Back to results
US 6,660,427 B1Granted
Latch assembly for portable electronic device
AssigneeMotorola, Inc.
InventorsVictor J. Hukill, David G. Teteak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A latching assembly for a battery door of a portable electronic device includes a latch body that is retained on either the battery door or the housing of the device and which includes an encapsulated biasing spring and snapping catches that cannot be accessed by a user.
Claims11
A spring-biased latch assembly for a portable wireless communication device comprising:
- a door with a recess for receiving a latch body, the recess including at least one catch pocket, at least one rail disposed along the recess and a spring holder;
- the latch body provided with at least one rail pocket adapted to engage the rail, at least one snap catch adapted to engage the catch pocket, and a blind hole for receiving a spring therein;
- the latch body being substantially permanently attached to the door by inserting the spring into the blind hole, sliding the latch body along the rail to advance the spring into the blind hole until the at least one snap catch drops into the at least one catch pocket.
A latch assembly for maintaining a door upon a housing of a portable telecommunications device, comprising:
- a latch body that includes a portion of a locking mechanism for substantially permanently securing the latch body to the door, a latching mechanism for removably latching the door to the housing, and a blind hole therein for receiving and encapsulating a spring for biasing the latch body away from the door and into a locked position with the housing;
- a retaining recess formed in the door for receiving the latch body therein, the retaining recess formed of at least one wall having another portion of the locking mechanism formed therein, and a spring holder for holding the spring to the door;
- and
- wherein a bias exerted by the spring urges the locking mechanism on the latch body into an abutting engagement with a corresponding surface in the retaining recess, and engages the latching mechanism in a latched position with the housing, and wherein an external translation force applied to a top surface of the latch body compresses the spring to cause sliding movement of the latch body within the retaining recess in the direction of the externally applied translation force to an unlatched position, thereby allowing the door to be disengaged from the housing.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.