Electronic device

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201310729986.1 filed on Dec. 26, 2013, in the China Intellectual Property Office, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

The present disclosure relates to management of storage devices.

Storage devices, such as DVDs, are employed in computers to store data. The storage device is between an elastic piece and a stopping door as a part of a sidewall of the computer. When the stopping door is opened, the storage device is pushed out of the computer under an elastic force of the elastic piece.

The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an embodiment of an electronic device with a hard disk pop-out apparatus therein.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the circled portion II of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 1 , but showing a hard disk pushed out of the electronic device and omitting a top shell of the electronic device.

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate an electronic device 20 with a pop-out apparatus 40 . The pop-out apparatus 40 is configured to push a storage device 50 out of the electronic device 20 . In the embodiment, the electronic device 20 is a computer. The storage device 50 can be a CD, a DVD, or a hard disk.

The electronic device 20 includes a top shell 22 , a bottom shell 24 and a periphery wall 26 fixed between the top shell 22 and the bottom shell 24 . The periphery wall 26 defines an opening 28 . The pop-out apparatus 40 includes a frame 42 , a tray 44 , a stopping piece 46 , a button 48 , and two first elastic pieces 70 . The frame 42 is positioned between the top shell 22 and the bottom shell 24 , and fixed to the top shell 22 or the bottom shell 24 . In the embodiment, the frame 42 is fixed to the top shell 22 . The frame 42 , the top shell 22 , and the bottom shell 24 cooperatively define a receiving space 23 communicating with the opening 28 . The receiving space 23 is configured to receive the tray 44 . The tray 44 is configured to receive the storage device 50 . The tray 44 is slidably connected to the frame 42 , and a part of the tray 44 can slide through the opening 28 . Thus, the tray 44 can be pulled out of the electronic device 20 and the storage device 50 can be taken out of the tray 44 .

In the embodiment, the frame 42 includes two opposite inner surfaces 43 . A guiding strip 54 protrudes from each of the two opposite inner surfaces 43 . The tray 44 includes two external surfaces 55 opposite the inner surfaces 43 . Each external surface 55 defines a sliding slot 56 . The guiding strips 54 are received in the sliding slots 56 . The tray 44 slides along the two guiding strips 54 through the two sliding slots 56 .

The stopping piece 46 is rotatablely fixed to the frame 42 and positioned between the frame 42 and the opening 28 . The stopping piece 46 is configured to block the tray 44 from sliding out of the receiving space 23 when the tray 44 is wholly received in the receiving space 23 . The button 48 is fixed in the electronic device 20 and connected to the stopping piece 46 . The button 48 is configured to drive the stopping piece 46 to release the tray 44 when the button 48 is pressed.

In the embodiment, an end of the frame 42 adjacent to the opening 28 includes a first fixed surface 37 opposite to the opening 28 and a second fixed surface 39 opposite to the top shell 22 . An accepting space 41 is defined between the second fixed surface 39 and the top shell 22 . The accepting space 41 communicates with the receiving space 23 and the opening 28 . A shaft 58 is positioned in the accepting space 41 and fixed to the first fixed surface 37 . The stopping piece 46 defines a shaft hole 49 . The stopping piece 46 is sleeved on the shaft 58 through the shaft hole 49 . A distal end of the stopping piece 46 passes through the accepting space 41 to block a front surface of the tray 44 opposite to the opening 28 .

The top shell 22 defines a through hole 29 communicating with the accepting space 41 . The button 48 includes a pressing piece 60 and a second elastic piece 62 . The pressing piece 60 is received in the through hole 29 . The second elastic piece 62 is positioned between the second fixed surface 39 and the pressing piece 60 . The pressing piece 60 defines a rack 47 . The stopping piece 46 defines a gear 45 . The gear 45 engages with the rack 47 . When the pressing piece 60 is pressed, the second elastic piece 62 is deformed and the pressing piece 60 slides in the through hole 29 , and the rack 47 drives the gear 45 to rotate around the shaft 58 . The gear 45 can rotate until the stopping piece 46 completely releases the tray 44 . The second elastic piece 62 restores the pressing piece 60 when the pressure on the pressing piece 60 is removed. The second elastic piece 62 is a spring.

The two first elastic pieces 70 are fixed to the frame 42 . When the tray 44 is wholly received in the receiving space 23 , the first elastic piece 70 abuts against the tray 44 . The two first elastic pieces 70 push the tray 44 to move toward the opening 28 until a part of tray 44 is exposed from the opening 28 when the stopping piece 46 releases the tray 44 . In the embodiment, the two first elastic pieces 70 are fixed to an inner surface 64 of the frame 42 opposite to the opening 28 . The first elastic piece 70 is an arc shaped clip.

The pop-out apparatus 40 blocks the tray 44 in the electronic device 20 by means of the stopping piece 46 , which avoids the tray 44 directly abutting against the periphery wall 26 . Any stress or force on the periphery wall 26 is thus avoided. When the button 48 is pressed, the first elastic piece 70 pushes the tray 44 out of the electronic device 20 , and thereby the storage device 50 can be easily taken out of the tray 44 .

It is understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in other forms without departing from the scope of those set forth herein. Thus, the present examples and embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the disclosure and the following are not to be limited to the details given herein.