U.S. patent application number 14/973761 was filed with the patent office on 2017-06-22 for internal magnetic locking for mobile devices.
The applicant listed for this patent is Motorola Mobility LLC. Invention is credited to Daniel P. Dondzik, Jacob D. Wilson.
Application Number | 20170180522 14/973761 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 59064625 |
Filed Date | 2017-06-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170180522 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wilson; Jacob D. ; et
al. |
June 22, 2017 |
Internal Magnetic Locking for Mobile Devices
Abstract
Systems and methods for assembling a mobile cellular device do
not require screws or adhesives, allowing for more efficient and
less wasteful rework of the device when needed. In an embodiment,
one or more fixed lock elements are attached to one a screen
assembly of the device (or the device housing) and a locking shaft
is retained in the housing (or the screen assembly). The locking
shaft includes blocking sections that block passage of the lock
elements, and non-blocking sections that permit passage of at least
part of each lock element. In this way, when the screen assembly is
mated to the housing, each lock element aligns with and at least
partially passes over one of the non-blocking sections, such that
when the locking shaft is slid axially, the lock elements align
with and are retained by the blocking sections.
Inventors: |
Wilson; Jacob D.;
(Schaumburg, IL) ; Dondzik; Daniel P.; (Elk Grove
Village, IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Motorola Mobility LLC |
Chicago |
IL |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
59064625 |
Appl. No.: |
14/973761 |
Filed: |
December 18, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M 1/0249 20130101;
H04M 1/0266 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04M 1/02 20060101
H04M001/02 |
Claims
1. A mobile cellular device comprising: a housing having an open
top; a screen assembly including at least a display screen and a
battery; one or more locking bars affixed to a first one of the
housing and the screen assembly; and a locking shaft substantially
parallel to the display screen and retained to a second one of the
housing and the screen assembly, the locking rod having at least
one large diameter section and at least one smaller diameter
section, such that when the screen assembly is mated to the housing
via the open top of the housing, the one or more locking bars align
with and pass over the at least one smaller diameter section, and
when the locking rod is slid axially, the one or more locking bars
align with and are retained by the least one large diameter
section.
2. The mobile cellular device in accordance with claim 1, further
comprising a resilient member disposed between the housing and the
screen assembly, the resilient member being compressible during
assembly of the device to allow sliding of the locking rod, and
rebounding of the resilient member holding the locking rod
stationary after assembly.
3. The mobile cellular device in accordance with claim 1, wherein
the one or more locking bars are affixed to the screen
assembly.
4. The mobile cellular device in accordance with claim 1, wherein
the locking rod is retained by the housing.
5. The mobile cellular device in accordance with claim 1, wherein
the one or more locking bars include at least two locking bars.
6. The mobile cellular device in accordance with claim 1, wherein
the locking rod includes a magnet usable to move the rod via a
magnet external to the device.
7. The mobile cellular device in accordance with claim 4, wherein
the locking rod includes one or more studs that when rotated form
an interference relationship with a portion of the housing.
8. The mobile cellular device in accordance with claim 1, further
comprising a locking latch that holds the locking rod in its locked
position.
9. The mobile cellular device in accordance with claim 1, further
comprising at least one tongue on one of the housing and the screen
assembly and a mating feature on the other of the housing and the
screen assembly, with the tongue and mating feature being located
so that when the tongue and mating feature are engaged, the one or
more locking bars align with the at least one smaller diameter
section of the locking rod.
10. A mobile cellular device comprising: a housing; a screen
assembly including at least a display screen; one or more locks
affixed to a first one of the housing and the screen assembly; and
a locking shaft retained to a second one of the housing and the
screen assembly, the locking shaft having one or more blocking
sections sized to block passage of respective ones of the one or
more locks, and having one or more non-blocking sections sized to
permit passage of at least a portion of the respective ones of the
one or more locks, such that when the screen assembly is mated to
the housing via the open top of the housing, each of the one or
more locks aligns with and at least partially passes over a
respective one of the one or more non-blocking sections, and when
the locking shaft is slid axially, the one or more locks align with
and are retained by respective ones of the one or more blocking
sections.
11. The mobile cellular device in accordance with claim 10, further
comprising a resilient member disposed between the housing and the
screen assembly, the resilient member being compressible during
assembly of the device to allow sliding of the locking shaft, with
rebounding of the resilient member holding the locking shaft
stationary after assembly.
12. The mobile cellular device in accordance with claim 10, wherein
the one or more locks are affixed to the screen assembly.
13. The mobile cellular device in accordance with claim 10, wherein
the locking shaft is retained by the housing.
14. The mobile cellular device in accordance with claim 10, wherein
the one or more locks include at least two locks.
15. The mobile cellular device in accordance with claim 10, wherein
the locking shaft includes a magnet usable to move the locking
shaft via a magnet external to the device.
16. The mobile cellular device in accordance with claim 13, wherein
the locking shaft is a rod and includes one or more studs that form
an interference relationship with a portion of the housing when the
rod is rotated axially.
17. The mobile cellular device in accordance with claim 13, wherein
the locking shaft is a rail.
18. The mobile cellular device in accordance with claim 10, further
comprising a locking latch that holds the locking shaft in its
locked position.
19. The mobile cellular device in accordance with claim 10, further
comprising at least one tongue on one of the housing and the screen
assembly and a mating feature on the other of the housing and the
screen assembly, with the tongue and mating feature being located
so that when the tongue and mating feature are engaged, the one or
more locks align with the one or more non-blocking sections of the
locking shaft.
20. A method of assembling a mobile cellular device having a top
half and a bottom half, the method comprising: placing a resilient
gasket between the top half and the bottom half; applying a
compressive force compressing the top half and a bottom half
together, thus compressing the resilient gasket; sliding a rod
retained within the bottom into an interference fit relative to a
protrusion extending from the top half while the top and bottom
halves are compressed together; and releasing the compressive
force, causing the resilient gasket to at least partially rebound,
trapping the rod and protrusion together.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure is related generally to mobile device
structure and construction, and, more particularly, to a system and
method for securing one part of such a device to another.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Mobile device construction typically employs one or both of
screws and adhesives to lock major structures together, e.g.,
housings, printed circuit boards (PCBs), and display assemblies.
When reworking assemblies in which adhesives have been used, it is
generally necessary to apply heat or chemicals to breakdown the
adhesives in order to pry the assemblies apart.
[0003] In assemblies in which screws have been used to hold parts
together, these parts may be disassembled once or twice generally
before further manipulation results in stripped thread bosses. As
with adhered assemblies, the reworking of screwed assemblies
requires tools. In addition screws typically need to be covered
after assembly so that they are not visible or accessible to the
end consumer.
[0004] The present disclosure is directed to a system that can
eliminate certain shortcomings of present systems. However, any
such benefit is not a limitation on the scope of the disclosed
principles, or of the attached claims, except to the extent
expressly noted in the claims. Additionally, the discussion of
technology in this Background section is reflective of the
inventors' own observations, considerations, and thoughts, and is
in no way intended to accurately catalog or comprehensively
summarize any prior art reference or practice. As such, the
inventors expressly disclaim this Background section as admitted or
assumed prior art. Moreover, the identification herein of desirable
courses of action reflects the inventors' own observations and
ideas, and should not be assumed to indicate an art-recognized
desirability.
SUMMARY
[0005] In an embodiment of the disclosed principles, a mobile
cellular device is provided having a housing and a screen assembly.
One or more locking bars are affixed to one of the housing and the
screen assembly, and a locking shaft is retained in the other of
the housing and the screen assembly. The locking rod includes one
or more large diameter sections and one or more smaller diameter
sections, such that when the screen assembly is mated to the
housing, the one or more locking bars align with and pass over
respective one or more smaller diameter sections. When the locking
rod is slid axially, the one or more locking bars align with and
are retained respective one or more large diameter sections.
[0006] In another embodiment, the mobile cellular device includes
one or more locks affixed to one of the housing and the screen
assembly and a locking shaft retained in the other of the housing
and the screen assembly. The locking shaft includes one or more
blocking sections that block passage of respective ones of the
locks, and one or more non-blocking sections that permit passage of
at least a portion of respective ones of the locks. In this way,
when the screen assembly is mated to the housing, each of the locks
aligns with and at least partially passes over a respective one of
the non-blocking sections, and when the locking shaft is slid
axially, the locks align with and are retained by respective ones
of the blocking sections.
[0007] In a method of assembling a mobile cellular device in
accordance with yet another embodiment of the disclosed principles,
a resilient gasket is placed between the top half and the bottom
half of the device, and a compressive force is applied, compressing
the top half and a bottom half together. This compresses the
resilient gasket and allows a sliding a rod within the bottom to be
slid into an interference fit relative to a protrusion extending
from the top half. Releasing the compressive force causes the
resilient gasket to at least partially rebound and traps the rod
and protrusion together.
[0008] Other features and embodiments of the disclosed principles
will be appreciated from the detailed description herein, including
the figures. It will be appreciated that this document describes
example embodiments and does not limit the claims to such
embodiments. Rather those of skill in the art will appreciate that
embodiments and features other than those shown may be used without
departing from the scope of the disclosed principles.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] While the appended claims set forth the features of the
present techniques with particularity, these techniques, together
with their objects and advantages, may be best understood from the
following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings of which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a side view of a two part device within which
embodiments of the disclosed principles may be implemented;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a front view of a two part device within which
embodiments of the disclosed principles may be implemented;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional end view of a device
including a locking system in accordance with an embodiment of the
disclosed principles;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a device
including a locking system in accordance with an embodiment of the
disclosed principles, wherein locking features are aligned;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a device
including a locking system in accordance with an embodiment of the
disclosed principles, wherein locking features are aligned and the
device halves are compressed together; and
[0015] FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a device
including a locking system in accordance with an embodiment of the
disclosed principles, wherein the device halves are compressed
together and the locking rod has been slid into a locking
position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] As noted above, mobile device construction typically employs
screws and adhesives to lock major structures together, e.g.,
housings, printed circuit boards (PCBs), and display assemblies.
When reworking these assemblies where adhesives have been used,
heat or chemicals are generally applied to breakdown the adhesives
in order to pry the assemblies apart. This process may damage
device displays and lenses, as well as cosmetic surfaces.
[0017] In assemblies wherein screws have been used to hold parts
together, these parts may be disassembled once or twice generally
before further working strips or compromises screw hole threads in
attachment bosses. Moreover, as with adhered assemblies, the
reworking of screwed assemblies requires tools and may result in
damage to various parts of the device.
[0018] When damage occurs using either technology, costs are often
incurred for replacing or scrapping the affected parts. Moreover,
even if rework is performed without damaging any parts of the
device, the use of screws and adhesives generally precludes any
entity outside of an assembly plant from making changes or
additions to the device. Thus, for example, later customization
steps, sometimes referred to herein as "postponable steps," are
difficult to perform other than at the place and time of device
assembly.
[0019] To at least partly ameliorate one or more of the issues
noted above, an embodiment of the disclosed principles employs a
latching rod attachment system to attach an "internals" assembly
(e.g., the main display assembly bonded to PCBs, batteries,
carriers with cameras and so on) to the device shell or housing.
The internals assembly in accordance with this embodiment includes
either a sliding lock rod or one or more mating latches, and the
device shell includes the other of these two features so as to
provide an interlocking attachment via interaction of the sliding
lock rod and the mating latches.
[0020] A resilient gasket or other compressible structure is
located at the periphery of the internals assembly, between the
internals assembly and the device shell in an embodiment. This
gasket seals the internal cavity of the device and also enables
assembly and retention as explained more fully below, without
adhesives or threaded fasteners such as screws.
[0021] For assembly, the combined but not yet latched device,
including the internals assembly and the device shell, is pressed
together, compressing the resilient gasket. This step may be
accomplished via a press or other fixture or may be manually
executed. The compression of the internals assembly into the shell
pushes the locking rod past the mating locking features, and while
the device is still compressed, the locking rod is slid into an
interference position relative to the mating locking features. In
an embodiment, the locking rod includes a permanent magnet at one
or both ends thereof, and one or more magnets outside the device
are slid along the device to move the locking rod into the
interference position.
[0022] In a further embodiment, the locking rod includes one or
more posts, and the external magnets are rotated to rotate the
locking rod so that the posts lock into additional interlocking
features. At this point in the assembly process, the compression
force on the device is released, allowing the internals assembly to
move slightly away from the device housing under the force of the
gasket, setting the interlocking features. With the locking rod and
mating latches engaged, the mobile device is fully secured without
requiring the use of adhesives or threaded fasteners to retain the
major subassemblies.
[0023] For the purpose of rework, the assembled device may be
re-compressed, e.g., in the same or different fixture, and the
magnets rotated and slid in the opposite directions and sequence
from their original movements in order to unlock the device. At
this point, the entire assembly can be separated easily into its
subassemblies with no need to unscrew fasteners or remove
adhesives. This allows for convenient and safe rework, e.g., if an
assembly error has occurred.
[0024] For example, the device may need to be reworked if the wrong
color housing was used, if a device housing has been found to be
scratched, or if any other situation occurs in which the assembled
device needs to be taken apart for modification. Using embodiments
of the disclosed principles to assemble the device and retain its
subassemblies, there is much less risk of damaging any component,
including the expensive lens assembly, during any needed
disassembly and reassembly.
[0025] With this overview in mind, and turning now to a more
detailed discussion in conjunction with the attached figures, FIG.
1 is a perspective view of a generic device design. In particular,
the illustrated device 100 includes an upper half 101 and a lower
half 103 joined at a parting line 105. It will be appreciated that
one half may utilize an inset on the face thereof while the other
half may utilized a raised peripheral lip in order to align the
subassemblies and prevent lateral movement of either portion
relative to the other in the assembled device.
[0026] In a typical construction, the halves 101, 103 would be
retained by screws or adhesive. Although not visible in the
illustrated view, it will be appreciated that the lower half 103 is
essentially a shell or bucket that surrounds components that are
part of the top half 101. The top half 101 includes primarily a
display and associated components (not shown) such as batteries,
circuitry, PCBs, framing and structural components.
[0027] FIG. 2 shows a front schematic view of the device 100 of
FIG. 1. In this view, the external surface of the top half 101 can
be seen. A display screen 200 is shown on the front surface.
Although the illustrated screen 200 covers essentially all of the
outward-facing external surface of the top half 101, it is
contemplated that a smaller portion of the surface may instead be
covered and that other features may be present on the illustrated
surface. Such other features may include speakers, button and so
on.
[0028] During rework of the device 100, it would typically be
necessary to separate the upper half 101 of the device 100 from the
lower half 103 of the device 100 in order to replace one or the
other or to replace or repair an internal component. As such, if
the halves 101, 103 are held together by an adhesive or by threaded
fasteners, then these must be removed or unscrewed to allow
access.
[0029] However, in an embodiment of the disclosed principles, a
device such as device 100 of FIG. 1 is held together in its
assembled configuration without the use of either adhesives or
threaded fasteners. The disclosed fastening system, an embodiment
of which is shown in axial cross-section in FIG. 3, includes two
portions that interlock to retain the device 100 in the assembled
configuration. The schematic illustration of FIG. 3 shows these two
portions without the surrounding device components for clarity.
[0030] The first portion of the locking system 300 comprises one or
more locking bars 301, which may be attached to a locking bar rail
307 or may be directly attached to a device half such as the top
half 101. The second portion of the locking system 300 comprises a
locking rod 309 secured to the other half of the device 100 such
that it may slide along its axis and turn about its axis relative
to the associated device half, but cannot move substantially in any
other directions. The locking rod 309 has an outer surface 303 and
includes one or more waisted sections 305. In an embodiment, the
locking rod 309 also includes a permanent magnet, e.g., on one rod
end or the other (not shown in FIG. 3).
[0031] In an embodiment of the disclosed principles, a "ski boot"
type latch is employed to secure the opposite edge of each half
101, 103. This latch includes one or more tabs 313 and one or more
corresponding catches or slots 315 on the opposite half 103. It
will be appreciated that the illustrated features in FIG. 3 are not
drawn to scale, and may be much smaller or larger than shown,
relative to the dimensions of other parts such as the top and
bottom device halves 101, 103.
[0032] A side view of the locking rod 309 and the locking bars 301
is shown in FIG. 4. In this view, the permanent magnet 401
mentioned above can be seen. In addition, a rod end latch 403 is
shown. This feature is configured to snap upward and retain the
locking rod 309 in the locked state once this state is reached as
will be discussed more fully below.
[0033] When the tabs 313 of the latch system are engaged in the
corresponding openings 315 on the opposite half 103, the one or
more locking bars 301 are vertically aligned with the one or more
waisted sections 305 of the locking rod 309. In this way, when the
device 100 is closed by swinging the two halves 101, 103 together,
the one or more locking bars 301 pass over the one or more waisted
sections 305 of the locking rod 309, allowing the halves 101, 103
to meet as shown in FIG. 5.
[0034] In this configuration, the one or more locking bars 301
prevent the locking rod 309 from sliding along its axis due to
interference with the larger diameter sections adjacent each
waisted section 305, 313. However, if the device halves 101, 103
are now compressed further together, the lower portions of the one
or more locking bars 301 drop below the diameter of the larger
diameter sections 305 of the locking rod 309.
[0035] At this point, the locking rod 309 can be slid along its
axis by an applied force, e.g., via an external magnet interacting
with the magnet 401 on the locking rod 309. This configuration is
shown in the illustration of FIG. 6. As can be seen, the locking
rod 309 has moved to the left in the illustrated perspective,
causing the larger diameter sections 305 of the locking rod 309 to
interact with the inwardly bent ends of locking bars 301.
[0036] When the compression force on the device 100 is released,
the two halves 101, 103 are locked together via the interference of
the locking bars 301 and the larger diameter sections 303 of the
locking rod 309 as shown in FIG. 5. In an embodiment, an
elastomeric gasket 317 (FIG. 3) is situated between the halves 101,
103 prior to assembly. This gasket 317 provides a rebounding force,
against which the two halves 101, 103 are compressed and via which
the components are held in the locked position when the compression
force is released. It will be appreciated that other rebounding
mechanisms such as springs may be used without departing from the
disclosed principles.
[0037] Because the force used to move the rod 309 into the locked
position is supplied magnetically rather than by direct contact,
the moving and interfering parts are low friction parts in an
embodiment of the disclosed principles. The low friction
characteristic may be a result of the use of low friction
materials, or may be accomplished by highly polishing metal
surfaces. The sources of friction to be minimized in this
embodiment include primarily friction due to tolerance and
rod-to-feature alignment.
[0038] Thus, in a further embodiment, oversized through features
are used that tighten on the release of compression. To ameliorate
slight misalignment of features, and hence binding, lead in
surfaces may be used as well. Further, although the disclosed
embodiments to this point utilize a locking rod, it will be
appreciated that other structures are apparent from this
disclosure. For example, two rods may be used, with one located on
each side of the device 100.
[0039] Although the illustrated locking system uses a sliding rod
that is maintained in the locked position by a lifting latch, it
will be appreciated that other means for maintaining the position
of the rod may be used. For example, in an embodiment, the locking
rod 309 includes one or more studs or outcrops that lock into the
device structure and prevent the rod from sliding. In a further
embodiment, the studs or outcrops are locked into the device
structure via a partial rotation of the rod 309.
[0040] In another embodiment, a rail lock is used in lieu of or in
addition to a rod lock. This embodiment is similar to the locking
rod system, except that the rod, which may be on either half, is
replaced with a rail. The rail is free to slide axially during
assembly but may not rotate. The rail will also typically require
less device volume for use. Herein, the term locking shaft refers
to an elongated structure that is either a rod or a rail.
[0041] Although the embodiments described thus far utilize magnetic
force to actuate the locking rod or rail, it will be appreciated
that it is not required to have a permanent magnet on the rod or
rail for all embodiments. Indeed, in environments where a permanent
magnet would otherwise cause problems such, as by saturating of the
magnetic field to other metal parts in the phone, the rod magnet
may be omitted. In this embodiment, the rod or rail is made of or
includes a material that is not magnetized but is simply
magnetically responsive. For example, the rod or rail may be or
contain iron or other magnetically responsive substance. In an
embodiment, the actuation field is set so as to not permanently
cause substantial magnetization in the rod or rail. The term "lock"
may be used herein to encompass a structure that is either a
locking bar that locks to a locking shaft (rail or rod) or another
structure (e.g., a stud, rail, inverted top hat, etc.) that locks
to the locking shaft (rod or rail).
[0042] As noted above, a compression fixture having a magnet for
actuation may be used. In this embodiment, the magnet may be either
a permanent magnet or an electromagnet (or, if desired, an
electropermanent magnet). Of these, an electromagnet would allow
for use of the same fixture to both lock and unlock the rod, since
the polarity could be easily reversed.
[0043] While there are other application scenarios for the
illustrated locking system and process, this document will not
attempt to catalog all such uses. Those of skill in the art will
appreciate that there are many possible embodiments to which the
principles of the present disclosure may be applied. The
embodiments described herein with respect to the drawing figures
are meant to be illustrative only and should not be taken as
limiting the scope of the claims. Therefore, the techniques as
described herein contemplate all such embodiments as may come
within the scope of the following claims and equivalents
thereof.
* * * * *