Electronic device with AC plug

Details Electronic device with AC plug Electronic device with AC plug

1999-06-09

2001-08-14

Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

Connector movable between accessible and inaccessible positions

C439S174000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06273734

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTON
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device with an AC plug and more particularly to an electronic device with an AC plug in which the AC plug to be connected to a power supply is mounted so as to be able to rotate 90 degrees so that the AC plug can be stored in a case of the electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, electronic devices such as, for example, a charger for charging a battery, an AC adapter for converting an AC power supply to a working voltage or to a DC power supply, and the like, are well known.
These electronic devices are each equipped with an AC plug which has blades for connecting the AC plug to a power supply and a holding portion integrally formed on end portions of the blades. In order to improve miniaturization and portability of the electronic device, the AC plug is designed to be a falling-type AC plug which can be rotated 90 degrees about a case (device body) so that the AC plug can be stored in the case.
There are two AC adapters shown in
FIGS. 6 and 7
as examples of the above-mentioned electronic device.
FIG. 6
a
is a schematic front view of a first AC adapter
1
.
FIG. 6
b
is a cross-sectional view taken along a line a—a of
FIG. 6
a
of the AC adapter
1
. The AC adapter
1
comprises a case
2
formed of insulation resin and an AC plug
3
. The AC plug
3
consists of a pair of blades
4
a,
4
b
formed of conductive metal material, and a holding portion
5
molded out of resin material and integrated with end portions of the blades
4
a,
4
b.
A rotary shaft
6
extends out of the holding portion
5
of the AC plug
3
and a bearing portion
7
for supporting the rotary shaft
6
is formed in the case
2
. In
FIG. 6
a,
as shown by an arrow, the AC plug
3
is designed to be able to rotate 90 degrees about the rotary shaft
6
. The angle of 90° is from a position where the AC plug
3
is stored in the case
2
(see lines formed by alternate long and two short dashes), to a position where the AC plug
3
is raised upright from the case
2
(see continuous lines) for connecting to a power supply (not shown). In addition, on an end surface of the holding portion
5
of the AC plug
3
, there are contact portions of the blades
4
a,
4
b
to be connected to the power supply and contacts in connection with a substrate (not shown) within the case
2
. When the AC plug
3
is rotated, the contact portions and the contacts are in flexible connection with each other, and a description thereof is omitted (hereinafter, the description of the contact portions and the like in an embodiment of the present invention will also be omitted).
In the above-mentioned AC adapter
1
, the blades
4
a,
4
b
of the AC plug
3
sandwich the central axis of the shaft portion
6
and are mounted with broad portions thereof facing each other. On the other hand, in a second AC adapter
8
, as shown in
FIG. 7
, which basically comprises the same elements (the corresponding elements are given the same reference numerals), each of the blades
4
c,
4
d
of the AC plug
3
is mounted so as to lie in a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the shaft portion
6
, with the broad portions of the blades
4
c,
4
d
facing each other.
In the conventional AC adapter
1
or
8
in which the AC plug
3
can be rotated and stored therein, the AC plug
3
is fixed (locked) in a state in which the AC plug
3
is raised from the case
2
by a rotation of 90 degrees (a raised state) by, for example, a fixing mechanism which consists of a projection and a hole portion (not shown).
However, in the conventional adapters
1
or
8
, if the AC plug
3
fixed by the fixing mechanism collides with some object, the fixed AC plug
3
may be damaged by a force caused by the collision.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a general object of the present invention to provide an electronic device with an AC plug, in which the above disadvantage can be eliminated.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device with an AC plug, in which the AC plug, in a state of having been raised from a case, will not be damaged even if the electronic device collides with some object.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device with a falling-type AC plug which can be rotated 90 degrees. The electronic device comprises a force mechanism for constantly exerting a force on the AC plug so that the AC plug can be stored in a case of the device, and a fixing mechanism for temporarily fixing the AC plug when the AC plug is raised by a rotation of nearly 90 degrees, the AC plug being released from the temporarily fixed state when the AC plug is connected to and then removed from a power supply.
Herein, the rotation angle of 90° supports a connection angle at which the AC plug is connected to a power supply. In general, the connection angle is usually set at 90 degrees. However, the connection angle may be set at 45 degrees in place of 90 degrees in a special case in which the AC plug is connected to a power supply at an angle of 45°. At a rotation angle of nearly 90°, the AC plug may be smoothly connected to a power supply. Further, since the AC plug is raised by a rotation of nearly 90 degrees against the force exerted by the force mechanism, after the AC plug is connected to and then removed from the power supply, the AC plug automatically rotates back so as to be stored in the case. Thus, the AC plug is prevented from becoming damaged from a collision with an object.
According to the above-mentioned structure of the present invention, the AC plug stored in the case of the electronic device is raised by a rotation about a rotary shaft against a force exerted by the force mechanism. When the AC plug is rotated nearly 90 degrees, the AC plug is temporarily fixed by means of the fixing mechanism mounted in a predetermined position. The fixing mechanism includes, for example, an engagement portion which consists of a hemispherical projection and a hole portion corresponding to the projection. The AC plug in the temporarily fixed state is connected to a power supply, and thereby the AC plug is completely rotated 90 degrees, and then the electricity is turned on. After that, if the AC plug is removed from the power supply, the AC plug will rotate back so as to be stored in the case rather than be temporarily fixed, because the force mechanism exerts a pulling force on the AC plug larger than that of a fixing force exerted on the AC plug by the fixing mechanism.
Accordingly, when the AC plug is not to be connected to a power supply, the AC plug is always stored in a case, and therefore the AC plug will not damaged even if the electronic device collides with some object.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an electronic device comprises a case; an AC plug having blades for connecting to a power supply and a holding portion integrally formed on end portions of the blades, the AC plug being designed to be able to rotate 90 degrees about the case so as to store the AC plug in the case; an elastic member having two end portions, one end portion being fixed in the holding portion of the AC plug, the other end portion being fixed in the case, wherein when the AC plug is raised by a rotation of 90 degrees about a rotary shaft, the elastic member extends perpendicular to a central axis of the rotary shaft and is positioned nearer to an opening end surface formed on the case for raising up the AC plug than the central axis so as to exert a torque on the AC plug about the rotary shaft; a guide groove for guiding the AC plug so that the AC plug can rotate 90 degrees, the guide groove having a fixing groove portion for temporally fixing the AC plug in a position where the AC plug is rotated nearly 90 degrees; and an engagement member having two end portions for engaging the holding portion of the AC plug with the case, one end portion being engaged with the guide groove of the AC plug, the other end portion being engaged with a hole portion formed in

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