US 8,556,303 B2Granted

Battery cover and pivoting latch assembly for a portable electronic device

AssigneeBlackBerry Limited

InventorsVijai Rajagopal, James Carl Infanti, Timothy Herbert Kyowski

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Abstract

An apparatus secures a cover onto a housing of a portable electronic device. The apparatus has a first latch that is pivotally connected to the cover by a first hinge, so that in a first rotational position, the first latch contacts a first catch on the housing and in a second rotational position, the first latch is remote from the first catch. A second latch assembly has a second latch that is pivotally connected to the cover by a second hinge, so that in one rotational position, the second latch contacts a second catch on the housing and in another rotational position, the second latch is remote from the second catch. By squeezing the first and second latches between two fingers, a user is able to disengage those latches from the catches and remove the cover from the housing.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A portable electronic device comprising:

a housing having a compartment adapted for containing a battery to power the portable electronic device and having an opening into the compartment;
a cover detachably attached to the housing over the opening, wherein the cover has opposing outside and inside surfaces and opposing first and second edges between which third and fourth edges extend, wherein a portion of the inside surface extends across the opening when the cover is attached to the housing;
a first latch assembly comprising a first latch with a first latch plate that is pivotally coupled to the cover along the first edge, the first latch assembly having a first pair of latch knuckles projecting from the first latch plate and each having an aperture therein, a first pair of base knuckles mounted on the portion of the inside surface of the cover and each having an aperture therein, a first hinge pin extending into the apertures in the first pair of latch knuckles and the first pair of base knuckles, a first spring arranged to bias the first latch rotationally into releasable engagement with the housing, and a first stop projecting from the first latch plate for engaging a first surface of the first edge of the cover to limit rotational motion of the first latch plate in a first direction, wherein the first surface faces toward the housing;
and
a second latch assembly comprising a second latch with a second latch plate that is pivotally coupled to the cover along the second edge, the second latch assembly having a second pair of latch knuckles projecting from the second latch and each having an aperture therein, a second pair of base knuckles mounted on the portion of the inside surface of the cover and each having an aperture therein, a second hinge pin extending into the apertures in the second pair of latch knuckles and the second pair of base knuckles, a second spring arranged to bias the second latch rotationally into releasable engagement with the housing, and a second stop projecting from the second latch plate for engaging a second surface of the second edge of the cover to limit rotational motion of the second latch plate in a first direction, wherein the second surface faces toward the housing.

2 more elements

A portable electronic device comprising:

a housing having a compartment adapted for containing a battery to power the portable electronic device and having an opening into the compartment;
a cover detachably attached to the housing over the opening, wherein the cover has opposing outside and inside surfaces;
a first latch assembly that comprises:
(a) a first base mounted on the inside surface of the cover and having a first pair of base knuckles projecting from the first base, each base knuckle having a separate aperture there through, wherein the first base and the first pair of base knuckles are concealed from view when the cover is attached to the housing;
(b) a first latch including a first plate from which projects a first pair of latch knuckles, each having a separate aperture there through, and including a first stop projecting from the first plate for engaging a first surface of a first edge of the cover to limit rotational motion of the first plate in a first direction, wherein the first surface faces toward the housing;
(c) a first hinge pin extending through the apertures in the first pair of base knuckles and the first pair of latch knuckles;
and
(d) a first torsion spring arranged to rotationally bias the first latch about the first hinge pin and into releasable engagement with the housing.

5 more elements

A portable electronic device comprising:

a housing having a compartment adapted for containing a battery to power the portable electronic device and having an opening into the compartment, wherein the housing has a first catch area and a second catch area;
a cover detachably attached to the housing and having an inside surface with a portion extending over the opening;
a first latch assembly comprising a first latch with a first plate and a first hinge mounted on the first plate and mounted on the portion of the inside surface of the cover, wherein the first latch has a first rotational position in which the first latch contacts the first catch area and has a second rotational position in which the first latch is remote from the first catch area, wherein the first hinge comprises a first element that limits rotational motion in a direction toward the second rotational position, and the first latch assembly further comprising a first stop projecting from the first plate for engaging a first surface of a first edge of the cover to limit rotational motion in a direction toward the first rotational position, wherein the first surface faces toward the housing;
and
a second latch assembly comprising a second latch with a second plate and a second hinge mounted on the second plate and mounted on the portion of the inside surface of the cover, wherein the second latch has one rotational position in which the second latch contacts the second catch area and has another rotational position in which the second latch is remote from the second catch area, and wherein the second hinge comprises a second element that limits rotational motion in a direction toward the another rotational position, and the second latch assembly having a second stop projecting from the second plate for engaging a second surface of a second edge of the cover to limit rotational motion in a direction toward the one rotational position, wherein the second surface faces toward the housing.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.