Communications: electrical – Tactual indication
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-24
2004-03-30
Lee, Benjamin C. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Tactual indication
C340S007600, C310S081000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06714123
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic devices, such as portable telephones and pagers, which comprise as housed in a casing a vibration generator, and more particularly to a construction to support a motor which constitutes a vibration generator.
2. Description of the Related Art
With reference to
FIG. 1
, a portable telephone comprises a casing
1
formed by a front case
11
and a rear case
12
. A display
13
and manual keys
14
are provided on the front case
11
. The casing
1
has a vibration generator
2
for notifying the user of incoming calls disposed in its interior. The vibration generator
2
in general comprises an eccentric weight member
21
attached to the output shaft of a motor
22
.
The conventional portable telephone, as shown in
FIGS. 8 and 9
, had a construction that a motor
22
of a vibration generator
2
is placed into a bracket
6
made from silicone rubber, holding the bracket
6
in a casing
1
, to have a vibration generator
2
installed in the casing
1
. The bracket
6
comprises a prism-shaped body
61
having a through hole
62
in which the motor
22
of the vibration generator
2
is fitted. A peripheral wall defining the through hole
62
is formed with a slit
63
cut over the whole length of the body
61
.
In assembling the portable telephone described, firstly, the motor
22
of the vibration generator
2
is enclosed in the through hole
62
of the bracket
6
. In this process, the slit
63
of the bracket
6
is widened, to have the motor
22
pushed into the through hole
62
through the slit
63
. The bracket
6
, thereafter, is inserted into a bracket chamber (not shown) by a press fit formed within the casing
1
. This enables the inner periphery of the bracket
6
to come into pressing contact with the outer periphery of the motor
22
, to have the motor
22
secured.
A pair of lead wires
23
,
24
are connected on the rear end face of the motor
22
to supply a drive current. When the motor
22
is placed into the through hole
62
of the bracket
6
, the rotating angle posture of the motor
22
is adjusted in the bracket
6
in order that the pair of lead wires
23
,
24
turns to a predetermined direction. This enables the pair of lead wires
23
,
24
to extend toward the position of a socket without the interference with the other members (for example, the wall of the bracket chamber).
With the above construction that the vibration generator
2
is supported with the bracket
6
provided, the bracket
6
serves as a cushion to prevent the noise, etc. generated by the operation of the vibration generator
2
.
However, with the supporting construction using the conventional bracket
6
, as shown in
FIG. 9
, when the motor
22
of the vibration generator
2
is held in the through hole
62
of the bracket
6
, the bracket
6
has an opening on a slit
63
and is free to be widened, so that the outer periphery of the motor
22
is not so stably held in pressing contact that the motor
22
turns easily in the bracket
6
even with the small external force exerted.
Accordingly, in the process for inserting the bracket
6
into the bracket chamber by a press fit, there is likelihood that the motor
22
changes its posture in rotating angle. This will lead the pair of lead wires
23
,
24
extending from the rear end face of the motor
22
to turn its direction. A problem is encountered in that if the bracket
6
is inserted into a bracket chamber by a press fit with the wires left in the direction, the lead wires
23
,
24
will interfere with the other members.
With the construction that the bracket
6
is not formed with the slit
63
and the through hole
62
is only provided, the inner periphery of the bracket
6
is held in pressing contact with the outer periphery of the motor
22
with the sufficient force even before the bracket
6
being inserted into the bracket chamber by a press fit to obviate the change of the rotating angle posture of the motor
22
. However, it is extremely difficult to insert the motor
22
into the through hole
62
of the bracket
6
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device wherein a vibration generator is supported with a bracket provided in the interior of a casing, and to provide a supporting construction that the vibration generator is placed into the bracket with ease, and the motor of the vibration generator is unlikely to change its posture in rotating angle easily in the bracket during the process for the bracket being placed into the casing.
The invention provides an electronic device which comprises a vibration generator
2
having an eccentric weight member
21
attached to the output shaft of a motor
22
disposed in the interior of a casing
1
. The motor
22
is accommodated into a bracket
4
made from elastic material, and the bracket
4
is held in the casing
1
. The bracket
4
comprises a prism-shaped body
41
. The body
41
has a central portion formed with a through hole
42
in which the motor
22
is tightly fitted. A peripheral wall defining the through hole
42
is formed with a slit
42
cut completely through the wall from one end face of the body
41
and extending to a central portion of the body
41
for a specified distance.
In the assembling process of the electronic device of the invention, when the motor
22
of the vibration generator
2
is accommodated into the through hole
42
of the bracket
4
, since the bracket
4
is formed with the slit
43
, the slit
43
is widened to have the one end of the through hole
42
opened widely, whereby the motor
22
can be inserted further inwardly through the opening into the through hole
42
with great ease.
Further, with the motor
22
accommodated into the through hole
42
of the bracket
4
, the bracket
4
is closed in the region wherein the slit
43
is not provided, so that the inner periphery of the bracket
4
is tightly held in pressing contact with the outer periphery of the motor
22
in the region, obviating the change of the rotating angle posture of the motor
22
.
Stated specifically, a projection
44
to contact with an end face of the motor
22
is formed on one end portion of the bracket
4
with the slit
43
provided. With this specific construction, the end face of the motor
22
contacts with the projection
44
, whereby the motor
22
can be axially positioned relative to the bracket
4
.
With the electronic device of the invention, the vibration generator is accommodated into the bracket with great ease, and the motor of the vibration generator in the bracket is unlikely to change its posture in rotating angle easily during the process for the bracket being placed into the casing.
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Makino Masami
Miyake Hideki
Armstrong Kratz Quintos Hanson & Brooks, LLP
Lee Benjamin C.
Sanyo Electric Co,. Ltd.
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