User Detachable Cover

Abstract

An apparatus is disclosed with a cover and the body part. The cover has two cover side walls with inner and outer surfaces, configured to cover a portion of the apparatus. Snap-on attachment receptacles are on inner surfaces of the cover side walls configured to enable a user to attach the cover to a body part by pushing the cover onto the body part. The body part has a body with an external surface having two sides and snap-on attachment protrusion members on the two sides configured to engage with snap-on attachment receptacles of a cover when attached by a user to cover the body part.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present document generally relates to a user detachable cover. In particular, though not exclusively, the present document relates to a user detachable cover of a portable battery operated device.

BACKGROUND

Battery operated devices typically have user releasable battery covers to enable changing the battery by the user to a new one. In mobile telephones, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card is also sometimes placed behind the battery so that for accessing the SIM card, the battery has to be removed. Modern mobile telephones are also increasingly capable of running various applications and approaching mobile computers by their capabilities. To enable user detaching (and in consequence, also re-attaching) a cover, the cover is typically attached with suitably designed protruding slugs on an inner surface of the cover which engage with holes or grooves of a body of the device in which the cover is attached. There is no standard mechanism and thus a user willing to release the cover is often uncertain of how exactly the cover should be released without breaking the cover or its attaching parts. It is also known that few users read the user guide first on facing a problem with a device and thus it is relatively common that the slugs or other attaching parts of the releasable covers may become broken.

SUMMARY

Various aspects of examples of the invention are set out in the claims.

According to a first example aspect of the present invention there is provided a cover comprising:

two side walls with inner and outer surfaces, configured to cover a portion of an apparatus; and

snap-on attachment receptacles on inner surfaces of the side walls configured to enable a user to attach the cover to a body part by pushing the cover onto the body part.

The cover may comprise a face wall and the side walls may be at different edges of the face wall.

The side walls may be at opposite edges of the face wall.

The side walls may form all walls of the cover. The side walls may be perpendicularly connected.

The cover may comprise four side walls.

The snap-on attachment receptacles may comprise grooves, holes and/or concave forms on the inner surfaces of the side walls. The side walls may have rounded cross-section at the snap-on attachment receptacles such that the internal surface of the side walls inherently forms the snap-on attachment receptacles.

According to a second example aspect of the present invention there is provided a body part comprising:

a body with an external surface having two sides; and

snap-on attachment protrusion members on the two sides configured to engage with snap-on attachment receptacles of a cover when attached to cover the body part.

The snap-on attachment protrusion members may be resiliently biased to press against the snap-on attachment receptacles when the cover is attached to the body part. The resilient bias may be formed with a resilient biasing member. The snap-on attachment protrusion members on one side wall may be fixed. The resiliently biased snap-on attachment protrusion members may be configured to cause tension in the cover against the fixed snap-on attachment protrusion members.

The snap-on attachment protrusion members may be configured to contact the cover by rotatable balls or cylinders. The balls or cylinders may be configured to rotate when the cover is attached to the body part.

The snap-on attachment protrusion members may be configured to form, when engaged against the snap-on attachment protrusion receptacles, a force that pulls the cover against the body so as to remove play between the body and the cover.

According to a third example aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus comprising the cover and the body part.

According to a fourth example aspect of the present invention there is provided a cover comprising:

two side wall means with inner and outer surfaces for covering a portion of an apparatus; and

snap-on attachment receptacle means on inner surfaces of the side wall means for enabling a user to attach the cover to a body part by pushing the cover onto the body part.

According to a fifth example aspect of the present invention there is provided a body part comprising:

a body means with an external surface having two sides; and

snap-on attachment protrusion members on the two sides for engaging with snap-on attachment receptacles of a cover when attached by a user to cover the body part.

Different non-binding example aspects and embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated in the foregoing. The foregoing embodiments are used merely to explain selected aspects or steps that may be utilized in implementations of the present invention. Some embodiments may be presented only with reference to certain example aspects of the invention. It should be appreciated that corresponding embodiments may apply to other example aspects as well.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of example embodiments of the present invention, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows from one direction a cover according to an example embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows the cover of FIG. 1 seen from another direction;

FIG. 3 shows the cover of FIGS. 1 and 2 partly placed onto a body part of a portable device according to an example embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross section of a cover and body part according to one example embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross section of a resiliently biased snap-on attachment protrusion member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTON OF THE DRAWINGS

An example embodiment of the present invention and its potential advantages are understood by referring to FIGS. 1 through 5 of the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows from one direction a cover 110 according to an example embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 shows the cover 110 from another direction. FIG. 2 also shows recesses 112 located on an inner surface of a side wall for acting as snap-on attachment protrusion receptacles that receive snap-on attachment protrusion members of a body part when the cover 110 is snapped onto a body part.

FIG. 3 shows the cover 110 partly placed onto a body part 120 of a portable device according to an example embodiment of the invention. The portable device is e.g. a mobile phone, personal digital assistant, hand-held game console, navigation device and/or music player. The cover and the body part together form a system 100. The system 100 as a whole may also be understood as a portable electronic device.

In FIG. 3, one end of the cover 110 is pushed practically all the way onto the body part 120 while an opposite end is still about half-way through to a fully attached position. Three ball bearings 122 protrude and are visible in FIG. 3 on two side walls of the body part 120. These ball bearings are configured to operate as the snap-on attachment protrusion members mentioned in connection with FIG. 1. Further snap-on attachment protrusion members are provided on peripheral side walls of the body part 120. Generally, one or more side walls of the body part can be provided each with one or more snap-on attachment protrusion members. Different number of snap-on attachment protrusion members can also be provided on different side walls. In the example embodiment illustrated by FIG. 3, all four peripheral side walls of the body part 120 have one or more snap-on attachment protrusion members. Thus, a user can attach the cover 110 onto the body part 120 by pressing the cover 110 first onto the body part close to any user selected side wall first and by then pressing the cover 110 from another part of the cover 110. The user can also attach the cover 110 by pressing the cover 110 in parallel with the body part 120 onto the body part when the cover 110 is solely attached to the body part with snap-on attachment protrusion members.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross section of a cover 110 and body part 120 according to one example embodiment of the invention. The body part 120 comprises snap-on attachment protrusion members 410 on its side walls. On one side wall, the cover 110 is configured to form a snap-on attachment protrusion receptacle by a concave form 114 on the inner side of the cover 110. Such concave form can be conveniently produced by forming a round side wall to the cover 110. On an opposing side wall (right hand side in FIG. 4) the side wall of the cover 110 forms a recess 112 configured to act as a snap-on attachment protrusion receptacle. In FIG. 3, the snap-on attachment protrusion receptacles are formed according to one example embodiment such that when the cover 110 is in attached to the body part 120, the snap-on attachment protrusion members 410 and the snap-on attachment protrusion receptacles form a force that pulls the cover against the body for removing play between the body part 120 and the cover 110. By removing or reducing play between the body part 120 and the cover 110 the feel of an apparatus can be greatly improved. Moreover, noise caused by mutual movement of the cover 110 and the body part 120 may be avoided or reduced.

In sake of simplicity, FIG. 4 shows similar snap-on attachment protrusion members 410 on two side walls of the body part 120. It should be appreciated that in some example embodiments, one or more side walls of the body part are not provided with snap-on attachment protrusion members.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross section of a ball bearing configured to act as a resiliently biased snap-on attachment protrusion member 410 according to an example embodiment. The snap-on attachment protrusion member 410 comprises a housing 124 containing a resilient biasing element 126 such as a helical spring or piece of elastically compressible material and a contacting member 122 such as a ball or cylinder that is allowed to move to a given extent to protrude from housing 124. The housing 124 can be integrally formed of the side wall of the body part 120.

In FIG. 5, the housing 124 forms one or more abutting members 126 that prevent or inhibit the contacting member 122 from escaping the housing 124. In another example embodiment, the contacting member 122 is attached to the housing 124 e.g. via the resilient member 126 to avoid the escaping of the contacting member 122.

In one example embodiment, the snap-on attachment protrusion member is formed of a form protruding from the side wall of the body part so that the form both induces a resilient biasing element 126 and the contacting member with a common part. The protruding form is made in one example embodiment of a metallic material such as steel or copper. Such a metallic protruding form can also be used to make electric connections for one or more electric circuitries in the cover 110. Alternatively, the protruding form can be made e.g. of plastics.

In one example embodiment, the recesses 112 are through holes extending all the way through the side wall in question. In this example embodiment, the holes and/or the protrusion members 410 can be arranged to open by pulling the cover 110 apart from the body part 120. One or more of the holes and respective protrusion members 410 are configured in one example embodiment so that the user needs to press the protrusion member 410 through the hold in order to release the cover 110.

Without in any way limiting the scope, interpretation, or application of the claims appearing below, a technical effect of one or more of the example embodiments disclosed herein is that it may be possible to produced snap-on attachment that is long lasting and consistent. Also a reassuring sound response of the attachment may result.

Another technical effect of one or more of the example embodiments disclosed herein is that the cover may be easy to open. Another technical effect of one or more of the example embodiments disclosed herein is that the snap operation can be controlled relatively easily and accurately by mechanical detail design of the snap-on attachment. Another technical effect of one or more of the example embodiments disclosed herein is that when the cover is configured to be snap-on attachable and releasable by a user, the cover is very easy and intuitive to attach and detach. By locating the protrusion members in the body part, it may be possible to produce simpler and more inexpensive user replaceable covers.

If desired, the different functions discussed herein may be performed in a different order and/or concurrently with each other. Furthermore, if desired, one or more of the afore-described functions may be optional or may be combined.

Although various aspects of the invention are set out in the independent claims, other aspects of the invention comprise other combinations of features from the described embodiments and/or the dependent claims with the features of the independent claims, and not solely the combinations explicitly set out in the claims.

It is also noted herein that while the foregoing describes example embodiments of the invention, these descriptions should not be viewed in a limiting sense. Rather, there are several variations and modifications which may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cover, comprising:

two side walls with inner and outer surfaces, configured to cover a portion of an apparatus; and

snap-on attachment receptacles on inner surfaces of the side walls configured to enable a user to attach the cover to a body part by pushing the cover onto the body part.

2. The cover of claim 1, further comprising a face wall and the side walls may be at different edges of the face wall.

3. The cover of claim 1, wherein the side walls reside at opposite edges of the face wall.

4. The cover of claim 1, wherein the side walls form all walls of the cover.

5. The cover of claim 1, wherein the side walls are perpendicularly connected.

6. The cover of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises four side walls.

7. The cover of claim 1, wherein the snap-on attachment receptacles comprise grooves, holes and/or concave forms on the inner surfaces of the side walls.

8. The cover of claim 1, wherein the side walls have rounded cross-section at the snap-on attachment receptacles such that the internal surface of the side walls inherently forms the snap-on attachment receptacles.

9. An body part comprising:

a body with an external surface having two sides; and

snap-on attachment protrusion members on the two sides configured to engage with snap-on attachment receptacles of a cover when attached to cover the body part.

10. The body part of claim 9, wherein the snap-on attachment protrusion members are resiliently biased to press against the snap-on attachment receptacles when the cover is attached to the body part.

11. The body part of claim 9, wherein the snap-on attachment protrusion members on one side wall are fixed.

12. The body part of claim 10, wherein the resiliently biased snap-on attachment protrusion members are configured to cause tension in the cover against the fixed snap-on attachment protrusion members.

13. The body part of claim 9, wherein the snap-on attachment protrusion members are configured to contact the cover by rotatable balls or cylinders.

14. The body part of claim 13, wherein the balls or cylinders are configured to rotate when the cover is attached to the body part.

15. The body part of claim 9, wherein the snap-on attachment protrusion members are configured to form, when engaged against the snap-on attachment protrusion receptacles, a force that pulls the cover against the body so as to remove play between the body and the cover.

16. An apparatus comprising a cover and the body part, wherein the cover comprises:

two cover side walls with inner and outer surfaces, configured to cover a portion of the apparatus; and

snap-on attachment receptacles on inner surfaces of the cover side walls configured to enable a user to attach the cover to a body part by pushing the cover onto the body part;

and the body part comprises:

a body with an external surface having two sides; and

snap-on attachment protrusion members on the two sides configured to engage with snap-on attachment receptacles of a cover when attached by a user to cover the body part.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the snap-on attachment receptacles comprise grooves, holes and/or concave forms on the inner surfaces of the cover side walls.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the snap-on attachment protrusion members are resiliently biased to press against the snap-on attachment receptacles when the cover is attached to the body part.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the resiliently biased snap-on attachment protrusion members are configured to cause tension in the cover against the fixed snap-on attachment protrusion members.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the snap-on attachment protrusion members are configured to contact the cover by rotatable balls or cylinders.