U.S. patent application number 12/010129 was filed with the patent office on 2009-07-23 for fixing structure.
This patent application is currently assigned to INVENTEC CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Lin-Wei Chang.
Application Number | 20090184524 12/010129 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40846317 |
Filed Date | 2009-07-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090184524 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chang; Lin-Wei |
July 23, 2009 |
FIXING STRUCTURE
Abstract
The present invention discloses a fixing structure applicable to
a frame, wherein a first latch plate and a first support plate
parallel to each other are disposed vertically on the frame. The
fixing structure includes a board, a second latch plate disposed on
a surface of the board, and a second support plate parallel to the
second latch plate disposed on the board. When the fixing structure
is placed on the surface of the frame, the first support plate is
passed through a second opening of the fixing structure. A
resilient element is pivotally coupled between the first support
plate and the second support plate, such that the fixing structure
can be moved on the frame by the resilience of the resilient
element, enabling an operator to easily install or remove an
electronic peripheral on or from the space between the first and
second latch plates of the frame.
Inventors: |
Chang; Lin-Wei; (Taipei,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BACON & THOMAS, PLLC
625 SLATERS LANE, FOURTH FLOOR
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22314-1176
US
|
Assignee: |
INVENTEC CORPORATION
Taipei
TW
|
Family ID: |
40846317 |
Appl. No.: |
12/010129 |
Filed: |
January 22, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
292/220 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 1/187 20130101;
G11B 33/12 20130101; Y10T 292/1052 20150401 |
Class at
Publication: |
292/220 |
International
Class: |
E05C 3/16 20060101
E05C003/16; H05K 7/00 20060101 H05K007/00 |
Claims
1. A fixing structure applicable to a frame, wherein the frame has
a surface vertically formed with a first latch plate and a first
support plate, the first latch plate and the first support plate
are parallel to each other, and the surface of the frame is further
formed with a retaining portion between the first latch plate and
the first support plate, the fixing structure comprising: a board
having a second latch plate formed on one side, a bearing plate
formed on an opposite side, a first opening formed on an abutting
position between the board and the second latch plate, a second
opening formed on another abutting position between the board and
the bearing plate, and a second support plate formed on the
position between the second latch plate and the bearing plate,
wherein the second latch plate, the bearing plate, and the second
support plate are parallel with each other; and a resilient element
having a first end pivotally connected to the second support plate;
whereby, when the fixing structure is placed on the surface of the
frame, the retaining portion of the frame is passed through the
first opening and engaged with a portion of the board adjacent to
the first opening, the first support plate of the frame is passed
through the second opening and engaged with an inner surface of the
bearing plate, and a second end of the resilient element is
pivotally connected to the first support plate.
2. The fixing structure of claim 1, wherein the board further
comprises an engagement plate formed on the position between the
second support plate and the bearing plate.
3. The fixing structure of claim 1, wherein the first latch plate
and the second latch plate comprises at least one insertion element
formed on surfaces of the first latch plate and the second latch
plate facing with each other.
4. The fixing structure of claim 2, wherein the first latch plate
and the second latch plate comprises at least one insertion element
formed on surfaces of the first latch plate and the second latch
plate facing with each other.
5. The fixing structure of claim 3, wherein the board further
comprises two reinforced flange formed on another two opposite
sides of the board respectively.
6. The fixing structure of claim 4, wherein the board further
comprises two reinforced flange formed on another two opposite
sides of the board respectively.
7. The fixing structure of claim 5, wherein the resilient element
has an inverted U shape.
8. The fixing structure of claim 6, wherein the resilient element
has an inverted U shape.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a fixing structure, and
more particularly to a fixing structure applicable to a frame of a
computer equipment for enabling an operator to speedily and easily
install or remove an electronic peripheral (such as an optical disk
drive or a hard disk drive, etc.) on or from the frame.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Recently, with the development of computer technologies,
functions of computer equipments are continuously increased and
improved, while the market price thereof is lower day by day. Thus,
computer equipments have become affordable consumer products, or
even indispensably important tools, in our daily life and work. In
response to the heated competition in the computer market, various
design houses and manufacturers of computer equipments have made
great efforts to simplify the manufacturing processes and mechanism
designs of computer equipments in order to effectively reduce the
time and manpower required for installing the computer equipments,
thereby increasing production speed, substantially lowering
production cost, and effectively increasing the convenience in
computer equipment maintenance in the future. Take electronic
peripherals (such as an optical disk drive or a hard disk drive,
etc.) for example, it is important for relevant manufacturers to
figure out how to simplify the manufacturing processes and
mechanism designs of computer equipments, so that an electronic
peripheral can be speedily installed and secured on a frame of a
computer equipment and speedily removed therefrom for repair or
replacement when the electronic peripheral is damaged or out of
order.
[0003] However, a manufacture will generally use a plurality of
screws for installing, positioning and securing an electronic
peripheral on a frame of a computer equipment. Before assembling,
an operator has to prepare the screws and hand tools matching the
screws. During the installing process of the electronic peripheral,
the operator has to use the hand tools to fasten the screws into a
plurality of holes on the electronic peripheral, one after another,
so that the electronic peripheral is stably secured on the frame of
the computer equipment. Similarly, if the operator wants to remove
the electronic peripheral from the frame, the operator also needs
the hand tools for unscrewing, one screw after another, for
removing the electronic peripheral. Because of their small sizes,
the screws are not only difficult to fasten and unscrew, but also
get lost easily after being unscrewed. This may complicate the
procedures for installing or removing the electronic peripheral
on/from the frame, causing considerable inconvenience and creating
a lot of troubles to the operator. As a result, the assembling or
disassembling speed cannot be efficiently enhanced.
[0004] Therefore, it is an important goal of the present invention
to develop a fixing structure which helps an operator to install or
remove an electronic peripheral on/from a frame of a computer
equipment in a more speedy and easier way.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It is therefore tried by the inventor to develop a fixing
structure to solve the aforementioned problem that an operator has
to screw or unscrew a plurality of screws, one after another, for
installing or removing an electronic peripheral on/from a frame of
a computer equipment, so as to simplify the conventional assembling
and disassembling procedures, and thereby enhance an operator's
efficiency in assembly and disassembly.
[0006] A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a
fixing structure applicable to a frame, wherein the frame has a
surface vertically formed with a first latch plate and a first
support plate, the first latch plate and the first support plate
are parallel to each other, and the surface of the frame is further
formed with a retaining portion between the first latch plate and
the first support plate. The fixing structure includes a board, a
second support plate formed on the board, a second latch plate, and
a bearing plate, wherein the second latch plate and the bearing
plate are formed vertically from the board on two opposite sides
thereof, respectively, and the second latch plate, the bearing
plate, and the second support plate are parallel with each other. A
first opening is formed on an abutting position between the board
and the second latch plate, while a second opening is formed on
another abutting position between the board and the bearing plate.
Thus, when the fixing structure is placed on the surface of the
frame, the retaining portion and the first support plate are passed
through the first opening and the second opening of the fixing
structure, respectively. Furthermore, a resilient element is
pivotally coupled between the first support plate and the second
support plate.
[0007] Therefore, the fixing structure, when under an external
force, can be moved between the retaining portion and the first
support plate of the frame, within spaces provided by the first
opening and the second opening, by the resilience of the resilient
element. When an operator installs an electronic peripheral (such
as an optical disk drive or a hard disk drive, etc.) between the
first latch plate of the frame and the second latch plate of the
fixing structure, the fixing structure can be resiliently moved
toward the first latch plate, so that the second latch plate and
the first latch plate cooperate to clamp and secure the electronic
peripheral. If the operator moves the fixing structure away from
the first latch plate, the second latch plate will be separated
from the electronic peripheral, so as to release the electronic
peripheral. As a result, the operator can speedily and easily
install or remove the electronic peripheral on/from the frame.
[0008] A secondary objective of the present invention is to provide
a fixing structure as mentioned above, wherein the board is further
formed with an engagement plate between the second support plate
and the bearing plate. When the operator rotates the resilient
element to a predetermined position, the resilient element will be
engaged with the engagement plate and, therefore, prevented from
being deformed by an external force. After the electronic
peripheral is installed, the engagement between the resilient
element and the engagement plate can effectively prevent the fixing
structure from being pushed by the electronic peripheral pushing
under an improper external force (such as a shaking caused by an
accidental impact), so that the resilient element will not be
deformed, and the fixing structure, therefore, will not move away
from the first latch plate to disengage the electronic peripheral
from the frame and the fixing structure.
[0009] A third objective of the present invention is to provide a
fixing structure as mentioned above, wherein the board further has
another two opposite sides, and the another two opposite sides each
is formed with a reinforced flange. As a result, when the fixing
structure is moved toward the first latch plate by the resilience
of the resilient element to fix the electronic peripheral, a
portion of the board between the resilient element and the
electronic peripheral can bear a continuous pressure from the
resilient element pushing the board toward the electronic
peripheral. The reinforced flanges can substantially enhance the
structural strength of the fixing structure, so as to prevent the
fixing structure from being deformed by the pressure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The structure and the technical means adopted by the present
invention to achieve the above and other objectives can be best
understood by referring to the following detailed description of
the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
[0011] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a fixing structure
according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of the fixing
structure according to the preferred embodiment of the present
invention; and
[0013] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of use of
the fixing structure according to the preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates a fixing structure 2 according to a
preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1,
the fixing structure 2 is applied to a frame 1 which has a surface
vertically formed with a first latch plate 10 and a first support
plate 11, wherein the first latch plate 10 and the first support
plate 11 are parallel to each other. Meanwhile, the surface of the
frame 1 is further formed with a retaining portion 12 between the
first latch plate 10 and the first support plate 11. The fixing
structure 2 comprises a board 20 having a second latch plate 21
vertically extending from one side, and a bearing plate 22
vertically extending from the other side opposite to the side
formed with the second latch plate 21. Furthermore, a first opening
23 is formed on an abutting position between the second latch plate
21 and the board, while a second opening 24 is formed on another
abutting position between the bearing plate 22 and the board 20.
Moreover, the board 20 further comprises a second support plate 25
between the second latch plate 21 and the bearing plate 22, wherein
the second latch plate 21, the bearing plate 22, and the second
support plate 25 are parallel with each other. As a result,
referring now to FIG. 2, when the fixing structure 2 is placed on
the surface of the frame 1, the retaining portion 12 of the frame 1
can be passed through the first opening 23, and engaged with a
portion of the board 20 adjacent to the first opening 23.
Meanwhile, the first support plate 11 of the frame 1 can be passed
through the second opening 24, and engaged with an inner surface of
the bearing plate 22. In addition, the fixing structure 2 further
comprises a resilient element 3 pivotally coupled between the
second support plate 25 and the first support plate 11.
[0015] Therefore, referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, the fixing
structure 2, when under an external force, can be horizontally
moved by the resilience of the resilient element 3 within a space
provided by the second opening 24 adjacent to the first support
plate 11. Thus, when an electronic peripheral 5 (such as an optical
disk drive, a hard disk drive, etc.) is placed between the first
latch plate 10 of the frame 1 and the second latch plate 21 of the
fixing structure 2, the fixing structure 2 can be moved toward the
first latch plate 10, so that the second latch plate 21 and the
first latch plate 10 cooperate to clamp and secure the electronic
peripheral 5. When the fixing structure 2 is moved away from the
first latch plate 10, the second latch plate 21 will be separated
from the electronic peripheral 5, so as to release the electronic
peripheral 5. As a result, an operator can speedily and easily
install or remove the electronic peripheral 5 on/from the frame 1
through the cooperation between the fixing structure 2 and the
frame 1.
[0016] Referring back to FIG. 2, in the preferred embodiment of the
present invention, the resilient element 3 preferably has an
inverted U shape. The resilient element 3 has a first end pivotally
connected to the second support plate 25, and a second end
pivotally connected to the first support plate 11. Furthermore, the
board 20 is formed with an engagement plate 26 between the second
support plate 25 and the bearing plate 22. When the operator
rotates the resilient element 3 toward the engagement plate 26, a
portion of the resilient element 3 adjacent to the first end
thereof will be placed into a space defined between the engagement
plate 26 and the second support plate 25, so that the resilient
element 3 is engaged with the engagement plate 26 and therefore
prevented from being deformed. As a result, referring back to FIG.
3, after the operator secures the electronic peripheral 5 with the
frame 1 and the fixing structure 2, the engagement between the
resilient element 3 and the engagement plate 26 can effectively
prevent the fixing structure 2 from being pushed by the electronic
peripheral 5 under an improper external force (such as a shaking
caused by an accidental impact), so that the resilient element 3
will not be deformed, and the fixing structure 2, therefore, will
not move away from the first latch plate 10 to disengage the
electronic peripheral 5 from the frame 1 and the fixing structure
2. Thus, the electronic peripheral 5 is stably installed between
the frame 1 and the fixing structure 2.
[0017] Referring to FIG. 1 again, in the preferred embodiment of
the present invention, a surface of the first latch plate 10 of the
frame 1 facing the second latch plate 21 of the fixing structure 2
is formed with at least one insertion element 4, while a surface of
the second latch plate 21 of the fixing structure 2 facing the
first latch plate 10 of the frame 1 is also formed with at least
one insertion element 4. Therefore, referring to FIG. 3 again, when
the operator secures the electronic peripheral 5 with the frame 1
and the fixing structure 2, the insertion elements 4 are inserted
respectively into a plurality of positioning holes 50 on two
opposite sides of the electronic peripheral 5, so that the
electronic peripheral 5 is stably fixed between the frame 1 and the
fixing structure 2.
[0018] Referring back to FIG. 1, in the preferred embodiment of the
present invention, the board 20 further has another two opposite
sides different from the two opposite sides, and the two opposite
sides are each formed with a reinforced flange 27. As a result,
referring to FIG. 3 again, when the fixing structure 2 is moved
toward the first latch plate 10 by the resilience of the resilient
element 3 to secure the electronic peripheral 5, a portion of the
board 20 between the resilient element 3 and the electronic
peripheral 5 can bear a continuous pressure from the resilient
element 3 pushing the board 20 toward electronic peripheral 5. The
reinforced flanges 27 can substantially enhance the structural
strength of the fixing structure 2, so as to prevent the fixing
structure 2 from being deformed by the continuous pressure and
effectively increase a service life of the fixing structure 2.
[0019] The present invention has been described with a preferred
embodiment thereof and it is understood that many changes and
modifications to the described embodiment can be carried out
without departing from the scope of the present invention which is
defined only by the appended claims.
* * * * *