US20040127101A1 - Sim card receiving mechanism - Google Patents
Sim card receiving mechanism Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20040127101A1 US20040127101A1 US10/383,941 US38394103A US2004127101A1 US 20040127101 A1 US20040127101 A1 US 20040127101A1 US 38394103 A US38394103 A US 38394103A US 2004127101 A1 US2004127101 A1 US 2004127101A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- sim card
- recess
- receiving
- receiving mechanism
- slideable
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
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Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06K13/00—Conveying record carriers from one station to another, e.g. from stack to punching mechanism
- G06K13/02—Conveying record carriers from one station to another, e.g. from stack to punching mechanism the record carrier having longitudinal dimension comparable with transverse dimension, e.g. punched card
- G06K13/08—Feeding or discharging cards
Definitions
- This invention generally relates to mechanisms for holding surface contact cards of electronic devices, and more particularly to a SIM card receiving mechanism for holding a SIM card in an electronic device.
- SIM subscriber identity module
- a conventional mechanism for holding a SIM card includes a base made of insulating material and a cover pivotally attached to the base.
- the base is mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) of a mobile phone and comprises a plurality of pin contacts.
- PCB printed circuit board
- the cover is rotated upwardly to an open position, and the SIM card is inserted into receiving grooves which are provided on opposite sides of the cover. Then, the cover is rotated downwardly to the closed position so that the contact pads of the SIM card are brought into electrical contact with the pin contacts on the base.
- U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,828 discloses an improved structure for holding a SIM card.
- the structure comprises a dielectric support that forms a card-holding recess and a cover that holds the card down against contacting ends of pin contacts mounted on the support.
- the cover can be slideable on the support.
- an object of the present invention is to provide a SIM card receiving mechanism for holding a SIM card in an electronic device, which renders the SIM card easy to change.
- a SIM card receiving mechanism for holding a SIM card in an electronic device includes a first recess and a securing assembly.
- An elastic element is formed to protrude in the first recess.
- the securing assembly includes a second recess and a slideable element.
- the second recess is in communication with the first recess.
- the slideable element is slideably received in the second recess.
- the slideable element is moved toward the first recess to hold the SIM card down in the first recess.
- the slideable element is moved away from the first recess and the elastic element pushes the SIM card upwardly, causing it to protrude from the first recess.
- the SIM card receiving mechanism of the present invention makes it easier for a consumer to change a SIM card.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bottom of an electronic device showing a SIM card and a disassembled SIM card receiving mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the invention
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG. 1, wherein the SIM card is shown cross-sectionally in the process of being assembled in the SIM card receiving mechanism;
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view of FIG. 2, in which the SIM card is fully assembled in the SIM card receiving mechanism.
- FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a rear cover 1 of an electronic device (not shown) with a battery module (not shown) removed to expose a battery-receiving compartment 3 , in which a SIM card receiving mechanism (not labeled) for holding a SIM card 6 is shown.
- the SIM card receiving mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a first recess 4 and a securing assembly 2 .
- the first recess 4 is defined in a corner (not labeled) of a bottom surface 301 of the battery-receiving compartment 3 .
- the securing assembly 2 comprises a second recess 7 and a slideable element 5 .
- the second recess 7 is defined in a second corner of the bottom surface 301 of the battery-receiving compartment 3 , and is in communication with the first recess 4 .
- the slideable element 5 is slideably received in the second recess 7 .
- a rectangular opening 40 is defined in a bottom surface 401 of the first recess 4 .
- the opening 40 is formed for exposing an electrical connector 44 mounted on a printed circuit board (not shown) of the electronic device.
- the electrical connector 44 comprises an insulating housing 44 a and a plurality of pin contacts 44 b mounted therein.
- An elastic element 41 attaches to the bottom surface 401 of the first recess 4 , is parallel to the bottom surface 401 of the first recess 4 , and is located adjacent to the rectangular opening 40 .
- the elastic element 41 comprises a base portion 42 connecting to the bottom surface 401 of the first recess 4 , a free end 45 , and a projection 43 extending from the free end 45 .
- a slot 47 at an end of the first recess 4 extends beneath a sidewall 46 , which sidewall defines one side of the battery-receiving compartment 3 .
- a slant 48 defines a bottom boundary of the slot 47 .
- An arris 49 is formed where the slant 48 intersects the bottom surface 401 of the first recess 4 .
- a pair of wings 74 is formed at two sides of the second recess 7 and a plateau 72 is formed therebetween.
- a pair of apertures 78 , 79 is defined in an end of each wing 74 , arranged along a path of movement of the slideable element 5 .
- a first positioning hole 76 and a second positioning hole 77 are defined in the plateau 72 and are also arranged along the path of movement of the slideable element 5 .
- the slideable element 5 is made from a thin sheet material which can be metal, plastic, or another material.
- a center dome 52 and a pair of side domes 53 protrude downwardly from the slideable element 5 .
- a pair of tabs 54 extends to two opposite sides of and is integrally formed with the slideable element 5 , and the tabs 54 are elastic.
- the slideable element 5 is slidingly engaged in the second recess 7 , with one the tabs 54 being slidingly received beneath the wings 74 and then the other of the tabs 54 being inserted beneath the wings 74 .
- the center dome 52 is received in the second positioning hole 77 and the side domes 53 are received in the apertures 79 .
- the slideable element 5 is moved to an unlatch position the center dome 52 is received in the first positioning hole 76 and the side domes 53 are received in the apertures 78 .
- the slideable element 5 is pushed to the latched position so that the dome 52 of the slideable element 5 disengages from the first positioning hole 76 and moves to engage with the second positioning hole 77 , while the pair of domes 53 moves from the apertures 78 to the apertures 79 .
- the slideable element 5 thereby holds a top surface of the SIM card 6 down, securing the SIM card 6 in the first recess 4 , as shown in FIG. 3.
- the slideable element 5 is pushed to the unlatched position so that the domes 52 , 53 disengage respectively from the second positioning hole 77 and apertures 79 and slide respectively to the first positioning hole 76 and the apertures 78 .
- the end of the SIM card 6 which was held by the slideable element 5 rises under the action of the elastic force of the elastic element 41 and the SIM card 6 pivots about the arris 49 .
- the SIM card 6 can then be easily removed from the first recess 4 of the battery-receiving compartment 3 .
- the SIM card receiving mechanism of the present invention makes it easier for consumers to change the SIM card 6 of the electronic device.
Abstract
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- This invention generally relates to mechanisms for holding surface contact cards of electronic devices, and more particularly to a SIM card receiving mechanism for holding a SIM card in an electronic device.
- 2. Prior Art
- Surface contact cards having special circuits are widely used in electronic devices to enhance or specialize the functions of the electronic devices.
- For example, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card is placed in a portable phone to dedicate the phone's functions to the SIM card owner. By changing SIM cards, a single phone can be used by many SIM card owners as a personal phone.
- A conventional mechanism for holding a SIM card includes a base made of insulating material and a cover pivotally attached to the base. The base is mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) of a mobile phone and comprises a plurality of pin contacts. The cover is rotated upwardly to an open position, and the SIM card is inserted into receiving grooves which are provided on opposite sides of the cover. Then, the cover is rotated downwardly to the closed position so that the contact pads of the SIM card are brought into electrical contact with the pin contacts on the base.
- In order to simplify a structure of a card connector and to provide a connector for situations where insufficient space is available to pivot a cover, U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,828 discloses an improved structure for holding a SIM card. The structure comprises a dielectric support that forms a card-holding recess and a cover that holds the card down against contacting ends of pin contacts mounted on the support. The cover can be slideable on the support. When the card is fully inserted into the recess, with a rear edge of the card abutting an inner rear wall of the support, the front edge of the card projects forward from a front end of the support so that the card can be readily pulled out of the support.
- However, it may still be inconvenient to change the SIM card if the card-holding recess is very small, even though the front edge of the card projects forward from the front end of the support.
- Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a SIM card receiving mechanism for holding a SIM card in an electronic device, which renders the SIM card easy to change.
- To achieve the above-mentioned object, a SIM card receiving mechanism for holding a SIM card in an electronic device includes a first recess and a securing assembly. An elastic element is formed to protrude in the first recess. The securing assembly includes a second recess and a slideable element. The second recess is in communication with the first recess. The slideable element is slideably received in the second recess. The slideable element is moved toward the first recess to hold the SIM card down in the first recess. To remove the SIM card, the slideable element is moved away from the first recess and the elastic element pushes the SIM card upwardly, causing it to protrude from the first recess. The SIM card receiving mechanism of the present invention makes it easier for a consumer to change a SIM card.
- Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be drawn from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bottom of an electronic device showing a SIM card and a disassembled SIM card receiving mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of FIG. 1, wherein the SIM card is shown cross-sectionally in the process of being assembled in the SIM card receiving mechanism; and
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view of FIG. 2, in which the SIM card is fully assembled in the SIM card receiving mechanism.
- FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a
rear cover 1 of an electronic device (not shown) with a battery module (not shown) removed to expose a battery-receiving compartment 3, in which a SIM card receiving mechanism (not labeled) for holding aSIM card 6 is shown. The SIM card receiving mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises afirst recess 4 and asecuring assembly 2. Thefirst recess 4 is defined in a corner (not labeled) of abottom surface 301 of the battery-receivingcompartment 3. Thesecuring assembly 2 comprises asecond recess 7 and aslideable element 5. Thesecond recess 7 is defined in a second corner of thebottom surface 301 of the battery-receivingcompartment 3, and is in communication with thefirst recess 4. Theslideable element 5 is slideably received in thesecond recess 7. - A
rectangular opening 40 is defined in abottom surface 401 of thefirst recess 4. Theopening 40 is formed for exposing anelectrical connector 44 mounted on a printed circuit board (not shown) of the electronic device. Theelectrical connector 44 comprises aninsulating housing 44 a and a plurality ofpin contacts 44 b mounted therein. Anelastic element 41 attaches to thebottom surface 401 of thefirst recess 4, is parallel to thebottom surface 401 of thefirst recess 4, and is located adjacent to therectangular opening 40. Theelastic element 41 comprises abase portion 42 connecting to thebottom surface 401 of thefirst recess 4, afree end 45, and aprojection 43 extending from thefree end 45. Aslot 47 at an end of thefirst recess 4 extends beneath asidewall 46, which sidewall defines one side of the battery-receivingcompartment 3. Aslant 48 defines a bottom boundary of theslot 47. Anarris 49 is formed where theslant 48 intersects thebottom surface 401 of thefirst recess 4. - A pair of
wings 74 is formed at two sides of thesecond recess 7 and aplateau 72 is formed therebetween. A pair ofapertures wing 74, arranged along a path of movement of theslideable element 5. Afirst positioning hole 76 and asecond positioning hole 77 are defined in theplateau 72 and are also arranged along the path of movement of theslideable element 5. - The
slideable element 5 is made from a thin sheet material which can be metal, plastic, or another material. Acenter dome 52 and a pair ofside domes 53 protrude downwardly from theslideable element 5. A pair oftabs 54 extends to two opposite sides of and is integrally formed with theslideable element 5, and thetabs 54 are elastic. - To assemble the
securing assembly 2, theslideable element 5 is slidingly engaged in thesecond recess 7, with one thetabs 54 being slidingly received beneath thewings 74 and then the other of thetabs 54 being inserted beneath thewings 74. When theslideable element 5 is moved to a latched position, thecenter dome 52 is received in thesecond positioning hole 77 and theside domes 53 are received in theapertures 79. When theslideable element 5 is moved to an unlatch position thecenter dome 52 is received in thefirst positioning hole 76 and theside domes 53 are received in theapertures 78. - Referring to FIG. 2, when the
SIM card 6 is assembled into the electronic device, a rear end of theSIM card 6 is moved along theslant 48 and is inserted into theslot 47 of thefirst recess 4. Then, a front end of theSIM card 6 is pressed down to connect electrical contacts (not shown) on a bottom side (not shown) of theSIM card 6 with thepin contacts 44 b of theelectrical connector 44. When theSIM card 6 is completely inserted, it lies against thebottom surface 401 of thefirst recess 4 and holds thepin contacts 44 b down. To retain theSIM card 6 in place, theslideable element 5 is pushed to the latched position so that thedome 52 of theslideable element 5 disengages from thefirst positioning hole 76 and moves to engage with thesecond positioning hole 77, while the pair ofdomes 53 moves from theapertures 78 to theapertures 79. Theslideable element 5 thereby holds a top surface of theSIM card 6 down, securing theSIM card 6 in thefirst recess 4, as shown in FIG. 3. - To removed the
SIM card 6, theslideable element 5 is pushed to the unlatched position so that thedomes second positioning hole 77 andapertures 79 and slide respectively to thefirst positioning hole 76 and theapertures 78. When theslideable element 5 is at its unlatched position in thesecond recess 7, the end of theSIM card 6 which was held by theslideable element 5 rises under the action of the elastic force of theelastic element 41 and theSIM card 6 pivots about thearris 49. TheSIM card 6 can then be easily removed from thefirst recess 4 of the battery-receivingcompartment 3. - The SIM card receiving mechanism of the present invention makes it easier for consumers to change the
SIM card 6 of the electronic device. - It is believed that the present invention and its advantages will be understood from the foregoing description and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the example hereinbefore described merely being a preferred or exemplary embodiment of the invention.
Claims (20)
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
TW091221584U TW562361U (en) | 2002-12-31 | 2002-12-31 | Mechanism for holding SIM card |
TW91221584U | 2002-12-31 | ||
TW91221584 | 2002-12-31 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20040127101A1 true US20040127101A1 (en) | 2004-07-01 |
US6761591B1 US6761591B1 (en) | 2004-07-13 |
Family
ID=32466889
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/383,941 Expired - Fee Related US6761591B1 (en) | 2002-12-31 | 2003-03-07 | SIM card receiving mechanism |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US6761591B1 (en) |
TW (1) | TW562361U (en) |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20060246743A1 (en) * | 2005-04-29 | 2006-11-02 | Motorola, Inc. | Assembly for coupling to an electrical component |
US20080261461A1 (en) * | 2007-04-20 | 2008-10-23 | Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. | Electrical connector assembly |
US20100124943A1 (en) * | 2008-11-20 | 2010-05-20 | At&T Mobility Iii Llc | System and method for removal of a universal integrated circuit card |
US20140038445A1 (en) * | 2012-08-06 | 2014-02-06 | Fih (Hong Kong) Limited | Chip card holder for electronic device |
Families Citing this family (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
TWI229533B (en) * | 2003-11-19 | 2005-03-11 | Benq Corp | SIM card retainer |
CN1882227B (en) * | 2005-06-18 | 2010-04-07 | 深圳富泰宏精密工业有限公司 | Holding structure of chip card |
CN1933253B (en) * | 2005-09-16 | 2011-01-26 | 深圳富泰宏精密工业有限公司 | Chip card fixing device for portable electronic products |
CN1980262B (en) * | 2005-12-02 | 2011-08-31 | 深圳富泰宏精密工业有限公司 | Chip-card fixing structure |
CN100544129C (en) * | 2005-12-02 | 2009-09-23 | 深圳富泰宏精密工业有限公司 | Chip card fixedly holding structure |
KR100771425B1 (en) | 2006-08-31 | 2007-10-30 | 주식회사 바른전자 | Sim card mounting structure |
CN101677163A (en) * | 2008-09-18 | 2010-03-24 | 深圳富泰宏精密工业有限公司 | Holding structure for SIM card |
TW201019685A (en) * | 2008-11-05 | 2010-05-16 | In Conn Electronics Co Ltd | Mobile phone device |
CN102655306B (en) * | 2012-04-20 | 2014-06-04 | 华为终端有限公司 | Fool-proof structure of common card slot space |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5613866A (en) * | 1992-09-08 | 1997-03-25 | Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. | Card receiver electrically for contacting a card medium having a plurality of electrical connecting terminals |
US5816838A (en) * | 1996-07-02 | 1998-10-06 | Augat Inc. | Miniature card docking connector |
US6175505B1 (en) * | 1997-07-17 | 2001-01-16 | Acer Peripheals, Inc. | Device for receiving and connecting a memory card |
US6325637B1 (en) * | 1999-07-19 | 2001-12-04 | Nokia Mobile Phone Limited | Card reader |
-
2002
- 2002-12-31 TW TW091221584U patent/TW562361U/en not_active IP Right Cessation
-
2003
- 2003-03-07 US US10/383,941 patent/US6761591B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5613866A (en) * | 1992-09-08 | 1997-03-25 | Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. | Card receiver electrically for contacting a card medium having a plurality of electrical connecting terminals |
US5816838A (en) * | 1996-07-02 | 1998-10-06 | Augat Inc. | Miniature card docking connector |
US6175505B1 (en) * | 1997-07-17 | 2001-01-16 | Acer Peripheals, Inc. | Device for receiving and connecting a memory card |
US6325637B1 (en) * | 1999-07-19 | 2001-12-04 | Nokia Mobile Phone Limited | Card reader |
Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20060246743A1 (en) * | 2005-04-29 | 2006-11-02 | Motorola, Inc. | Assembly for coupling to an electrical component |
US20080261461A1 (en) * | 2007-04-20 | 2008-10-23 | Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. | Electrical connector assembly |
US7695316B2 (en) * | 2007-04-20 | 2010-04-13 | Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. | Electrical connector assembly |
US20100124943A1 (en) * | 2008-11-20 | 2010-05-20 | At&T Mobility Iii Llc | System and method for removal of a universal integrated circuit card |
US8082004B2 (en) * | 2008-11-20 | 2011-12-20 | At&T Mobility Ii Llc | System and method for removal of a universal integrated circuit card |
US20140038445A1 (en) * | 2012-08-06 | 2014-02-06 | Fih (Hong Kong) Limited | Chip card holder for electronic device |
US8968030B2 (en) * | 2012-08-06 | 2015-03-03 | Zhongshan Innocloud Intellectual Property Services Co., Ltd. | Chip card holder for electronic device |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US6761591B1 (en) | 2004-07-13 |
TW562361U (en) | 2003-11-11 |
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Legal Events
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: HON HAI PRECISION IND. CO., LTD., TAIWAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:ZHOU, HUNTER;REEL/FRAME:013871/0150 Effective date: 20030214 |
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STCH | Information on status: patent discontinuation |
Free format text: PATENT EXPIRED DUE TO NONPAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEES UNDER 37 CFR 1.362 |
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Effective date: 20160713 |