Electronic device having magnetic latching mechanism

• US 20070133156A1
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Degner, Brett, Ligtenberg, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 7,583,500 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.270
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• 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: H01F 7/04 Means for releasing the attractive force

Abstract

A magnetic latch for a display of a laptop computer is disclosed. The latch uses magnetic attraction to maintain the display closed and uses magnetic repelling forces to pop-up the display when opened. The latch includes one or more magnetic elements in the body of the laptop and at least one magnetic element in the display. When the display is closed, the magnet element in the display is positioned adjacent the magnet element in the body having an opposite polarity so that the magnet elements are attracted to one another. To pop-up the display, the user moves the magnetic element in the display so that it meets the magnetic pole in the body having the same polarity. When these meet, the repelling force between them causes the display to open slightly so that a user can then readily open the display.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a first body;

a second body hingedly connected to the first body;

a first magnetic component positioned on the first body; and

a second magnetic component positioned on the second body and having an open state and a closed state,

wherein to maintain the first body substantially closed against the second body, the first and second magnetic components are magnetically attractable to one another when the second magnetic component has the closed state.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second magnetic component is movable relative to the first magnetic component to produce the open state and the closed state.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein to automatically move the first body at least partially open from the second body, the first and second magnetic components are magnetically repulsable from one another when the second magnetic component has the open state.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein:

the first magnetic component comprises at least one ferromagnetic element and at least one first permanent magnet having a first polarity configuration, and

the second magnetic component comprises at least one second permanent magnet having a second polarity configuration magnetically repelling the first polarity configuration.

5. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein:

the second magnetic component comprises at least one permanent magnet having a first polarity configuration; and

the first magnetic component comprises at least one permanent magnet having a second polarity configuration magnetically attractable to the first polarity configuration and having at least one permanent magnet having a third polarity configuration magnetically repelling the first polarity configuration.

6. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein:

the first magnetic element comprises at least one permanent magnet having a first polarity configuration,

the second magnetic component comprises an electromagnet having an unengergized condition for the closed state and an energized condition for the open state,

the electromagnet in the energized condition produces a second polarity configuration magnetically repelling the first polarity configuration of the permanent magnet of the first magnetic element, and

the electromagnet in the unenergized condition allows the permanent magnet of the first magnetic element to be magnetically attracted to ferromagnetic material of the electromagnet.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second magnetic component automatically resets from the open state to the closed state when closing the first body against the second body.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is selected from the group consisting of a laptop computer, a portable CD player, a portable DVD player, a PDA, a calculator, and a cell phone.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first body comprises a display of a laptop computer, and wherein the second body comprises a body of the laptop computer having the display hingedly connected thereto.

10. An electronic device, comprising:

a first body;

a second body hingedly connected to the first body;

means positioned on the first and second bodies for producing a close state of magnetic attraction;

means for selecting the closed state to maintain the first body substantially closed against the second body; and

means for deselecting the closed state to allow the first body to be opened from the second body.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, further comprising means positioned on the first and second bodies for producing an open state of magnetic repulsion to automatically move the first body at least partially open from the second body.

12. An electronic device, comprising:

a first body;

a second body hingedly connected to the first body;

a first magnetic component positioned on the first body; and

a second magnetic component positioned on the second body and having an open state and a closed state,

wherein to automatically move the first body at least partially open from the second body, the first and second magnetic components are magnetically repellable from one another when the second magnetic component has the open state.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the second magnetic component is movable relative to the first magnetic component to produce the open state and the closed state.

14. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein:

the first magnetic component comprises at least one first permanent magnet having a first polarity configuration, and

the second magnetic component comprises at least one second permanent magnet having a second polarity configuration magnetically repelling the first polarity configuration.

15. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein:

the first magnetic element comprises at least one permanent magnet having a first polarity configuration,

the second magnetic component comprises an electromagnet having an unengergized condition for the closed state and an energized condition for the open state, and

the electromagnet in the energized condition produces a second polarity configuration magnetically repelling the first polarity configuration of the permanent magnet of the first magnetic element.

16. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the second magnetic component automatically resets to the closed state when closing the first body against the second body.

17. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the electronic device is selected from the group consisting of a laptop computer, a portable CD player, a portable DVD player, a PDA, a calculator, and a cell phone.

18. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the first body comprises a display of a laptop computer, and wherein the second body comprises a body of the laptop computer having the display hingedly connected thereto.

19. An electronic device, comprising:

a first body;

a second body hingedly connected to the first body;

means on the device for producing an open state of magnetic repulsion; and

means for selecting the open state to automatically move the first body at least partially open from the second body.

20. The electronic device of claim 19, further comprising means for automatically resetting from the open state to a close state when closing the first body against the second body.

21. An electronic device, comprising:

a first body;

a second body hingedly connected to the first body;

first means for magnetically attracting the first body to the second body to substantially maintain the first body closed against the second body; and

second means for magnetically repelling the first body from the second body to automatically move the first body at least partially open from the second body; and

means for selecting between the first and second means.

22. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the means for selecting between the first and second means comprises means for moving.

23. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the means for selecting between the first and second means comprises means for energizing.

24. The electronic device of claim 21, further comprising means for automatically resetting from the second means to the first means when closing the display.