Optical: systems and elements – Lens – With lens casing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-22
2001-04-10
Epps, Georgia (Department: 2873)
Optical: systems and elements
Lens
With lens casing
C359S819000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06215602
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable communication devices, such as a portable phone and an individual calling radio, in particular, to a holding device of a lens for optically indicating receipt.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some portable communication devices, such as portable phones and individual calling radios, inform an user of arrival of electric waves transmitted from someone by flashing an a light emitting member. Such a portable communication device is the well-known device, which has a configuration that light emitted from the light emitting member is guided to the outside of a housing via a lens provided at one end of the housing
Hereinafter, a configuration of the lens and a method of fixing the lens to the housing will be described with reference to drawings.
FIG. 7
shows an external appearance of conventional portable communication device
41
having a transmitting circuit and a receiving circuit inside a housing
42
made of a synthetic resin. An LCD panel
43
is fitted into and attached with a part of the housing
42
. A stretchable antenna
44
is provided in the upper part of the housing
42
. In the vicinity of the stretchable antenna
44
, an indicator
45
indicating a light is provided in the upper end central part of the LCD panel
43
, so as to inform the user of the receipt of the electric waves. Though a speaker portion
46
is provided below the indicator
45
, a speaker is mounted inside the housing
42
. A display portion
47
having a liquid crystal panel displays the phone number of the communication counterpart, or the like. An operation portion
48
is for various kinds of operations, such as the operation of calling the communication counterpart.
The internal configuration of the portable communication device
41
will be described. As shown in
FIG. 8
, a light emitting member
52
such as a light emitting diode is fixed on one end of a printed board
51
. The printed board
51
is mounted below the housing
42
shown in the middle part of
FIG. 9
such that the light emitting member
52
faces to a hole portion
53
formed on the end portion of the housing
42
in the mounted state. A fitting portion
54
is concavely formed on the upper surface of the housing
42
with a rectangular shape when viewed from above. The LCD panel
43
shown in the upper part of
FIG. 8
is fitted into and attached with the fitting portion
54
.
The fitting portion
54
formed in the housing
42
has a fitting hole
55
for positioning the liquid crystal panel having the display portion
47
and a fitting hole
56
for positioning the speaker.
On the other hand, a notch portion
62
is formed on one end of the LCD panel
43
for fitting with a lens
61
. A double coated adhesive material
66
is attached on the rear side of the LCD panel
43
, that is, at the position on the lower side marked with slant lines in
FIG. 9
so that the LCD panel
43
is fitted into the fitting portion
54
as well as attached with the double coated adhesive material
66
in mounting the LCD panel
43
in the housing
42
.
An assembled structure of the housing
42
, the LCD panel
43
and the lens
61
will be described with reference to FIG.
9
.
FIG. 9
shows the cross-sectional view at the position along the line d—d in
FIG. 8
, in which the housing
42
, the LCD panel
43
and the lens
61
are assembled.
The lens
61
, which is prepared by integral molding of an acrylic material containing a dispersing agent forms the indicator
5
together with the light emitting member
52
. The lens
61
has a plate-like shape when viewed from above, and a ginkgo leaf-like shape when viewed from the side as shown in FIG.
9
.
In the condition that the housing
42
, the LCD panel
43
and the lens
61
are assembled, the lower end portion of the lens
61
is adjacent to the light emitting member
52
so that the light emitted from the light emitting member
52
is transmitted and observed visibly from above the lens
61
.
The lens
61
is engaged with the hole portion so as to be mounted on the housing
42
. In mounting, a first nail portion
61
a
and a second nail portion
61
b
formed in the lens
61
are engaged with the inner circumference of the hole portion
53
for stopping the lens
61
and preventing the lens
61
from being removed from the housing
42
.
With the device for mounting the lens
61
, in the case fitting gaps g
1
and g
2
between the housing
42
and the lens
61
are large, a light may be leaked, or the lens
61
may backlash In order to solve the problems, it is necessary to minimize the fitting gaps or adopt press fitting. In either case, a high size accuracy is required of each of the hole portion
53
and the lens
61
so that production of a mold and administration of molding irregularity become difficult.
Since the lens
61
is held by the first and second nail portions
61
a
and
61
b
, the strength of holding the lens
61
is weak. Therefore, in the case that the portable communication device is dropped, the lens
61
may break due to the load applied thereon by the dropping impact. In order to solve the problem, the first and second nail portions
61
a
and
61
b
may be provided with a larger size so as to enlarge the hooking area onto the housing
42
. However, with a larger hooking area, the assembly becomes difficult.
However, since the first and second nail portions
61
a
and
61
b
are engaged with the housing
42
, as shown in
FIGS. 9
and
11
, the end portion
43
a
of the housing
42
needs to be disposed between the lens
61
and the LCD panel
43
. Therefore, design is limited in the case the LCD panel
43
and the lens
61
are expressed integrally.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above circumstances, the object of the present invention is to provide portable communication device having a structure for mounting a lens capable of simplifying the size accuracy of parts, having the excellent assembling property, and improving the holding force against the external force and freedom in design.
In order to solve the problems, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lens holding device for portable communication device comprising a housing partially provided with a concave portion, a panel to be fitted with the concave portion, a light emitting member for emitting a light subject to receipt, and a lens for guiding the light emitted from the light emitting member, wherein the lens is fitted into the panel as well as interposed between the housing and the panel.
Moreover, according to a second aspect of the present invention, collar portions are formed in the lens so that the collar portions are interposed between the housing and the panel.
According to the above configurations, since the collar portions are interposed between the housing and the panel fixed on the housing so as to be integrated, compared with the configuration of inserting the lens into the hole portion formed in the housing for engaging by the nail portions, the size administration of the parts, such as the lens can be simplified so that fall-off by the external force can be prevented as well as various expressions can be enabled in terms of design.
Furthermore, according to third aspect of the present invention, one of the collar portions is formed as a ring-like fitting spring portion so that an engaging projection formed in the panel is inserted through the fitting spring portion. According to the configuration, since the engaging projection is inserted through the fitting spring portion, the lens cannot loose out at all.
Moreover, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the collar portions are bonded using a double coated adhesive material preliminary attached on the panel. According to the configuration, assembly of the lens and the panel, and, the housing can further be reinforced so that in addition to prevention of loosing out of the lens, backlash can be prevented completely.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5146620 (1992-09-01), Swikle
patent: 5251117 (1993-
Kubo Tetsuya
Tamaru Makoto
Epps Georgia
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Pearne & Gordon LLP
Seyrafi Saeed H
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