Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-20
2001-12-04
Picard, Leo P. (Department: 2835)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S747000, C361S689000, C361S689000, C292S164000, C070S03800C
Reexamination Certificate
active
06327151
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a locking device, more particularly to a locking device for locking a disk drive module inside a computer housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, a conventional locking device is used to lock a disk drive module
2
inside a computer housing
10
. The computer housing
10
confines an open-end receiving space
100
for receiving slidably and removably the disk drive module
2
therein. The computer housing
10
has a bottom wall
105
formed with a through hole
101
, and an upright side wall
105
that is formed with a latch hole
1051
for access to the receiving space
100
. The disk drive module
2
, such as a compact disk drive module or a hard disk drive module, has a casing
21
that is formed with a latch groove
20
. The latch groove
20
is registered with the latch hole
1051
when the disk drive module
2
is fully extended into the receiving space
100
. The conventional locking device is disposed on the bottom wall
104
, and includes a latch unit
3
and two positioning pieces
102
. The latch unit
3
has a locking end portion
30
formed with an inclined face
301
, and a positioning end portion
31
opposite to the locking end portion
30
. The locking end portion
30
can extend through the latch hole
1051
and into the latch groove
20
for locking the disk device module
2
onto the computer housing
10
. Opposite curved resilient arm portions
32
are connected integrally to the positioning end portion
31
, and abut against the positioning pieces
102
, respectively, so as to enable the arm portions
32
to bias the locking end portion
30
of the latch unit
3
into the latch groove
20
.
Since the arm portions
32
are formed integrally with the latch unit
3
, which is made of plastic, after a period of use, the arm portions
32
easily experience elastic fatigue and deformation, thereby resulting in an unstable locking and unlocking effect between the latch unit
3
and the disk drive module
2
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a locking device for locking stably a disk drive module inside a computer housing.
According to the present invention, a locking device is adapted for locking a disk drive module inside a computer housing. The computer housing confines an open-ended receiving space that extends in a first direction and that receives slidably and removably the disk drive module therein. The computer housing has a bottom wall and an upright side wall that extends upwardly from the bottom wall and along the first direction and that borders the receiving space. The side wall is formed with a latch hole for access to the receiving space. The disk drive module has a casing that is formed a latch groove. The latch groove is registered with the latch hole when the disk drive module is fully extended into the receiving space. The locking device comprises a latch member, a resilient metal wire strip and a positioning unit.
The latch member has a locking end portion and a connecting end portion opposite to the locking end portion. The latch member is adapted to be disposed on top of the bottom wall of the computer housing, and is movable in a second direction transverse to the first direction between a locking position, where the locking end portion of the latch member is adapted to extend through the latch hole and into the latch groove for locking the disk drive module onto the computer housing and for preventing removal of the disk drive module from the receiving space, and a releasing position, where the locking end portion of the latch member is extracted from the latch groove for unlocking the disk drive module from the computer housing and for permitting the removal of the disk drive module from the receiving space.
The wire strip has opposite arm portions and an intermediate portion connected to the connecting end portion of the latch member.
The positioning unit is adapted to be provided on the bottom wall of the computer housing and abuts against the arm portions of the wire strip so as to enable the wire strip to bias the latch member to the locking position.
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patent: 0337399 (1989-10-01), None
Chen Ying-Hu
Lai Chung-Kao
Lin Po-An
Compal Electronics Inc.
Picard Leo P.
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
Vortman Anatoly
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