Receptacles – Sectional – Electrical housing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-07
2001-11-13
Pollard, Steven M. (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
Sectional
Electrical housing
C220S004260, C220S324000, C220S326000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06315142
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fitting piece structure of a main body of a portable terminal appliance, such as a portable phone, in particular it relates to a configuration provided with a twisted surface in a part of a fitting surface of a fitting piece for improving the disassembling property of a main body case.
Recently, manufacturers of portable terminal appliances, such as portable phones are actively striving for the new product development for achieving a smaller size, a lightweight and a thinner shape. According to the trend, the mechanical strength of the product tends to be weak due to a thinner shape of the housing and deterioration of the rigidity of the main body. Moreover, since the number of repair of the troubled products on market increases according to the increase of the spread ratio with respect to the population year by year so as to increase the number of terminals, improvement of the disassembling property and maintenance property of the terminals is called for.
Hereinafter, a conventional fitting piece structure of a main body of a portable terminal device, such as a portable phone will be explained hereinafter.
The conventional fitting piece structure of the main body of the portable phone will be described with reference to FIGS.
1
,
7
A,
7
B,
10
and
11
. In
FIG. 1
, thee portable phone comprises an upper case
1
, a lower case
2
and an internal unit
30
. For engagement of the upper case
1
and the lower case
2
, a fitting piece
3
as shown in
FIG. 7B
is used. In the case of the engagement using the fitting piece
3
, a fitting horizontal surface
4
having vertices U-V-X-Y is formed as shown in
FIGS. 10 and 11
.
Operation of the portable terminal device with the configuration will be explained. The upper case
1
and the lower case
2
are engaged with the internal unit
30
inserted therebetween. At the time, the upper case
1
and the lower case
2
are held and fixed by fitting the fitting pieces,
3
of the upper case
1
and the lower case
2
with respect to the fitting horizontal surface
4
of the corresponding fitting piece
3
.
Operation in disassembling for repair will be explained. The upper case
1
and the lower case
2
held by the fitting piece
3
shown in
FIG. 7B
are divided against to the fitting force of the fitting piece
3
. The operation force characteristic at the time of the release is shown in FIG.
7
A. That is, since the cases cannot be disassembled until a certain load is applied but there is a risk of damage or breakage if the cases are disassembled forcibly, they need to be disassembled by handling with care for gradually releasing the fitting between each fitting piece
3
and the corresponding fitting piece
3
in the upper case
1
and the lower case
2
for preventing damage or breakage.
Accordingly, since the fitting pieces cannot be released easily at the time of disassembling although the upper and lower cases are held preferably by the fitting pieces of the main body in the conventional configuration, a problem is involved in that damage or breakage of the main body case can easily be generated due to a bend or twist mode at the time of disassembling a product on market.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to solve the conventional problems, an object of the invention is to provide an excellent portable terminal device with a small size, capable of improving the releasing property of fitting pieces of an upper case and a lower case at the time of disassembling the appliance, and lowering generation of deformation or crack of the main body by bend or twist while maintaining a sufficient fitting holding force.
In order to achieve the object, according to the configuration of a portable terminal device of the invention, fitting pieces are provided in an upper case and a lower case of a main body for holding and fixing with each other, the fitting pieces are provided with a fitting horizontal surface to be substantially parallel when the upper case and the lower case are engaged, and a part of the fitting horizontal surface of the fitting pieces of at least one of the upper case and the lower case has a fitting twisted surface twisted in the direction away from the fitting horizontal surface of the other fitting piece.
Since a first aspect of the invention is a portable terminal device comprising an upper case, a lower case, and an internal unit, wherein fitting pieces are provided in both upper case and lower case for holding and fixing with each other, the fitting pieces are provided with a fitting horizontal surface to be substantially parallel when the upper case and the lower case are engaged, and a part of the fitting horizontal surface of the fitting pieces of at least one of the upper case and the lower case has a fitting twisted surface twisted in the direction away from the fitting horizontal surface of the other fitting piece, the effect of improving the releasing property of the fitting pieces of the upper case and the lower case at the time of disassembling the appliance can be achieved by gradually releasing the fitting pieces without the twisted surface along the twisted surface of the fitting piece having the twisted surface in releasing the fitting pieces of the upper and lower cases at the time of disassembling the main body.
Moreover, since a second aspect of the invention is a portable terminal device comprising an upper case, a lower case, and an internal unit, wherein fitting pieces are provided on three sides of the inner wall of the outer periphery of the upper case and the lower case for holding and fixing the upper case and the lower case with each other, the fitting pieces on the three sides are provided with a fitting horizontal surface to be substantially parallel when the upper case and the lower case are engaged, and a part of the fitting horizontal surface of the fitting pieces in two sides facing with each other among the fitting pieces on the three sides of at least one of the upper case and the lower case has a fitting twisted surface twisted in the direction away from the fitting horizontal surface of the other fitting piece, the effect of improving the releasing property of the fitting pieces of the upper case and the lower case at the time of disassembling the appliance can be achieved by gradually releasing the fitting pieces without the twisted surface along the twisted surface of the fitting piece having the twisted surface in releasing the fitting pieces of the upper and lower cases at the time of disassembling the main body as well as the effect of lowering the chance of generating deformation or crack of the main body by bend or twist can be achieved while maintaining a sufficient holding force.
Furthermore, since a third aspect of the invention is the portable terminal device, wherein the fitting pieces having the fitting twisted surface provided in the two sides facing with each other of at least one of the upper case and the lower case are provided with the fitting horizontal surface at the end closer to the fitting pieces provided in the side other than the two sides facing with each other among the outer peripheral three sides of the upper case and the lower casein the substantially perpendicular direction, and the fitting twisted surface is provided in the direction away from the fitting pieces, the effect of improving the releasing property of the fitting pieces of the upper case and the lower case at the time of disassembling the appliance and lowering the chance of generating deformation or crack of the main body by bend or twist can be achieved.
Moreover, since a fourth aspect of the invention is the portable terminal device, wherein at least one pair of the fitting pieces having the fitting twisted surface are provided in the two sides facing with each other of the upper case and the lower case, the effect of improving the releasing property of the fitting pieces of the upper case and the lower case at the time of disassembling the appliance and lowering the chance of generating deformation or crack of the main
Kitamura Toshiyasu
Konishi Kazuhiro
Tamaru Makoto
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Pearne & Gordon LLP
Pollard Steven M.
LandOfFree
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