Smart-home device battery compartment facilitating ease of user access and device robustness

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9814149-B2
Application number	US-201715403698-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2017
Priority date	May 15, 2015
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an access door for a hazard detector includes a release member that releasably secures the access door in a closed position over a battery compartment of the hazard detector. The release member allows the access door to be pivoted open and closed relative to the battery compartment and hazard detector. The access door also includes a first hinge member and a second hinge member. The first hinge member enables the access door to pivot along a first pivot path and by a first pivot amount and the second hinge member enables the access door to pivot along a second pivot path and by a second pivot amount. A cumulative total of the first pivot amount and the second pivot amount is substantially greater than either pivot amount alone.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a housing having an interior region within which components of the electronic device are contained;
a battery compartment configured for housing one or more batteries that provide a main power or supplemental power to one or more components of the electronic device; and
a battery compartment access door that is pivotably coupled with a bottom surface of the housing, the access door being pivotably closable over the battery compartment to secure the one or more batteries within the battery compartment and the access door being pivotably openable to allow user access to the one or more batteries positioned within the battery compartment such as for inspection or replacement, the access door comprising:
a release member that releasably secures the access door in a closed position relative to the housing and that is releasable to allow the access door to be pivoted open;
a first hinge member that pivotably couples the access door to the housing, the first hinge member enabling the access door to pivot along a first pivot path by a first pivot amount; and
a second hinge member that enables the access door to pivot along a second pivot path by a second pivot amount, wherein a cumulative total of the first pivot amount and the second pivot amount is substantially greater than either pivot amount in isolation.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a spring that is coupled with the first hinge member, the spring being configured to bias the access door toward the open position such that operation of the release member effects automatic opening of the access door.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the spring is a torsional spring.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising an access door block that prevents closing of the access door when less than a full complement of batteries are positioned within the battery compartment.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the access door block is configured to pivot into the battery compartment when less than the full complement of batteries is positioned within the battery compartment, and wherein when the full complement of batteries is positioned within the battery compartment, the batteries function cooperatively to prevent the access door block from pivoting into the battery compartment.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a stop that functions operationally with the first hinge member to limit the pivot of the access door to the first pivot amount.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first pivot amount is between about 80o and 100o and wherein the second pivot amount is between about 130o and 180o.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the battery compartment access door includes a recessed lip having a strip of material that presses into contact with the housing when closed the battery compartment access door is closed to seal any gaps between the battery compartment access door and the housing.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is a hazard detector that is configured to detect a hazard within a structure and alert one or more occupants of the hazard.

10. An electronic device comprising:
a battery compartment that houses one or more batteries that provide a main power or supplemental power to the electronic device; and
a multi-hinged access door that is pivotably closable over the battery compartment to secure the one or more batteries within the battery compartment and that is pivotably openable to allow user access to the one or more batteries positioned within the battery compartment, the multi-hinged access door being configured to pivot about a first pivot point by a first pivot amount and being further configured to pivot about at least one additional pivot point by a second pivot amount, wherein a cumulative total of the first pivot amount and the second pivot amount is substantially greater than either pivot amount in isolation.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , further comprising a spring that is coupled with the multi-hinged access door to bias the multi-hinged access door to pivot open about the first pivot point.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the spring is a torsional spring.

13. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the electronic device is free of an additional spring that biases the multi-hinged access door to pivot open about the at least one additional pivot point.

14. The electronic device of claim 10 , further comprising a door block that prevents closing of the multi-hinged access door when less than a full complement of batteries is positioned within the battery compartment.

15. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the door block is configured to pivot into the battery compartment when less than the full complement of batteries is positioned within the battery compartment, and wherein the batteries function cooperatively to prevent the door block from pivoting into the battery compartment when the full complement of batteries is positioned within the battery compartment.

16. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the multi-hinged access door is positioned on a flat surface of a housing of the electronic device, and wherein the multi-hinged access door is conformal with the flat surface of the housing so that when the multi-hinged access door is closed, the multi-hinged access door does not protrude outward from the flat surface of the housing.

17. The electronic device of claim 16 , further comprising a release member that releasably secures the multi-hinged access door in a closed position and that is releasable to allow the multi-hinged access door to be pivoted open, the releasable member being recessed into the multi-hinged access door so that the releasable member does not protrude outward from the multi-hinged access door and the flat surface of the housing.

18. The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein the releasable member is slidably mounted to the multi-hinged access door in a manner that prevents air flow through the releasable member mounting into an interior of the battery compartment.

19. The electronic device of claim 10 , further comprising a first hinge member that pivotably couples the multi-hinged access door to the housing in a manner that allows the multi-hinged access door to pivot about the first pivot point by the first pivot amount.

20. The electronic device of claim 19 , further comprising a second hinge member that enables the multi-hinged access door to pivot about the at least one additional pivot point by the second pivot amount.

Assignees

• Google Inc

Inventors

• Schmidt Mathias
• Dong William
• Mittleman Adam

Classifications

• G08B17/113 Primary

  Constructional details · CPC title

• H05K5/0239 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H05K5/0226

  Hinges · CPC title

• H05K5/03 Primary

  Covers · CPC title

• H05K5/0086

  portable, e.g. battery operated apparatus (casings for switching devices H01H9/02) · CPC title