Electronic device with multi-angle cradling

• US 10,394,277 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2018
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Chung Ha, Kim, Jangwoon, Baik, Jaeho, Son, Hyun Keun, Lee, Jun Won, Jang, Seung Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Cruz, Dimary Lopez
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wright, Ingrid
• Application Number:
  US15/983,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20180335800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 466 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 1/1654 the display being detachable, e.g. for remote use
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1675 Miscellaneous details related to the relative movement between the different enclosures or enclosure parts
• 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: H05K 5/0017 with operator interface units
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0217 Mechanical details of casings covers, lids, hoods or members for covering apertures H05K5/03

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an electronic device that can be cradled at various angles using a magnetic force and a stopper structure. An electronic device according to various embodiments or the present disclosure may include: a first housing having a first cover disposed in a first direction and a second cover disposed in a second direction opposite the first direction; a second housing having a third cover disposed in a third direction and a fourth cover disposed in a fourth direction opposite the third direction; at least one first magnetic body forming a portion of the first housing; at least one second magnetic body forming a portion of the second housing, and configured to apply a force for maintaining a rotatably connected state of the second housing to the first housing using a magnetic force with the first magnetic body; a first sliding member forming a portion of the first housing, and a second sliding member forming a portion of the second housing to face the first sliding member such that the second housing is configured to be obliquely cradled to the first housing by being in contact with the first sliding member.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a first housing having a first cover disposed in a first direction and a second cover disposed in a second direction opposite the first direction;

a second housing having a third cover disposed in a third direction and a fourth cover disposed in a fourth direction opposite the third direction;

at least one first magnetic body forming a portion of the first housing;

at least one second magnetic body forming a portion of the second housing, and configured to apply a force for maintaining a rotatably connected state of the second housing to the first housing using a magnetic force with the first magnetic body;

a first sliding member forming a portion of the first housing, and

a second sliding member forming a portion of the second housing to face the first sliding member such that the second housing is configured to be obliquely cradled to the first housing by being in contact with the first sliding member.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first housing has a plurality of first edge portions, the at least one first magnetic body being disposed along one first edge portion, and

the second housing has a plurality of second edge portions, the at least one second magnetic body being disposed along one second edge portion.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the at least one first magnetic bodies and the at least one second magnetic bodies are arranged at regular intervals, respectively, and are disposed to correspond to each other.

4. The electronic device of claim 2, further comprising:

a first sliding member disposed between the at least one first magnetic bodies, and a second sliding member disposed between the at least one second magnetic bodies, wherein the first and second sliding members are disposed at positions corresponding to each other.

5. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein each of the at least one first and the at least one second magnetic bodies is formed in a cylindrical shape.

6. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the first sliding member further includes a third magnetic body and the second sliding member further includes a fourth magnetic body facing the third magnetic body, and

an attractive force between the third and fourth magnetic bodies provides a force for maintaining an in-folded or out-folded state of the first and second housings.

7. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the first sliding member is made of a metal material, and includes a first protrusion, which is disposed to be exposed to at least a portion of a side face of a first edge portion of the first housing and is elastically supported to be movable between first and second faces of the first housing,

the second sliding member is made of a metal material, and includes a second protrusion, which is disposed to be exposed to at least a portion of a side face of a second edge portion of the second housing and is elastically supported to be movable between third and fourth faces of the second housing, and

the second housing is obliquely cradled to the first housing by contact between the first and second protrusions.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first sliding member is supported by at least one first elastic body to move inward from the outside of the first housing, and

the second sliding member is supported by at least one second elastic body to move inward from the outside of the second housing.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein when the second housing is obliquely cradled to the first housing, a first protrusion protrudes from the first housing and comes into contact with a second protrusion, and the second protrusion protrudes from the second housing and comes into contact with the first protrusion, so that the first and second protrusions serve as stoppers for the second housing.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein when the second housing is at an in-folded or out-folded angle with respect to the first housing, the first protrusion is accommodated in the first housing without being in contact with the second protrusion by a first elastic body so as not to protrude, and the second protrusion is accommodated in the second housing without being in contact with the first protrusion by a second elastic body so as not to protrude.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first housing has a first display disposed on the first cover, and the second housing has a second display disposed on the third cover such that the first and second displays face each other in an in-folded state of the electronic device.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first direction is the same as the third direction and the second direction is the same as the fourth direction.

13. An electronic device comprising:

a first housing having a first cover disposed in a first direction and a second cover disposed in a second direction opposite the first direction;

a second housing having a third cover disposed in a third direction and a fourth cover disposed in a fourth direction opposite the third direction;

one or more first magnetic bodies disposed along an edge portion of the first housing,

one or more second magnetic bodies disposed along an edge portion of the second housing and configured to apply a force for maintaining a rotatably connected state of the second housing to the first housing using a magnetic force with the first magnetic bodies;

a first sliding member mounted along the edge portion of the first housing and disposed such that at least a portion of the first sliding member is exposed to the outside at the edge portion of the first housing, and

a second sliding member mounted along an edge portion of the second housing and disposed such that at least a portion of the second sliding member is exposed at the edge portion of the second housing and faces the first sliding member, wherein the second sliding member allows the second housing to be obliquely cradled to the first housing by being in contact with the first sliding member.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the first sliding member has a first exposed face, and is elastically supported so as to be movable in parallel between the first and second covers of the first housing,

the second sliding member has a second exposed face, and is elastically supported so as to be movable in parallel between the third and fourth covers of the second housing, and

the second housing is obliquely fixed to the first housing by the contact between the first and second exposed faces.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the first sliding member is supported by at least one first elastic body to move inward of the first housing, and

the second sliding member is supported by at least one second elastic body to move inward of the second housing.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein when the second housing is obliquely cradled to the first housing, the first exposed face protrudes from an edge portion of the first housing and comes into contact with the second exposed face, and the second exposed face protrudes from an edge portion of the second housing and comes into contact with the first exposed face, so that contact between the first and second exposed faces serves as a stopper for the second housing.

17. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein when the second housing is at an in-folded or out-folded angle with respect to the first housing, the first exposed face is accommodated in the first housing without being in contact with the second exposed face by the first elastic body so as to be flush with a surface of the edge portion of the first housing, and the second exposed face is accommodated in the second housing without being in contact with the first exposed face by the second elastic body so as to be flush with a surface of the edge portion of the second housing.

18. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the first exposed face is formed in a first curved face and is disposed to be in contact with at least a portion of the first magnetic body, and the second exposed face is formed in a second curved face and is disposed to be in contact with at least a portion of the second magnetic body.

19. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the first magnetic bodies are disposed at regular intervals along the edge portion of the first housing,

the second magnetic bodies are arranged at regular intervals along the edge portion of the second housing and are disposed at positions corresponding to the first magnetic bodies, and

an attractive force acts between the first and second magnetic bodies.

20. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein each of the first and second magnetic bodies is formed in a cylindrical shape.

21. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the first housing has a first display disposed on the first cover, and the second housing has a second display disposed on the third cover such that the first and second displays face each other in an in-folded state of the electronic device.