HINGED DEVICE

• US 20170145724A1
• Filed: 11/20/2015
• Published: 05/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: SIDDIQUI, Kabir
• Application Number:
  US14/947,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20170145724A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/0081 for transmitting energy, e.g. electrical cable routing
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 3/12 with two parallel pins and one arm
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 1/1284 with a leaf or similar spring
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 3/20 in hinges
• 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 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 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 1/0393 Flexible materials H05K1/038 takes precedence; specific organic compositions are classified in H05K1/0313 and subgroups

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. This example can also include a hinge assembly that can rotatably secure the first portion to the second portion with a flexible hinge that is biased into the second portion such that a length of the flexible hinge exposed between the first and second portions changes as the first and second portions are rotated through a range of angular orientations.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a first portion and a second portion; and

,

a hinge assembly secured to a hinge end of the first portion and a hinge end of the second portion to rotatably secure the first and second portions, the hinge assembly comprising;

a flexible hinge coupled to the first and second portions; and

a biasing structure that biases the flexible hinge into the second portion, wherein a length of the flexible hinge in the second portion changes as the first and second portions are rotated through a range of angles.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a flexible circuit extending between the first and second portions and electrically coupling the first and second portions.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the flexible circuit is coextensive with the flexible hinge.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the flexible hinge contributes to a Faraday Cage around the flexible circuit.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible hinge comprises a single flexible hinge or wherein the flexible hinge comprises multiple flexible hinges.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible hinge comprises first and second flexible hinges.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the biasing structure comprises first and second biasing structures, and wherein the first biasing structure acts on the first flexible hinge and the second biasing structure acts on the second flexible hinge.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the first and second flexible hinges are both biased by the biasing structure.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the biasing structure comprises a spring that is positioned between the first and second flexible hinges and wherein a first end of the spring is connected to the first flexible hinge and a second end of the spring is connected to the second flexible hinge.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the first end of the spring is directly connected to the first flexible hinge and the second end of the spring is directly connected to the second flexible hinge.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the first end of the spring is connected to the first flexible hinge by a first elongate material and the second end of the spring is connected to the second flexible hinge by a second elongate material.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the first elongate material follows a circuitous path from the first end of the spring to the first flexible hinge and wherein the second elongate material follows another circuitous path from the second end of the spring to the second flexible hinge.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the first and second elongate material comprise wire or cable.

14. The device of claim 1, further comprising first magnets positioned in the first portion and second magnets positioned in the second portion and wherein the first and second magnets predispose the first and second portions toward specific angular orientations.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the specific angular orientations comprise 0 degrees, 180 degrees, and 360 degrees.

16. A device, comprising:

a first portion having a major surface and a second portion having another major surface; and

,

a flexible hinge securing the first and second portions through a range of angular orientations, wherein at a closed angular orientation the first and second portions are adjacent to one another and the major surface overlays the another major surface and at a fully open angular orientation the major surface and the another major surface abut one another and are coplanar and a portion of the flexible hinge is biased into the second portion.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the first and second portions further include magnets that are oriented to bias the first and second portions to the closed angular orientation and the fully open angular orientation.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the first major surface and the second major surface comprise displays.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the device further includes a processor that generates a single graphical user interface for collective presentation across the displays when the device is in the fully open angular orientation and separate graphical user interfaces when the device is in other orientations.

20. A device, comprising:

a first portion and a second portion; and

,

a hinge assembly rotatably securing the first portion and the second portion with a flexible hinge that is biased into the second portion such that a length of the flexible hinge exposed between the first and second portions changes as the first and second portions are rotated through a range of angular orientations.

21. A hinge assembly, comprising:

a flexible hinge having a first end configured to be fixedly secured to a first surface and a second end configured to be slideably secured to a second surface to rotatably secure the first and second surfaces;

a flexible circuit extending between the first end and the second end and configured to electrically couple the first and second surfaces; and

,

the flexible hinge being at least partially co-extensive with the flexible circuit, and wherein at least a portion of the flexible circuit is contained within the flexible hinge.

22. The hinge assembly of claim 21, wherein the flexible hinge comprises a mesh or wherein the flexible hinge comprises a solid material.

23. The hinge assembly of claim 21, wherein the flexible hinge comprises a polymer coated mesh.

24. The hinge assembly of claim 21, further comprising the first surface manifest on a first device portion and the second surface manifest on a second device portion, and wherein the flexible hinge is resiliently biased to pull a length of the flexible hinge into the second device portion when the first and second device portions are coplanar in an open configuration and wherein the resilient bias is overcome to withdraw some of the length when the first and second device portions are folded over one another in a closed configuration.

25. The hinge assembly of claim 21, wherein the flexible hinge contributes to a Faraday Cage shielding the flexible circuit.