspond to each other. In addition, in one embodiment, in order to allow the waterproof member 150a to be locked with the screws <NUM> correspondingly, the waterproof member 150a is devoid of the assembling convex portion <NUM>, and the waterproof member body 151a of the waterproof member 150a is provided with screw holes 1511a to be locked with the screws <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A latching member (<NUM>), comprising:
a hard material member (<NUM>), comprising a hard material body (<NUM>), an elastic arm (<NUM>), and a buckle portion (<NUM>), wherein the hard material body (<NUM>) has a first side (<NUM>) and a second side (<NUM>) opposite to each other, one of two ends of the elastic arm (<NUM>) is connected to the first side (<NUM>) of the hard material body (<NUM>), at least one hollow portion (<NUM>) is between the elastic arm (<NUM>) and the hard material body (<NUM>), and the buckle portion (<NUM>) is connected to the other end of the elastic arm (<NUM>); and characterized in that
a soft material member (<NUM>), comprising a first soft material body (<NUM>), wherein the first soft material body (<NUM>) is on the first side (<NUM>) of the hard material body (<NUM>) and covers the hollow portion (<NUM>) and the elastic arm (<NUM>).