Electrical connectors – With insulation other than conductor sheath – Plural-contact coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-17
2002-09-24
Bradley, P. Austin (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With insulation other than conductor sheath
Plural-contact coupling part
C439S358000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06454608
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adapter for external connection, which is used, for example, when a terminal of an earphone is attached to a portable music player, and an electronic apparatus using the adapter for external connection.
2. Description of Related Art
Portable music players have been used for a long time. In these portable music players, a memory medium, such as a magnetic tape or an optical disk, for example, a compact disk (CD), a mini disk (MD) or the like, in which music data are stored, is set in a body part of the player. A music is reproduced on the basis of the music data stored in the memory medium in a reproductive form corresponding to each memory medium, to output the music from an earphone or a headphone. When the music player is operated to reproduce or stop the music, the music player is operated by using operation switches provided on the body part of the player or is remotely controlled by a remote controller provided on an earphone cord.
On the other hand, in proportion to high integration of semiconductor memories and low cost thereof, a portable music player using a semiconductor memory card which is a small and detachable nonvolatile memory, as a memory medium for music data has been developed. In such a portable music player, the body part of the player can be downsized. The portable music player can have a durability against vibration and shock. The portability thereof can be improved.
A terminal of an earphone or a headphone and a terminal attachment portion of the player are standardized. It is restricted that a connecting portion between the terminal and the portable music player is downsized because of the standardization. Therefore, there is a limit to downsizing the portable music player.
In particular, when a user carries the music player without using the music player, the music player is required to be more portable, that is, to be downsized more.
In contrast with the above music player, an adapter for connecting an earphone and an electronic apparatus using the adapter are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,329. However, in such an adapter and an electronic apparatus, there are some defects in a connection structure between an adapter for connecting an earphone and an electronic apparatus, and the like.
Further, because the terminal and the terminal attachment portion of the music player are standardized, it is difficult that the terminal and the terminal attachment portion have a waterproof structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was developed in view of these problems. An object of the present invention is to provide an adapter for external connection, which is used, for example, when a terminal of an earphone is attached to a portable music player, and which is easily detachable from the body part of the player, and an electronic apparatus using the adapter for external connection.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an adapter for external connection, which enables a connecting portion between a terminal of an earphone and a portable music player to have a waterproof structure by making the adapter have a waterproof, and an electronic apparatus using the adapter for external connection.
In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention was accomplished. In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, an adapter for external connection, comprises:
a connection terminal (
506
) for contacting with a terminal provided on a surface of a body part of an electronic apparatus when the adapter for external connection is attached to the body part of the electronic apparatus,
an external connection terminal (
504
) which is electrically connected to the connection terminal and which has a continuity with an external lead,
an attachment member for attaching the adapter for external connection to the body part of the electronic apparatus, attachably and detachably;
wherein the attachment member comprises a pair of hooks (
507
and
508
) for engaging with a pair of concavities formed on a side portion of the body part of the electronic apparatus in an outer peripheral direction of the body part, at least one of the pair of hooks being a movable hook (
508
); and a biasing member (
509
) for biasing the movable hook toward the other hook to elastically engage the movable hook with one concavity of the body part of the electronic apparatus.
According to the present invention, by using the adapter for external connection, which mediates between the electronic apparatus and the external lead, even in a standardized connection structure, the connection structure between the electronic apparatus and the external lead can be changed while a state in which the connection structure is detachable is kept.
Therefore, for example, in case that a lead of an earphone is connected with a portable music player as an electronic apparatus, when the music player is not used, the portable music player can be downsized by detaching an earphone together with the connecting portion.
That is, when the electronic apparatus is not used, it is possible to carry the body part of the electronic apparatus in a state that the body part is downsized.
Further, according to the present invention, by biasing the movable hook toward the body part of the electronic apparatus with a biasing force caused by the biasing member in order to engage the movable hook with the concavity of the body part of the electronic apparatus, it is possible that the connection terminal has a continuity with the terminal of the electronic apparatus and that the adapter for external connection is fixed to the electronic apparatus at a touch. It is possible to detach the adapter for external connection from the electronic apparatus by pushing the movable hook in a reverse direction of the biasing force.
That is, the adapter for external connection has a structure in which the adapter for external connection is easily attached to and detached from the electronic apparatus.
Because the attachment member comprises a pair of hooks, at least one of the pair of hooks being a movable hook; and a biasing member for biasing the movable hook toward the other hook to elastically engage the movable hook with one concavity of the body part of the electronic apparatus; the adapter for external connection is firmly fixed to the electronic apparatus. Further, it is hard that the adapter for external connection comes off the electronic apparatus.
As a biasing member, for example, a spring member (such as, a torsion coil spring
509
or a plate spring
511
) is used.
In the above-described adapter for external connection, the other hook may be a fixed hook (
507
), the fixed hook may be provided on one end side of the adapter for external connection and the movable hook may be provided on the other end side of the adapter for external connection.
In the above-described adapter for external connection, a hook portion (
507
a
) of the fixed hook may project toward the movable hook.
In the above-described adapter for external connection, the connection terminal may comprise a coil spring (
506
b
), and the coil spring may give a biasing force to the connection terminal so as to bias the connection terminal toward an output terminal of the body part of the electronic apparatus
According to the present invention, the adapter for external connection can be attached to the body part of the electronic apparatus. At the same time, it is possible to ensure the electrical connection between the connection terminal of the adapter for external connection and the output terminal of the electronic apparatus.
In the above-described adapter for external connection, the adapter for external connection may further comprise a circuit board (
505
) for electrically connecting the connection terminal with the external connection terminal, wherein the circuit board has a continuity with the connection terminal through the coil spring.
According to the present invention, the connection terminal is ele
Kitahara Masaaki
Sekine Toshiyuki
Bradley P. Austin
Casio Computer Co. Ltd.
León Edwin A.
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