Electronic device

Abstract

Disclosed is an electronic device, comprising a lower case and an upper case, wherein the lower case is provided with an accommodation hole which is covered by a foot pad, and the upper case is provided with a locking pin corresponding to the foot pad; the foot pad is provided with a locking unit which is configured for passing through the accommodation hole into a space defined between the lower case and the upper case to connect with the locking pin. the foot pad of the electronic device of the present invention is provided with high reliability, significant stability, and a better combination to prevent falling off, enhancing the user experience of electronic devices, playing a better protective role, and decreasing the production time and cost.

Description

ELECTRONIC DEVICE

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the field of covers or cases for electronic devices, and particularly to cases for computing devices such as laptop computers.

[0002] With the rapid development of technology, electronic products are becoming increasingly important in daily life and work. Electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptop computers, and portable game consoles have had a transforming impact on how people play and record music, send and receive e-mail and text messages, browse Web pages, make phone calls, play and record video, take and view pictures, edit documents, interface with social media, and much more. These devices continue to revolutionize the way we interact, learn, connect, conduct business, and socialize. They help manage our daily lives, store valuable information including business and personal information (e.g., phone numbers, financial information, private photos or videos, and favorite music tracks), and can be a source of entertainment.

[0003] As the most popular electronic device, laptop computers are constantly being optimized in design and functionality. Laptops have major components such as a display, a keyboard, a motherboard, a processor, and a hard drive. Usually, the bottom of the laptop is equipped with a set of feet for supporting and stabilizing the device, preventing it from slipping and acting as a shock absorber. The feet play an important role in the daily use of the laptop and in protecting the bottom components from damage. In the existing notebook computers for production and use on the market, the rubber feet are clamped with the platforms under which the upper case and the lower case of the laptop are assembled by screws. Such a connection will increase the production time and cost, but the rubber feet may also fall off affecting the user experience and causing damage to the device.

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device having a foot pad structure with high reliability and significant stability.

[0005] To obtain one or more of these objects, the present invention provides an electronic device, comprising a lower case and an upper case, wherein the lower case is provided with an accommodation hole which is covered by a foot pad, and the upper case is provided with a locking pin corresponding to the foot pad; the foot pad is provided with a locking unit which is configured for passing through the accommodation hole into a space defined between the lower case and the upper case to connect with the locking pin.

[0006] Preferably, the foot pad comprises a cap covering the accommodation hole, a cone-shaped barrel fixed to the lower part of the cap, a longitudinally movable cone-shaped cup arranged inside the cone-shaped barrel, and a spring and a pressing ring arranged in the cone-shaped cup; the circumferential surface of the cone-shaped cup is provided with a circle of mounting holes, and each mounting hole is filled with a locking ball which is pressed to get close to each other by the pressing ring and the spring; both the bottom of the cone-shaped barrel and the cone-shaped cup are provided with a central opening part, so that the locking pin will pass through the central opening part and push the cone-shaped cup upwards to get the gap between the locking balls larger for receiving the locking pin; the locking pin is provided with a ring-shaped notch, into which the locking balls are pushed by the pressing ring and the spring to lock the locking pin once the ring-shaped notch moves to a neighboring position.

[0007] Preferably, the lower surface of the cap is provided with a spring mount, and the spring is coupled between the spring mount and the pressing ring to elastically support the pressing ring.

[0008] Preferably, a plurality of buckles are arranged in a circular distribution surrounding the spring mount, and a plurality of grooves are arranged on the circumferential surface of the cone-shaped barrel so that the buckles will be buckled with the grooves to fix the cone-shaped barrel to the lower surface of the cap.

[0009] Preferably, comprises an unlocking part configured for unlocking the locking unit from outside.

[0010] Preferably, the locking balls and the pressing ring are made of ferromagnetic materials, and the unlocking part has a magnet; when the unlocking part gets down close to the cap, the locking balls and the pressing ring will push the cone-shaped cup upwards against the elastic force of the spring under the magnetic field, so that the locking balls can move out from the ring-shaped notch to get the gap between the locking balls larger to unlock the locking pin.

[0011] Preferably, the upper surface of the cap is covered by an elastic layer with a certain thickness in which the magnet is arranged; when the unlocking part gets down close to the cap, the locking balls and the pressing ring will push the cone-shaped cup upwards against the elastic force of the spring under the magnetic field, so that the locking balls can move out from the ring-shaped notch to get the gap between the locking balls larger to unlock the locking pin.

[0012] Preferably, the upper surface of the cap is made of TPU and the lower surface of the cap is made of PC and / or ABS.

[0013] Preferably, the cone-shaped barrel and the cone-shaped cup are made of aluminum alloy.

[0014] Preferably, the locking pin is made of aluminum alloy or stainless steel.

[0015] Preferably, the upper case is made of aluminum alloy and the locking pin is directly shaped onto the upper case with a CNC process.

[0016] Preferably, the upper case is made of plastic and the locking pin is assembled onto the upper case with dispensing glue or locking screws.

[0017] With the above-mentioned technical proposals, the foot pad of the electronic device of the present invention is provided with high reliability, significant stability, and a better combination to prevent falling off, enhancing the user experience of electronic devices, playing a better protective role and decreasing the production time and cost.

[0018] Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

[0019] Fig.1 is a schematic view showing the electronic device according to the present invention.

[0020] Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing the foot pad of the electronic device according to the present invention.

[0021] Fig. 3 is an explosive view showing the foot pad of the electronic device according to the present invention.

[0022] Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing the cone-shaped cup of the foot pad of the electronic device according to the present invention.

[0023] Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing the cone-shaped barrel of the foot pad of the electronic device according to the present invention.

[0024] Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing the cap of the foot pad of the electronic device according to the present invention.

[0025] Figs. 7 and 8 are schematic views showing the principle of the electronic device according to the present invention.

[0026] All terms including descriptive or technical terms which are used herein should be construed as having meanings that are understood to one of ordinary skill in the art. However, the terms may have different meanings according to an intention of one of ordinary skill in the art, precedent cases, or the appearance of new technologies. Also, some terms may be selected by the applicant, and in this case, the meaning of the selected terms will be described in detail in the detailed description of embodiments. Thus, the terms used herein have to be defined based on the meaning of the terms together with the description throughout the specification.

[0027] Also, when a part "includes" or "comprises" an element, unless there is a particular description contrary thereto, the part may further include other elements, not excluding the other elements. In the following description, terms such as "unit" and "module" indicate a unit for processing at least one function or operation, wherein the unit and the block may be embodied as hardware or software or embodied by combining hardware and software.

[0028] The embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments may be embodied in many different forms, and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the embodiments to one of ordinary skill in the art. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail because they would obscure the embodiments with unnecessary detail, and like reference numerals in the drawings denote like or similar elements throughout the specification.

[0029] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the present invention provides an electronic device comprising a lower case and an upper case mutually coupled to form an appearance of the device. The lower case is provided with an accommodation hole which is covered by a foot pad, and the upper case is provided with a locking pin corresponding to the foot pad. The foot pad is provided with a locking unit which is configured for passing through the accommodation hole into a space defined between the lower case and the upper case to connect with the locking pin. The accommodation hole is formed to have a size such that the locking unit can be inserted into the accommodation hole.

[0030] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the foot pad comprises a cap covering the accommodation hole, a cone-shaped barrel fixed to the lower part of the cap, a longitudinally movable cone-shaped cup arranged inside the cone-shaped barrel, and a spring and a pressing ring arranged in the cone-shaped cup. The circumferential surface of the cone-shaped cup is provided with a circle of mounting holes, and each mounting hole is filled with a locking ball which is pressed to get close to each other by the pressing ring and the spring. Both the bottom of the cone-shaped barrel and the cone-shaped cup are provided with a central opening part, so that the locking pin will pass through the central opening part and push the cone-shaped cup upwards to get the gap between the locking balls larger for receiving the locking pin. The locking pin is provided with a ring-shaped notch, into which the locking balls are pushed by the pressing ring and the spring to lock the locking pin once the ring-shaped notch moves to a neighboring position.

[0031] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the lower surface of the cap is provided with a spring mount, and the spring is coupled between the spring mount and the pressing ring to elastically support the pressing ring in an insertion direction thereof. A plurality of buckles are arranged in a circular distribution surrounding the spring mount, and a plurality of grooves are arranged on the circumferential surface of the cone-shaped barrel so that the buckles will be buckled with the grooves to fix the cone-shaped barrel to the lower surface of the cap.

[0032] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the electronic device comprises an unlocking part configured for unlocking the locking unit from outside. Preferably, the locking balls and the pressing ring are made of ferromagnetic materials, and the unlocking part has a magnet. When the unlocking part gets down close to the cap, the locking balls and the pressing ring will push the cone-shaped cup upwards against the elastic force of the spring under the magnetic field, so that the locking balls can move out from the ring-shaped notch to get the gap between the locking balls larger to unlock the locking pin.

[0033] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the upper surface of the cap is covered by an elastic layer with a certain thickness in which the magnet is arranged. When the unlocking part gets down close to the cap, the locking balls and the pressing ring will push the cone-shaped cup upwards against the elastic force of the spring under the magnetic field, so that the locking balls can move out from the ring-shaped notch to get the gap between the locking balls larger to unlock the locking pin. Preferably, the upper surface of the cap is made of TPU and the lower surface of the cap is made of PC and / or ABS.

[0034] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the cone-shaped barrel and the cone-shaped cup are made of aluminum alloy. The locking pin further includes a body and a head extending from the body. In at least one embodiment, the body may have a smaller diameter than the head. The body of the locking pin is provided with a ring-shaped notch. The body and the head of the locking pin may all preferably be made of the same material. The above components of the locking pin may be formed of any suitable material, such as but not limited to metals and metal alloys, including but not limited to aluminum alloy or stainless steel. In at least one embodiment, these components may be forged or cast as a monolithic or unitary piece. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the upper case is made of aluminum alloy and the locking pin is directly shaped onto the upper case with a CNC process. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the upper case is made of plastic and the locking pin is assembled onto the upper case with dispensing glue or locking screws.

[0035] Fig.1 is a schematic view showing the electronic device according to the present invention. The present invention provides an electronic device comprising a lower case1 and an upper case2. The lower case1 is provided with an accommodation hole3 which is covered by a foot pad5, and the upper case2 is provided with a locking pin4 corresponding to the foot pad5. The foot pad5 is provided with a locking unit which is configured for passing through the accommodation hole3 into a space defined between the lower case1 and the upper case2 to connect with the locking pin4. Preferably, the electronic device comprises an unlocking part configured for unlocking the locking unit from outside.

[0036] Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing the foot pad of the electronic device according to the present invention. Fig. 3 is an explosive view showing the foot pad of the electronic device according to the present invention. The foot pad5 comprises a cap51 covering the accommodation hole3, a cone-shaped barrel52 fixed to the lower part of the cap51, a longitudinally movable cone-shaped cup53 arranged inside the cone-shaped barrel52, and a spring55 and a pressing ring56 arranged in the cone-shaped cup53. The circumferential surface of the cone-shaped cup53 is provided with a circle of mounting holes531, and each mounting hole531 is filled with a locking ball 54 which is pressed to get close to each other by the pressing ring56 and the spring55. Both the bottom of the cone-shaped barrel52 and the cone-shaped cup53 are provided with a central opening part.

[0037] Preferably, the locking pin 4 is made of aluminum alloy or stainless steel. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the upper case 2 is made of aluminum alloy and the locking pin 4 is directly shaped onto the upper case2 with a CNC process. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the upper case2 is made of plastic and the locking pin4 is assembled onto the upper case2 with dispensing glue or locking screws. The locking pin4 will pass through the central opening part and push the cone-shaped cup53 upwards to get the gap between the locking balls 54 larger for receiving the locking pin4. The locking pin4 is provided with a ring-shaped notch41, into which the locking balls 54 are pushed by the pressing ring56 and the spring55 to lock the locking pin4 once the ring-shaped notch41 moves to a neighboring position.

[0038] Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing the cone-shaped cup of the foot pad of the electronic device according to the present invention. Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing the cone-shaped barrel of the foot pad of the electronic device according to the present invention. The cone-shaped barrel52 and the cone-shaped cup53 are made of aluminum alloy. The cone-shaped barrel52 and the cone-shaped cup53 have a conical body having a hollow portion defined therein into which the locking pin4 is inserted. The locking balls 54 and the pressing ring56 are made of ferromagnetic materials, and the unlocking part has a magnet. When the unlocking part gets down close to the cap51, the locking balls 54 and the pressing ring56 will push the cone-shaped cup53 upwards against the elastic force of the spring55 under the magnetic field, so that the locking balls 54 can move out from the ring-shaped notch41 to get the gap between the locking balls 54 larger to unlock the locking pin4.

[0039] Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing the cap of the foot pad of the electronic device according to the present invention. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the cap 51 has a square shape corresponding to the shape of the accommodation hole3 and being constructed for opening / closing the accommodation hole3. The lower surface of the cap 51 is provided with a spring mount 511, and the spring 55 is coupled between the spring mount 511 and the pressing ring 56 to elastically support the pressing ring 56 in an insertion direction thereof. A plurality of buckles 512 are arranged in a circular distribution surrounding the spring mount511, and a plurality of grooves 512 are arranged on the circumferential surface of the cone-shaped barrel52 so that the buckles 512 will be buckled with the grooves 512 to fix the cone-shaped barrel52 to the lower surface of the cap 51.

[0040] The upper surface of the cap51 is covered by an elastic layer with a certain thickness in which the magnet is arranged. When the unlocking part gets down close to the cap51, the locking balls 54 and the pressing ring56 will push the cone-shaped cup53 upwards against the elastic force of the spring55 under the magnetic field, so that the locking balls 54 can move out from the ring-shaped notch41 to get the gap between the locking balls 54 larger to unlock the locking pin4. In at least one embodiment, the upper surface of the cap51 is made of TPU and the lower surface of the cap 51 is made of PC and / or ABS.

[0041] Figs. 7 and 8 are schematic views showing the principle of the electronic device according to the present invention.

[0042] When the locking pin4 except for the head passes through the central opening part to push the cone-shaped cup53 upwards, the gap between the locking balls 54 will get larger for receiving the locking pin4. The locking pin4 is provided with a ring-shaped notch41, into which the locking balls 54 are pushed by the pressing ring56 and the spring55 to lock the locking pin4 once the ring-shaped notch41 moves to a neighboring position. Finally, the lower case1 and the upper case2 are mutually coupled to form the appearance of the device. Once a separating force is applied, the locking pin4 has to move downwards along with the locking balls 54. The shape of the inner surface of the cone-shaped barrel52 will impose restrictions on the gap between the locking balls 54. The smaller the gap gets, the tighter the locking pin4 will be.

[0043] The upper surface of the cap51 is covered by an elastic layer with a certain thickness in which the magnet is arranged. The elasticity of the elastic material layer should be designed to be greater than the weight of the electronic device to ensure the magnet won't budge in use. When the elastic layer is pressed down to force the magnet get close to the cap51, the locking balls 54 and the pressing ring56 will push the cone-shaped cup53 upwards against the elastic force of the spring55 under the magnetic field, so that the locking balls 54 can move out from the ring-shaped notch41 to get the gap between the locking balls 54 larger and unlock the locking pin4 for departing the lower case1 from the upper case2.

[0044] It should be understood that embodiments described herein should be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodiment should typically be considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other embodiments. While one or more embodiments have been described with reference to the figures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1.An electronic device, characterized by comprising a lower case and an upper case,wherein the lower case is provided with an accommodation hole which is covered by a foot pad, and the upper case is provided with a locking pin corresponding to the foot pad;the foot pad is provided with a locking unit which is configured for passing through the accommodation hole into a space defined between the lower case and the upper case to connect with the locking pin.2.The electronic device according to claim 1,wherein the foot pad comprises a cap covering the accommodation hole, a cone-shaped barrel fixed to the lower part of the cap, a longitudinally movable cone-shaped cup arranged inside the cone-shaped barrel, and a spring and a pressing ring arranged in the cone-shaped cup;the circumferential surface of the cone-shaped cup is provided with a circle of mounting holes, and each mounting hole is filled with a locking ball which is pressed to get close to each other by the pressing ring and the spring;both the bottom of the cone-shaped barrel and the cone-shaped cup are provided with a central opening part, so that the locking pin will pass through the central opening part and push the cone-shaped cup upwards to get the gap between the locking balls larger for receiving the locking pin.3.The electronic device according to claim 2,wherein the locking pin is provided with a ring-shaped notch, into which the locking balls are pushed by the pressing ring and the spring to lock the locking pin once the ring-shaped notch moves to a neighboring position.4.The electronic device according to claim 2,wherein the lower surface of the cap is provided with a spring mount , and the spring is coupled between the spring mount and the pressing ring to elastically support the pressing ring .5.The electronic device according to claim 4,wherein a plurality of buckles are arranged in a circular distribution surrounding the spring mount, and a plurality of grooves are arranged on the circumferential surface of the cone-shaped barrel so that the buckles will be buckled with the grooves to fix the cone-shaped barrel to the lower surface of the cap .6.The electronic device according to claim 2, comprises an unlocking part configured for unlocking the locking unit from outside.7.The electronic device according to claim 6,wherein the locking balls and the pressing ring are made of ferromagnetic materials, and the unlocking part has a magnet; when the unlocking part gets down close to the cap, the locking balls and the pressing ring will push the cone-shaped cup upwards against the elastic force of the spring under the magnetic field, so that the locking balls can move out from the ring-shaped notch to get the gap between the locking balls larger to unlock the locking pin.8.The electronic device according to claim 7,wherein the upper surface of the cap is covered by an elastic layer with a certain thickness in which the magnet is arranged; when the unlocking part gets down close to the cap, the locking balls and the pressing ring will push the cone-shaped cup upwards against the elastic force of the spring under the magnetic field, so that the locking balls can move out from the ring-shaped notch to get the gap between the locking balls larger to unlock the locking pin.9.The electronic device according to claim 7,wherein the upper surface of the cap is made of TPU and the lower surface of the cap is made of PC and / or ABS.10.The electronic device according to claim 2,wherein the cone-shaped barrel and the cone-shaped cup are made of aluminum alloy.11.The electronic device according to claim 2,wherein the locking pin is made of aluminum alloy or stainless steel.12.The electronic device according to claim 11,wherein the upper case is made of aluminum alloy and the locking pin is directly shaped onto the upper case with a CNC process.13.The electronic device according to claim 11,wherein the upper case is made of plastic and the locking pin is assembled onto the upper case with dispensing glue or locking screws.14.A foot pad, characterized by comprising a cap covering an accommodation hole, a cone-shaped barrel fixed to the lower part of the cap, a longitudinally movable cone-shaped cup arranged inside the cone-shaped barrel, and a spring and a pressing ring arranged in the cone-shaped cup;the circumferential surface of the cone-shaped cup is provided with a circle of mounting holes, and each mounting hole is filled with a locking ball which is pressed to get close to each other by the pressing ring and the spring;both the bottom of the cone-shaped barrel and the cone-shaped cup are provided with a central opening part, so that a locking pin will pass through the central opening part and push the cone-shaped cup upwards to get the gap between the locking balls larger for receiving the locking pin.15.The foot pad according to claim 14,wherein the locking pin is provided with a ring-shaped notch, into which the locking balls are pushed by the pressing ring and the spring to lock the locking pin once the ring-shaped notch moves to a neighboring position.

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