Flip-up type portable phone and hinge mechanism thereof

• US 6,470,175 B1
• Filed: 12/29/1998
• Issued: 10/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Bae, Kwang-Jin, Park, Sung-Sun
• Primary Examiner(s): MAUNG, NAY AUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/222,392
• Time in Patent Office: 1,393 Days
• Field of Search: 455/90, 455/550, 455/575, 455/462, 379/428, 379/430, 379/433, 379/433.12, 379/433.13, D14/137, D14/138
• US Class Current: 455/90.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0216 Foldable in one direction, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge

Abstract

A flip-up type portable phone and a hinge mechanism for opening and closing a flip cover of such a flip-up type portable phone. A speaker is mounted in the interior of the flip cover, so that the space for occupying the speaker is eliminated from a phone body, thereby enabling the phone body to be compact. The hinge mechanism includes a pair of hinge assemblies adapted to open and close a flip cover and arranged at opposite sides of a liquid crystal display module disposed at the upper portion of the phone body, so that the flip cover can be opened by an upward pivotal movement thereof carried out about hinge shafts arranged at opposite sides of the LCD module. Accordingly, a microphone unit can be arranged at the lower end of the phone body. Moreover, the microphone unit can be arranged at an optional position on the lower end of the phone body. In accordance with the above arrangement, the LCD unit is always exposed.

Claims

1. A flip up type portable phone comprising:

a phone body including an antenna unit arranged at an upper end of said phone body, a liquid crystal display module arranged below said antenna unit, said liquid crystal display module serving as output means for displaying information, a key pad arranged adjacent said liquid crystal display module, said key pad serving as input means, and a microphone unit arranged adjacent said key pad;

a flip cover mounted to said phone body in such a fashion that it may be opened and closed with respect to said phone body without covering said liquid crystal display module, said flip cover serving to cover said key pad when in a closed position;

a pair of hinge means, wherein one of said pair is mounted to each side of said phone body to mechanically couple said flip cover to said phone body, and wherein each one of said pair of hinge means is mounted to said phone body at opposite sides of said liquid crystal display module; and

fixing means for fixing said flip cover to said hinge means;

whereby said liquid crystal display module is always exposed so that said information displayed thereon may always be identified irrespective of an opened or closed state of said flip cover.

2. The flip-up type portable phone in accordance with claim 1, wherein said hinge means is mounted to said phone body in a symmetrical manner.

3. The flip-up type portable phone in accordance with claim 1, wherein said flip cover comprises:

an outer case;

an inner case coupled to said outer case in such a fashion to define a space therebetween;

an ear piece contained in said space and provided with a speaker, said ear piece constituting a portion of said inner case; and

a pair of spaced necks extending in a symmetrical manner from an end of said outer case disposed away from said ear piece, each of said necks having a knuckle at a free end thereof.

4. The flip-up type portable phone in accordance with claim 3, wherein each of said necks further has speaker connecting means for electrically connecting said speaker contained in said flip cover to said phone body.

5. The flip-up type portable phone in accordance with claim 4, wherein said speaker connecting means comprises a wire passage extending longitudinally through said neck for allowing an associated wire extending from said speaker to pass therethrough.

6. The flip-up type portable phone in accordance with claim 5, wherein said wire passage is formed using a gas injection process.

7. The flip-up type portable phone in accordance with claim 4, wherein said speaker connecting means comprises:

a wire groove formed at said neck while extending longitudinally along said neck, said wire groove receiving an associated wire extending from said speaker; and

a fitting member fitted in said wire groove in such a fashion that said fitting member hides said wire received in said wire groove, said fitting member having a shape conforming to that of said wire groove.

8. The flip-up type portable phone in accordance with claim 3, wherein said ear piece is made of an elastomeric material independent of a material of said inner case.

9. The flip-up type portable phone in accordance with claim 3, wherein said fixing means comprises:

an insert fixedly mounted to each of said knuckles;

a flip dummy member assembled to each one of said pair of hinge means; and

a set screw threadedly coupled to said insert and adapted to tightly clamp said assembled flip dummy member and hinge means to an associated one of said knuckles.

10. The flip-up type portable phone in accordance with claim 9, wherein said flip dummy member has a hollow body, a through hole vertically formed through an upper wall of said hollow body and adapted to allow said set screw to extend vertically therethrough to an associated one of said inserts, an inlet wire hole for receiving a wire extending from said speaker via an associated one of said necks and communicating with the interior of said hollow body, and an outlet wire hole formed through a portion of said hollow body near a bottom of said hollow body.

11. A hinge mechanism for a flip-up type portable phone comprising:

a hinge housing provided with a plurality of locking protrusions;

a first cover made of a plastic material and assembled in said hinge housing, said first cover having a plurality of locking holes formed at positions corresponding to those of said locking protrusions in an assembled state of said first cover, so that said locking holes are engaged with said locking protrusions in said assembled state, respectively, said first cover also having additional locking holes;

a hinge shaft arranged in such a fashion that it extends transversely through said first cover and said hinge housing, said hinge shaft having an inner end disposed in a space defined by said first cover assembled in said hinge housing, and an outer end disposed outside said space and provided with a coupling member centrally having a coupling hole;

a hinge cam fixed to said inner end of said hinge shaft and provided with opposite curved surfaces, and opposite flat surfaces arranged in an alternating manner with said curved surfaces, one of said curved surfaces having an inflection point at a position spaced by a predetermined angle in an opening direction of a flip cover included in said phone from a position corresponding to a predetermined angular position of said flip cover, so that said flip cover is not stopped at said predetermined angular position during opening and closing movements thereof,

a plate spring interposed between said hinge cam and a side wall formed at one end of said hinge housing and adapted to apply an elastic force to said hinge cam at one side of said hinge cam, said plate spring being in slidable surface contact with said surfaces of the hinge cam during a rotation of said hinge cam;

first elastic means arranged at a second side of said hinge cam and adapted to apply an elastic force to said hinge cam at said second side of said hinge cam, said first elastic means being sequentially compressed and stretched in said space defined by said first cover during said rotation of said hinge cam; and

a second cover adapted to support said first elastic means at the other end of said hinge housing, said second cover having locking protrusions formed at positions corresponding to those of said additional locking holes of said first cover and engaged with said locking protrusions, respectively, so that it may be coupled to said first cover.

12. The hinge mechanism in accordance with claim 11, wherein said first elastic means comprises a plate spring having an S-shaped cross section, said plate spring being supported by said hinge cam and said second cover at opposite ends thereof, respectively, in such a fashion that said plate spring may be sequentially compressed and stretched during said rotation of said hinge cam.

13. The hinge mechanism in accordance with claim 11, wherein said first elastic means comprises a plate spring having a C-shaped cross section, said plate spring being supported by said hinge cam and said second cover, respectively, in such a fashion that said plate spring may be sequentially compressed and stretched during said rotation of said hinge cam.

14. The hinge mechanism in accordance with claim 11, wherein said first elastic means comprises a compression coil spring supported by said hinge cam and said second cover at opposite ends thereof, respectively, in such a fashion that said compression coil spring may be sequentially compressed and stretched during said rotation of said hinge cam.

15. The hinge mechanism in accordance with claim 11, wherein said first elastic means comprises an elastic member having a trapezoidal cross section, said elastic member being made of a urethane material exhibiting a flexibility and supported by said hinge cam and said second cover at opposite ends thereof, respectively, in such a fashion that said elastic member may be sequentially compressed and stretched during said rotation of said hinge cam.

16. The hinge mechanism in accordance with claim 11, further comprising a guide member interposed between said first elastic means and said hinge cam, said guide member having a shape surrounding a facing end of said first elastic means and serving to guide straight movements of said first elastic means being compressed and stretched, said guide member also having opposite ends having an inwardly bent shape.

17. The hinge mechanism in accordance with claim 16, wherein said guide member is made of a metal material.

18. The hinge mechanism in accordance with claim 12, further comprising a pair of second elastic means each having a half-moon shape, said second elastic means being interposed between said opposite ends of said S-shaped plate spring to minimize a fatigue phenomenon occurring at said plate spring being compressed and stretched.

19. The hinge mechanism in accordance with claim 13, further comprising second elastic means having a half-moon shape, said second elastic means being interposed between said opposite ends of said C-shaped plate spring to minimize a fatigue phenomenon occurring at said plate spring being compressed and stretched.

20. The hinge mechanism in accordance with claim 18, wherein said second elastic means is made of a urethane material exhibiting a flexibility.

21. The hinge mechanism in accordance with claim 19, wherein said second elastic means is made of a urethane material exhibiting a flexibility.

22. The hinge mechanism in accordance with claim 12, wherein said plate spring has a multi-ply structure to provide a superior operability to said flip cover being opened and closed.

23. The hinge mechanism in accordance with claim 13, wherein said plate spring has a multi-ply structure to provide a superior operability to said flip cover being opened and closed.

24. The hinge mechanism in accordance with claim 11, wherein said first cover further has a circular mounting hole allowing said outer end of said hinge shaft to pass therethrough and supporting said hinge shaft, and a slot extending laterally from opposite sides of said shaft hole and serving as a port for supplying a lubricant around said hinge shaft.

25. The hinge mechanism in accordance with claim 11, wherein said predetermined angle is about 10°

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