Latch mechanism and tenon structure thereof

{
  "publication_number": "US11032927B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Latch mechanism and tenon structure thereof",
  "abstract": "The present invention relates to a latch mechanism and a tenon structure thereof. The tenon structure includes a trigger portion and a fastening rail portion adapted to be respectively installed at a hollow opening and a side edge of a sliding cover plate to accordingly achieve a single-piece tenon structure. The tenon structure is connected to the sliding cover plate, moves in a second direction along with the sliding cover plate, and is capable of displacing in a first direction relative to the sliding cover plate. The tenon structure includes a front latch portion and a trigger portion exposed at the sliding cover plate, so as to achieve effects of a simple assembly structure and reduced production costs.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A tenon structure, adapted to be assembled to a hollow opening and a side edge of a sliding cover plate, the tenon structure comprising: a body; a trigger portion, extending from the body and provided correspondingly to the hollow opening; and a fastening rail portion, extending from the body and provided correspondingly to the side edge; wherein the tenon structure utilizes the trigger portion and the fastening rail portion to respectively abut against and slide at the hollow opening and the side edge of the sliding cover plate.",
    "2. A latch mechanism, comprising: a frame, provided with a fastening groove along a first direction; a sliding cover plate, connected to the frame, capable of displacing along a second direction and moving between a first position and a second position, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction; and a tenon structure, connected to the sliding cover plate, the tenon structure moving in the second direction along with the sliding cover plate and capable of displacing in the first direction relative to the sliding cover plate, the tenon structure comprising a front latch portion and a trigger portion exposed at the sliding cover plate; wherein, when the sliding cover plate moves to the second position, the trigger portion drives the front latch portion along the first direction to be inserted and fitted in the fastening groove.",
    "3. The latch mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the sliding cover plate has a lower edge, an inner surface of the sliding cover plate is provided with an indentation passing through the lower edge, a hollow opening is provided at an inner lower wall of the indentation, the tenon structure is accommodated in the indentation and is placed between the frame and the sliding cover plate, the tenon structure is capable of sliding in the indentation and driving the front latch portion to protrude from or be received at the lower edge, and the trigger portion passes through and is exposed at the hollow opening.",
    "4. The latch mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the trigger portion comprises a neck portion and a head portion extending outwards from the neck portion, a width of the hollow opening along the first direction is greater than a width of the neck portion along the first direction, a width of the hollow opening along the second direction is slightly greater than a width of the neck portion along the second direction and smaller than a width of the head portion along the second direction, such that the neck portion is allowed to be inserted at the hollow opening, the neck portion slides in the first direction at the hollow opening and is stopped and limited in the second direction by the sliding cover plate, the head portion protrudes in the second direction from the hollow opening and is stopped and limited by the sliding cover plate, and the head portion is a conic body.",
    "5. The latch mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the sliding cover plate has a side edge, at least one fastening rail portion extends from one side of the tenon structure, and the fastening rail portion is provided correspondingly to the side edge and mutually stops and limits the side edge.",
    "6. The latch mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the indentation has an inner side wall provided opposite to the side edge, the inner side wall is provided with a notch and a positioning protrusion extending therefrom, one other side of the tenon structure is provided with a touch feedback structure, the touch feedback structure comprises a touch protrusion extending from the tenon structure and a weakening opening provided from the tenon structure, and the touch protrusion utilizes the weakening opening to deform and cross the positioning protrusion and be fitted in the notch when the front latch portion is fitted in the fastening groove.",
    "7. The latch mechanism according to claim 6, wherein a rear latch portion extends from the tenon structure and the rear latch portion is provided with a yielding opening, the frame is provided with a sliding wall next to the fastening groove, the sliding wall is provided with a sliding channel and a spike extends therefrom, the fastening rail portion is leaned against and slides in the sliding channel, and the spike slides along the rear latch portion and is fitted in the yielding opening when the front latch portion is fitted in the fastening groove.",
    "8. The latch mechanism according to claim 7, further comprising a restoring spring that is placed between the frame and the sliding cover plate; wherein the sliding cover late comprises a connecting plate and a movement plate extending from one side of the connecting plate, the connecting plate is connected to the frame, the lower edge is formed on the movement plate, the indentation and the hollow opening are formed from the movement plate, and a snap portion protrudes and extends from an outer surface of the movement plate.",
    "9. The latch mechanism according to claim 8, further comprising a plurality of screws, each of which has a lock head and a screw rod; wherein the frame is provided with a plurality of fastening holes, the connecting plate is provided with a plurality of strip-shaped holes along the second direction, each of the screw rods is inserted into each of the fastening holes and each of the strip-shaped holes, each of the lock heads mutually stops and limits the connecting plate such that the connecting plate is capable of displacing in the second direction through the plurality of strip-shaped holes relative to the plurality of screws, the connecting plate is provided with a plurality of buried trenches, each of the strip-shaped holes is formed from an inner lower wall of each of the buried trenches, and each of the lock heads is buried in each of the buried trenches.",
    "10. The latch mechanism according to claim 9, wherein the frame is provided with a recessed channel, and an upper surface and a side surface, the movement plate is capable of sliding at the recessed channel, the recessed channel has a lower inner wall provided correspondingly to the lower edge, the fastening groove is formed from the lower inner wall towards a direction away from the recessed channel, the plurality of fastening holes are formed from the upper surface, the recessed channel and the fastening groove are formed from the side surface, and the connecting plate and the movement plate are perpendicular and jointly form an L-shaped plate."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates to a latch structure and a tenon structure thereof applied for opening, closing, unlocking and locking an entry on an electronic device and more particularly, to a single-piece tenon structure and a latch mechanism having the structure.\n\nCurrent electronic devices such as portable personal computers are mostly equipped with expansion and upgrading functions, allowing consumers to expand certain peripheral hardware devices according to desired requirements, e.g., installing an additional battery, a hard drive or an optical drive. Thus, to provide consumers with space for subsequent upgrading and expansion devices, the industry has launched some models for users to voluntarily expand hardware devices.\n\nIn such type of electronic device with expansion and upgrading functions, a large space is usually reserved in a casing of a host for consumers to perform related assembly and utilization as desired. Using a latch mechanism, an entry of the above space can be opened, closed, unlocked or locked to prevent dust or other foreign objects from entering the above space via the entry, or to prevent expanded peripheral hardware devices from falling out of the space.\n\nHowever, a common latch mechanism, for example, the U.S. Patent Publication No. 20120144749, has following drawbacks. First of all, the number of constituting components thereof is rather large, leading to complicated assembly and a larger accommodation space, such that multiple molds need to be developed and production costs are increased.",
  "cpc": [
    "H05K 5/0221",
    "F16B 5/06",
    "G06F 1/1633",
    "G06F 1/1656",
    "G06F 1/181",
    "G06F 1/182",
    "H05K 5/03"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "F16B 5/06",
    "H05K 5/02",
    "H05K 5/03"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Getac Technology Corp"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Kun-Cheng Lee"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2018-10-12",
  "publication_date": "2021-06-08",
  "grant_date": "2021-06-08",
  "priority_date": "2018-10-12",
  "application_number": "US-201816158616-A",
  "family_id": "70160736",
  "cited_by_count": 2,
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}