Swivel hinge with angular fixing structure

• US 20040139578A1
• Filed: 05/28/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quanta Computer
• Original Assignee: Quanta Computer
• Inventors: Chang, Jung-Wen, Yang, Kuo-Chang, Chen, Wen-Hsiang
• Granted Patent: US 6,883,206 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 16/337
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/087 with substantially axial friction, e.g. friction disks
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 3/10 with non-parallel pins
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/606 for electronic devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/162 changing, e.g. reversing, the face orientation of the screen with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, e.g. for folding into tablet PC like position or orienting towards the direction opposite to the user to show to a second user
• 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: Y10S 248/917 Video display screen support

Abstract

A swivel hinge with angular fixing structure is employed to connect a mainframe and a display means of a notebook computer. The swivel hinge has a fixture part, a fixture friction ring, a rotation part, a rotation friction ring, and an elastic ring. The fixture part mounted on the mainframe has a through hole in the center thereof. The fixture friction ring mounted on the fixture part has at least one holder on the surface. The rotation friction ring mounted on the rotation part has at least one slot in the surface thereof. The elastic ring is located between the fixture part and the fixture friction ring. If the slot and the holder on the friction ring fit into each other, the desired angular fixing function is provided.

Claims

1. A swivel hinge apparatus with angular fixing function employed to connect a mainframe and a display means of a notebook computer, said swivel hinge apparatus comprising:

a fixture part, fastened to said mainframe, said fixture part having a through part in a center thereof;

a fixture friction ring, fixed to said fixture part and having at least one first position element;

a rotation part fixed to said display means, wherein said rotation part connects to said fixture part, and said fixture friction ring is disposed between said fixture part and said rotation part;

a rotation friction ring, fixed to said rotation part, having at least one second position element, wherein said rotation friction ring is disposed between said fixture friction ring and said rotation part, and said rotation friction ring contacts said fixture friction ring; and

at least one elastic ring, disposed between said rotation part and said fixture part, wherein a combination of said rotation part and said fixture part provides one degree of rotation function and said swivel hinge apparatus provides an angular fixing function if said first position element fits said second position element.

2. The swivel hinge apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first position element is a holder and said second position element is a slot.

3. The swivel hinge apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first position element is a slot and said second position element is a holder.

4. The swivel hinge apparatus of claim 1, wherein said elastic ring is disposed between said fixture part and said fixture friction ring.

5. The swivel hinge apparatus of claim 1, wherein said elastic ring is disposed between said rotation part and said rotation friction ring.

6. The swivel hinge apparatus of claim 1, wherein said rotation part further comprises a hinge to connect to said display means.

7. The swivel hinge apparatus of claim 1, wherein said rotation part further comprises a rotation plate and a rotation base.

8. The swivel hinge apparatus of claim 7, wherein said rotation plate connects to said rotation base via said through part of said fixture part, and said fixture part is placed between said rotation plate and connects to said rotation base.

9. The swivel hinge apparatus of claim 7, wherein said rotation plate further comprises a hinge to connect to said display means.

10. The swivel hinge apparatus of claim 1, wherein said rotation plate further comprises a pin, and said fixture part has at least one corresponding pin holder, wherein said corresponding holder limits said pin such that said fixture part can rotate within a predetermined rotation range.

11. A swivel hinge apparatus with angular fixing function employed to connect a mainframe and a display means of a notebook computer, said swivel hinge apparatus comprising:

a fixture part, fastened to said mainframe, said fixture part having a through part in a center thereof;

two fixture friction rings, respectively fixed to said fixture part, wherein each of said fixture friction rings has at least one first position element;

a rotation plate, fixed to said display means, said rotation plate connecting to said fixture part, wherein one of said fixture friction rings is disposed between said fixture part and said rotation plate;

a rotation base, connected to said rotation plate via said through part of said fixture part, wherein another of said fixture friction rings is disposed between said fixture part and said rotation base;

two rotation friction rings, respectively fixed to said rotation plate and said rotation base, wherein each of said rotation friction rings has at least one second position element, one of said rotation friction rings is disposed between one of said fixture friction rings and said rotation plate, one of said rotation friction rings contacts one of said fixture friction rings, the other of said rotation friction rings is disposed between the other of said fixture friction rings and said rotation base, and the other of said rotation friction rings contacts the other of said fixture friction rings; and

at least one elastic ring, disposed between said rotation base and said fixture part, wherein a combination of said rotation plate, said fixture part and said rotation base provides one degree of rotation function, and said swivel hinge apparatus provides an angular fixing function if said first position element fits said second position element.

12. The swivel hinge apparatus of claim 11, wherein said elastic ring is disposed between said fixture part and one of said rotation friction rings.

13. The swivel hinge apparatus of claim 11, wherein said elastic ring is disposed between said rotation plate and the other of said rotation friction rings.

14. The swivel hinge apparatus of claim 11, wherein said elastic ring is disposed between said rotation base and the other of said rotation friction rings.

15. The swivel hinge apparatus of claim 11, wherein said first position element is a holder, and said second position element is a slot.

16. The swivel hinge apparatus of claim 11, wherein said first position element is a slot, and said second position element is a holder.

17. The swivel hinge apparatus of claim 11, wherein said rotation plate further comprises a hinge to connect to said display means.

18. The swivel hinge apparatus of claim 11, wherein said rotation plate further comprises a pin and said fixture part has at least one corresponding pin holder, wherein said corresponding holder limits said pin such that said fixture part rotates within a predetermined rotation range.