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Mobile Phone Patent Abstract
A mobile phone with an interchangeable housing. The mobile phone
includes a body, a front housing, a rear cover, a battery cover,
and a battery pack. The body includes an engaging member. The front
housing is detachably disposed on the body via the engaging member.
The rear cover is detachably disposed on the body via the engaging
member. The battery cover is detachably disposed on the body. The
body is covered by the front housing, the rear cover, and the battery
cover. The battery pack is disposed on the body, and includes a
projecting portion. The projecting portion is abutted by the engaging
member so as to move the engaging member.
Mobile Phone Patent Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A mobile phone comprising: a body including an engaging member
and a guide rail; a front housing detachably disposed on the body
via the engaging member; a rear cover detachably disposed on the
body via the engaging member; a battery cover detachably disposed
on the body, wherein the body is housed by the front housing, the
rear cover, and the battery cover; and a battery pack, disposed
on the body, including a projecting portion, wherein the projecting
portion pushes the engaging member to move along the guide rail.
2. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the engaging
member is formed with a concave portion, and the guide rail includes
a protrusion corresponding to the concave portion, whereby the engaging
member can be positioned at a predetermined position on the guide
rail by engaging the protrusion with the concave portion.
3. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the engaging
member is formed with a groove, and the front housing includes a
first hook corresponding to the groove, wherein the front housing
is positioned on the body by the first hook engaging with the groove.
4. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the engaging
member is formed with a groove, and the rear cover includes a second
hook corresponding to the groove, wherein the rear cover is positioned
on the body by the second hook engaging with the groove.
5. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the projecting
portion includes a first inclined surface abutted by the engaging
member, and the engaging member includes a second inclined surface
abutted by the projecting portion, whereby the engaging member can
be smoothly moved by the battery pack.
6. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery
cover includes a pressed member, and the body includes an elastic
member corresponding to the pressed member, and the battery cover
is positioned on the body by engaging the pressing member with the
elastic member.
7. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body is
formed with a hole, and the front housing includes a fixed member,
and the front housing is positioned on the body by engaging the
fixed member with the hole.
8. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shape of
the front housing corresponds to those of the rear cover and the
battery cover.
9. The mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of
the engaging members is two, and a spring is disposed between the
engaging members.
10. An assembly for assembling a mobile phone, wherein the mobile
phone includes a body, a front housing, a rear cover, and the assembly
comprises: an engaging member disposed on the body in a manner such
that the engaging member moves between a first position and a second
position; a first hook, corresponding to the engaging member, disposed
on the front housing; a second hook, corresponding to the engaging
member, disposed on the rear cover; a guide rail; and an abutting
member to push the engaging member to move along the guide rail
for positioning the engaging member; wherein the engaging member
is engaged with the first hook and the second hook so that the front
housing and the rear cover are combined with the body when the engaging
member is located at the first position, and the engaging member
is disengaged from the first hook and the second hook so that the
front housing and the rear cover are separated from the body when
the engaging member is located at the second position.
11. The assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the engaging member
is formed with a concave portion, and the assembly includes a protrusion
disposed on the body in a manner such that the protrusion corresponds
to the concave portion, whereby the engaging member can be positioned
at a predetermined position on the body by engaging the protrusion
with the concave portion.
12. The assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the engaging member
is formed with a groove corresponding to the first hook and the
second hook, and the front housing and the rear cover are positioned
on the body by engaging the first hook and the second hook with
the groove.
13. The assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the abutting member
includes a first inclined surface abutted by the engaging member,
and the engaging member includes a second inclined surface abutted
by the abutting member, whereby the engaging member can be smoothly
moved by the abutting member.
14. The assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first hook
is integrally formed on the front housing.
15. The assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the second hook
is integrally formed on the rear cover.
16. The assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the number of
the engaging member is two, and a spring is disposed between the
engaging members.
Mobile Phone Patent Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a mobile phone; in particular, to a mobile
phone with an interchangeable housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, mobile phones have become an indispensable tool for communication.
However, the shapes of compact mobile phones have rarely satisfied
users. For example, it is important for a user to be able to change
the cover of the mobile phone to satisfy his personal taste.
In view of this, the mobile phones with special shapes or colors
have been provided by mobile phone manufacturers. Furthermore, the
housing of some mobile phones can be changed based on the choice
of the user. In addition, the color of the housing of some mobile
phones can be changed in a different view or by different light
so as to show the personal character of the user. Since personalized
products are more popular recently, the market for mobile phones
with interchangeable housings will probably increase.
There are many ways to change the housing of the mobile phone.
For example, the housings of some mobile phones are partially changeable.
That is, only the front or rear housing are changeable. In some
mobile phones, both the front and rear housing are changeable. When
the housing is disassembled in most mobile phones, however, both
the front and rear housing are changeable by physical manipulation.
Thus, the circuit or component assembly inside the mobile phone
may be damaged during the disassembly of the housing, and the structure
of the housing may also be deformed due to improper application
of force after repeated replacements. As a result, the structure
of the entire mobile phone may be unstable after re-assembly. In
addition, some manufacturers encourage the user to bring the mobile
phone to the original retail sales outlet so that the housing of
the mobile phone can be changed by a professional, which may be
inconvenient. Furthermore, even if the housing is changed by a professional,
the mobile phone may be damaged by the replacement process.
In addition, in some mobile phones with interchangeable housing,
an additional removing device is disposed on its housing so as to
assist in disassembly. However, since the removing device is exposed,
the appearance of the mobile phone may be aesthetically unattractive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of this, the invention provides a mobile phone with a conveniently
interchangeable housing.
In this invention, a mobile phone with an interchangeable housing
is provided. The mobile phone includes a body, a front housing,
a rear cover, a battery cover, and a battery pack. The body includes
an engaging member. The front housing is detachably disposed on
the body via the engaging member. The rear cover is detachably disposed
on the body via the engaging member. The battery cover is detachably
disposed on the body. The body is housed by the front housing, the
rear cover, and the battery cover. The battery pack is disposed
on the body, and includes a projecting portion. The projecting portion
is abutted by the engaging member so as to move the engaging member.
In a preferred embodiment, the body includes a guide rail for the
engaging member to move thereon.
Furthermore, the engaging member is formed with a concave portion,
and the guide rail includes a protrusion corresponding to the concave
portion. Thus, the engaging member can be positioned at a predetermined
position on the guide rail by engaging the protrusion with the concave
portion.
In another preferred embodiment, the engaging member is formed
with a groove, and the front housing includes a first hook corresponding
to the groove. The front housing is positioned on the body by engaging
the first hook with the groove.
In another preferred embodiment, the rear cover includes a second
hook corresponding to the groove. The rear cover is positioned on
the body by engaging the second hook with the groove.
In another preferred embodiment, the projecting portion includes
a first inclined surface abutted by the engaging member, and the
engaging member includes a second inclined surface abutted by the
projecting portion. Thus, the engaging member can be smoothly moved
by the battery pack.
In another preferred embodiment, the battery cover includes a pressed
member, and the body includes an elastic member corresponding to
the pressed member. The battery cover is positioned on the body
by engaging the pressing member with the elastic member.
In another preferred embodiment, the body is formed with a hole,
and the front housing includes a fixed member. The front housing
is positioned on the body by engaging the fixed member with the
hole.
In another preferred embodiment, the shape of the front housing
corresponds to the rear cover and the battery cover.
Another preferred embodiment provides two engaging members, and
a spring is disposed between the engaging members.
In this invention, an assembly for assembling a mobile phone is
provided. The mobile phone includes a body, a front housing, a rear
cover, and the assembly includes an engaging member, a first hook,
and a second hook. The engaging member is disposed on the body in
a manner such that the engaging member moves between a first position
and a second position. The first hook, corresponds to the engaging
member, and is disposed on the front housing. The second hook corresponds
to the engaging member, and is disposed on the rear cover. When
the engaging member is located at the first position, the engaging
member is engaged with the first hook and the second hook so that
the front housing and the rear cover are combined with the body.
When the engaging member is located at the second position, the
engaging member is disengaged from the first hook and the second
hook so that the front housing and the rear cover are separated
from the body.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention can be more fully understood by reading the
subsequent detailed description and examples with references made
to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a mobile phone with an interchangeable
housing as disclosed in this invention;
FIGS. 2a 2b is cross sections showing the combined relationship
between an engaging member, a first hook, and a second hook in FIG.
1;
FIGS. 3a 3b are schematic views showing an abutting relationship
between the engaging member and a battery pack in FIG. 1; and
FIGS. 4a 4f are schematic views of the process for changing the
housing of the mobile phone in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows a mobile phone 1, with an interchangeable housing,
as disclosed in this invention. The mobile phone 1 includes a body
10, a front housing 20, a rear cover 30, and a battery cover 40.
The body 10 includes two engaging members 11, a guide rail 12, a
battery pack 13, an elastic member 14, a hole 15, an antenna (not
labeled), a printed circuit board (not shown), and other components.
Each of the engaging members 11 is movably disposed on the guide
rail 12. Referring to FIG. 1, each of the engaging members 11 is
formed with a groove 112 at a side exposed by the body 10. Furthermore,
referring to FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b, each of the engaging members 11
is formed with a concave portion 111 at a surface abutted by the
guide rail 12. Furthermore, referring to FIG. 3a and FIG. 3b, each
of the engaging members 11 includes an inclined surface 113 abutted
by the battery pack 13.
In this embodiment, each of the engaging members 11 is independently
movable. However, it is not limited to this manner. For example,
an additional spring (not shown) can be disposed between the engaging
members 11, and used as a transmission mechanism. Thus, when one
engaging member is moved, the other engaging member is simultaneously
moved.
The guide rail 12 is used for the engaging members 11 to move thereon.
Referring to FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b, the guide rail 12 is formed with
two protrusions 121, corresponding to the concave portions 111 of
the engaging members 11, at a surface abutted by the engaging members
11. Thus, the engaging members 11 can be positioned at a predetermined
position on the guide rail 12 by engaging the protrusions 121 with
the concave portions 111.
Referring to FIG. 3a and FIG. 3b, the battery pack 13 is disposed
on the body 11, and includes a projecting portion 131. The projecting
portion 131 is abutted by the engaging members 11 so as to move
the engaging members 11 and keep the engaging members 11 in position
as shown in FIG. 3b. Furthermore, the projecting portion 131 includes
an inclined surface 131a abutted by the engaging members 11. That
is, the projecting portion 131 may be used as an abutting member.
Thus, the engaging members 11 can be smoothly moved by the battery
pack 13 so as to position the engaging members 11 on the guide rail
12.
The front housing 20 is detachably disposed on the body 10, and
includes two first hooks 21 and a fixed member 22 as shown in FIG.
1. In this embodiment, the front housing 20 is used as a front panel
assembly of the mobile phone 20, and is provided with keys, a display,
and other elements thereon. Furthermore, referring to FIG. 2b, each
of the first hooks 21 is integrally formed with the front housing
20, and corresponds to the groove 112 of the engaging member 11
respectively. When the engaging members 11 are able to move freely
to a first position as shown in FIG. 4c from a second position as
shown in FIG. 4d by the battery pack 13, the protrusions 121 are
engaged with the concave portions 111 as shown in FIG. 2b. Thus,
the engaging members 11 are engaged with the first hooks 21 so that
the front housing 20 is combined with the body 10. In addition,
the position of the fixed member 22 corresponds to the hole 15 of
the body 10. The front housing 20 can be positioned on the body
10 more stably by engaging the fixed member 22 with the hole 15.
The rear cover 30 is detachably disposed on the body 10, and covers
the antenna of the body 10 and includes two second hooks 31 thereon.
Referring to FIG. 2b, each of the second hooks 31 is integrally
formed on the rear cover 30, and corresponds to the groove 112 of
the engaging member 11 respectively. The rear cover 30 is stably
positioned on the body 10 by engaging the second hook 31 with the
groove 112.
The battery cover 40 is detachably disposed on the body 10, and
the shape of the front housing 20 corresponds to those of the rear
cover 30 and the battery cover 40. Thus, the body 30 may be completely
housed by the front housing 20, the rear cover 30, and the battery
cover 40. Furthermore, the battery cover 40 is formed with a pressed
member 41 corresponding to the elastic member 14 of the body 10.
Thus, the battery cover 40 can be positioned on the body 10 by engaging
the pressing member 41 with the elastic member 14.
The structure of the mobile phone 1 of this invention is described
as above. Referring to FIGS. 4a 4f, the process for changing the
housing of the mobile phone 1 is described as follows.
First, the pressed member 41 on the battery cover 40 is pressed
down so that the pressed member 41 is separated from the elastic
member 14 on the body 10. At the same time, the battery cover 40
is moved downward along a direction as shown in an arrow of FIG.
4a so that the battery cover 40 is separated from the body 10 as
shown in FIG. 4b. Then, the battery pack 13 is removed from the
body 10 as shown in FIG. 4c. It is noted that the engaging members
11 are located at the first position at this time. Since the engaging
members 11 are not abutted by the projecting portion 131 of the
battery pack 13, the engaging members 11 can be moved freely to
the second position from the first position so that the grooves
111 of the engaging members 11 are disengaged from the first hook
21 of the front housing 20 and the second hook 31 of the rear cover
30 as shown FIG. 4d. The rear cover 30 is sequentially removed as
shown in FIG. 4e. Finally, the front housing 20 is separated from
the body 10 as shown in FIG. 4f so that the entire housing is removed.
In contrast, the housing can be assembled on the body in a manner
opposite to the disassembly. Specifically, the front housing 20
and the rear cover 30 are first disposed on the body 10. Then, the
engaging members 11 are moved to the first position so that the
grooves 112 are engaged with the first hook 21 of the front housing
20 and the second hook 31 of the rear cover 30. At this time, the
protrusions 121 on the guide rail 12 are engaged with the concave
portions 111 of the engaging members 11 so that the engaging members
11 are temporarily positioned at a predetermined position. The battery
pack 13 is sequentially disposed on body 10 so that the engaging
members 11 are abutted by the projecting portions 131. Finally,
the battery cover 40 is combined with the body 10 so as to complete
the assembly of the housing.
It is understood that before the engaging members 11 are engaged
with the first hook 21 of the front housing 20, the front housing
22 can be temporarily positioned on the body 10 by the fixed member
22 of the front housing 20 inserting into the hole 15 on the body
10.
In a mobile phone with a built-in antenna, the rear cover 30 can
cover the antenna portion on the body 10. In a mobile phone with
a projecting antenna, the rear cover 30 can be used to encase the
electronic component of the body 10. That is, the design of this
invention can be applied to both a mobile phone with a built-in
antenna and a mobile phone with a projecting antenna.
By the design of this invention, the color or the keys of the housing
can be changed, and the shape of the entire housing can also be
changed. Furthermore, since the housing can be changed by the engaging
member, it needs not be forcibly separated from the body by a tool.
Thus preventing damage to the housing during replacement. As a result,
the appearance of the mobile phone can be maintained.
While the invention has been described by way of example and in
terms of the preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment. To the contrary,
it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements
(as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the
scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation
so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements. |