US20070227939A1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US20070227939A1
Application number: US11/393,080
Authority: US
Inventors: Kuei-Hua Chen
Original assignee: Inventec Corp
Current assignee: Inventec Corp
Priority date: 2006-03-29
Filing date: 2006-03-29
Publication date: 2007-10-04

Abstract

A storage structure for an electronic device includes a storage base; a cover part for covering the storage base to form a storage space between the storage base and the cover part, so as to receive the electronic device in the storage space; at least one pivot member comprising an elastic unit and a buffer unit, wherein the elastic unit is pivotally disposed between the storage base and the cover part, so as to allow the cover part to pivotally turn in relation to the storage base by means of resilience from the elastic unit, and the buffer unit is connected to the storage base and the cover part, so as to limit a degree of turning of the cover part; and at least one elastic coupling member for coupling the cover part to the storage base.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to storage structures, and more particularly, to a storage structure for an electronic device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

With improvement of the technology, various kinds of electronic devices have been developed, and most electronic components disposed inside an electronic device can be inspected and replaced by removing a cover of the electronic device.

Generally, a casing for storing an electronic device such as a server comprises a base and a cover, which are separately disposed. The casing is further formed with a storage space for storing important electronic components of the electronic device such as mainboard, central processing unit (CPU) and so on, so as to protect the electronic components via the casing. The cover is detachably mounted to the base, so as to allow easy inspection and replacement of the electronic components. Initially, the cover is fixed to the base by screws. However, the use of many screws for fixing the cover makes attachment and detachment processes of the cover quite time-consuming and complicated. Thus, how to reduce the number of screwing elements being required for fixing the cover and to have quick and convenient attachment and detachment of the cover is a problem to be solved at that time.

Accordingly, there has been developed a method of assembling the cover to the base and then fixing them together via only a few screwing elements.FIG. 1 shows a conventional storage structure for an electronic device. The storage structure comprises acover11 and abase12. The cover1 comprises aprotruding portion110 at one end thereof for being assembled to thebase12, and ahook111 at the other end thereof for hooking aprotruding piece120 of thebase12, wherein theprotruding piece120 is formed by bending a rear part of thebase12 outwardly. Thebase12 further comprises a supportingpiece122, which is formed by bending a side part of thebase12, for supporting the cover1, such that the cover1 can be fixed to thebase12 by abolt13.

The above assembly method effectively reduces the number of screwing elements being used. However, when the assembly method is applied to some kinds of servers such as a thin server that does not have a rear part of casing, the cover cannot be properly secured to a rear side of the thin server unless additional fixing members are used. As shown inFIG. 2, gourd-shaped holes220 are formed on sides of thebase22, and positioningposts210 are formed on corresponding sides of thecover21 to be coupled to the gourd-shaped holes220 so as to allow thecover21 to be assembled to thebase22 and cover thebase22. However, this arrangement causes inconvenience when closing and opening the cover in relation to the base.

Moreover, the cover and the base of the server are mostly disposed separately, which not only cause inconvenience in assembly and disassembly of the cover and the base, but also occupy a relatively larger operating area.

Therefore, the problem to be solved here is to provide a storage structure for an electronic device to overcome the above drawbacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the above drawbacks of the prior art, an objective of the present invention is to provide a storage structure for an electronic device, which can be widely applied for storing various kinds of electronic devices. Another objective of the present invention is to provide a storage structure for an electronic device, to allow a user to easily inspect the electronic device received in the storage structure.

Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a storage structure for an electronic device, for a user to operate it conveniently and without occupying a large operating area.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide a storage structure for an electronic device, for a user to perform assembly and disassembly of the storage structure without any tool.

In accordance with the above and other objectives, the present invention provides a storage structure for an electronic device. The storage structure comprises: a storage base; a cover part for covering the storage base to form a storage space between the storage base and the cover part, so as to receive the electronic device in the storage space; at least one pivot member comprising an elastic unit and a buffer unit, wherein the elastic unit is pivotally disposed between the storage base and the cover part, so as to allow the cover part to pivotally turn in relation to the storage base by means of resilience provided by the elastic unit, and the buffer unit is connected to the storage base and the cover part, so as to limit a degree of turning of the cover part; and at least one elastic coupling member for coupling the cover part to the storage base. The electronic device can be a server or a computer.

The storage structure of the present invention has the storage base and the cover part connected together by the pivot member. When a user wishes to open the cover part of the storage structure to examine the electronic device in the storage space, he or she only needs to press the elastic coupling member to release a coupling status between the cover part and the storage base, wherein the cover part turns in relation to the storage base by means of resilience provided by the elastic unit of the pivot member, such that the cover part is opened and the electronic device in the storage space is exposed. At the same time, as the buffer unit of the pivot member limits the turning degree of the cover part, the cover part can only be opened to a predetermined degree, so as to allow the user to examine, repair and replace the electronic device conveniently.

Contrarily, when the user wishes to close the cover part of the storage structure, he or she only needs to press down the cover part to allow the elastic coupling member to couple the cover part to the storage base, such that the electronic device in the storage base is being protected.

Therefore, compared with the conventional storage structure having separate arrangement of a base and a cover of a casing for storing an electronic device, the storage structure of the present invention not only can be widely applied to all kinds of electronic devices, but also has the cover part and the storage base connected to each other, so as to avoid the drawbacks such as inconvenience in assembly and disassembly and occupying a large operating area as in the prior art.

Furthermore, the storage structure of the present invention has an open/close mechanism for the cover part to be easily and quickly operate without any assistant tool, thereby avoiding the problems caused by the conventional storage structure, such as requiring screws for assembly, forming gourd-shaped holes and corresponding positioning posts to make assembly and disassembly processes of a cover and a base become complicated, and so on.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, with reference made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 (PRIOR ART) is a schematic diagram of a conventional storage structure for an electronic device;

FIG. 2 (PRIOR ART) is a partial schematic diagram of another conventional storage structure for an electronic device;

FIG. 3 is an exploded schematic diagram of a storage structure for an electronic device according to the present invention;

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of the storage structure at a close status according to the present invention; and

FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of the storage structure at an open status according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of a storage structure for an electronic device according to the present invention are described as follows with reference toFIGS. 3, 4A and4B. It is to be noted that the drawings are simplified schematic diagrams and only show components relating to the present invention. In practice, the layout of components could be more complicated. It should be understood that the following embodiments are not construed to limit the scope of the present invention.

Referring toFIG. 3, a storage structure3 for an electronic device according to the present invention comprises: astorage base32; acover part31 for covering thestorage base32 to form astorage space300 between thecover part31 and thestorage base32, so as to receive the electronic device (not shown) in thestorage space300; at least onepivot member33 formed at one end of thestorage base32 and thecover part31, and comprising anelastic unit331 and abuffer unit332, wherein theelastic unit331 is disposed between thestorage base32 and thecover part31, so as to allow thecover part31 to pivotally turn in relation to thestorage base32 by means of resilience provided by theelastic unit331, and thebuffer unit332 is connected to thestorage base32 and thecover part31, so as to limit a degree of turning of thecover part31; at least oneelastic coupling member34 formed at the other end of thestorage base32 and thecover part31, and for coupling thecover part31 to thestorage base32.

The electronic device disposed in thestorage space300 formed by thestorage base32 and thecover part31 can be a server or a computer.

As shown inFIG. 3, thestorage base32 and thecover part31 can be a rectangular box and a rectangular lid, respectively. The one end of thecover part31 is provided with two protrudingportions311 on two opposite sides thereof respectively, wherein theprotruding portions311 have an inverted U shape. Each of theprotruding portions311 is formed with two throughholes312 on two sides thereof. The one end of thestorage base32 is formed withopenings321 on two opposite sides thereof, theopenings321 corresponding to the throughholes311 of theprotruding portions311 of thecover part31. The one end of thestorage base32 is further formed with twoprotruding pieces322 on the two opposite sides thereof, wherein theprotruding pieces322 are extended toward thestorage space300 to positions under theprotruding portions311 of thecover part31.

Further as shown inFIG. 3, there are a pair of thepivot members33 disposed on the two opposite sides of the end of thestorage base32 having theprotruding pieces322 and the two opposite sides of the end of thecover part31 having theprotruding portions311. Each of thepivot members33 comprises the elastic unit331 (such as a spring) and the buffer unit332 (such as an arc metallic piece). Theelastic unit331 is pivotally disposed between thecover part31 and thestorage base32 by a thin rod350 (such as a latch), wherein thethin rod350 is provided with two first fixing members351 (such as pegs) at two ends thereof respectively, allowing thefirst fixing members351 to fix thethin rod350 to the throughholes312 of each of theprotruding portions311 of thecover part31 and each of theopenings321 of thestorage base32. Thebuffer unit332 is wrapped around theelastic unit331, and is connected to each of theprotruding pieces322 of thestorage base32 and each of theprotruding portions311 of thecover part31 by at least one second fixing member352 (such as a bolt). Theelastic units331 of thepivot members33 allow thecover part31 to pivotally turn in relation to thestorage base32 due to resilience provided by theelastic units331, and thebuffer units332 of the pivot members3 limit the degree of turning of thecover part31.

There can be a pair of theelastic coupling members34 formed on two opposite sides of the other end of thestorage base32 and thecover part31. Each of theelastic coupling members34 comprises afixing portion341, anoperating portion342 and acoupling portion343. Thefixing portion341 can rivet theelastic coupling member34 to an inner surface of thestorage base32. Theoperating portion342 can be a button, and thecoupling portion343 can be a protruding block. Afirst opening361 is formed on each of the two sides of the other end of thestorage base32 and corresponds to the operatingportion342 of each of theelastic coupling members34, such that the operatingportion342 can be protruded from thefirst opening361. Asecond opening362 is formed on each of the two sides of the other end of thestorage base32 and corresponds to thecoupling portion343 of each of theelastic coupling members34, such that thecoupling portion343 can be protruded from thesecond opening362. Athird opening363 is formed on each of two opposite sides of the other end of thecover part31 and corresponds to thecoupling portion343 of each of theelastic coupling members34. When closing thecover part31, it only needs to press down thecover part31 to allow thethird opening363 to be coupled to thecoupling portion343 of each of theelastic coupling members34 such that thecover part31 is coupled to thestorage base32.

Referring toFIG. 4A, it illustrates that thecover part31 is covering thestorage base32. Thecover part31 has one end pivotally connected to one end of thestorage base32. When a user wishes to close thecover part31, he or she only needs to press down thecover part31 to make it pivotally turn in relation to thestorage base32 and allow thethird openings363 of thecover part31 to be engaged with the correspondingcoupling portions343 of theelastic coupling members34, such that thecover part31 can be effectively coupled to and covering thestorage base32 to provide protection for the electronic device stored in thestorage space300.

Referring toFIG. 4B, when the user wishes to open thecover part31 to examine the electronic device in thestorage space300, he or she only needs to press the operating portions (buttons)362 of theelastic coupling members34, which are exposed via thefirst openings361 of thestorage base32, to allow the coupling portions (protruding blocks)343 of theelastic coupling members34 to retract and be uncoupled from thethird openings363 of thecover part31, such that thecover part31 can itself turn in relation to thestorage base32 due to the resilience from theelastic units331 of thepivot members33, and thus thecover part31 is opened. The turning degree of thecover part31 is limited by thebuffer units332 of thepivot members33, such that thecover part31 can only be opened to a certain predetermined degree, so as to allow the user to examine, repair and replace the electronic device in the storage space conveniently.

Therefore, the storage structure of the present invention has the storage base and the cover part connected together by the pivot members. When the user wishes to open the cover part of the storage structure to examine the electronic device in the storage space, he or she only needs to press the elastic coupling members to release a coupling status between the cover part and the storage base, wherein the cover part turns in relation to the storage base by means of resilience provided by the elastic units of the pivot members, such that the cover part is opened and the electronic device in the storage space is exposed. At the same time, as the buffer units of the pivot members limit the turning degree of the cover part, the cover part can only be opened to a predetermined degree, so as to allow the user to examine, repair and replace the electronic device conveniently.

Contrarily, when the user wishes to close the cover part of the storage structure, he or she only needs to press down the cover part to allow the elastic coupling members to couple the cover part to the storage base, such that the electronic device in the storage base is being protected.

The present invention has been described using exemplary preferred embodiments above, however, it is to be understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar changes. The scope of the claims, therefore, should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

Claims

1. A storage structure for an electronic device, comprising

a storage base;

a cover part for covering the storage base to form a storage space between the storage base and the cover part, so as to receive the electronic device in the storage space;

at least one pivot member disposed on one end of the storage base and the cover part, the pivot member comprising an elastic unit and a buffer unit, wherein the elastic unit is pivotally disposed between the storage base and the cover part, so as to allow the cover part to pivotally turn in relation to the storage base by means of resilience provided by the elastic unit, and the buffer unit is connected to the storage base and the cover part, so as to limit a degree of turning of the cover part; and

at least one elastic coupling member disposed on the other end of the storage base and the cover part, for coupling the cover part to the storage base.

2. The storage structure ofclaim 1, wherein the electronic device is one of a server and a computer.

3. The storage structure ofclaim 1, wherein the cover part comprises at least one protruding portion formed on the one end thereof, the protruding portion having an inverted U shape and being formed with through hole on two sides thereof, and wherein the storage base comprises an opening formed on the one end thereof and corresponding to the through holes of the protruding portion of the cover part, and a protruding piece formed on the one end of the storage base and extended toward the storage space to a position under the protruding portion of the cover part.

4. The storage structure ofclaim 3, wherein the at least one pivot member comprises a pair of the pivot members disposed on two sides of the end with the protruding piece of the storage base and of the end with the protruding portion of the cover part.

5. The storage structure ofclaim 3, wherein the elastic unit is pivotally disposed between the cover part and the storage base by a thin rod, and the thin rod is provided with two first fixing members at two ends thereof respectively, allowing the first fixing members to fix the thin rod to the through holes of the protruding portion of the cover part and the opening of the storage base.

6. The storage structure ofclaim 3, wherein the buffer unit is wrapped around the elastic unit and is connected to the protruding piece of the storage base and the protruding portion of the cover part by at least one second fixing member.

7. The storage structure ofclaim 1, wherein the elastic unit is a spring and the buffer unit is an arc metallic piece.

8. The storage structure ofclaim 1, wherein the elastic coupling member comprises a fixing portion, an operating portion and a coupling portion.

9. The storage structure ofclaim 8, wherein the fixing portion is for fixing the elastic coupling member to an inner surface of the storage base, the operating portion is a button, and the coupling portion is a protruding block.

10. The storage structure ofclaim 8, wherein the storage base is formed with a first opening corresponding to the operating portion, allowing the operating portion to be protruded from the first opening, and the storage base is further formed with a second opening corresponding to the coupling portion, allowing the coupling portion to be protruded from the second opening, and the cover part is formed with a third opening corresponding to the coupling portion.