GB2442524A

GB2442524A - A support for an electrical device which disables the latching mechanism of an electrical connector arranged within

Info

Publication number: GB2442524A
Application number: GB0619463A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Daran Charlton
Original assignee: FAST TECH COMPUTING Ltd
Current assignee: FAST TECH COMPUTING Ltd
Priority date: 2006-10-03
Filing date: 2006-10-03
Publication date: 2008-04-09
Also published as: GB0619463D0

Abstract

A support 10 for an electrical device 20, which is arranged to receive an electrical connector 34 therein. The connector 34 has engagement means 38 for engaging the electrical device 20 when an electrical connection is made therewith and release means 36 for releasing the latching means 38. The support 10 is shaped to resiliently contact and compress the release means 36 when the connector 34 is received within the support 10, such that the latch 38 is disabled and electrical device 20 can be freely connected to and removed from the connector 34 in a single handed operation. The support can function as a docking cradle for a portable electrical device.

Description

Support for an Electrical Device This invention relates to a support

for an electrical device and more particularly, to a support which allows an electrical connection to be established with the device.

Portable electrical devices are frequently required te be connected to a power supply for recharging or else to other apparatus for the transfer of data to or from the portable device. Known cable connectors have a connector portion for insertion into a correspondingly shaped socket portion on the portable device and a cable extending from the rear of the connector so as to allow significant freedom of movement of the connector.

A portable device is typically held in one hand by a user, whilst the connector is inserted using the other hand. The device is then typically laid on its back whilst recharging or data transfer takes place.

IS A number of problems have been identified with such known cable connectors. In particular, the connection or disconnection of such a connector is a two-handed operation and also device is loose when connected, such that it can be accidentally knocked or otherwise adversely displaced.

One known solution involves a base unit or dock to support the electrical device whilst a connection is established. However, known base units are considerably more expensive to produce than cable connectors. Alongside the additional material costs, base units are required to meet with the safety standards associated with electrical goods, due to the provision of electrical connectors within the base. This further increases the cost to market of such a product. Therefore, electrical devices are typically supplied with flexible connectors, such that a user is required to purchase a separate base unit at additional expense.

Furthermore, conventional base units are designed to fit a particular size and shape of device, such that a separate base unit is often required for different devices, even if those devices accept the same size and shape of connector. This problem is further compounded by the use of the protective cases for portable electrical devices, since the dimensions of such cases are greater than the dimensions of the device alone. Therefore it is often necessary to remove the case before a device can be correctly located within a corresponding base unit. This is clearly an inconvenience for a user and can lead to cases being misplaced and possible damage to the device when connected.

In view of the foregoing problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved support for an electrical device, which support displays increased usability at reduced costs.

According to the present invention, there is provided a support for an electrical device, the support arranged to receive a connector therein, the connector having engagement means for engaging the electrical device when an electrical connection is made therewith and release means for releasing the engagement means, wherein the support is shaped to resiliently contact the release means when the connector is received within the support, such that the electrical device can be freely appended to and removed from the connector.

The present invention is particularly advantageous, since it allows a standard flexible connector to be used to provide the connector portion within a fixed support. Thus, the manufacturing cost of the support is considerably reduced since there is no need to provide an integral connector within the support. Furthermore, the manner in which the flexible connector is held within the support according to the present invention allows the electrical device to be positioned on and removed from the support as a single handed operation.

It will be appreciated that the present invention may be embodied in various types of support, such as, for example a dock, a base unit, a cradle or else a stand, all of which may be free-standing or else wall-mounted as required.

Typically, the connector passes through the support, such that the support is isolated from the electrical components. In this regard, the connector typically comprises a cable connector having an insulated portion and a connector end. The insulated portion is preferably received by the support, such that no electrical contact is made between the support and the connector.

Thus, the support does not require any conducting portions and can be made substantially out of plastic. This significantly reduces the manufacturing cost of the support and avoids any need for electrical testing of the support for compliance with electncal safety requirements.

According to a preferred embodiment, the support comprises a sleeve portion shaped to closely surround the connector, such that the connector is substantially constrained by the sleeve when inserted therein. Preferably, the support has a first sleeve portion configured to receive the connector and a second sleeve portion configured to receive the electrical device. Preferably, the first sleeve portion opens into the second sleeve portion. In this manner the connection end of the connector can extend partway into the second sleeve portion whilst the insulating portion of the connector is retained within the first sleeve.

Preferably at least one side of the first sleeve portion is open in order to allow insertion of the connector.

According to a preferred embodiment, the support comprises a housing defining an internal cavity therein. Preferably, the one or more sleeve portions extend into the cavity so as to form a recess in the housing. According to one particular embodiment, the housing comprises a removable insertion member arranged to prevent removal of the connector from the housing when inserted.

The insertion member is advantageous since it prevents any movement of the connector relative to the housing during attachment or removal of the electrical device. Thus, the combined housing and insertion member form a sturdy base upon which the electrical device can be positioned.

Typically, the housing has an opening for reception of the cable, such that the cable can pass into the internal cavity. Preferably the opening is substantially the same width as the cable so that the cable forms a tight fit therewith.

According to one preferred embodiment, the housing is provided with one or more internal formations extending into the cavity. The internal formations act as cable deflectors, such that the cable can be at least partially wrapped around the deflectors. The cable deflectors correctly orientate the cable for insertion of the connector within the housing. in addition, the cable deflectors allow varying lengths of cable to be accommodated within the housing, such that excess cable can conveniently be stored.

Furthermore, the cable deflectors act to isolate the connector end from external forces acting on the cable. Such forces are distributed around the housing and avoid a tendency for the connector to break at the join between the cable and the connector end.

In one embodiment, the cable deflector comprises a curved wall. The curved wall simplifies wrapping of the cable around the deflector.

The housing typically comprises two housing portions, which can be selectively disconnected in order to provide access to the internal cavity. In one embodiment one housing portion has a shaft which is insertable into a co-axial hub on the other housing portion. Typically the connector and associated cable are housed in a single housing portion.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a support for an electrical device, the support having a housing arranged to receive therein a cable connector having a cable portion and a connector end portion, such that the cable passes through the housing and the connector end portion is received within a correspondingly shaped housing portion, the housing portion shaped to resiliently hold the connector with the connector end portion exposed for direct connection with the electrical device such that the support is isolated from the electrical connection.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 shows a front section view of a support according to the present invention; Figures 2a to 2c show three-dimensional views of the internal cavity of a support according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Figures 3a and 3b shows the different conditions of a conventional connector for use in conjunction with the present invention; Figure 4 shows a three-dimensional view of an insertion member for the housing; Figure 5 is a three-dimensional view of the internal cavity according to a second embodiment of the present invention; Figures 6a and b show a perspective view of a lower housing portion and a plan view from below of an upper housing portion according to a third embodiment of the invention; and, Figure 7 is a plan view of a support according to the present invention when connected for use.

The present invention provides a support which can be used in conjunction with numerous different types of portable electrical or electronic devices such as, for example, MP3 players, PDA's, mobile telephones, digital cameras, dictaphones, portable gaming devices, memory sticks and the like.

Turning now to Figure 1, there is shown a support according to the present invention in the form of a dock 10. The dock comprises a first 12 and a second 14 housing portion, which are connected around a circumferential join 16. The first and second housing portions may be joined using conventional fixing means, such as snap-fit or clip-fit elements or else a circumferential thread and groove arrangement, which allows the housing portions to be rcpeatedly connected and disconnected as required.

The first housing portion has an opening 18 in the form of a slot for reception of an electrical device 20, The first housing portion 12 is shaped to provide a first sleeve portion 22, adjoining a second sleeve portion 24. The aperture 18 provides an opening into the second sleeve portion 24. The second sleeve portion 24 extends inwardly into the housing and has a base 26 into which the first sleeve portion 22 opens. The first sleeve portion 22 is of smaller dimensions that the second sleeve portion 24, such that the base 26 forms a discontinuity or step between the first and second sleeve portions. The first sleeve portion 22 has a corresponding base portion 28, which has an opening 30 for reception of a cable 32 extending from connector 34.

The first sleeve portion 22 is shaped to closely surround the connector 34, so as to constrain the connector 34. In particular the sleeve portion 22 prevents any lateral or downward movement of the connector 34. The first sleeve portion 22 also comprises nodes 23 which protrude as short distance inwardly from each side of the sleeve so as to press against release means 36 provided in the outer wall of the connector 34. The nodes 23 may be provided by way of discrete protrusions from the inner wall of the sleeve 22 or else the sleeve wall may be shaped to bow or curve inwardly with the same effect. For certain types of connector (as shown in figure 3) the release means 36 protrude outwardly of the connector 34 and so nodes are not required. In such instances, the close fit of the sleeve around the connector is sufficient to depress the release means 36.

The first sleeve portion 22 is of sufficient depth, such that a plastic insulating portion of the connector is received within the sleeve 22, whilst a conductive connecting end 38 extends into the second sleeve 24. Thus, when electrical device 20 is seated in the second sleeve portion 24, the electrical device abuts against the base 26 of the second sleeve 24 and the connector end portion 38 extends into a correspondingly shaped connection portion within the device 20. An electrical connection is therefore made with the device when it is seated in the second sleeve 24. The base 26 and side walls of the second sleeve 24 enclose the lower end of the device 20 so as to loosely hold the device on the connector 34. In addition the second sleeve 24 serves as a guide to correctly orient the device during insertion.

The cable 32 passes through the housing, as will be described in further detail below, and exits the housing through opening 40. An opposing end of the cable can then be connected to a power source, or else other electrical apparatus, such as, for example, a PC a stereo or other digital equipment.

Turning now to Figure 2a, the internal portion of housing 12 is shown in further detail.

The housing portion 12 has a series of formations 42 extending inwardly therefrom. A series of four formations are provided which are generally cylindrical in shape and which are integrally formed with the first housing portion 12. One side of the first sleeve portion 22 is open, such that the connector 34 can be inserted therein, as shown in Figure 2b. Once inserted, the side walls 23 of the first sleeve portion 22 press against the release means 26 on connector 34, such that the connector engagement means are retracted, as will be described in relation to Figure 3 below. The connector 34 is therefore resiliently held in place within the sleeve 22 for use. As shown in Figure 2c, the cable 32 can then be wrapped around the formations 42, which act as cable deflectors so as to variably adjust the length of cable extending from the aperture 40 outside of the dock 10.

Turning now to Figure 3, the connector is shown in an at rest' condition in Figure 3a, in which locking fingers 54 extend outwardly of the connecting end 38. When a connector of this type is attached to a device, the locking fingers engage with corresponding formations on the device and hold the connector firmly in a connected state with the device. Thus, to remove the connector a user depresses the release means 36 in order to retract the locking fingers 54 into the connecting end 38, as shown in Figure 3b. This allows the connector 34 to be removed from the electrical device. Thus, by positioning the connector 34 within the sleeve 22, the release means 36 are maintained in a depressed state and the locking fingers 54 remain retracted within the connector end 38. As such, the connector 34 is maintained in a constantly unlocked state, such that device 20 can be positioned on the connector 34 and freely removed therefrom.

Once the connector 34 is located within the sleeve 22, an insertion member 44 (figure 4) is inserted into the second sleeve 24, so as to fIx the connector 34 in place. The insertion member is shaped to correspond to the second sleeve portion and has a tongue 46 with a lip or groove 48 thereon, forming a clip fastening which engages with a correspondingly shaped formation (not shown) within the second sleeve 24. The insertion member 44 also has an upper flange or lip 50, which extends outwardly of the second sleeve portion 24 and fits within a correspondingly shaped peripheral recess provided in the housing around the opening 18. The end 38 of the connector passes through the insertion member 44 such that it is exposed for reception by the device 20 during use.

The positioning of the insertion member 44 is within the sleeve 24 provides a stop, which maintains the connector 34 in the sleeve 22. If it is required to remove the connector 34 from the housing, the clip fastenting can be released and the insertion member 44 can be removed and the housing disassembled.

Turning now to Figure 5, an alternative embodiment of the housing 14 of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, the cable deflectors 54 are provided in the lower housing 14. In addition, the first sleeve 22 is formed separately from the second sleeve 24 and the upper housing 12. The first sleeve 22 is provided with formations 56 for attachment of the first sleeve 22 to the lower housing 14. The formations 56 may be attached to the lower housing using a screw or an alternative form of conventional fastening. The lower housing 14 of Figure 5 is substantially larger than the lower housing of Figure 2 and comprises additional internal elements 58 and 60, which serve to guide the cable 32 and to correctly position the first housing 12 on the lower housing 14.

Furthermore, the cable deflectors 54 are provided with rubber ends in order to avoid the cable becoming dislodged from the deflectors during use.

In figure 6a, alternative fixing means 62 are provided in the lower housing portion 14a, which comprise a locating shaft 64 centrally positioned within the housing portion 14a and extending inwardly therefrom into the internal cavity. The shaft 64 has one or more locking formations 66 thereon in the form of outwardly extending projections or lobes.

The upper housing portion 12a in figure 6b has corresponding fixing means 68 in the form of a hub. The hub 68 has an aperture 70 for receiving the shaft 64. The aperture 70 has inner projections or lobes 72, which extend part way along the length of the hub and are configured to allow insertion of the shaft and associated locking formations 66 in a first orientation. Once the shaft has been correctly inserted, relative rotation of the upper and lower housing into a second orientation causes the shaft lobes 66 to pass behind the aperture lobes 72 preventing removal of the of shaft from the hub. Typically between a Y4 and turn is required to achieve fastening in this manner.

The cable deflector formations of figure 6b are take the form of internal walls 74 and 76 which are integrally fonned with the upper housing portion 12a. The wall 74 extends from either side of sleeve 22 and curves around the rear section of the housing. The wall 74 is spaced from the inside surface of the housing which is provided with brackets 78.

Wall 76 runs around the front half of the housing and is spaced from wall 74 by a passage 80. Thus when the connector 34 is inserted in the sleeve, the cable passes through the passage 80 and is wrapped around the walls 74 and 76 a required number of times prior to exiting the housing at aperture 40. In this embodiment the brackets 78 grip the cable against the wall 74 and the aperture 40 has guides 82 which grip the cable at the point of exit. The cable is thus held within the upper housing portion only such that the lower housing portion 1 4a can be simply attached once the cable has been correctly oriented.

As will be appreciated from the foregoing description, the cable deflecting formations may be provided on either the upper or lower housing portions and may take various configurations. In addition the alternative means for attaching the two housing portions are not limited to any one embodiment and may be applied to any of the embodiments described. Also visible in figure 6b is the clip fastening 46 of insertion member 44 which can be released once the housing portions have been separated.

As can be seen in Figure 7, there is shown the support assembled for use with the cable attached to a laptop 84 via cable 32. It will be appreciated that the length of cable between the laptop 84 and the dock 10 is significantly reduced and avoids an unnecessary length of cable which can be caught or otherwise snagged.

Claims

Claims: A support for an electrical device, the support arranged to

receive a connector therein, the connector having engagement means for engaging the electrical device when an electrical connection is made therewith and release means for releasing the engagement means, wherein the support is shaped to resiliently contact the release means when the connector is received within the support, such that the electrical device can be freely appended to and removed from the connector.
2 A support according to claim 1, wherein the connector passes through the support, such that the connector forms a direct connection with the device during use.
3 A support according to either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the support is isolated from the electrical connection between the connector and device.
4 A support according to any preceding claim, wherein the support is shaped to press against opposing sides of the connector during use.
A support according to any preceding claim, wherein the support comprises a sleeve portion shaped to closely surround the connector.
6 A support according to claim 5, wherein the support has a first sleeve portion configured to receive the connector and a second sleeve portion configured to receive the electrical device.
7 A support according to claim 6, wherein the first sleeve portion opens into the second sleeve portion.
8 A support according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the first sleeve has a base, the depth of the first sleeve being such that when the connector is received within the sleeve, a connecting end of the connector extends into second sleeve portion.
9 A support according to any preceding claim, comprising a housing defining an internal cavity therein.
A support according to claim 9, wherein one or more sleeve portions extend into the cavity so as to form a recess in the housing.
11 A support according to any preceding claim, further compnsing a removable insertion member arranged to prevent removal of the connector from the housing when inserted.
12 A support according to claim 12 when dependent upon claim 5, wherein the insertion member is insertable into the second sleeve portion.
13 A support according to any preceding claim, wherein the support is provided with one or more cable deflectors, around which the cable is at least partially wrapped during use.
14 A support according to either claim 13, wherein the cable deflector comprises an internal wall.
A support according to any preceding claim wherein the connector comprises a cable connector.
16 A support substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.