Lid opening and closing device

Abstract

A container unit is composed of a lid and a unit body. A holder is a concave portion formed at a lower portion of the unit body. The lid is exposed at a lower surface of a camera body. The lid is slidable between a lock position where the lid is adjacent to a first inner surface of the holder, and a release position where the lid is adjacent to a second inner surface of the holder opposite to the first inner surface. An end portion of the lid is provided with a rotary shaft. Both ends of the rotary shaft engage with two elongate holes formed in lateral sides of the holder. The lid is slidably and rotatably retained by the holder.

1 . An opening and closing device of a lid for covering a mouth formed in one surface of a case, comprising:
 a lock mechanism for inhibiting said lid from rotating to an open position, where said mouth is exposed, when said lid is kept in a lock position;   a retainer portion for slidably retaining said lid between said lock position and a lock release position, said lid being close to an inner side of a lateral surface adjacent to said one surface when kept in said lock position, and said lid being away from the inner side of said lateral surface when kept in said lock release position; and   a rotation mechanism for allowing said lid rotating to said open position around an end portion of said lid positioned in a slide direction thereof when said lid is kept in the lock release position.   
     
     
         2 . The opening and closing device according to  claim 1 , wherein said end portion is an anterior end defined at a time when said lid is slid from said lock position to said lock release position. 
     
     
         3 . The opening and closing device according to  claim 2 , wherein said rotation mechanism comprises:
 a shaft disposed on either one of said anterior end of the lid and said case so as to be perpendicular to said slide direction of the lid; and   a couple of elongate holes formed in the other of said anterior end of the lid and said case so as to extend in said slide direction, said elongate holes fitting with both ends of said shaft.   
     
     
         4 . The opening and closing device according to  claim 3 , further comprising:
 an engagement claw disposed at a position adjacent to said mouth and at a side of said shaft to retain an object loaded inside said mouth; and   an elastic member for holding said engagement claw, said elastic member being bendable in a direction evacuating from said mouth toward said shaft.   
     
     
         5 . The opening and closing device according to  claim 4 , wherein the loaded object is a battery for driving each part contained in said case, and said engagement claw evacuates from said mouth in loading and removing said battery. 
     
     
         6 . The opening and closing device according to  claim 3 , further comprising:
 a torsion spring into which said shaft is inserted to bias said lid toward said open position, one end of said torsion spring coming into contact with an inner surface of said lid and the other end thereof coming into contact with said case; and   a slide surface on which either end of said torsion spring slides when said lid moves between said lock position and said lock release position, said slide surface sloping so as to widen an interval of said lid and said retainer portion toward said shaft.   
     
     
         7 . The opening and closing device according to  claim 6 , wherein the end of said torsion spring sliding on said slide surface is curved in an arc shape to prevent the end of said torsion spring from being caught by said slide surface. 
     
     
         8 . The opening and closing device according to  claim 3 , wherein said lock mechanism comprises:
 a protrusion formed on an inner side of said lid;   an engagement projection formed on said case, said engagement projection retaining said protrusion when said lid is kept in said lock position, and said engagement projection disengaging from said protrusion when said lid is moved to said lock release position; and   contact surfaces formed on said protrusion and said engagement projection, said contact surfaces coming into contact with each other when said lid is moved from said open position to said lock release position, where said mouth is covered, in a state that said lid is situated nearer said lock position rather than said lock release position, said contact surfaces sloping so as to recede from said lid toward said shaft.   
     
     
         9 . The opening and closing device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a click protrusion formed on one of an inner side of said lid and said case; and   a clicking member disposed at the other of the inner side of said lid and said case, said clicking member retaining said click protrusion to apply resistance to a slide operation of said lid when said lid is kept in said lock position, and said clicking member disengaging said click protrusion and biasing said lid toward said open position upon performing the slide operation overcoming said resistance.   
     
     
         10 . The opening and closing device according to  claim 9 , wherein said clicking member is a leaf spring and is disengaged from said click protrusion by elastic deformation of said leaf spring. 
     
     
         11 . The opening and closing device according to  claim 10 , wherein a top portion of said leaf spring is convexly curved relative to said click protrusion, and the curved top portion comes into contact with said click protrusion to apply said resistance. 
     
     
         12 . The opening and closing device according to  claim 1 , wherein said mouth is formed at a bottom surface of said case, and said lid covering said mouth is rotated downward by said rotation mechanism after sliding.