LOCKING MECHANISM FOR TWO PIECE HOUSING

Publishing Venue

Motorola

Related People

Abstract

In apparatus utilizing two piece housings, especially portable electronic devices like pagers, it is often necessary to lock the front and back housings together after assembly. In the past this was accomplished by providing a boss as a part of a complicated bracket that is mounted in one of the housing pieces. A plunger is spring loaded in the boss so as to extend through an opening in the other housing piece when the housing is properly assembled. The housing is opened by simply depressing the plunger and sliding the housing pieces apart. This locking mechanism includes at least six components and is time consuming to assemble.

MOTOROLA Technical Developments Volume 11 October 1990

LOCKING MECHANISM FOR TWO PlECE HOUSING

by Tan Kian Teck, Ghan Huen Sing and Tng Teck Giam

   In apparatus utilizing two piece housings, especially portable electronic devices like pagers, it is often necessary to lock the front and back housings together after assembly. In the past this was accomplished by providing a boss as a part of a complicated bracket that is mounted in one of the housing pieces. A plunger is spring loaded in the boss so as to extend through an opening in the other housing piece when the housing is properly assembled. The housing is opened by simply depressing the plunger and sliding the housing pieces apart. This locking mechanism includes at least six components and is time consuming to assemble.

   The improved locking mechanism is illustrated in FIGS. 1,2 and 3 and includes a boss that is formed as a portion of one of the housing pieces. A spring and plunger are placed in the boss as illustrated sc that the plunger extends through an opening in the other housing piece when sliding portions of the housing pieces are engaged. The part count is reduced to four and assembly is substantially simplified.

/ /I -_-_I--.-

A 1 hi--i- BOSS

Figure 2

PLUN,GER REAR

SPRING

FRONT -HOUSING

BOSS

SPRING a FRON HOUSING

\

Figure 3

Figure 1

0 Motorola, Inc. 1990 155