Locking assembly and communication apparatus using same

Abstract

A communication apparatus includes a pair of securing brackets, a locking assembly. The pair of securing brackets are parallel with each other to collectively define an accommodate space. The locking assembly is received in the accommodate space and used to lock at least one electronic device in the communication apparatus. The locking assembly includes a housing, a latching member, a spring member and a key member. The latching member is pivotably connected to the housing by a pivoting member, and includes a pair of latching portions used to pass through the housing to be locked in the communication apparatus. The spring member is elastically connected between the housing and the latching member. The key member includes a pair of coupling portions engage with the pair of receiving portions to make the latching member rotate relative to the housing about the pivoting member.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A communication apparatus, comprising:
 a pair of securing brackets that are parallel with each other to collectively define an accommodate space; and   a locking assembly received in the accommodate space and used to lock at least one electronic device in the communication apparatus, the locking assembly comprising:
 a housing defining a receiving chamber; 
 a latching member received in the receiving chamber, and pivotably connected to the housing by a pivoting member, the latching member comprising a pair of receiving portions arranged symmetrically around the pivoting member and a pair of latching portions used to pass through the housing and engage with the pair of securing brackets; 
 a spring member elastically connected between the housing and the latching member, the spring member configured in a natural state when the pair of latching portions is latched in the securing brackets, the spring member configured in an elastically deformed state when the latching member is rotated relative to the housing when the pair of latching portions are unlatched in the securing brackets to make the electronic device to be pulled out of the communication apparatus, and the latching member moved back to the latching state under the elastic potential energy of the spring member; and 
 a key member comprising a pair of coupling portions and a handle connected between the pair of coupling portions, wherein operation of the handle drives the pair of coupling portions to be inserted into the housing and engages with the pair of receiving portions to make the latching member rotate relative to the housing about the pivoting member, so as to make the pair of latching portions to be released from the securing brackets; 
 wherein each of the receiving portions defines an access hole and an engaging hole, which has a smaller size than the access hole, communicating with each other, the two engaging holes are opposite to each other and symmetrically located on two sides of the pivoting member, the two access holes are respectively located on two sides of the two engaging holes, the key member defines a pair of latching grooves respectively configured between the pair of coupling portions and the handle and used to engage with the engaging holes of the receiving portions. 
   
     
     
         2 . The communication apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each of the receiving portions comprises a projecting tab protruding from an inner wall of the corresponding access hole toward the engaging hole, each of the pair of coupling portions defines a sliding slot extending between a free end of the corresponding coupling portion and the corresponding latching groove, the sliding slots are used to engage with the projecting tabs to make the coupling portions to be inserted into the receiving chamber. 
     
     
         3 . The communication apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the pair of latching groove are annular-shaped, and the pair of sliding slots are straight-shaped. 
     
     
         4 . The communication apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the spring member comprises a bending portion placed around the pivoting member, a first fixing end fixed to the latching member and a second fixing end fixed to the housing. 
     
     
         5 . The communication apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the latching member comprises a securing hook used to fix the first fixing end, the housing comprising a fixing tab defining a fixing hole, the second fixing end passes through the fixing hole of the fixing tab to be fixed to the housing, and the first fixing end resists to the securing hook due to elastic potential energy of the spring member. 
     
     
         6 . The communication apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the pivoting member comprises a screw, a sleeve and a nut, the screw passes through the housing, the latching member and the sleeve to engage with the nut to pivotably install the latching member to the housing.