Housing with locking structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9609763-B2
Application number	US-201013384655-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2010
Priority date	Jul 28, 2009
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

The present invention refers to a housing with a locking structure to connect a first housing part ( 12 ) with a second housing part ( 14 ). The locking structure comprises a flexible snap member ( 38 ) extending from the first housing part over an inner wall portion of the second housing part and is provided with a first engaging portion ( 44 ). The inner wall portion of the second housing part is provided with a second engaging portion ( 60 ). The first and second engaging portions forming a snap fit connection to be released by lifting said snap member from the inner wall portion. A release tool ( 70 ) is arranged on or above the bottom of said second housing part to be slidable towards the snap member. The snap member is further provided with a receiving portion being formed to catch the tip ( 76 ) of said release tool in a locked manner when the release tool is pushed into the receiving portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A housing with a locking structure,
said housing comprising at least a first housing part and an adjacent second housing part,
said locking structure comprising a flexible snap member extending from the first housing part over an inner wall portion of the second housing part and being provided with a first engaging portion,
said inner wall portion of the second housing part being provided with a second engaging portion,
said first engaging portion and second engaging portion forming a snap fit connection to be released by lifting said snap member from the inner wall portion,
and a release tool arranged on or above the bottom of said second housing part to be slidable towards the snap member,
said snap member being further provided with a receiving portion being formed to catch and interlock with the tip of said release tool such that the tip of the tool and the snap member are interlocked with each other when the release tool is pushed into the receiving portion.

2. The housing according to claim 1 , wherein said receiving portion is formed as a female receiving portion at the free end of the snap member to receive said tip of the release tool as a male penetrating portion.

3. The housing according to claim 2 , wherein said receiving portion comprises two flexible branches at the free end of the snap member which are spaced apart in the lateral direction of the snap member.

4. The housing according to claim 3 , wherein said branches comprise dented cross sections with slant faces facing each other and narrowing the space between the branches towards the inner wall portion.

5. A housing with a locking structure, comprising:
a first housing part;
an adjacent second housing part;
a flexible snap member extending from the first housing part over an inner wall portion of the second housing part, the flexible snap member being in the form of a letter H, a cross bar of the H defining a first engaging portion and branches of the H diverging from the cross bar to define a tapered receiving portion;
the inner wall portion of the second housing part defining a projecting second engaging portion;
the first engaging portion and second engaging portion forming a snap fit connection to be released by lifting said snap member from the inner wall portion;
and a release tool arranged on or above a bottom of said second housing part, the release tool having a tapered tip configured to slide in a first direction between the branches and to move transverse to a sliding direction to interlock with the branches such that sliding the release tool in a second direction opposite to the first direction pulls the cross bar away from the inner wall portion of the first part disengaging the first and second engaging portions.

6. The housing according to claim 1 , wherein said first engaging portion comprises a dentation or a hook.

7. The housing according to claim 1 , wherein said second engaging portion comprises an undercut at the inner wall portion.

8. A housing with a locking structure,
said housing comprising at least a first housing part and an adjacent second housing part,
said locking structure comprising a flexible snap member extending from the first housing part over an inner wall portion of the second housing part and being provided with a first engaging portion,
said inner wall portion of the second housing part being provided with a second engaging portion,
said first engaging portion and second engaging portion forming a snap fit connection to be released by lifting said snap member from the inner wall portion,
and a release tool arranged on or above the bottom of said second housing part to be slidable towards the snap member,
said snap member being further provided with a receiving portion being formed to catch and interlock with the tip of said release tool such that the tip of the tool and the snap member are interlocked with each other when the release tool is pushed into the receiving portion,
wherein the tip of the release tool has the form of a hook bending in a direction towards the first housing part.

Assignees

• Gerst Kaljopa
• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Gerst Kaljopa

Classifications

• F16B5/0008

  by moving the sheets, plates or panels substantially in their own plane, perpendicular to the abutting edge · CPC title

• E05C19/06

  in which the securing part if formed or carried by a spring and moves only by distortion of the spring, e.g. snaps · CPC title

• F16B5/0664

  at least one of the sheets or plates having integrally formed or integrally connected snap-in-features · CPC title

• H05K5/0013 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H05K5/15 Primary

  assembled by resilient members · CPC title