Electrical connectors – With guiding means for mating of coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-19
2001-09-18
Donovan, Lincoln (Department: 2832)
Electrical connectors
With guiding means for mating of coupling part
C439S620040
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290529
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a connecting device, or adapter, onto which an electrical unit is detachably mounted and, more particularly, to an adapter to which a portable terminal unit is electrically and/or optically connected. Also, the present invention relates to a connecting structure comprising adapters ard terminal units.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable terminal units have been used for temporarily storing data regarding, for example, stock management in a store or a gas or electric power consumption of a user. Also, an adapter is known in the art which is effectively used in association with such a terminal unit to transmit data stored in the terminal unit through the adapter to a host computer.
FIGS. 1A
to
1
C show a conventional portable terminal unit
1
and a conventional adapter
5
used for the terminal unit
1
. As shown in
FIG. 1A
, the terminal unit
1
includes a keyboard
2
for data input and a display
3
such as a liquid crystal display, both arranged on a front face of the terminal unit
1
. The terminal unit
1
is also provided on the bottom end thereof with a pair of battery charging contacts
4
, and on the back face thereof, opposed to the front face, with an optical interface (not shown) for data communication.
On the other hand, the adapter
5
includes a housing
6
having a generally rectangular mount surface and a plurality of guide walls
10
,
11
, provided respectively along longitudinally extending two edges (i.e., side edges) and laterally extending one edge (i.e., a bottom edge) of the mount surface to uprightly project from the mount surface, for guiding and positioning the terminal unit
1
in a proper position on the mount surface. The mount surface of the housing
6
and the inside surfaces of the guide walls
10
,
11
define a receptive space
7
for detachably receiving the terminal unit
1
in the proper position.
The adapter
5
is also provided on the mount surface with an optical interface
8
, and on the inside surface of the bottom guide wall
11
with a pair of battery charging contacts (not shown), both being aligned respectively with the optical interface and the battery charging contacts
4
of the terminal unit
1
received in the proper position. The adapter
5
further includes a foot
9
extending from the back side of the housing
6
to permit the adapter
5
to be placed with a certain inclination on a flat horizontal surface, such as a table surface, and to facilitate the mounting operation of the terminal unit
1
into the receptive space
7
.
In the normal mounting operation of the terminal unit
1
on the adapter
5
, the unit
1
is first incompletely placed on the mount surface of the housing
6
and is then slid thereon in a direction Y (
FIG. 1A
) into the proper position under the guiding function of the side guide walls
10
. In this respect, the terminal unit
1
is covered on the outer peripheral region thereof with a rubber material to provide shock resistance, water resistance and an improved feel, as is commonly provided in most conventional terminal units. Therefore, it is difficult to smoothly slide the terminal unit
1
on the mount surface between the side guide walls
10
due to a relatively large friction between the surfaces of the rubber material and guide walls
10
.
Also, in the conventional adapter
5
, the terminal unit
1
is fully received in the proper position when the bottom end of the unit
1
, on which the battery charging contacts
4
are provided, comes into abutment with the inside surface of the bottom wall
11
. In this respect, it is difficult for an operator to sense the abutment between the terminal unit
1
and the bottom wall
11
, and to confirm that the terminal unit
1
is fully received in the proper position.
Further, the terminal unit
1
relatively easily falls out of the receptive space
7
in the adapter
5
because the terminal unit
1
is held in its proper position mainly by gravity. This will happen, for example, when the terminal unit
1
is carelessly mounted on the adapter
5
, when the protruding top end of the unit
1
incompletely placed on the mount surface of the housing
6
is inadvertently pushed down, or when an optional unit is additionally attached to the top end of the unit
1
.
FIGS. 2A
to
3
B show certain modifications to the conventional adapter
5
. In the modification of
FIGS. 2A and 2B
, the adapter
5
is provided with an overhanging guide wall
13
for holding the bottom end of the terminal unit
1
, and a battery charging contact
14
is fixedly arranged on the mount surface of the housing
6
. When the terminal unit
1
is slid on the mount surface in a mounting or detaching operation, a problem arises in that the tip end of the contact
14
may be engaged with the back face of the terminal unit
1
so that the contact
14
is inadvertently deformed or broken.
On the other hand, in the modification of
FIGS. 3A and 3B
, a battery charging contact
14
is fixedly arranged on the inside surface of the bottom wall
11
. When the terminal unit
1
is slid along the inside surface of the bottom wall
11
in a mounting or detaching operation, a problem also arises in that the tip end of the contact
14
may be engaged with the bottom end of the terminal unit
1
so that the contact
14
is inadvertently deformed or broken.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an adapter, for use with a terminal unit, which can facilitate the mounting operation of the terminal unit on the adapter, even when the terminal unit is covered on its outer periphery with a rubber material.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an adapter, for use with a terminal unit, which can securely hold the terminal unit in a proper position on the adapter, irrespective of the direction of the force of gravity applied to the terminal unit.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an adapter, for use with a terminal unit, which enables an operator to readily sense and confirm that the terminal unit is located in a proper position on the adapter.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an adapter, for use with a terminal unit, which can prevent a battery charging contact provided in the adapter from being deformed or broken during a mounting or detaching operation of the terminal unit.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an adapter, for a terminal unit, comprising a base housing having a mount surface for mounting a terminal unit; a plurality of walls provided on the base housing to define a receptive space on a part of the mount surface of the base housing; guide means for guiding the terminal unit to introduce a part of the terminal unit into the receptive space; an interface section provided on the base housing for functional connection with the terminal unit; and holding means for detachably holding the terminal unit in a proper position on the mount surface to maintain the functional connection.
In the preferred aspect of the invention, the guide means includes at least one guide rail formed on the mount surface of the base housing, the guide rail being adapted to be slidably engaged with the terminal unit.
In this arrangement, the guide means may further include an edge of at least one of the walls, the edge facing the mount surface and being adapted to be slidably engaged with the terminal unit.
In another preferred aspect of the invention, the holding means includes an edge of at least one of the walls, the edge facing the mount surface and being adapted to be engaged with the terminal unit.
It is advantageous that the holding means further includes at least one protrusion formed on the mount surface, the protrusion being adapted to be engaged with the terminal unit.
In this arrangement, the holding means may further include a surface of another one of the walls, the surface being adapted to be abutted with the terminal unit to hold the terminal unit in cooperatio
Kobayashi Toshiyuki
Kumagai Mitsuaki
Minegishi Toshikazu
Obata Takao
Tsurumaru Shinichiro
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Donovan Lincoln
Fujitsu Limited
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