Low-profile mechanical retention

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10300545-B2
Application number	US-201715782526-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2017
Priority date	Oct 12, 2017
Publication date	May 28, 2019
Grant date	May 28, 2019

Abstract

An assembly of mechanical components includes a solder joint between two metal components. A mounted component is retained on one side of a support structure by a solder joint on the other side of the support structure between a retainer and a connector that is fast with the mounted component and extends through the support structure. The retainer is of sheet metal construction, so that a height of the solder joint is no more than the thickness of the retainer, thus providing a low-profile joint. The assembly may be in the form of a movable push button for control of an electronic device.

First claim

What is claimed, is:

1. An assembly comprising:
a framework that includes a frame wall having an obverse side and an opposite reverse side, the framework defining a housing cavity;
electronics components located in the housing cavity;
a mounted component that is mounted on the frame wall such as to be exposed on the obverse side of the frame wall, the mounted component being a button member that is operable to control one or more functionalities of the electronics components;
a metal connector that is fast with the mounted component and that projects from the mounted component transversely through at least part of the frame wall;
a metal retainer that is located on the reverse side of the frame wall such that part of the frame wall is sandwiched between the mounted component and the retainer; and
a solder joint that fastens the retainer to the connector, thereby retaining the mounted component on the frame wall.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein
the retainer is of sheet metal construction oriented such that a thickness dimension of the retainer is transverse to the frame wall at the mounted component; and
wherein the retainer has one or more connection cavities in which part of the connector is received, the solder joint being located at least in part in the one or more cavities.

3. The assembly of claim 2 , wherein the solder joint has a height dimension that is oriented transversely to the frame wall at the mounted component and that coincides substantially with an overlap between the retainer and the connector, the height dimension of the solder joint being substantially equal to or smaller than the thickness dimension of the retainer.

4. The assembly of claim 2 , wherein the connector projects through the retainer substantially no further than a major outer face of the retainer on the reverse side.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the retainer and the connector includes a solder-promoting surface that coincides with an overlap between the connector and the retainer, the solder joint being of a different metal material than both the connector and the retainer, and the solder joint attaching to the solder-promoting surface.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein both the connector and the retainer have respective solder-promoting surfaces, the solder joint attaching to the solder-promoting surfaces of both the retainer and the connector.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the solder-promoting surfaces on the connector and the retainer respectively are localized metal coatings.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein each localized coating comprises a nickel coating.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the solder joint connects the connector and the retainer at substantially parallel interface surfaces that are oriented in a direction transverse to the frame wall at the mounted component.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the assembly comprises a plurality of solder joints located at respective interface surfaces between the retainer and the connector.

11. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein:
the retainer defines a plurality of mortise holes; and
wherein the connector includes a corresponding plurality of tenons complementary to and matingly, received in the plurality of mortise holes of the retainer, each tenon being connected to the retainer in the corresponding mortise hole by a respective solder joint.

12. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the mounted component is displaceably mounted on the frame wall to allow travel thereof in a direction transverse to the frame wall, the extent of travel of the mounted component away from the frame wall being limited by abutment of the retainer against the frame wall on the reverse side thereof.

13. The assembly of claim 12 , wherein the assembly further comprises a biasing mechanism to bias the mounted component away from the frame wall.

14. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the retainer is located in the housing cavity.

15. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the mounted component is of a polymeric plastics material, the metal connector being partially embedded in the mounted component and projecting from the mounted component towards the reverse side of the frame wall.

16. A method comprising:
positioning a target component on an obverse side of a support structure such that a connector that is fast with the target component projects transversely through the support structure to an opposite, reverse side thereof, the target component being a button;
creating a solder connection between the connector and a metal retainer on the reverse side of the support structure such that part of the support structure is located between the retainer and the target component, thus forming a mechanical retention mechanism by which the target component is mounted on the support structure; and
mounting electronics in a housing cavity defined by the support structure and bordering the retainer such that one or more functionalities of the electronics are controllable by operation of the button.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the retainer is of sheet metal and defines a plurality of connection openings, the method further comprising receiving a corresponding plurality of connection formations defined by the connector in the respective connection openings, the creating of the solder connection comprising soldering the connection formations in position in the respective connection openings.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the retainer and the connector are steel components, the method further comprising the prior operation of creating solder-promoting surfaces on interfacing areas of the connection formations and the connection openings.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the creating of the solder-promoting surfaces comprises applying on the respective areas a metal alloy coating that is more receptive to soldering than the material of the retainer and the connector.

Assignees

• Snap Inc

Inventors

• Dabov Teodor
• Ardisana Ii John Bernard
• Shukla Ashutosh Y

Classifications

• H01H2221/03

  Stoppers for on or off position · CPC title

• H01H13/14 Primary

  Operating parts, e.g. push-button · CPC title

• H01H2227/036

  Minimise height · CPC title

• G02C11/10 Primary

  Electronic devices other than hearing aids · CPC title

• B23K1/19

  taking account of the properties of the materials to be soldered · CPC title