AUTO-LOCK RETAINER BELT CLIP
Original Publication Date: 1991-Apr-01
Included in the Prior Art Database: 2001-Nov-29
Publishing Venue
Motorola
Related People
Chan Yew Weng: AUTHOR [+2]
Abstract
FIG. 1 illustrates a housing 10 (e.g. a pager) having an outwardly extending mounting ear 11 formed thereon. A belt-clip 12 has a pair of mounting ears positioned to mate with ear 11 on housing 10 and coaxial openings therethrough receive a pin 13 (see FIG. 2), which pivotally affixes belt-clip 12 to housing 10. Pin 13 has a groove 14 formed therein, which in the prior art received a retainer ring for locking the assembly together.
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MOTOROLA INC. Technical Developments Volume 12 April 1991
AUTO-LOCK RETAINER BELT CLIP
by Chan Yew Weng, Low Chuen Choi and Chan Chew Lan
FIG. 1 illustrates a housing 10 (e.g. a pager) having an outwardly extending mounting ear 11 formed thereon. A belt-clip 12 has a pair of mounting ears positioned to mate with ear 11 on housing 10 and coaxial openings therethrough receive a pin 13 (see FIG. 2), which pivotally affixes belt-clip 12 to housing
10. Pin 13 has a groove 14 formed therein, which in the prior art received a retainer ring for locking the assembly together.
In the present auto-lock system, a retainer clip 15 (see FIG. 3) includes a plate 16 having a central opening 17 therethrough. Plate 16 is designed to lie flat on housing 10 with ear 11 extending therethrough. An upstanding portion 18 has a retainer 19 formed at the end thereof. A cam surface 20 is also formed at an
upper edge of portion 18. As belt-clip 12 is lifted (rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1), cam 21 on a lower edge of belt-clip 12 engages cam surface 20 and moves retainer clip 15 forward forcing retainer 19 into groove 14 of pin 13, thereby locking the assembly together. To remove the belt clip, an outwardly extending end 22 of plate 16 is pushed (to the left in FIG. l), which disengages retainer 19 from groove 14 in pin 13.
Prior art retainer rings require special tools to engage and disengage in the assembly locking process. Many times these tools mar the housing 10 and cause reject...