KR20040040651A - A combination case and charger for portable electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A charger combined with a case for a PDA(Personal Digital Assistant) is provided to charge the PDA in anywhere and function as an outer protecting case by conveniently holding the charger. CONSTITUTION: The case(100) has a receiving space(110) to receive a product. A cover(200) is rotatively moved from the first position to the second position by installing to the case. A hinge rotatively supports the cover to the case. The charger(210) comprises a seating groove(211) receiving an end of the product, a product connecting port(212) installed to the inside of the seating groove, and a power connecting jack(213) formed by the hinge in order to be connected to the product connecting port.

Description

Case charger for portable electronics {A COMBINATION CASE AND CHARGER FOR PORTABLE ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a charger for a portable electronic device such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), and more particularly, to a case combined charger for a portable electronic device that can be portable as well as function as a case. will be.

As is well known, an electronic device such as a PDA is characterized by its portability, so that it is easy to carry and does not damage or destroy the liquid crystal display or its appearance when carrying. Therefore, a portable electronic device such as a PDA is usually used while being carried in a protective case made of a material such as leather. On the other hand, the portable electronic device requires a power source, and since the battery cannot be used when the battery is discharged, a charger capable of charging the battery is required.

Figure 1 shows a case of a portable electronic device that is commonly used in the prior art. As shown in the drawing, the general case 1 has a structure in which a fixing band 3 is installed on one side of the case body 2 having a space for accommodating the PDA so as not to be detached. The fixing band 3 is supported by a detachable member 4 such as a magic tape or a snap button, and one end thereof is selectively fixed to the case main body 2 to support the PDA housed in the case main body 2. The case 1 is made of leather or artificial leather, etc. in consideration of the portability of the PDA and consumer's taste. The liquid crystal display is not compressed by putting a hard paper in the case cover to protect the liquid crystal display of the PDA. .

Figure 2 shows a charger of a portable electronic device that is commonly used in the prior art. As shown in the figure, the charger 10 has a main body battery charging part 12 in which a PDA is seated on an upper side of the charger main body 11, and an auxiliary battery charging part 13 in which an auxiliary battery is seated on the other side thereof. do. In addition, the charger 10 is not specifically illustrated, but is provided with a USB cable and a power connection jack for connecting the PDA and the computer. In addition, the main body battery charger 12 of the charger 10 is inclined at an appropriate angle (usually 33.3 °) to serve as a cradle for convenience and visibility when using the PDA while charging.

The user of the portable electronic device can safely carry the PDA in the case 1 as described above, and can use the portable electronic device to charge the charger 10 when the battery is discharged. Of course, since the charger 10 also serves as a cradle, it is possible to use a PDA while charging.

However, the case 1 as described above, which is conventionally used, is not only caused by an increase in unit cost by being manufactured by hand but also has a disadvantage in that the quality is not constant. In addition, while the conventional case has advantages in portability of the PDA, it is not preferable in terms of diversity of functions because it has only a function as a simple case for protecting a PDA product and does not have other functions.

In addition, in the case of the charger 10 that is conventionally used, due to the characteristics of the PDA product, the battery is quickly consumed, and thus, frequent charging, for example, may occur in some cases even when carrying, but the conventional charger is not portable Because of its large size, it is inconvenient to carry, so it does not carry well. As a result, it is often impossible to use a PDA because it cannot be charged.

The present invention has been devised in view of the above, it is easy to carry and can be charged anytime, anywhere, as well as function as a case for protecting the appearance of the electronic device is extremely desirable in terms of variety of functions It is an object of the present invention to provide a charger for the case of the electronic device.

1 is a perspective view showing a protective case of a portable electronic device generally used in the past,

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a charger of a portable electronic device that is commonly used in the prior art,

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a case combined charger of a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention,

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 3 showing a rotation angle limiting means of a charger for a combined case of a portable electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention;

6A, 6B and 6C are enlarged cross-sectional views of main parts for explaining the structure and operation of the rotation angle limiting means shown in FIG. 5;

7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of the rotation angle recognition means of the case combined charger of the portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention,

8A and 8B are enlarged sectional views of main parts for explaining the structure and operation of the rotation angle recognition means shown in FIG.

9A, 9B, and 9C are side views for describing a state of use of a case charger of a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

100; case member 110; product storage space

200; case member 210; product charging part

211; Seating groove 212; Product connection port

213; power connection jack 300; hinge means

310,320; first and second hinge axis 400; rotation angle limiting means

410; locking projection 420; locking jaw portion

500; rotation angle recognition means 510; bracket

511,512; first and second grooves 520; protrusions

530; holder 600; locking means

610; hook hook 620; locking groove

The case combined charger of the portable electronic device according to the present invention for achieving the above object, the case member having an open storage space on one side that can accommodate the product; A cover member installed on the case member so as to be rotatable in a first position and a second position, and having a product filling part; And hinge means for rotatably supporting the cover member with respect to the case member.

The product filling portion, the mounting groove portion for receiving the end of the product; A product connection port installed in the seating groove; And a power connection jack configured through the hinge means to be connected to the product connection port.

The first position is a product protection position in which the cover member closes the storage space of the case member, and the second position is a product mounting position in which the cover member is rotated so as to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the case member.

The hinge means includes a hinge hole formed on both side surfaces of the seating groove of the cover member, and first and second hinge shafts fixed to the case member through the respective hinge holes.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the case combined charger of the portable electronic device, the rotation angle limiting means for maintaining the rotation angle of the second position when rotating the cover member from the first position to the second position; And a rotation angle recognizing means for allowing a user to recognize the moved position when the cover member is rotated from the first position to the second position or from the second position to the first position.

The rotation angle limiting means protrudes toward the hinge axis on the inner surface of the seating groove so that the locking protrusion is formed on one side of the first hinge shaft in a radial direction, and the cover member is caught by the locking protrusion when the cover member rotates to the second position. It may be formed of a locking jaw portion formed.

The rotation angle recognition means may include a bracket having first and second grooves fitted to the second hinge shaft and spaced apart at predetermined intervals, a protrusion selectively accommodated in the first and second grooves of the bracket, and the protrusions. It may be configured to include a holder protruding toward the second hinge axis from the inner surface of the seating groove to support the.

The rotation angle recognition means may further include an elastic member interposed between the protrusion and the holder to elastically support the protrusion to the bracket side.

In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the case combined charger of the portable electronic device may be provided with a means for locking the cover member relative to the case member while the cover member is rotated to the first position.

The locking means may include a locking hook installed on the cover member and a locking groove formed to engage the locking hook at a position corresponding to the locking hook of the case member.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described based on the accompanying drawings.

As shown in Figure 3 and 4, the case combined charger of the portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the case member 100, the cover member 200 and the hinge means 300.

The case member 100 has a storage space 110 that is open at one side for accommodating a product, for example, a PDA.

The cover member 200 is installed by the hinge means 300 to be rotatable to the case member 100 in a first position and a second position. In addition, the cover member 200 has a product charging unit 210 that can charge the product.

The product charging unit 210 is the hinge means to be connected to the product mounting port 212 and the product connection port 212 is installed on the inner side of the seating groove 211, accommodating the end of the product It is provided with a power connection jack 213 configured through (300).

The hinge means 300 rotates the cover member 200 with respect to the case member 100 so that the cover member 200 can be rotated to a first position and a second position with respect to the case member 100. It is possible to support. The hinge means 300 is a pair of hinge holes (not shown) formed on both sides of the seating groove 211 of the cover member 200, and through the respective hinge holes to the case member 100 And fixed first and second hinge axes 310, 320 (see FIGS. 5 and 7).

Here, the first position of the cover member 200 is a product protection position as shown in Figure 9c in which the cover member 200 closes the storage space 110 of the case member 100, the second The position is a product mounting position as shown in Figure 9b is rotated so that the cover member 200 is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the case member 100.

The above-mentioned case combined charger of the portable electronic device according to the present invention has a function of charging and placing the product and also has a function as a case for storing the product. That is, the product is the case member 100 by rotating the cover member 200 to the first position in the state seated on the product charging portion 210 of the cover member 200 in a state as shown in Figure 9c The product can be safely stored and carried by being placed in the storage space 110, and can be simply charged by connecting a power terminal to the power connection jack 213. In addition, as shown in Figure 9b, by moving the cover member 200 to the second position can also be used as a holder at the same time as the product filling.

On the other hand, the case combined charger of the portable electronic device according to the present invention, the rotation angle limiting means for maintaining the rotation angle of the second position when rotating the cover member 200 from the first position to the second position ( 400 and a rotation angle recognition means for allowing the user to recognize the moved position when the cover member 200 is rotated from the first position to the second position or from the second position to the first position. 500.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6A to 6C, the rotation angle limiting means 400 includes a locking protrusion 410 protruding radially at one side of the first hinge shaft 310 constituting the hinge means. When the cover member 200 rotates to the second position, the locking member 420 protrudes toward the hinge shaft 410 on the inner surface of the seating groove 211 so as to be caught by the locking protrusion 410. do.

Therefore, when the cover member 200 is rotated to move the cover member 200 to the second position in the same state as in FIG. 6C in which the cover member 200 is moved to the first position, the cover member 200 rotates as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. do. At this time, the locking jaw portion 420 is caught in the locking projection 410 in the rotational position of the cover member 200 as shown in FIG. 6b to maintain a limited rotation angle of the cover member 200. Here, the rotation angle of the cover member 200 is preferably about 33.3 degrees as in the prior art.

As shown in FIGS. 7, 8A, and 8B, the rotation angle recognition means 500 is fitted to the second hinge shaft 320 and spaced apart at predetermined intervals from the first and second groove portions 511 and 512. Bracket 510 and the mounting groove 211 to support the protrusion 520 and the protrusion 520 that is selectively accommodated in the first and second grooves (511, 512) of the bracket 510. It includes a holder 530 protruding toward the second hinge shaft 320 from the inner surface of the. In addition, although not shown in detail, the rotation angle recognition means 500 is elastically interposed between the protrusion 520 and the holder 530 to elastically support the protrusion 520 toward the bracket 510 side. The member may further be provided.

When the cover angle 200 is rotated as described above, when the cover member 200 rotates, the holder 530 also rotates, and in this process, the protrusion 520 on the holder 530 is the bracket 510. It is accommodated in the first or second grooves 511, 512 of the, when the projection 520 is accommodated in the grooves 511, 512, the vibration is generated, the user is the cover member 200 is desired It can be readily appreciated that the position has been moved to the first position or the second position.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the case combined charger of the portable electronic device, by locking the cover member 200 with respect to the case member 100 while the cover member 200 is rotated to the first position It further comprises a locking means 600 for preventing the separation of the product stored therein.

The locking means 600 has at least one hook hook 610 installed on the cover member 200 and the hook hook 610 at a position corresponding to the hook hook 610 of the case member 100. It is composed of a locking groove 620 formed to be caught.

Therefore, when the product functions as a case, the product stored in the storage space 110 of the case member 100 may be safely stored without being separated.

Hereinafter, an example of using a case-type charger of a portable electronic device according to the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 9A, 9B and 9C.

In the figure, reference numeral 700 denotes a product, that is, a PDA. In the second position of the cover member 200 as shown in FIG. 9A, the product 700 is seated with its end inserted into the seating groove 211 of the cover member 200. When the product 700 is to be charged in such a state, the product is charged by connecting a power terminal to the power connection jack 213 provided through the hinge means.

9B illustrates a process of rotating the cover member 200 on which the product 700 is seated to the first position. When the cover member 200 is rotated in the direction of the arrow, the result is shown in FIG. 9C. As described above, the cover member 200 is moved to the first position to close the storage space of the case member 100, thereby safely storing the product stored therein.

In the positional movement of the cover member 200 as described above, the cover member 200 is maintained in its second position by the rotation angle limiting means, and the user moves the cover member 200 to the first position or the second position. When moving, the position can be easily recognized by the rotation angle recognition means. In addition, since the cover member 200 is locked to the case member 100 by the locking means when the cover member 200 is moved to the first position, there is no fear that the product stored therein may be separated.

As described above, the case combined charger according to the present invention can be easily carried and can be used to charge the product anytime and anywhere, and also can serve as a case as well as a charger, and thus a separate case as in the prior art. There is no need to provide.

According to the present invention as described above, the charger can be carried, the product can be charged anywhere, and also has a case function, it can be expected to reduce the cost.

Therefore, it is possible to provide a very satisfactory product, such as a PDA, from the user's preference point of view, thereby further enhancing product competitiveness.

While the invention has been shown and described in connection with preferred embodiments for illustrating the principles of the invention, the invention is not limited to the construction and operation as shown and described. Rather, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, all such suitable changes and modifications and equivalents should be considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

A case member having an open space at one side to accommodate a product; A cover member installed on the case member so as to be rotatable in a first position and a second position, and having a product filling part; And And a hinge means for rotatably supporting the cover member with respect to the case member. The method of claim 1, wherein the product charging unit, A seating recess for accommodating an end of the product; A product connection port installed in the seating groove; And And a power connection jack configured through the hinge means to be connected to the product connection port. The method of claim 2, The first position is a product protection position in which the cover member closes the receiving space of the case member, and the second position is a product mounting position in which the cover member is rotated and inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the case member. A combined battery charger for a portable electronic device. The method of claim 3, wherein The hinge means includes a hinge hole formed at both sides of the seating recess of the cover member, and first and second hinge shafts fixed to the case member through the respective hinge holes. Combined charger. The method of claim 4, wherein A rotation angle limiting means for maintaining the rotational angle of the second position when the cover member is rotated from the first position to the second position, and the cover member from the first position to the second position, or the second position And a rotation angle recognizing means for allowing a user to recognize the moved position when rotating to the first position in the portable electronic device case combined charger. The method of claim 5, wherein The rotation angle limiting means protrudes toward the hinge axis on the inner surface of the seating groove so that the locking protrusion is formed on one side of the first hinge shaft in a radial direction, and the cover member is caught by the locking protrusion when the cover member rotates to the second position. The combined charger case of the portable electronic device, characterized in that formed by the locking jaw portion. The method of claim 5, wherein The rotation angle recognition means may include a bracket having first and second grooves fitted to the second hinge shaft and spaced apart at predetermined intervals, a protrusion selectively accommodated in the first and second grooves of the bracket, and the protrusions. And a holder protruding from the inner surface of the seating recess to protrude toward the second hinge shaft to support the case. The method of claim 7, wherein The rotation angle recognition means, the case combined charger of the portable electronic device, characterized in that it comprises an elastic member interposed between the projection and the holder to elastically support the projection to the bracket side. The method of claim 3, wherein And a means for locking the cover member with respect to the case member while the cover member is rotated to the first position. The method of claim 9, The locking means, the case combined charger of the portable electronic device, characterized in that the locking hook formed on the cover member and the locking groove formed to be coupled to the locking hook in a position corresponding to the locking hook of the case member.