ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH ROTATABLE DISPLAY AND KEYBOARD

• US 20140362507A1
• Filed: 06/09/2014
• Published: 12/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shinohara, Eiji, Kinoshita, Hiroaki, Horikoshi, Seita Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 9,417,663 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.09
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/00 Additional features or accessories of hinges edge protecting devices E06B3/88
• 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 1/166 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 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683

Abstract

An electronic device capable of maintaining a high level of operability and which prevents damage to the keyboard and other input systems when converted from a laptop PC to a tablet PC. The electronic device includes a main body part having a keyboard and a display part having a display. The main body part and the display part may rotate from a 0-degree position where the display and the keyboard face each other up to a 360-degree position where the back faces of the display and the keyboard face each other through a 180-degree position where the display and the keyboard are parallel with each other while facing the same direction. The electronic device includes an upper leg portion that can advance and retreat from an upper face of the main body part in response to rotational movement of the display part from the 180-degree position to the 360-degree position.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a main body part having an upper face and a lower face, the upper face comprising;

a keyboard;

a display part having a display;

a hinge mechanism connecting said main body part to said display part;

said main body part and said display part configured to rotate from a 0-degree position where said display and said keyboard face each other to a 360-degree position where back faces of said display and said keyboard face each other through a 180-degree position where said display and said keyboard are parallel with each other while facing an identical direction; and

a leg portion that protrudes/retracts from said upper face or said lower face of said main body part in response to rotational movement of said display part from the 180-degree position to the 360-degree position relative to said main body part.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein upon rotation of said display part to the 180-degree position from the 0-degree position relative to said main body part, said leg portion is in a position to sink into said upper face of said main body part in response to the rotational movement.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein upon rotation of said display part from the 180-degree position to the 360-degree position relative to said main body part, said leg portion is in a position to protrude from said upper face of said main body part in response to the rotational movement.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising an upper base member provided to support a proximal end of said leg portion in a manner to be able to be push and pull said leg portion in and out of said main body part.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein upon rotation of said display part to the 180-degree position from the 0-degree position relative to said main body part, said upper base member is influenced by an elastic member so as to keep the leg portion in a position where the leg portion sinks into an opening provided in the upper face of the main body part.

6. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein upon rotation of said display part from the 180-degree position to the 360-degree position relative to said main body part, said upper base member moves against the influencing force of said elastic member to make the leg portion protrude from the opening.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein upon rotation of said display part from the 180-degree position to the 360-degree position, said slide member inside said main body part moves in a front-to-rear direction relative to a main body housing of said main body part;

wherein a pressing side inclined face inclined in the moving direction of said slide member is provided in said slide member; and

a receiving side inclined face inclined in a direction to face said pressing side inclined face is provided in said upper base member in a manner to be able to slidingly contact the pressing side inclined face.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein upon rotation of said display part to the 180-degree position from the 0-degree position relative to said main body part, said leg portion is in a position to protrude out of said lower face of said main body part;

9. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein upon rotation of said display part from the 180-degree position to the 360-degree position relative to said main body part, said leg portion is in a position to retreat into said lower face of said main body part.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a lower base member provided to support a proximal end of said leg portion in a manner to be able to be advanced/retreated inside said main body part.

11. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein upon rotation of said display part to a 180-degree position from the 0-degree position relative to said main body part, said lower base member is influenced by the force of said elastic member so as to make the leg portion protrude from the opening in the lower face of the main body part;

12. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein upon rotation of said display part from the 180-degree position to the 360-degree position relative to said main body part, said lower base member moves against the force of said elastic member to make the leg portion sink into the opening in the lower face of the main body part.

13. A hinge mechanism comprising;

a hinge case;

a link pin;

a biaxial structure containing a first and second shaft; and

a protruding stopper piece.

17. The hinge mechanism according to claim 13, wherein said hinge case rotates along with the rotational movement of said display part from the 180-degree position to the 360-degree position relative to said main body part;

wherein the slide member has an engaging recessed portion engaged with a link pin provided in the case of said hinge mechanism.

14. The hinge mechanism according to claim 14, wherein said second shaft starts rotating only after said first shaft rotates to the rotational end position at the stopper piece.

15. The hinge mechanism according to claim 15, wherein the first shaft rotates from the 0-degree position to the 180-degree position.

16. The hinge mechanism according to claim 16, wherein the second shaft rotates from the 180-degree position to the 360-degree position.

18. A method comprising:

operating an electronic device to;

provide structural stability and protection from structural damage;

responsive to rotation of the display part in relation to the main body part from the 0-degree position to the 360-degree position, leg portions automatically retract or protrude from the upper or lower faces of the main body part.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

influencing upper and lower base members, which are attached to the leg portions;

wherein responsive to the rotational movement of the display, influencing the leg portions to protrude or retract from the upper or lower faces.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

rotating hinge case to sufficiently connect the main body part and the display part; and

responsive to rotation of the display part, adequately position the display part and the main body part to achieve desired configuration.