Hinged device

• US 10,364,598 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2016
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Tazbaz, Errol Mark, Whitt, David Otto
• Primary Examiner(s): Mah, Chuck Y
• Application Number:
  US15/256,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20180066465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/1007 with positive locking
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/1064 with a coil spring perpendicular to the pivot axis
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 3/12 with two parallel pins and one arm
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/606 for electronic devices
• 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 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/022 The hinge comprising two parallel pivoting axes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit

Abstract

The description relates to devices, such as computing devices that have hinged portions. One example can include a first portion and a second portion. The first portion can define a first hinge axis and can be resiliently biased toward the first hinge axis. The second portion can define a second hinge axis and can be resiliently biased toward the second hinge axis. A first cam can operate relative to the first hinge axis and is slidably secured to the first portion. A second cam can operate relative to the second hinge axis and can be slidably secured to the first portion. When the first and second portions are oriented at an acute angle the second cam can force the second portion away from the second hinge axis while the first cam can allow the first portion to remain biased toward the first hinge axis.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a first portion and a second portion; and

,

a determinative hinge assembly that rotatably secures the first and second portions through a range of angles of rotation between a closed orientation and an open orientation, the first portion rotating around a first hinge axis and the second portion rotating around a second hinge axis in accordance with sub-sets of the range of angles, the determinative hinge assembly comprising;

a rotation-determining sub-assembly secured to the first portion and the second portion that controls whether the rotation occurs around the first hinge axis or the second hinge axis depending on a current sub-set of the range of angles, and

an angle-specific portion-spacing sub-assembly secured to the first portion and the second portion that forces the first and second portions apart from one another in accordance with particular angles of the rotation.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the rotation-determining sub-assembly comprises camming elements positioned around the first and second hinge axes.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the camming elements comprise a first cam positioned around the first hinge axis, a second cam positioned around the second hinge axis, and a follower interposed between the first cam and the second cam.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the first cam is manifest on a first body that is secured to the first portion with a single degree of freedom orthogonal to the first hinge axis.

5. The device of claim 4, further comprising a biasing element that resiliently biases the first portion toward the first hinge axis along the single degree of freedom.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the angle-specific portion-spacing sub-assembly comprises a first cam positioned on the first hinge axis and wherein the first portion includes a first cam follower that engages the first cam.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the first cam comprises alternating high areas and low areas and wherein engagement of the high areas force the first portion away from the first hinge axis.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the high areas correspond to a multiple of 45 degrees of the angles of rotation within the range.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the alternating high areas and low areas are arranged in a cloverleaf arrangement.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the angle-specific portion-spacing sub-assembly further comprises a second cam positioned on the second hinge axis and wherein the second portion includes a second cam follower that engages the second cam.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the sub-sets comprise a multiple of 90 degrees of the angles of rotation within the range, and wherein the particular angles comprise oblique angles within the range.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the rotation-determining sub-assembly resiliently biases the first portion toward the first hinge axis and resiliently biases the second portion toward the second hinge axis, and wherein the angle-specific portion-spacing sub-assembly overcomes the resilient bias and forces either the first portion away from the first hinge axis or the second portion away from the second hinge axis at individual oblique angles within the range.

13. A device, comprising:

a first portion that rotates about a first hinge axis and is resiliently biased by a first biasing element toward the first hinge axis;

a second portion that rotates about a second hinge axis and is resiliently biased by a second biasing element toward the second hinge axis, wherein the first and second portions rotate about the first and second hinge axes through a range of angles between closed and open positions of the device;

a first pair of camming elements that operate relative to the first hinge axis and are slidably secured to the first portion; and

,

a second pair of camming elements that operate relative to the second hinge axis and are slidably secured to the second portion, wherein when the first and second portions are oriented at an acute angle within the range, the second pair of camming elements overcome the resilient bias and force the second portion away from the second hinge axis while the first pair of camming elements allow the first portion to remain biased toward the first hinge axis, and wherein when the first and second portions are oriented at an obtuse angle within the range, the first pair of camming elements overcome the resilient bias and force the first portion away from the first hinge axis while the second pair of camming elements allow the second portion to be biased back toward the second hinge axis.

14. The device of claim 13, further comprising a third pair of camming elements that control whether rotation at individual angles occurs relative to the first hinge axis or the second hinge axis.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the third pair of camming elements comprise a rotation-determining sub-assembly.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the third pair of camming elements comprise a set of an opposing cam and cam follower that operates relative to the first and second hinge axes.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the first pair of camming elements and the second pair of camming elements comprise an angle-specific portion-spacing sub-assembly.

18. A device, comprising:

a first portion that includes a first display and a second portion that includes a second display; and

,

a determinative hinge assembly that rotatably secures the first and second portions through a range of angles of rotation between a closed orientation and an open orientation of the device, the determinative hinge assembly controlling rotation of the first portion around a first hinge axis in a corresponding first sub-set of the range of rotation and controlling rotation of the second portion around a second hinge axis in a corresponding second sub-set of the range of angles of rotation, and wherein the determinative hinge assembly forces the first and second portions away from one another during a third sub-set of the range of angels of rotation that is different than the first and second sub-sets.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the first sub-set comprises 0 degrees to 90 degrees and 271 degrees to 360 degrees.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the second sub-set comprises 91 degrees to 270 degrees.

21. A device, comprising:

a first portion defining a first hinge axis and a second portion defining a second hinge axis; and

,

a hinge assembly that rotatably secures the first and second portions through a range of angles of rotation between a closed orientation and an open orientation, the first portion rotating around the first hinge axis and the second portion rotating around the second hinge axis in accordance with sub-sets of the range of angles, the hinge assembly comprising;

a first cam and cam follower pair positioned around the first hinge axis and a second cam and cam follower pair positioned around the second hinge axis, the first and second cam and cam follower pairs configured to control whether the rotation occurs around the first hinge axis or the second hinge axis depending on a current sub-set of the range of angles, and

a first additional cam and cam follower pair positioned relative to the first portion and a second additional cam and cam follower pair positioned relative to the second portion, the first and second additional cam and cam follower pairs configured to force the first and second portions apart from one another in accordance with particular angles of the rotation.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the first and second additional cam and cam follower pairs are configured to prevent the first portion from contacting the second portion at the particular angles of the rotation of the first portion relative to the second portion.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the particular angles of the rotation of the first portion relative to the second portion include 45 degrees.