Magnetic closure apparatus for portable computers

• US 6,653,919 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2001
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acer, Inc., Wistron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Acer, Inc., Wistron Corporation
• Inventors: Hua-Chung, Tseng, Shih-Chung, Hsu, Chia-Liang, Yen, Chian, Chu-Hsian
• Primary Examiner(s): Enad, Elvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rojas, Bernard
• Application Number:
  US09/940,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20020105401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 335/205, 335/206, 335/207, 243/03
• US Class Current: 335/207
• 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: Y10T 24/32 having magnetic fastener

Abstract

A magnetic closure apparatus for portable computers that utilizes magnetic attraction and repulsion to allow users to open and close the first housing member and second housing member of said portable computer. The first housing member has a computer and a magnetic member disposed at its inward edge. The second housing member has a magnetic apparatus, which comprises a magnetic member disposed at its inward edge corresponding to the position of the magnetic member disposed on the second housing member and a sliding member which interlinks with the magnetic member. The polarity of the magnetic field of the magnetic member disposed on the second housing member is the opposite of the polarity of the magnetic field of the corresponding magnetic member disposed at the first housing member. Moving the sliding member enables the movement of the dual layer magnetic member, thereby allowing the closure and opening of the first housing member and second housing member.

Claims

1. A portable magnetic closure apparatus, comprising:

a first housing member having a computer and a first single layer magnetic member;

a second housing member;

a sliding member slidable with respect to the second housing member;

a magnetic apparatus with a dual layer magnetic member linked to the sliding member,

wherein said sliding member is slidable from;

a. a latching position in which a magnetic pole in said first single layer magnetic member faces an opposite-polarity magnetic pole in said dual layer magnetic member to cause attraction between said opposite-polarity magnetic poles and thereby latch said second housing member to said first housing member, to

b. an unlatching position in which a magnetic pole in said first single layer magnetic member faces a like-polarity magnetic pole in said dual layer magnetic member to cause repulsion between said like-polarity magnetic poles and thereby facilitate unlatching of said first and second housing members.

2. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dual layer magnetic member is disposed on an inward edge on the second housing member.

3. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sliding member is disposed at an edge portion on the second housing member.

4. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first single magnetic member is disposed at an edge of the first housing member corresponding to the position of the dual layer magnetic member on the second housing member.

5. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 1, wherein moving the sliding member enables the movement of the dual layer magnetic member, thereby allowing the closure and opening of the first housing member and second housing member via magnetic attraction and repulsion.

6. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 1, wherein the polarity of the first single layer magnetic member magnetic field is the opposite of the polarity of the magnetic field of the bottom layer of the dual layer magnetic member.

7. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 1, wherein the polarity of the magnetic field for the top and the bottom layer of the dual layer magnetic member are opposite to each other.

8. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second housing member is arranged to rotate about a 180-degree angle from a first position in which a display panel on the second housing member faces down to a second, reversed position in which the display panel on the second housing member faces up, wherein a first layer of said dual layer magnetic member faces said single layer magnetic member when said housing members are latched in said first position and a second layer of said dual layer magnetic member faces said single layer magnetic member when said housing members are latched in said second position.

9. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first single layer magnetic member is a single layer magnet and the dual layer magnetic member is a dual layer magnet.

10. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim wherein the second housing member further comprises a display.

11. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 10, wherein the display further comprises a Liquid Crystal Display.

12. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 10, wherein the display further comprises a Plasma Display Panel.

13. A portable magnetic closure apparatus, comprising:

a first housing member having a computer and a first single layer magnetic member;

a second housing member;

a sliding member slidable with respect to the second housing member;

a magnetic apparatus with a second single layer magnetic member linked to the sliding member,

wherein said sliding member is slidable from;

a. a latching position in which a magnetic pole in said first single layer magnetic member faces an opposite-polarity magnetic pole in said second single layer magnetic member to cause attraction between said opposite-polarity magnetic poles and thereby latch said second housing member to said first housing member, to

b. an unlatching position in which a magnetic pole in said first single layer magnetic member faces a like-polarity magnetic pole in said second single layer magnetic member to cause repulsion between said like-polarity magnetic poles and thereby facilitate unlatching of said first and second housing members.

14. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second single layer magnetic member is disposed on an inward edge on the second housing member.

15. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 13, wherein the sliding member is disposed at an edge portion on the second housing member.

16. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first single magnetic member is disposed at an edge of the first housing member corresponding to the position of the second single layer magnetic member on the second housing member.

17. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 13, wherein moving the sliding member enables the movement of the second single layer magnetic member, thereby allowing the closure and opening of the first housing member and second housing member via magnetic attraction and repulsion.

18. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 13, wherein the polarity of the magnetic field of the second single layer magnetic member is the opposite of the polarity of the magnetic field of the first single layer magnetic member.

19. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 13 wherein, the first single layer magnetic member and the second single layer magnetic member are a single layer magnet.

20. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second housing member further comprises a display.

21. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 20, wherein the display is a Liquid Crystal Display.

22. The magnetic closure apparatus of claim 20, wherein the display is a Plasma Display Panel.