US20080128419A1

US20080128419A1 - Lid fastening mechanism

Info

Publication number: US20080128419A1
Application number: US11/607,547
Authority: US
Inventors: Tzu-Wen Sung
Original assignee: Inventec Corp
Current assignee: Inventec Corp
Priority date: 2006-11-30
Filing date: 2006-11-30
Publication date: 2008-06-05

Abstract

The present invention provides a lid fastening mechanism for fastening a lid of a device to a casing opening between two opposing flanks of the device. At least one side of the lid includes a lid flank overlapping an inner side of one of the flanks of the device. The lid flank is slidable to and fro relative to the flank of the device. The lid fastening mechanism includes a fastening post protrudingly disposed on the inner side of the flank of the device, a movement groove disposed at a position of the lid flank corresponding to the fastening post, and a snap fastener disposed to extend along an inner side of the lid flank and formed with a snap hole for snap-fit engagement with the fastening post. The fastening post can slide into the snap hole via the movement groove and thereby fasten the lid to the casing opening.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fastening mechanism, and more particularly, to a lid fastening mechanism for an electronic device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Owing to the rapid development of the electronic industry, server products are becoming easier to maintain and easier to assemble. To meet the demand for easy maintenance and assembly of server products, the requirement for auxiliary structures designed to facilitate the assembly of server products gradually shifts from long working hours to short working hours, to increase productivity per unit working hour by improvement in casing assembly technology.
Conventional structures of the casings for servers are available on the market nowadays. To enhance the precision of assembly of servers, the manufacturers developed a screw fastening technology that involves forming a screw-fastening auxiliary structure at the edge of a covering lid of a casing for a server. The manufacturers also enhance the precision of assembly of servers by means of a snap-fit engagement structure.
As mentioned above, conventional structures of the casings for servers comprise the screw-fastening auxiliary structure formed in the casing for a server and designed to enhance the precision of assembly of servers, thus resulting in complicated structures and long assembly working hours. Besides, the screws as such increase the number of components to be assembled, which in turn increase the number of the assembly steps, thus making assembly work more difficult and complex; hence, it is hard to meet the requirement for the working hours of sever assembly. As a result, the necessity of performing a screw-related process on a conventional server casing structure leads to a complicated fabrication process, high assembly cost, expensive manpower invested in the fabrication process, lengthy assembly process, and slow maintenance.
In addition, in the course of a manual assembly process, both variation in the degree of workers' skills and discrepancies in technologies cause reliability-related problems and affect the precision of working hours, thus affecting the timing of the process greatly.
As regards the technology of fastening a lid to the front of a server, in the old days the lid was secured in position with blind rivets and thus the server could not be dismantled of the lid thereafter. Later on, with servers typically being installed with additional expansion devices such as hot-swappable CD-ROM drives, hard disk drives, and electronic components like LED circuit boards, mountable/unmountable lids, among which the most widely in use were screw-locked lids, emerged to meet the trend.
Nevertheless, screw locking does have its own drawbacks, namely a complicated, time-consuming mounting/unmounting process, and indispensable use of tools. For this reason, subsequent screw locking technology evolves to reduce the use of screws by means of a positioning mechanism comprising a pear-shaped hole and a positioning post, but it still entails using at least one screw, and thus its tool-dependent feature remains unchanged.
Accordingly, an issue calling for urgent solution is to overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art effectively.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art, it is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a lid fastening mechanism that can be mounted and unmounted freely.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a lid fastening mechanism that can be mounted and unmounted without using any tool.
Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a lid fastening mechanism that can be mounted and unmounted quickly.
In order to achieve the above and other objectives, the present invention provides a lid fastening mechanism for fastening a lid of a device to a casing opening between two opposing flanks of the device. The lid has at least one side disposed with a lid flank overlapping an inner side of one of the flanks of the device. The lid flank is slidable to and fro relative to the flank of the device. The lid fastening mechanism comprises a fastening post, a movement groove, and a snap fastener. The fastening post is protrudingly disposed on the inner side of the flank of the device. The movement groove is disposed at a position of the lid flank corresponding to the fastening post and comprises a groove guiding portion and a groove positioning portion. The groove guiding portion allows the fastening post to insert into the lid flank. The groove positioning portion connects to the groove guiding portion to guide the fastening post to a positioning position. The snap fastener is disposed to extend along an inner side of the lid flank, with one end of the snap fastener fastened to the lid flank, with another end of the snap fastener exposed out of the lid, and is formed with a snap hole corresponding in position to an end of the groove positioning portion of the movement groove for snap-fit engagement with the fastening post. The fastening post inserts into the groove guiding portion of the movement groove, slides into the groove positioning portion, and snaps into the snap hole of the snap fastener, thus fastening the lid to the casing opening.
The prior art has a drawback, that is, once a front lid for a server is secured in position with blind rivets, the server cannot be dismantled of the front lid thereafter. By contrast, the present invention discloses a lid fastening mechanism whereby a snap hole of a snap fastener snaps out of a fastening post as soon as an outer end of the snap fastener is lifted up, and thus the present invention has an advantage, that is, the lid fastening mechanism can be mounted and unmounted freely.
Although the prior art teaches locking a lid to a server with screws and thus the lid can be mounted and unmounted freely, the locking process is time-consuming as it entails using multiple screws. By contrast, the lid fastening mechanism of the present invention can be mounted and unmounted by manipulating the lid and the snap fastener only, and thus the mounting and unmounting process is quick
Although the prior art allows the lid to be positioned on the server by means of a pear-shaped hole and a positioning post, at least one screw has to be used. By contrast, the lid fastening mechanism of the present invention comprises a fastening post disposed beside a casing opening, a movement groove disposed at the lid flank, and a snap fastener disposed at the lid flank, and, by moving the lid, the fastening post inserts into the movement groove and snaps into the snap hole of the snap fastener, thus fastening the lid to the casing opening without using any tool at all.
Accordingly, the present invention discloses a lid fastening mechanism for an electronic device to overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art, and thus the present invention has high industrial applicability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing a lid fastening mechanism of the present invention; and

FIGS. 2 to 4 are schematic views showing how to actuate a lid fastening mechanism of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following specific embodiment is provided to illustrate the present invention. Others ordinarily skilled in the art can readily gain an insight into other advantages and features of the present invention based on the contents disclosed in this specification.
Referring to FIG. 1, a lid fastening mechanism of the present invention fastens a lid 10 of a device 1 to a casing opening 11 of the device 1. The device 1 is exemplified by an electronic device such as a server and the lid 10 by a front lid of the server. Of course, the device 1 can also be a personal computer or a portable electronic device. The lid 10 comprises at least one lid flank 101 overlapping an inner side of a flank 12 of the device 1. The lid flank 101 is slidable to and fro relative to the flank 12. Of course, each of the two opposing sides of the lid 10 can also be disposed with the lid flank 101 overlapping the inner side of the flank 12 of the device 1.
A fastening post 13 is protrudingly disposed on the inner side of the flank 12 of the device 1. A movement groove 102 is disposed at a position of the lid flank 101 corresponding to the fastening post 13. The movement groove 102 comprises a groove guiding portion 102 a and a groove positioning portion 102 b. The groove guiding portion 102 a allows the fastening post 13 to insert into the lid flank 101. The groove positioning portion 102 b connects to the groove guiding portion 102 a to guide the fastening post 13 to a positioning position. The groove guiding portion 102 a of the movement groove 102 is an indented groove perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the lid flank 101. The groove positioning portion 102 b is perpendicular to the groove guiding portion 102 a and extends along the longitudinal direction of the lid flank 101.
A snap fastener 103 is disposed to extend along an inner side of the lid flank 101, with one end of the snap fastener 103 fastened to the lid flank 101, with another end of the snap fastener 103 exposed out of the lid 10, and formed with a snap hole 1031 corresponding in position to an end of the groove positioning portion 102 b of the movement groove 102 for snap-fit engagement with the fastening post 13. The fastening post 13 inserts into the groove guiding portion 102 a of the movement groove 102, slides into the groove positioning portion 102 b, and snaps into the snap hole 1031 of the snap fastener 103, thus fastening the lid 10 to the casing opening 11.
The snap fastener 103 comprises an arch portion 1032 corresponding in position to the groove guiding portion 102 a and protruding toward the inside of the device 1 so as to allow the fastening post 13 to insert into the groove guiding portion 102 a. The snap fastener 103 further comprises a resilient portion 1033 connecting to the arch portion 1032, abutting against the inner side of the lid flank 101, and disposed with the snap hole 1031. With the resilient portion 1033 abutting against the lid flank 101, the fastening post 13 inserts into the snap hole 1031 and does not readily detach from the snap hole 1031 thereafter. However, the snap hole 1031 can be formed at a position of the resilient portion 1033 close to the arch portion 1032 to allow the fastening post 13 to insert into the snap hole 1031 immediately after having resisted the resilient portion 1033 for the shortest distance with a view to being labor-saving. The arch portion 1032 and the lid flank 101 together form a triangle so as to standardize the snap fastener 103 for mass production.
A positioning unit can be disposed between the device 1 and the lid 10 to help position the lid 10 at a predetermined position of the device 1. The positioning unit comprises a positioning post 104 disposed on a bottom surface of the lid 10 and a positioning groove 140 disposed on a positioning plate 14 of the device 1 to guide the positioning post 104.
A point to note is that the positioning groove 140 and the positioning post 104 disposed in the device 1 and the lid 10 respectively can be swapped for each other without compromising the positioning function of the lid fastening mechanism of the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, moving the lid 10 inserts the fastening post 13 disposed on the flank 12 of the device 1 into the groove guiding portion 102 a, as shown in FIG. 2. While being fastened to the casing opening 11, the lid 10 simply lies flatly on the casing opening 11. The lid flank 101 touches the fastening post 13 and slides horizontally, to allow the fastening post 13 to enter the groove guiding portion 102 a. As shown in FIG. 3, once the fastening post 13 reaches a point where the groove guiding portion 102 a bends toward the groove positioning portion 102 b, moving the lid 10 in the direction of snap-fit engagement (as indicated by arrow shown in FIG. 3) will allow the fastening post 13 to push the snap fastener 103 in response to the movement of the lid 10. Once the fastening post 13 reaches the end of the groove positioning portion 102 b, the fastening post 13 will enter the snap hole 1031 of the snap fastener 103, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5; meanwhile, the snap fastener 103 rebounds and locks the fastening post 13. In addition, lifting the end of the snap fastener 103 protruding out of the lid 10 and pulling the lid 10 allows the snap fastener 103 to snap out of the fastening post 13 and thereby dismantles the device 1 of the lid 10.
The prior art has a drawback, that is, once a front lid for a server is secured in position with blind rivets, the server cannot be dismantled of the front lid thereafter. By contrast, the present invention discloses a lid fastening mechanism whereby a snap hole of a snap fastener snaps out of a fastening post as soon as an outer end of the snap fastener is lifted up, and thus the present invention has an advantage, that is, the lid fastening mechanism can be mounted and unmounted freely.
Although the prior art teaches locking a lid to a server with screws and thus the lid can be mounted and unmounted freely, the locking process is time-consuming as it entails using multiple screws. By contrast, the lid fastening mechanism of the present invention can be mounted and unmounted by manipulating the lid and the snap fastener only, and thus the mounting and unmounting process is quick
Although the prior art allows the lid to be positioned on the server by means of a pear-shaped hole and a positioning post, at least one screw has to be used. By contrast, the lid fastening mechanism of the present invention comprises a fastening post disposed beside a casing opening, a movement groove disposed at the lid flank, and a snap fastener disposed at the lid flank, and, by moving the lid, the fastening post inserts into the movement groove and snaps into the snap hole of the snap fastener, thus fastening the lid to the casing opening without using any tool at all.
Accordingly, the present invention discloses a lid fastening mechanism for an electronic device to overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art, and thus the present invention has high industrial applicability.
The aforesaid embodiment merely serves as the preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should not be construed as to limit the scope of the present invention in any way. Hence, any other changes can actually be made in the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that all equivalent modifications or changes made, without departing from the spirit and the technical concepts disclosed by the present invention, should fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A lid fastening mechanism for fastening a lid of a device to a casing opening between two opposing flanks of the device, the lid having at least one side disposed with a lid flank overlapping an inner side of one of the flanks of the device, the lid flank being slidable to and fro relative to the flank of the device, the lid fastening mechanism comprising:

a fastening post protrudingly disposed on the inner side of the flank of the device;

a movement groove disposed at a position of the lid flank corresponding to the fastening post and comprising a groove guiding portion and a groove positioning portion, the groove guiding portion allowing the fastening post to insert into the lid flank, the groove positioning portion connecting to the groove guiding portion to guide the fastening post to a positioning position; and

a snap fastener disposed to extend along an inner side of the lid flank, with one end of the snap fastener fastened to the lid flank, with another end of the snap fastener exposed out of the lid, and formed with a snap hole corresponding in position to an end of the groove positioning portion of the movement groove for snap-fit engagement with the fastening post;

wherein the fastening post inserts into the groove guiding portion of the movement groove, slides into the groove positioning portion, and snaps into the snap hole of the snap fastener, thus fastening the lid to the casing opening.

2. The lid fastening mechanism of claim 1, wherein the groove guiding portion is an indented groove perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the lid flank, and the groove positioning portion is perpendicular to the groove guiding portion and extends along the longitudinal direction of the lid flank.

3. The lid fastening mechanism of claim 1, wherein the snap fastener comprises an arch portion corresponding in position to the groove guiding portion and protruding toward the inside of the device so as to allow the fastening post to insert into the groove guiding portion.

4. The lid fastening mechanism of claim 3, wherein the arch portion and the lid flank together form a triangle.

5. The lid fastening mechanism of claim 3, wherein the snap fastener further comprises a resilient portion connecting to the arch portion, abutting against the lid flank, and disposed with the snap hole.

6. The lid fastening mechanism of claim 5, wherein the snap hole is disposed at a position of the resilient portion close to the arch portion.

7. The lid fastening mechanism of claim 1, wherein two opposing sides of the lid comprise the lid flanks overlapping the two opposing flanks of the device respectively.