Push-push slide mechanism
View Patent ↗An apparatus including a guide track member for a first part, a guide pin for a second part and a first biaser. The first and second parts being for a portable electronic device and the guide track member including first and second guide track portions. The apparatus is configured such that the guide pm travels within the respective guide track first and second portions to provide respective first and second bistable configurations of the apparatus in which the first and second parts are held in relative positions to one another. The first biaser is configured to apply a lateral force to the guide pin to cause it to travel along the first portion of the guide track when moving from the first bistable configuration to the second bistable configuration and to apply a lateral force to the guide pin to cause it to travel along the second portion of the guide track when moving from the second bistable configuration to the first bistable configuration. The transition between the bistable configurations is provided by relative movement of the first and second parts in the same direction.
1. An apparatus comprising a guide track member for a first part, a guide pin for a second part and a first biaser, the first and second parts being for a portable electronic device and the guide track member comprising first and second guide track portions, the apparatus configured such that the guide pin travels within the respective guide track first and second portions to provide respective first and second bistable configurations of the apparatus in which the first and second parts are held in relative positions to one another, the first biaser configured to apply a lateral force to the guide pin to cause it to travel along the first portion of the guide track when moving from the first bistable configuration to the second bistable configuration and to apply a lateral force to the guide pin to cause it to travel along the second portion of the guide track when moving from the second bistable configuration to the first bistable configuration, and wherein transition between the bistable configurations is provided by relative movement of the first and second parts in the same direction.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the guide track comprises a loop portion consisting of the first portion of the guide track and the second portion of the guide track.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the guide track comprises a first retaining portion and a second retaining portion for retaining the guide pin when it is in the first and second bistable configurations respectively.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first retaining portion of the guide track is laterally offset from the second retaining portion of the guide track, and wherein the first biaser is configured to apply a lateral force to the guide pin so that it tends to a position that is laterally between the first and second retaining portions.
5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the guide track comprises a loop portion consisting of the first portion of the guide track and the second portion of the guide track, and wherein the first retaining portion is an elongate portion linked to the loop portion between a first end of the first portion of the guide track and a first end of the second portion of the guide track in order to retain the guide pin when the apparatus is in the second configuration.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first biaser is configured to cause the guide pin to tend to a position that is off-centre in relation to the elongate portion of the guide track.
7. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the guide track comprises a loop portion consisting of the first portion of the guide track and the second portion of the guide track, and wherein the second retaining portion is a notch portion between a second end of the first portion of the guide track and a second end of the second portion of the guide track in order to retain the guide pin when the apparatus is in the first configuration.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first biaser is configured to cause the guide pin to tend to a position that is off-centre in relation to the notch portion of the guide track.
9. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the loop portion is asymmetrical.
10. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first biaser and the shape of the guide track are configured to cause the guide pin to travel along the first portion of the loop portion from the notch portion to the elongate portion when the device is changed from the first configuration to the second configuration, and wherein the first biaser and the shape of the guide track are configured to cause the guide pin to travel along the second part of the loop portion from the elongate portion to the notch portion when the device is changed from the second configuration to the first configuration.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the guide pin is configured to travel along the guide track in a single plane.
12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the guide track and guide pin comprise a push-push mechanism.
13. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a second biaser configured to bias the first and second parts towards the second bistable configuration.
14. A device comprising the apparatus of claim 1 .
15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the device is configured for mobile telephony.
16. A module for a device, the module comprising the apparatus of claim 1 .
17. A method of operating an apparatus, the apparatus comprising a guide track member for a first part, a guide pin for a second part, the first and second parts being for a portable electronic device and the guide track member comprising first and second guide track portions, the apparatus configured such that the guide pin travels within the respective guide track first and second portions to provide respective first and second bistable configurations of the apparatus in which the first and second parts are held in relative positions to one another, the method comprising:
applying a lateral force to the guide pin to cause it to travel along the first portion of the guide track when moving from the first bistable configuration to the second bistable configuration; and
applying a lateral force to the guide pin to cause it to travel along the second portion of the guide track when moving from the second bistable configuration to the first bistable configuration,
wherein transition between the bistable configurations is provided by relative movement of the first and second parts in the same direction.
18. A method of assembling an apparatus according to claim 1 .
19. A method of assembling a device according to claim 14 .