JP2012064363A - Connector cover for mobile terminal, and mobile terminal having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector cover for a mobile terminal, enabling easy open operation with a simple structure.SOLUTION: A connector cover 7 covering a connector recess 6, recessed into a telephone body 3 and having a USB terminal 5 exposed thereon, includes: an axial portion 8 inserted into an insertion hole 6a, having a base end side formed on the connector recess 6, substantially perpendicular to the circumference surface of the connector recess 6; a cover body 10 continuous to the tip side of the axial portion 8 and fitted in a manner to be connected to the circumference of the connector recess 6; and a hook portion recessed into the circumference of the cover body 10. The cover body 10 is integrally molded with the axial portion 8 by an elastic material so that the shape after molding is in an open state greater than 90 degrees relative to the extension direction of the axial portion 8.

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile terminal connector cover that is recessed in a mobile terminal body such as a casing of a mobile phone and covers a connector recess that exposes an external connection terminal, and a mobile terminal including the same.

  Conventionally, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, two or more casings for housing devices, and a gap is provided in an overlapping portion of these casings, and the casing is provided adjacent to the gap and adjacent to the gap. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a small electronic device including an openable / closable cover, which is a lid for internal protection, having a notch for placing a fingertip or a nail on the body side. This cover can be opened by putting a finger or a nail on the notch.

JP 2010-80209 A

  However, the conventional portable terminal connector cover eliminates the difference in height between the surface of the housing and the surface of the connector cover in order to prevent dust from collecting while preventing the appearance from deteriorating. It is difficult to put fingertips and nails on the part. If the fingertips and nails are not hooked well, the connector cover closes again, which makes it troublesome to open the connector cover.

  This invention is made | formed in view of this point, The place made into the objective is to enable it to open a connector cover for portable terminals easily with a simple structure.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, the connector cover is easily opened by the biasing force of the connector cover itself.

  Specifically, the first invention is directed to a portable terminal connector cover that is recessed in the portable terminal body and covers the connector concave portion from which the external connection terminal is exposed.

And the connector cover for portable terminals is
A shaft portion whose proximal end is inserted into the insertion hole formed in the connector recess substantially perpendicularly to the peripheral surface of the connector recess;
A cover body that is continuous with the distal end side of the shaft portion and is fitted to be connected to the peripheral edge of the concave portion for the connector;
A hook portion recessed in the periphery of the cover body,
The cover body is integrally formed with the shaft portion by an elastic material so that the shape after molding is larger than 90 degrees with respect to the extending direction of the shaft portion.

  According to the above configuration, by forming the cover body of the connector cover for the portable terminal made of an elastic material by deforming the cover body in a direction to open with respect to the connector recess in advance, elastic energy is generated when the connector recess is closed with the connector cover. The connector cover can be easily opened when the connector cover is opened by hooking a nail or a fingertip to the hook portion by using this elastic energy.

In the second invention, in the first invention,
A hinge recess is recessed in the vicinity of the shaft portion on the surface of the cover body, and the cover body is bent in advance at the time of molding at the hinge recess portion.

  According to the above configuration, the concave portion for the hinge is provided, and the cover main body is bent in the opening direction in advance at this portion, and the elastic energy of the cover main body is stored when the concave portion for the connector is closed by the cover main body. Can do.

In the third invention, in the first or second invention,
The cover body is formed so as to be twisted around a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the hinge recess at the hinge recess.

  According to the above configuration, the cover body is pre-shaped in the twisting direction, so that when the connector cover is opened, there is a portion where the gap from the recess for the hinge is further increased, and the opening / closing operation of the connector cover can be performed. It becomes even easier.

In a fourth invention, in any one of the first to third inventions,
On the outer periphery in the middle of the shaft portion in the axial center direction, a protruding portion that protrudes only outward in the longitudinal direction of the cover main body is projected.

  According to said structure, since the protruding part is provided in a part of outer periphery of the axial direction center of a shaft part, when a cover main body is closed, a shaft part is fixed moderately. On the other hand, since no protrusion is provided on the inner side in the longitudinal direction of the outer cover body in the middle in the axial direction of the shaft part, when the cover body is opened while being bent by hooking a fingertip or a nail on the hook part, the protrusion The strip does not get caught in the insertion hole and does not hinder the opening operation.

In a fifth invention, in any one of the first to fourth inventions,
On the opposite side of the shaft portion in the cover body, a flange portion having a tip extending on the opposite side to the shaft portion is formed.

  According to the above configuration, the hook part is provided on the opposite side of the shaft part of the cover body so as to protrude outward, so that when the cover body is opened while being bent by hooking a fingertip or a nail on the hook part, It is easy to release the locking of the part.

In a sixth invention, in any one of the first to fifth inventions,
The elastic material is a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to perform molding processing similar to ordinary plastic while having elasticity similar to that of vulcanized rubber. Therefore, it is easy to mold the cover body in advance, and it is easy to store elastic energy. .

In the seventh invention, similarly to the first invention, the connector cover for portable terminals is targeted,
The portable terminal connector cover is
A shaft portion whose proximal end is inserted into the insertion hole formed in the connector recess substantially perpendicularly to the peripheral surface of the connector recess;
A cover body that is continuous with the distal end side of the shaft portion and is fitted to be connected to the peripheral edge of the concave portion for the connector;
A hook portion recessed in the periphery of the cover body,
When the cover body is pulled out by hooking the hook portion, the cover body jumps out of the connector recess and the external connection terminal is exposed by the elasticity of the cover body itself.

  According to the above configuration, by forming the cover body of the connector cover for the portable terminal made of an elastic material by deforming the cover body in a direction to open with respect to the connector recess in advance, elastic energy is generated when the connector recess is closed with the connector cover. By using this elastic energy, the connector cover pops out and the external connection terminal is exposed when the connector cover is opened by hooking a nail or a fingertip on the hook, and the connection operation becomes easy. .

  In the eighth invention, a portable terminal includes the portable terminal connector cover of any one of the first to seventh inventions.

  According to said structure, a portable terminal with a high commercial property in which a connector cover is easy to open and the connection to an external connection terminal is easy is obtained.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the cover body fitted into the distal end side of the shaft portion inserted into the insertion hole formed in the connector recess so as to be connected to the peripheral edge of the connector recess extends the shaft portion. By integrally forming with an elastic material so as to be in a state where the opening is larger than 90 degrees with respect to the direction, the opening operation can be easily performed with a simple configuration.

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5 when the connector cover according to the embodiment is opened. It is a perspective view which shows the front side of a mobile telephone. It is a perspective view which shows the back side of a mobile telephone. It is a left view of a mobile phone. It is the VV line expanded sectional view of FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 4. It is the perspective view which looked at the connector cover of a closed state from the front side. It is the perspective view which looked at the connector cover of a closed state from the back side. FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 6 when the connector cover is opened. It is the perspective view which looked at the connector cover after shaping | molding from the front side. It is a top view which shows the connector cover after shaping | molding. FIG. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 10 of a connector cover according to another embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  2 to 4 show a mobile phone 1 as a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. The mobile phone 1 includes a phone main body 3 as a mobile terminal main body with a touch panel 2 fitted on the surface side. . The telephone body 3 has a plate shape with rounded squares, and includes a front side cabinet 3a into which the touch panel 2 is fitted, and a back side cabinet 3b that covers the back side of the front side cabinet 3a. A connector recess 6 is provided on a mating surface 3c between the left front cabinet 3a and the rear cabinet 3b on the left side when viewed from the front.

  As shown in cross section in FIGS. 5 and 6, the USB terminal 5 as an external connection terminal is exposed inside the connector recess 6. When the USB terminal 5 is not used, the connector recess 6 is covered with a connector cover 7 as a portable terminal connector cover.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 when the connector recess 6 is closed, the connector cover 7 has a shaft portion 8 inserted into a circular insertion hole 6a formed in the connector recess 6 on the base end side. I have. The shaft portion 8 is inserted substantially perpendicularly to the peripheral surface of the connector recess 6 (in the right direction of the mobile phone 1). The shaft portion 8 has a cylindrical shape with a circular cross section, and a retaining portion 9 having a larger outer diameter than the middle is formed on the base end side. A protrusion 8a having an outer diameter slightly larger than that of the shaft portion 8 is formed in the middle of the shaft portion 8 in the axial direction so that a click feeling can be obtained when the shaft portion 8 is inserted into the insertion hole 6a. It has become. The protruding portion 8a protrudes only outward in the longitudinal direction of the cover body 10 of the shaft portion 8, and is continuous in a C shape when viewed from the axial direction. The protrusions 8a are not continuous in a C shape, but may be protrusions provided discretely on the outer side in the longitudinal direction of the cover body 10 of the shaft 8.

  A rectangular plate-like cover body 10 that is fitted so as to be connected to the peripheral edge of the connector recess 6 is integrally connected to the distal end side of the shaft portion 8. On one side of the cover main body 10 located on the opposite side (back side) to the mating surface 3c, a hook portion 11 for inserting and hooking a fingertip or a nail is recessed. On the side opposite to the shaft portion 8 of the cover body 10, a flange portion 12 is formed which is inserted into the engagement hole 6 b of the connector recess 6. A hooking portion at the tip of the flange portion 12 extends on the opposite side to the shaft portion 8. A plurality of locking claws 13 are formed on one side of the cover main body 10 located on the mating surface 3c side.

  A hinge recess 14 is recessed in the vicinity of the shaft portion 8 on the surface of the cover body 10 so as to be substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cover body 10. The cover main body 10 is easily bent because the hinge recess 14 is thinner than the other portions. This makes it easier to pull the cover body 10 forward. Further, the cover body 10 can be rotated around the shaft portion 8 in a state in which the cover body 10 is bent by the hinge recess 14.

  As a feature of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9 to 11, the cover main body 10 is thermoplastic as an elastic material so that the shape after molding is bent at the hinge recess 14. It is integrally formed with the shaft portion 8 by a polyurethane elastomer. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the angle α between the extending direction of the shaft portion 8 (X axis) and the longitudinal direction of the cover body 10 (Y axis) is less than 90 ° without applying force to the cover body 10. It is wide open (α> 90 °). The magnitude of α is, for example, 100 °, and it is not too small to store elastic energy sufficiently, and it is sufficient that it is too large to open naturally. Although not described in detail, the cavity of the mold for injection molding with the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer may have a shape in which the cover body 10 is opened in advance. Thus, when the cover body 10 is pulled out by hooking the hook 11, the cover body 10 protrudes from the connector recess 6 and the USB terminal 5 is exposed due to the elasticity of the cover body 10 itself. . The thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer can be molded in the same way as ordinary plastic while having elasticity similar to that of vulcanized rubber. Therefore, it is easy to mold the cover body 10 in advance, and it is elastic. It is easy to store energy.

  In this way, the mobile phone 1 with high merchantability in which the connector cover 7 can be easily opened and the connection to the USB terminal 5 is easy can be obtained.

-How to use connector cover 7-
Next, the usage method of the connector cover 7 concerning this embodiment is demonstrated.

  When the USB terminal 5 is not used, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the shaft portion 8 is inserted into the insertion hole 6a, the collar portion 12 is locked to the engagement hole 6b, and the locking claw 13 is The connector cover 7 seals the USB terminal 5 by being locked to the periphery of the connector recess 6. At this time, the surface height of the cover main body 10 and the surface height of the peripheral edge of the connector recess 6 are almost the same, so that the surface appears to be continuous and looks good, and dust does not collect easily. At this time, since the cover body 10 of the connector cover 7 made of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer is deformed in advance in the opening direction with respect to the connector recess 6, the connector cover 7 is closed with the connector cover 7. Elastic energy can be stored.

  When the USB terminal 5 is used, the cover body 10 is lifted by inserting a fingertip or a nail into the hook 11 and hooking it. When the cover body 10 is opened while being bent, the hooked portion of the flange portion 12 protrudes outward on the opposite side of the shaft portion 8 of the cover body 10, so that the hook portion 12 and the engagement hole 6 b are locked. Easy to open. In addition, since the protruding portion 8a is not provided on the inner side in the longitudinal direction of the cover body 10 on the outer periphery of the shaft portion 8, the protruding portion 8a is not caught in the insertion hole 6a, and the opening operation is not hindered. When the connector cover 7 is lifted by the elastic energy stored in the cover body 10, the connector cover 7 is opened at a stretch and is held in the open state.

  When the sufficiently opened cover body 10 is pinched with a finger and pulled, the protruding portion 8a of the shaft portion 8 exceeds the insertion hole 6a, and the retaining portion 9 comes into contact with the peripheral edge of the insertion hole 6a. In this state, the USB terminal can be exposed by rotating the cover body 10.

  Therefore, according to the connector cover 7 according to the present embodiment, the opening operation can be easily performed with a simple configuration.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention may be configured as follows with respect to the above embodiment.

  That is, in the above embodiment, the external connection terminal is the USB terminal 5, but it may be an earphone terminal, a charging terminal or the like, and there is no particular limitation.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the cover body 10 is not only opened at α> 90 ° as in the above embodiment, but also in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the hinge recess 14 at the hinge recess 14 (Y axis). ) To be twisted around the center. With this molding, when the connector cover 107 is opened, the gap from the hinge recess 14 is further increased, and the opening / closing operation of the connector cover 107 is further facilitated.

  In the above embodiment, the mobile terminal is a mobile phone, but may be a PHS (Personal Handy-phone System), a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a personal computer, a mobile tool, an electronic dictionary, a calculator, a game machine, or the like.

  In addition, the above embodiment is an essentially preferable illustration, Comprising: It does not intend restrict | limiting the range of this invention, its application thing, or a use.

1 Mobile phone (mobile terminal)
3 Telephone body (mobile terminal body)
5 USB terminal (external connection terminal)
6 Connector recess 6a Insertion hole 7 Connector cover (Connector cover for mobile terminal)
8 Shaft part 10 Cover body 11 Hook part 14 Hinge recess 107 Connector cover (connector cover for portable terminal)

Claims (8)

In the portable terminal connector cover that is recessed in the portable terminal body and covers the concave portion for the connector where the external connection terminal is exposed
A shaft portion whose proximal end is inserted into the insertion hole formed in the connector recess substantially perpendicularly to the peripheral surface of the connector recess;
A cover body that is continuous with the distal end side of the shaft portion and is fitted to be connected to the peripheral edge of the concave portion for the connector;
A hook portion recessed in the periphery of the cover body,
The cover body is integrally formed with the shaft portion by an elastic material so that the shape after molding is in a state of being opened more than 90 degrees with respect to the extending direction of the shaft portion. Connector cover. In the portable terminal connector cover according to claim 1,
A portable terminal connector cover, wherein a hinge recess is recessed in the vicinity of the shaft portion on the surface of the cover body, and the cover body is bent in advance at the time of molding at the hinge recess portion. The portable terminal connector cover according to claim 1 or 2,
The portable terminal connector cover, wherein the cover body is formed so as to be twisted around a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the hinge recess extends in the hinge recess. In the connector cover for portable terminals as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
A connector cover for a mobile terminal, characterized in that a protrusion that protrudes only outward in the longitudinal direction of the cover main body is provided on the outer periphery in the axial center of the shaft. In the connector cover for portable terminals as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4,
A connector cover for a portable terminal, wherein a flange portion having a tip extending on the opposite side to the shaft portion is formed on the opposite side of the shaft portion in the cover body. In the portable terminal connector cover according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The connector cover for a mobile terminal, wherein the elastic material is a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer. In the portable terminal connector cover that is recessed in the portable terminal body and covers the concave portion for the connector where the external connection terminal is exposed,
A shaft portion whose proximal end is inserted into the insertion hole formed in the connector recess substantially perpendicularly to the peripheral surface of the connector recess;
A cover body that is continuous with the distal end side of the shaft portion and is fitted to be connected to the peripheral edge of the concave portion for the connector;
A hook portion recessed in the periphery of the cover body,
When the cover body is pulled out by hooking the hook portion, the cover body is configured to protrude from the connector recess and the external connection terminal is exposed by the elasticity of the cover body itself. A connector cover for mobile terminals. A portable terminal comprising the portable terminal connector cover according to claim 1.

Images