U.S. patent application number 11/607547 was filed with the patent office on 2008-06-05 for lid fastening mechanism.
This patent application is currently assigned to Inventec Corporation. Invention is credited to Tzu-Wen Sung.
Application Number | 20080128419 11/607547 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39474518 |
Filed Date | 2008-06-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080128419 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sung; Tzu-Wen |
June 5, 2008 |
Lid fastening mechanism
Abstract
The present invention provides a lid fastening mechanism for
fastening a lid of a device to a casing opening between two
opposing flanks of the device. At least one side of the lid
includes a lid flank overlapping an inner side of one of the flanks
of the device. The lid flank is slidable to and fro relative to the
flank of the device. The lid fastening mechanism includes a
fastening post protrudingly disposed on the inner side of the flank
of the device, a movement groove disposed at a position of the lid
flank corresponding to the fastening post, and a snap fastener
disposed to extend along an inner side of the lid flank and formed
with a snap hole for snap-fit engagement with the fastening post.
The fastening post can slide into the snap hole via the movement
groove and thereby fasten the lid to the casing opening.
Inventors: |
Sung; Tzu-Wen; (Taipei,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
EDWARDS ANGELL PALMER & DODGE LLP
P.O. BOX 55874
BOSTON
MA
02205
US
|
Assignee: |
Inventec Corporation
Taipei
TW
|
Family ID: |
39474518 |
Appl. No.: |
11/607547 |
Filed: |
November 30, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/315 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 1/181 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/315 |
International
Class: |
B65D 45/00 20060101
B65D045/00 |
Claims
1. A lid fastening mechanism for fastening a lid of a device to a
casing opening between two opposing flanks of the device, the lid
having at least one side disposed with a lid flank overlapping an
inner side of one of the flanks of the device, the lid flank being
slidable to and fro relative to the flank of the device, the lid
fastening mechanism comprising: a fastening post protrudingly
disposed on the inner side of the flank of the device; a movement
groove disposed at a position of the lid flank corresponding to the
fastening post and comprising a groove guiding portion and a groove
positioning portion, the groove guiding portion allowing the
fastening post to insert into the lid flank, the groove positioning
portion connecting to the groove guiding portion to guide the
fastening post to a positioning position; and a snap fastener
disposed to extend along an inner side of the lid flank, with one
end of the snap fastener fastened to the lid flank, with another
end of the snap fastener exposed out of the lid, and formed with a
snap hole corresponding in position to an end of the groove
positioning portion of the movement groove for snap-fit engagement
with the fastening post; wherein the fastening post inserts into
the groove guiding portion of the movement groove, slides into the
groove positioning portion, and snaps into the snap hole of the
snap fastener, thus fastening the lid to the casing opening.
2. The lid fastening mechanism of claim 1, wherein the groove
guiding portion is an indented groove perpendicular to a
longitudinal direction of the lid flank, and the groove positioning
portion is perpendicular to the groove guiding portion and extends
along the longitudinal direction of the lid flank.
3. The lid fastening mechanism of claim 1, wherein the snap
fastener comprises an arch portion corresponding in position to the
groove guiding portion and protruding toward the inside of the
device so as to allow the fastening post to insert into the groove
guiding portion.
4. The lid fastening mechanism of claim 3, wherein the arch portion
and the lid flank together form a triangle.
5. The lid fastening mechanism of claim 3, wherein the snap
fastener further comprises a resilient portion connecting to the
arch portion, abutting against the lid flank, and disposed with the
snap hole.
6. The lid fastening mechanism of claim 5, wherein the snap hole is
disposed at a position of the resilient portion close to the arch
portion.
7. The lid fastening mechanism of claim 1, wherein two opposing
sides of the lid comprise the lid flanks overlapping the two
opposing flanks of the device respectively.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a fastening mechanism, and
more particularly, to a lid fastening mechanism for an electronic
device.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Owing to the rapid development of the electronic industry,
server products are becoming easier to maintain and easier to
assemble. To meet the demand for easy maintenance and assembly of
server products, the requirement for auxiliary structures designed
to facilitate the assembly of server products gradually shifts from
long working hours to short working hours, to increase productivity
per unit working hour by improvement in casing assembly
technology.
[0005] Conventional structures of the casings for servers are
available on the market nowadays. To enhance the precision of
assembly of servers, the manufacturers developed a screw fastening
technology that involves forming a screw-fastening auxiliary
structure at the edge of a covering lid of a casing for a server.
The manufacturers also enhance the precision of assembly of servers
by means of a snap-fit engagement structure.
[0006] As mentioned above, conventional structures of the casings
for servers comprise the screw-fastening auxiliary structure formed
in the casing for a server and designed to enhance the precision of
assembly of servers, thus resulting in complicated structures and
long assembly working hours. Besides, the screws as such increase
the number of components to be assembled, which in turn increase
the number of the assembly steps, thus making assembly work more
difficult and complex; hence, it is hard to meet the requirement
for the working hours of sever assembly. As a result, the necessity
of performing a screw-related process on a conventional server
casing structure leads to a complicated fabrication process, high
assembly cost, expensive manpower invested in the fabrication
process, lengthy assembly process, and slow maintenance.
[0007] In addition, in the course of a manual assembly process,
both variation in the degree of workers' skills and discrepancies
in technologies cause reliability-related problems and affect the
precision of working hours, thus affecting the timing of the
process greatly.
[0008] As regards the technology of fastening a lid to the front of
a server, in the old days the lid was secured in position with
blind rivets and thus the server could not be dismantled of the lid
thereafter. Later on, with servers typically being installed with
additional expansion devices such as hot-swappable CD-ROM drives,
hard disk drives, and electronic components like LED circuit
boards, mountable/unmountable lids, among which the most widely in
use were screw-locked lids, emerged to meet the trend.
[0009] Nevertheless, screw locking does have its own drawbacks,
namely a complicated, time-consuming mounting/unmounting process,
and indispensable use of tools. For this reason, subsequent screw
locking technology evolves to reduce the use of screws by means of
a positioning mechanism comprising a pear-shaped hole and a
positioning post, but it still entails using at least one screw,
and thus its tool-dependent feature remains unchanged.
[0010] Accordingly, an issue calling for urgent solution is to
overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art effectively.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] In light of the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art, it is
a primary objective of the present invention to provide a lid
fastening mechanism that can be mounted and unmounted freely.
[0012] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a
lid fastening mechanism that can be mounted and unmounted without
using any tool.
[0013] Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide
a lid fastening mechanism that can be mounted and unmounted
quickly.
[0014] In order to achieve the above and other objectives, the
present invention provides a lid fastening mechanism for fastening
a lid of a device to a casing opening between two opposing flanks
of the device. The lid has at least one side disposed with a lid
flank overlapping an inner side of one of the flanks of the device.
The lid flank is slidable to and fro relative to the flank of the
device. The lid fastening mechanism comprises a fastening post, a
movement groove, and a snap fastener. The fastening post is
protrudingly disposed on the inner side of the flank of the device.
The movement groove is disposed at a position of the lid flank
corresponding to the fastening post and comprises a groove guiding
portion and a groove positioning portion. The groove guiding
portion allows the fastening post to insert into the lid flank. The
groove positioning portion connects to the groove guiding portion
to guide the fastening post to a positioning position. The snap
fastener is disposed to extend along an inner side of the lid
flank, with one end of the snap fastener fastened to the lid flank,
with another end of the snap fastener exposed out of the lid, and
is formed with a snap hole corresponding in position to an end of
the groove positioning portion of the movement groove for snap-fit
engagement with the fastening post. The fastening post inserts into
the groove guiding portion of the movement groove, slides into the
groove positioning portion, and snaps into the snap hole of the
snap fastener, thus fastening the lid to the casing opening.
[0015] The prior art has a drawback, that is, once a front lid for
a server is secured in position with blind rivets, the server
cannot be dismantled of the front lid thereafter. By contrast, the
present invention discloses a lid fastening mechanism whereby a
snap hole of a snap fastener snaps out of a fastening post as soon
as an outer end of the snap fastener is lifted up, and thus the
present invention has an advantage, that is, the lid fastening
mechanism can be mounted and unmounted freely.
[0016] Although the prior art teaches locking a lid to a server
with screws and thus the lid can be mounted and unmounted freely,
the locking process is time-consuming as it entails using multiple
screws. By contrast, the lid fastening mechanism of the present
invention can be mounted and unmounted by manipulating the lid and
the snap fastener only, and thus the mounting and unmounting
process is quick
[0017] Although the prior art allows the lid to be positioned on
the server by means of a pear-shaped hole and a positioning post,
at least one screw has to be used. By contrast, the lid fastening
mechanism of the present invention comprises a fastening post
disposed beside a casing opening, a movement groove disposed at the
lid flank, and a snap fastener disposed at the lid flank, and, by
moving the lid, the fastening post inserts into the movement groove
and snaps into the snap hole of the snap fastener, thus fastening
the lid to the casing opening without using any tool at all.
[0018] Accordingly, the present invention discloses a lid fastening
mechanism for an electronic device to overcome the aforesaid
drawbacks of the prior art, and thus the present invention has high
industrial applicability.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing a lid fastening mechanism
of the present invention; and
[0020] FIGS. 2 to 4 are schematic views showing how to actuate a
lid fastening mechanism of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0021] The following specific embodiment is provided to illustrate
the present invention. Others ordinarily skilled in the art can
readily gain an insight into other advantages and features of the
present invention based on the contents disclosed in this
specification.
[0022] Referring to FIG. 1, a lid fastening mechanism of the
present invention fastens a lid 10 of a device 1 to a casing
opening 11 of the device 1. The device 1 is exemplified by an
electronic device such as a server and the lid 10 by a front lid of
the server. Of course, the device 1 can also be a personal computer
or a portable electronic device. The lid 10 comprises at least one
lid flank 101 overlapping an inner side of a flank 12 of the device
1. The lid flank 101 is slidable to and fro relative to the flank
12. Of course, each of the two opposing sides of the lid 10 can
also be disposed with the lid flank 101 overlapping the inner side
of the flank 12 of the device 1.
[0023] A fastening post 13 is protrudingly disposed on the inner
side of the flank 12 of the device 1. A movement groove 102 is
disposed at a position of the lid flank 101 corresponding to the
fastening post 13. The movement groove 102 comprises a groove
guiding portion 102a and a groove positioning portion 102b. The
groove guiding portion 102a allows the fastening post 13 to insert
into the lid flank 101. The groove positioning portion 102b
connects to the groove guiding portion 102a to guide the fastening
post 13 to a positioning position. The groove guiding portion 102a
of the movement groove 102 is an indented groove perpendicular to a
longitudinal direction of the lid flank 101. The groove positioning
portion 102b is perpendicular to the groove guiding portion 102a
and extends along the longitudinal direction of the lid flank
101.
[0024] A snap fastener 103 is disposed to extend along an inner
side of the lid flank 101, with one end of the snap fastener 103
fastened to the lid flank 101, with another end of the snap
fastener 103 exposed out of the lid 10, and formed with a snap hole
1031 corresponding in position to an end of the groove positioning
portion 102b of the movement groove 102 for snap-fit engagement
with the fastening post 13. The fastening post 13 inserts into the
groove guiding portion 102a of the movement groove 102, slides into
the groove positioning portion 102b, and snaps into the snap hole
1031 of the snap fastener 103, thus fastening the lid 10 to the
casing opening 11.
[0025] The snap fastener 103 comprises an arch portion 1032
corresponding in position to the groove guiding portion 102a and
protruding toward the inside of the device 1 so as to allow the
fastening post 13 to insert into the groove guiding portion 102a.
The snap fastener 103 further comprises a resilient portion 1033
connecting to the arch portion 1032, abutting against the inner
side of the lid flank 101, and disposed with the snap hole 1031.
With the resilient portion 1033 abutting against the lid flank 101,
the fastening post 13 inserts into the snap hole 1031 and does not
readily detach from the snap hole 1031 thereafter. However, the
snap hole 1031 can be formed at a position of the resilient portion
1033 close to the arch portion 1032 to allow the fastening post 13
to insert into the snap hole 1031 immediately after having resisted
the resilient portion 1033 for the shortest distance with a view to
being labor-saving. The arch portion 1032 and the lid flank 101
together form a triangle so as to standardize the snap fastener 103
for mass production.
[0026] A positioning unit can be disposed between the device 1 and
the lid 10 to help position the lid 10 at a predetermined position
of the device 1. The positioning unit comprises a positioning post
104 disposed on a bottom surface of the lid 10 and a positioning
groove 140 disposed on a positioning plate 14 of the device 1 to
guide the positioning post 104.
[0027] A point to note is that the positioning groove 140 and the
positioning post 104 disposed in the device 1 and the lid 10
respectively can be swapped for each other without compromising the
positioning function of the lid fastening mechanism of the present
invention.
[0028] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, moving the lid 10 inserts the
fastening post 13 disposed on the flank 12 of the device 1 into the
groove guiding portion 102a, as shown in FIG. 2. While being
fastened to the casing opening 11, the lid 10 simply lies flatly on
the casing opening 11. The lid flank 101 touches the fastening post
13 and slides horizontally, to allow the fastening post 13 to enter
the groove guiding portion 102a. As shown in FIG. 3, once the
fastening post 13 reaches a point where the groove guiding portion
102a bends toward the groove positioning portion 102b, moving the
lid 10 in the direction of snap-fit engagement (as indicated by
arrow shown in FIG. 3) will allow the fastening post 13 to push the
snap fastener 103 in response to the movement of the lid 10. Once
the fastening post 13 reaches the end of the groove positioning
portion 102b, the fastening post 13 will enter the snap hole 1031
of the snap fastener 103, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5; meanwhile, the
snap fastener 103 rebounds and locks the fastening post 13. In
addition, lifting the end of the snap fastener 103 protruding out
of the lid 10 and pulling the lid 10 allows the snap fastener 103
to snap out of the fastening post 13 and thereby dismantles the
device 1 of the lid 10.
[0029] The prior art has a drawback, that is, once a front lid for
a server is secured in position with blind rivets, the server
cannot be dismantled of the front lid thereafter. By contrast, the
present invention discloses a lid fastening mechanism whereby a
snap hole of a snap fastener snaps out of a fastening post as soon
as an outer end of the snap fastener is lifted up, and thus the
present invention has an advantage, that is, the lid fastening
mechanism can be mounted and unmounted freely.
[0030] Although the prior art teaches locking a lid to a server
with screws and thus the lid can be mounted and unmounted freely,
the locking process is time-consuming as it entails using multiple
screws. By contrast, the lid fastening mechanism of the present
invention can be mounted and unmounted by manipulating the lid and
the snap fastener only, and thus the mounting and unmounting
process is quick
[0031] Although the prior art allows the lid to be positioned on
the server by means of a pear-shaped hole and a positioning post,
at least one screw has to be used. By contrast, the lid fastening
mechanism of the present invention comprises a fastening post
disposed beside a casing opening, a movement groove disposed at the
lid flank, and a snap fastener disposed at the lid flank, and, by
moving the lid, the fastening post inserts into the movement groove
and snaps into the snap hole of the snap fastener, thus fastening
the lid to the casing opening without using any tool at all.
[0032] Accordingly, the present invention discloses a lid fastening
mechanism for an electronic device to overcome the aforesaid
drawbacks of the prior art, and thus the present invention has high
industrial applicability.
[0033] The aforesaid embodiment merely serves as the preferred
embodiment of the present invention. It should not be construed as
to limit the scope of the present invention in any way. Hence, any
other changes can actually be made in the present invention. It
will be apparent to those skilled in the art that all equivalent
modifications or changes made, without departing from the spirit
and the technical concepts disclosed by the present invention,
should fall within the scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *