US20080054697A1

US20080054697A1 - Liftable cover

Info

Publication number: US20080054697A1
Application number: US11/767,804
Authority: US
Inventors: Miao-Hung LING
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Chemtron Research LLC
Priority date: 2006-08-29
Filing date: 2007-06-25
Publication date: 2008-03-06
Also published as: DE202007009360U1; TWM306456U

Abstract

A structure of a liftable cover includes a cover having a pivoting end and a covering seat that allows the cover to be disposed thereon. The covering seat is formed thereon with a notch. Both sides of the notch are formed with a sidewall for the covering seat respectively. The notch is hollowed in the vertical direction. Both ends of the pivoting end of the cover are pivotally provided with a pivotal sliding block. The sidewalls on both sides of the covering seat are provided with a sliding trough to correspond to the pivotal sliding block respectively. The two pivotal sliding blocks slide into the two sliding troughs and are connected thereto respectively. Via the indirect pivotal connection of the two pivotal sliding blocks, components can be replaced and assembled in a rapid and convenient manner.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cover, and in particular to a liftable cover that can be lifted upwardly and cover downwardly, and the structure of a pivotally connecting portion thereof is improved.
2. Description of Prior Art
As shown in FIG. 1, a common cover 1 a that can be lifted is formed by means of directly pivoting a pivotal means such as a pivotal shaft 10 a to a connecting portion 2 a. For example, both sides of one end of the cover 1 a are provided with the pivotal shaft 10 a, and the connecting portion 2 a is provided with pivotal holes 20 a that allow the pivotal shaft to be pivoted thereto. When the pivotal shaft 10 a penetrates into the pivotal holes 20 a, the cover 1 a can be lifted upwardly or cover downwardly at the connecting portion 1 a.
However, with regard to the assembly process or the capability of attaching functional elements, the above-mentioned structure in which the cover is directly pivoted to the connecting portion has some drawbacks as follows.
1. When the pivotal shaft penetrates into the pivotal holes, since the linear distance between both ends of the pivotal shaft is surely larger than the relative distance between outer edges of the two pivotal holes. Therefore, the pivotal shaft cannot always penetrate into the pivotal holes very smoothly, and thus it is necessary to incline the pivotal shaft to facilitate the penetrating action. Furthermore, during the assembly process, the dimension of the pivotal shaft has to be taken into consideration because a little plastic deformation of the material used may be also used to facilitate the completion of the pivotal connection.
2. When elements (such as torsion springs) are provided on both ends of the pivotal shaft additionally so that the cover can automatically bound upwardly, the torsion springs are pressed by the cover and thus accumulate force. The accumulated force acts to surrounding members. Especially, since the springs are generally made of metallic materials while the surrounding members are made of plastics, the plastic members will be damaged by the metallic springs.
3. Since the pivotal shaft is pivoted into the pivotal holes directly and the pivotal holes are provided on the connecting portion, after a long-term use, the pivotal shaft and the pivotal holes will be worn, so that the clearance between the pivotal shaft and the pivotal holes may become larger and thus the pivotal connection may get loose. To a serious extent, the pivotal connection may break down.
Therefore, in view of this, the inventor proposes the present invention to overcome the above problems based on his expert experience and deliberate research.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is to provide a structure of a liftable cover, in which a covering seat is provided to allow a cover to be pivoted thereon. The pivotally connecting positions between the cover and the covering seat are provided with a pivotal sliding block respectively. Via the pivotal sliding blocks, the cover and the covering seat are pivotally connected with each other in an indirect manner. As a result, when the pivotal holes on the pivotal sliding blocks are enlarged due to the wear and the pivotally connecting function is lost, new pivotal sliding blocks can be replaced easily, thereby maintaining the lifting and covering functions of the liftable cover in a low-cost manner.
The present invention is to provide a structure of a liftable cover. Via the above pivotal sliding blocks, elements such as torsion springs can be attached thereon easily. Further, since the pivotal sliding blocks can be replaced, the problem of the damage of resilient elements caused by the accumulated force can be also solved.
The present invention is to provide a structure of a liftable cover. After the pivotal sliding blocks are pivoted to pivotally connecting positions of the cover, they slide on the covering seat. Via such a two-stage assembly, a fast and convenient way of pivotally connecting can be achieved.
The present invention is to provide a structure of a liftable cover, which includes a cover having a pivoting end, and a covering seat that allows the cover to be disposed thereon. The covering seat is formed thereon with a notch. Both sides of the notch are formed with a sidewall of the covering seat respectively. The notch is hollowed in the vertical direction. Both ends of the pivoting end of the cover are provided with a pivotal sliding block respectively. The sidewalls on both sides of the covering seat are provided with a sliding trough to correspond to the pivotal sliding block respectively. The two pivotal sliding blocks slide into the two sliding troughs so as to be connected thereto respectively.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a convention structure of a pivotally connecting portion of a liftable cover;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view showing that the present invention is lifted;

FIG. 4 is an assembled perspective view showing that the present invention is covered;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the assembly of the cover and the covering seat of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the complete assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing another embodiment of the pivotal shaft of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the pivotal shaft and the pivotal holes in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In order to make the Examiner to better understand the characteristics and technical contents of the present invention, a detailed description will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that the drawings are illustrative only but not to limit the scope of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view showing that the present invention is lifted, and FIG. 4 is an assembled perspective view showing that the present invention is covered. The present invention provides a structure of a liftable cover, which includes a cover 1 and a covering seat 2.
The cover 1 has a pivoting end 10. The pivoting end 10 is usually located at one end of the cover 1, and can be also located in the middle section of the cover 1. The other end of the cover 1 has a cover-lifting end 11. With the pivoting end 10 of the cover 1 being pivotally connected on the covering seat 2, the cover-lifting end 11 of the cover 1 can turn in a certain angular range by means of the pivoting end 10 acting as a center of rotation. As a result, the cover 1 can be lifted upwardly and cover downwardly on the covering seat 2.
The covering seat 2 is attached to an article that needs to be provided with a liftable cover, such as a casing of a computer host. By lifting the cover 1, it is convenient to repair the interior of the computer host. The covering seat 2 is formed with a notch 20 that allows the cover 1 to cover thereon. The left and right sides of the notch 20 are formed with a sidewall 21 for the covering seat 2 respectively. The notch 20 is hollowed in the vertical direction. When the cover 1 covers on the notch 20, the covering seat 2 can be closed, thereby achieving the demand for covering.
The present invention is characterized in that the pivotally connecting portion between the cover 1 and the covering seat 2 is provided with a pivotal sliding block 3 respectively. Via these two pivotal sliding blocks 3, the cover 1 and the covering seat 2 can be pivotally connected with each other in an indirect manner. The covering seat 2 is provided on both sidewalls 21 thereof with a sliding trough 22 respectively to correspond to the pivotal sliding block 3. In the embodiment illustrated in the present invention, the two sliding troughs 22 extend upwardly from the underside of the covering seat 2, so that the two pivotal sliding blocks 3 can slide into the two sliding troughs 22 from the underside thereof and thus connected on the two sidewalls 21 of the covering seat 2. Of course, the two sliding troughs 22 can be provided along other direction of the covering seat 2 and extend inwardly, thereby changing the direction of the two pivotal sliding blocks 3 for sliding into the two sliding troughs 22 of the covering seat 2. Therefore, the direction of assembly is not limited to the vertical direction, and can be changed according to the practical applications.
Furthermore, in the embodiment illustrated in the present invention, the two pivotal sliding blocks 3 are provided with a pivotal hole 30 respectively. The pivoting end 10 of the cover 1 is provided with a pivotal shaft 12. Both ends of the pivotal shaft 12 protrude outwardly from both sides of the cover 1 and penetrate into the corresponding pivotal holes 30, thereby achieving the pivotal connection between the pivoting end 10 of the cover 1 and the two pivotal sliding blocks 3. As a result, the cover 1 and the covering seat 2 can be pivotally connected in an indirectly manner. Therefore, when the pivotal holes 30 on the two pivotal sliding blocks 3 are enlarged due to the wear and in turn causes the failure in the pivotal connection between the cover 1 and the covering seat 2, the only thing is to replace with two new pivotal sliding blocks 3. Therefore, the lifting and covering functions of the cover 1 can be still maintained in a low-cost manner.
According to the above, incidentally, the pivotal shaft 12 can be also provided on the pivotal sliding blocks 3, and the pivotal holes 30 can be provided on both sides of the pivoting end 10 of the cover 1, as shown in FIG. 8. Moreover, the pivotal shaft 12 is not limited to the embodiment illustrated in the present invention, which can be formed of two short shafts that are arranged in a coaxial manner, or it can be formed of a long shaft as shown in FIG. 7. In addition, at least one of the two pivotal sliding blocks 3 can be provided with a resilient element 31 that bears a force between the cover 1 and the covering seat 2. Via this arrangement, when covering, the cover 1 can apply a force to the resilient element 31. After releasing the elastic force of the resilient element 31, the cover 1 can bound upwardly and automatically. With reference to FIG. 4, in the embodiment illustrated in the present embodiment, the resilient element 31 is a torsion spring that is disposed on the pivotal shaft 12. An accommodating space 32 is provided in the periphery of the pivotal sliding troughs 3 adjacent to the pivotal holes 30, so that the resilient element 31 can be disposed on the pivotal shaft 12 and located in the accommodating space 32. Further, the pivotal shaft 12 is provided with a groove 120 that allows one end of the resilient element 31 to be fixed therein while the other end 311 thereof abuts against the inner wall of the accommodating space 32. As a result, when the cover 1 turns to cover downwardly, it applies a torsion force to the resilient element 31 so as to accumulate the elastic force. The cover-lifting end 11 of the cover 1 is provided with locking means (not shown) for locking and fixing the covering seat 2. Once the locking state between the cover 1 and the covering seat 2 is released, the resilient element 31 can cause the cover 1 to bind upwardly by means of releasing the elastic force, thereby lifting the cover automatically. Since the resilient element 31 can be assembled easily via the accommodating space 32 of the pivotal sliding block 3, it is unnecessary to provide an additional structure for disposing the resilient element 31. Further, since the pivotal sliding blocks can be replaced, the damage of the resilient element 31 caused by the accumulated force has low influence on the whole structure of the liftable cover because such a problem can be simply solved by replacing a component.
With reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, in assembly, the two pivotal sliding blocks 3 are pivotally connected with the cover 1. Then, the two pivotal sliding blocks 3 slide into the two sliding troughs 22 of the covering seat 2 respectively, thereby finishing the assembly. Since the two pivotal sliding blocks 3 are provided separately, the pivotal shafts 12 can penetrate into the pivotal holes 30 easily when pivotally connecting with the cover. As a result, a fast and convenient assembly can be achieved. Further, in order to position the two pivotal sliding blocks 3 on the covering seat 2, an elastic arm 33 can be provided on the pivotal sliding block 3. The free end of the elastic arm 33 is provided with a locking protrusion 330 and the corresponding portion of the sliding trough 22 is provided with a locking trough 220. Via this arrangement, after the pivotal sliding blocks 3 slide into the sliding troughs 22, the locking protrusion 330 of the elastic arm 33 can be locked on the locking trough 220, thereby forming a locking connection.
Therefore, with the above arrangement, the structure of the liftable cover of the present invention can be achieved.
According to the above, the present invention can solve the drawbacks of prior art and achieve the expected purposes. Further, it indeed involves novelty and inventive steps and thus conforms to the requirements for a utility model patent.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the foregoing preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof. Various equivalent variations and modifications can still occur to those skilled in this art in view of the teachings of the present invention. Thus, all such variations and equivalent modifications are also embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A structure of a liftable cover, comprising:

a cover having a pivoting end; and

a covering seat formed with a notch for allowing the cover to be covered thereon, both sides of the notch being formed respectively with a sidewall for the covering seat, the notch being hollowed in an up-end-down direction;

wherein both ends of the pivoting end of the cover are pivotally provided with a pivotal sliding block respectively, both sidewalls of the covering seat are provided with a sliding trough corresponding to two pivotal sliding blocks respectively, and the two pivotal sliding blocks slide into two sliding troughs so as to be connected thereto.

2. The structure of a liftable cover according to claim 1, wherein each of the two pivotal sliding blocks is provided with a pivotal hole, the pivoting end of the cover is provided with a pivotal shaft, and both ends of the pivotal shaft penetrate into two pivotal holes so as to be pivotally connected thereto.

3. The structure of a liftable cover according to claim 2 wherein the pivotal shaft is formed of a long shaft.

4. The structure of a liftable cover according to claim 2 wherein the pivotal shaft is formed of two short shafts that are arranged in a coaxial manner.

5. The structure of a liftable cover according to claim 2, wherein each of the two pivotal sliding blocks is provided with an elastic arm, a free end of the elastic arm is provided with a locking protrusion and a corresponding portion of the sliding trough is provided with a locking groove, and the locking protrusion of the elastic arm is locked in the locking groove.

6. The structure of a liftable cover according to claim 2, wherein any one of the two pivotal sliding blocks is provided with an accommodating space, and the accommodating space is provided with a resilient element that bears a force between the cover and the covering seat.

7. The structure of a liftable cover according to claim 6, wherein the resilient element is a torsion spring.

8. The structure of a liftable cover according to claim 7, wherein the torsion spring comprises a first end and a second end and is disposed on the corresponding pivotal shaft, the pivotal shaft is provided with a groove for retaining the first end of the torsion spring therein, the second end of the torsion spring is abutted against an inner wall of the accommodating space.

9. The structure of a liftable cover according to claim 1, wherein each of the two pivotal sliding blocks is provided with a pivotal shaft, both ends of the pivoting end of the cover is provided with a pivotal hole, and the two pivotal shafts penetrate into the two pivotal holes respectively so as to be pivotally connected thereto.

10. The structure of a liftable cover according to claim 9, wherein each of the two pivotal sliding blocks is provided with an elastic arm, a free end of the elastic arm is provided with a locking protrusion and a corresponding portion of the sliding trough is provided with a locking groove, and the locking protrusion of the elastic arm is locked in the locking groove.

11. The structure of a liftable cover according to claim 9, wherein any one of the two pivotal sliding blocks is provided with an accommodating space, and the accommodating space is provided with a resilient element that bears a force between the cover and the covering seat.

12. The structure of a liftable cover according to claim 11, wherein the resilient element is a torsion spring.

13. The structure of a liftable cover according to claim 12, wherein the torsion spring comprises a first end and a second end and is disposed on the corresponding pivotal shaft, the pivotal shaft is provided with a groove for retaining the first end of the torsion spring therein, the second end of the torsion spring is abutted against an inner wall of the accommodating space.

14. The structure of a liftable cover according to claim 1, wherein each of the two pivotal sliding blocks is provided with an elastic arm, a free end of the elastic arm is provided with a locking protrusion and the corresponding portion of the sliding trough is provided with a locking groove, and the locking protrusion of the elastic arm is locked in the locking groove.