Computing device with elastomeric hinge assembly

• US 10,146,267 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2016
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Perelli, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Adrian S
• Application Number:
  US15/396,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20180188780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 703 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1618 the display being foldable up to the back of the other housing with a single degree of freedom, e.g. by 360° rotation over the axis defined by the rear edge of the base enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/166 related to integrated arrangements for adjusting the position of the main body with respect to the supporting surface, e.g. legs for adjusting the tilt angle
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1679 for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA G06F1/1681 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033

Abstract

An apparatus can include a processor; memory accessible by the processor; a first housing where the processor and the memory are disposed in the first housing; a second housing; a hinge assembly that operatively couples the first housing to the second housing where the hinge assembly includes an elastomeric element that includes a native state and a bent tension and compression state; and a latch mechanism that latches a side of the first housing to a side of the second housing in the bent tension and compression state of the elastomeric element.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

memory accessible by the processor;

a first housing that comprises an end socket wherein the processor and the memory are disposed in the first housing;

a second housing that comprises an end socket;

a hinge assembly that operatively couples the first housing to the second housing wherein the hinge assembly comprises an elastomeric element that comprises an end secured in the end socket of the first housing and an opposing end secured in the end socket of the second housing and wherein the elastomeric element comprises a native state and a bent tension and compression state; and

a latch mechanism that latches a side of the first housing to a side of the second housing in the bent tension and compression state of the elastomeric element.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the latch mechanism latches an end of the first housing to an end of the second housing in the native state of the elastomeric element.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the elastomeric element comprises a polymeric elastomer.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the latch mechanism comprises at least one magnet.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the latch mechanism comprises at least one ferromagnetic component.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the latch mechanism comprises a component attached to the first housing and another component attached to the second housing.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the latch mechanism comprises a magnet attached to the first housing and a magnet attached to the second housing.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the magnets comprise a planar latched state that corresponds to a planar orientation of the first housing and the second housing.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein, in the planar latched state, an end of the first housing is adjacent to an end of the second housing.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the magnets comprise a stacked latched state that corresponds to a stacked orientation of the first housing and the second housing.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein, in the stacked latched state, a side of the first housing is adjacent to a side of the second housing, wherein the side of the first housing comprises a back side and wherein the side of the second housing comprises a back side, and wherein, in a different stacked latched state, wherein the elastomeric element is in a different bent tension and compression state, a front side of the first housing is adjacent to a front side of the second housing.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the latch mechanism comprises a latching force that exceeds a potential energy of the bent tension and compression state of the elastomeric element.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a plurality of elastomeric elements.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the latch mechanism stores potential energy in the bent tension and compression state.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein release of the potential energy transitions the first housing and the second housing from a first orientation to a second orientation.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, in the native state, the elastomeric element is in a tension state that pulls the end of the first housing toward the end of the second housing.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein, in the native state, the elastomeric element is in a compression state that pushes the end of the first housing away from the end of the second housing wherein the latch mechanism, in the native state, holds together the end of the first housing and the end of the second housing.

16. A method comprising:

for a first orientation of an apparatus that comprises a processor, memory accessible by the processor, a first housing wherein the processor and the memory are disposed in the first housing, a second housing, a hinge assembly that operatively couples the first housing to the second housing wherein the hinge assembly comprises an elastomeric element that comprises an end secured in an end socket of the first housing and an opposing end secured in an end socket of the second housing and wherein the elastomeric element comprises a native state and a bent tension and compression state, and, a latch mechanism that latches a side of the first housing to a side of the second housing in the bent tension and compression state of the elastomeric element, releasing the latch mechanism; and

responsive to the releasing, transitioning the apparatus to a second orientation by automatically transitioning the elastomeric element from the bent tension and compression state to the native state.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the first orientation comprises storing potential energy in the elastomeric element in the bent tension and compression state.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the transitioning comprises converting at least a portion of the potential energy to kinetic energy.