Package and article carriers – Carried by animate bearer – Rigid means fixedly mounted on article and detachably...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-16
2001-10-23
Cronin, Stephen K. (Department: 3727)
Package and article carriers
Carried by animate bearer
Rigid means fixedly mounted on article and detachably...
C224S195000, C224S197000, C224S930000, C024S003120, C024S615000, C455S090300, C455S100000, C455S351000, C455S575100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305588
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a releasable coupling for a suspension stud on a first face of a wall, especially of a casing of a mobile item of telecommunication, of the type comprising:
an orifice made in the wall and emerging on said first face of the wall;
a device for axial retention of the stud, a coupling end of which is accommodated in said orifice in order to perform the coupling.
It is known to provide a stud on the rear face of mobile telephones which allows the person carrying the telephone to suspend it from his belt. For this purpose, a complementary fork-shaped support device is provided on the belt. It allows the suspension stud to be retained in the notch defined between the two branches of the fork.
Not all mobile telephone users make use of this option of hanging the mobile telephone from a belt. Thus, the suspension stud must be able to be removed by users not making use thereof.
Several solutions have been proposed.
The mobile telephone sold under the reference MT30 MITSUBISHI includes a suspension stud which is fixed to the rear face of the telephone with the aid of a double-sided adhesive tape. This solution has the drawback that, after removing the stud, traces of the adhesive tape remain visible on the rear face. In addition, this way of fixing the stud is not very reliable and does not allow the stud to be positioned accurately.
Another mobile telephone manufacturer has proposed that the suspension stud be engaged inside a slot made on the rear face of the telephone. This slot emerges in the housing for accommodating the telephone's supply battery. It is only possible to fit the suspension stud when the battery has been removed. After fitting the battery, the latter holds the stud in position.
This solution has the drawback that the position of the stud depends on the size of the battery. In addition, this coupling is not very reliable since there is a risk of the suspension stud being lost when the battery is removed.
Yet other mobile telephones have a metal nut inserted into the rear wall of the telephone. This nut emerges on the external face of the telephone and allows the suspension stud to be fixed by means of a screw which passes through it.
This solution is relatively expensive because of the need to insert a metal nut into the rear face of the mobile telephone, which is made of plastic. In addition, given that few users wish to benefit from the option of suspending the telephone from a belt, this nut is often unused. It therefore increases the weight of the telephone unnecessarily. Furthermore, there is a risk of the screw for fixing the stud becoming unscrewed due to the effect of vibrations.
The object of the invention is to propose a releasable coupling for a suspension stud, especially on a wall of a mobile telephone, which is reliable, lightweight, inexpensive and easy to use, and the wall of the telephone of which is simple to produce.
For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a releasable coupling for a suspension stud on a first face of a wall, especially of a casing of a mobile item of telecommunication, of the aforementioned type, characterized in that said orifice emerges on the second face of the wall opposite said first face and said retention device includes a rod which passes through the orifice and which is provided at its free end with means for bearing axially around the perimeter of the orifice on the second face of the wall, which retention device can move, along a coupling path, between a coupling position in which the axial bearing means are applied against the second face of the wall, the wall lying between the stud and the axial bearing means, and an uncoupled position in which the axial bearing means are disengaged from said wall, and in that means are provided for immobilizing the retention device with respect to the wall in its coupling position.
Depending on the particular embodiments, the releasable coupling has one or more of the following characteristics:
said coupling path is defined by a rotational movement about the axis of the rod;
said bearing means include at least one protuberance extending transversely at the free end of the rod, and said orifice has, for the or each protuberance, a notch emerging in that region of the orifice which is intended for passage of the rod;
said immobilizing means include a lock linked in rotation with said retention device, which lock can move between an unlocked position in which the retention device can be rotated and a locking position in which the retention device is prevented from rotating with respect to the wall;
the lock is disengaged from the notches in its unlocked position and is engaged in at least one notch in its locking position;
a device is provided for reinforcing the retention of the lock in its locking position;
said retention-reinforcing device is either a plug for closing off the orifice in the absence of the suspension stud, or a projection made on a support having a profile suitable for retaining said stud;
said immobilizing means include, on the one hand, at least one pair of stops distributed around the orifice and integral with the wall, delimiting between them a cradle for accommodating a protuberance for lateral blocking of the retention device and, on the other hand, means of applying axial stress to the or each protuberance towards the bottom of the cradle;
the rod is mounted so as to be able to move at least axially with respect to said stud;
said means of applying stress comprise elastic means of applying stress to the or each protuberance, which elastic means are placed between the stud and the rod;
the coupling includes a manually actuable knob for driving the rod against the action of the elastic means of applying stress;
one of the stops is provided at the end of a cam surface suitable for engaging with a protuberance against the elastic means of applying stress while the retention device is passing from the uncoupled position to the coupling position; and
the means of applying stress include corresponding threads made on the rod and the stud.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 436948 (2001-01-01), Carlson et al.
patent: 5014892 (1991-05-01), Copeland
patent: 5597102 (1997-01-01), Saarikko et al.
patent: 5604958 (1997-02-01), Anscher
patent: 5620120 (1997-04-01), Tien
patent: 5787341 (1998-07-01), Parkas et al.
patent: 5799847 (1998-09-01), Sandor
patent: 5906031 (1999-05-01), Jensen
patent: 0 777 371 (1997-06-01), None
Belaïche Vincent Antoine Victor
Lamballais Laurent Paul Joseph
Michel Stephane
Renard Jean-Yves Raymond
Cronin Stephen K.
Mitsubishi Electric France
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
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