Electronic device including cover having open/close structure using magnetic force

{
  "publication_number": "US10582287B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Electronic device including cover having open/close structure using magnetic force",
  "abstract": "An electronic device including a cover having an open/close structure is provided. The electronic device includes a housing including an upper face and a recess formed through the upper face in order to accommodate an earphone device, a cover for covering the recess in a closed state and to allow access to the recess in an opened state, a conductive pin disposed in the recess and biased mechanically toward the cover in the closed state, a circuit electrically connected to the conductive pin, a plurality of magnets disposed in the cover, a mechanical hook structure coupled to a peripheral portion of the cover in the closed state, and a button, when pressed, for separating the hook structure from the peripheral portion while moving a magnet to a position where the magnet faces another magnet.",
  "claims": [
    "1. An electronic device comprising: a housing including an upper face and at least one recess formed through the upper face in order to accommodate at least one earphone device; a cover configured to cover the at least one recess in a closed state and to allow access to the at least one recess in an opened state, the cover including a first peripheral portion that is connected to a first portion of the housing at one side with respect to the at least one recess and a second peripheral portion that is separably connected to a second portion of the housing at the other side opposite the one side with respect to the at least one recess; at least one conductive pin disposed in the at least one recess, and biased mechanically toward the cover in the closed state; a circuit electrically connected to the at least one conductive pin; a first magnet disposed in the first peripheral portion of the cover and having a first polarity; a second magnet disposed in the housing to face the first magnet in the closed state and having a second polarity which is the same as the first polarity; a third magnet disposed in the second peripheral portion of the cover and having a third polarity; a fourth magnet disposed in the second peripheral portion near the third magnet and having a fourth polarity opposite that of the third polarity; a fifth magnet movably disposed in the housing to face the third magnet in the closed state and having a fifth polarity opposite that of the third polarity; a mechanical hook structure coupled to the second peripheral portion of the cover in the closed state; and a button configured to, when pressed, separate the hook structure from the second peripheral portion while moving the fifth magnet to a position where the fifth magnet faces the fourth magnet.",
    "2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: an earphone device, wherein the earphone device includes an electric connector configured to make contact with the at least one conductive pin, and pushing the at least one conductive pin when the earphone device is inserted into the at least one recess.",
    "3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the earphone device is at least partially powered off when inserted into the at least one recess, and wherein the earphone is configured to receive a signal from the circuit through the at least one conductive pin.",
    "4. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a hinge structure configured to connect the first peripheral portion to the first portion of the housing.",
    "5. A case device comprising: a housing including at least one recess formed through an upper face so as to accommodate at least one external electronic device; a cover hinged by a hinge portion for opening and closing the cover in a portion of the housing, and configured to cover the at least one recess in a closed state, the cover including a first peripheral portion opposite a first portion of the housing near the hinge portion with respect to the at least one recess and a second peripheral portion separably connected to a second portion of the housing at another side opposite the hinge portion; a first magnet disposed on a first periphery of the cover; a second magnet disposed in the housing and disposed to react to a magnetic force of the first magnet in a state where the cover is closed; a third magnet disposed in the second peripheral portion of the cover; a fourth magnet disposed near the third magnet in the second peripheral portion; a fifth magnet movably disposed in the housing; a hook structure coupled to the second peripheral portion of the cover in the closed state, wherein the fifth magnet holds the cover in a state of being closed to the housing when disposed so as to generate an attractive force at a position where the fifth magnet reacts to a magnetic force of the third magnet, and opens the cover from the housing when shifted to a position where the fifth magnet reacts to the magnetic force of the fourth magnet and generates a repulsive force, and wherein the hook structure is configured to assist the closed state of the cover by the attractive force between the third magnet and the fifth magnet when the cover is closed; and a button assembly that is at least partially exposed from the housing to be capable of being pressed and, upon being pressed, the button assembly moves the fifth magnet from a position where the fifth magnet reacts to the third magnet to a position where the fifth magnet reacts to the fourth magnet, wherein the button assembly includes: a button bracket including the fifth magnet movably disposed in the housing, a button disposed to move with the button bracket and at least partially exposed to be capable of being pressed on an outer face of the housing, and at least one elastic member configured to return the button and the button bracket to an original state thereof after the button and the button bracket are pressed.",
    "6. The case device of claim 5, wherein the hook structure includes: a protrusion latching groove formed in the button bracket; and a latching protrusion protruding from the second peripheral portion of the cover toward the housing and disposed to be latched to the protrusion latching groove through the housing when the cover is closed.",
    "7. The case device of claim 6, wherein, when the button is pressed, the latching protrusion is released from the protrusion latching groove.",
    "8. The case device of claim 5, wherein, when the button is pressed, the fifth magnet is moved to a position where the fifth magnet reacts with a magnetic force of the fourth magnet.",
    "9. The case device of claim 5, wherein the cover is partially opened by the repulsive force of the fifth magnet with the fourth magnet, and wherein the cover is completely opened continuously by a reaction of the magnetic force between the first magnet and the second magnet.",
    "10. The case device of claim 9, wherein the first magnet and the second magnet generate the repulsive force therebetween when the cover is closed.",
    "11. The case device of claim 9, wherein the first magnet and the second magnet do not react with each other when the cover is closed and are disposed such that the attractive force is gradually generated in a direction in which the cover is opened when the cover is opened.",
    "12. The case device of claim 11, wherein the first magnet and the second magnet are disposed such that, when the cover is closed, magnetic forces are generated in directions perpendicular to each other.",
    "13. The case device of claim 9, wherein the first magnet and the second magnet do not react with each other when the cover is closed and are disposed such that the repulsive force is gradually generated in a direction in which the cover is opened when the cover is opened.",
    "14. The case device of claim 13, wherein the first magnet is disposed to generate a magnetic force in a direction inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a magnetic force generating direction of the second magnet.",
    "15. The case device of claim 5, further comprising: at least one sixth magnet disposed near the second peripheral portion of the cover; and at least one seventh magnet disposed at a position corresponding to the sixth magnet of the housing to support maintaining of the closed state of the cover by an attractive force with the sixth magnet.",
    "16. The case device of claim 5, wherein the external electronic device includes a wireless earphone device accommodated in the at least one recess for connecting to a conductive pin included in the at least one recess for charging the external electronic device and/or data communication.",
    "17. The case device of claim 16, further comprising: a portable charging cradle configured to charge the wireless earphone device."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The disclosure relates to an electronic device including a cover having an open/close structure using magnetic force.\n\nThe application range of electronic devices is becoming wider, and many users use portable electronic devices because of convenience of carrying. Some of these portable electronic devices may be carried in the state of being stored in separate devices (e.g., a cradle, or a case device) when not in use. The separate devices may have a function of protecting portable electronic devices from the outside, a function of data communication with an external electronic device, and a charging function using an external power source.\n\nThe above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure.\n\nAn electronic device may be a folder-type electronic device including an openable/closable cover for easy operation when accommodating or separating an external electronic device.\n\nAn electronic device, configured to accommodate therein an external electronic device for the purpose of carrying, data communication, or charging, may include a cover openable from/closable to a housing. According to one embodiment, an electronic device may include a housing including an accommodation space for accommodating an external electronic device therein, and a cover installed at one end of the housing to be openable/closable.",
  "cpc": [
    "H04R 1/1025",
    "A45C 11/00",
    "A45C 11/001",
    "A45C 13/005",
    "A45C 13/1069",
    "A45C 13/12",
    "E05B 17/0033",
    "E05C 1/10",
    "E05C 19/10",
    "E05C 19/16",
    "E05C 19/161",
    "E05F 15/00",
    "E05Y 2999/00",
    "G06F 1/1679",
    "G06F 1/1681",
    "H01F 7/02",
    "H02J 7/0044",
    "H02J 7/70",
    "H02J 7/731",
    "H04R 1/10",
    "H04R 1/1016",
    "H04R 1/1041",
    "H04R 2420/07",
    "H05K 5/03"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "H01F 7/02",
    "H02J 7/00",
    "H04R 1/10",
    "E05B 17/00",
    "E05C 1/10",
    "E05C 19/16"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Samsung Electronics Co Ltd"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Hyun-Do SONG",
    "Kwon-Ho SON"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2018-08-21",
  "publication_date": "2020-03-03",
  "grant_date": "2020-03-03",
  "priority_date": "2017-08-22",
  "application_number": "US-201816107341-A",
  "family_id": "63528501",
  "cited_by_count": 26,
  "citations": [
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    "US20080061565A1",
    "US20080278269A1",
    "US20080309098A1",
    "US20110031766A1",
    "WO2012036717A1",
    "US20140313665A1",
    "US20140034080A1",
    "US20140146458A1",
    "KR20150122387A",
    "US20170094391A1",
    "US20170195770A1"
  ]
}