Hinge assembly with a rotation seat available to rotate in both latitudinal and longitudinal directions with respect to a fixing seat

• US 6,845,546 B1
• Filed: 06/20/2003
• Issued: 01/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shin ZU Shing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Shin ZU Shing Company Limited
• Inventors: Hsu, Tien-Yueh, Lu, Sheng-Nan
• Primary Examiner(s): Mah, Chuck Y.
• Application Number:
  US10/601,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20050005399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 163/67, 163/31, 163/32, 163/34, 163/81, 163/87, 163/74, 163/75, 163/28, 163/51, 163/42, 248/291.1, 248/291.2, 248/291.3, 248/291.4, 248919-923, 361680-683
• US Class Current: 16/367
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 3/10 with non-parallel pins
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/606 for electronic devices
• 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 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/917 Video display screen support

Abstract

A hinge assembly includes a fixing seat and a rotation seat rotatable in relation to the fixing seat. The fixing seat has a fixing plate for connection to a mainframe of an electronic device, a rotation shaft securely connected to the fixing plate and having a limiting flange formed on a mediate portion of the rotation shaft, and a limiting disk securely mounted on the rotation shaft and having two limiting edges. The rotation seat has a body rotatably mounted on the rotation shaft and having two connection legs each rotatably received in two tubes and an extension to selectively engage with either one of the limiting edges to limit a rotation angle of the body to the fixing plate and leaf springs mounted on the rotation shaft.

Claims

1. A hinge assembly comprising:

a fixing seat having;

fixing plate with a fixing hole defined in two distal ends of the fixing plate for connection to a mainframe of an electronic device;

a rotation shaft securely connected to the fixing plate and having a limiting flange formed on a mediate portion of the rotation shaft and provided with two notches defined in an outer periphery of the limiting flange; and

a limiting disk composed of a first arcuate portion and a second arcuate portion with an inner diameter the same as that of the first arcuate portion and an outer diameter larger than that of the first arcuate portion, the limiting disk having two limiting legs integrally extending downward to be received in the two notches of the limiting flange to position the limiting disk on the rotation shaft two limiting edges formed on a respective joint between the first and second arcuate portions; and

a rotation seat having;

a body rotatably mounted on the rotation shaft and having two tubes formed respectively on two opposite ends of the body, two connection legs each rotatably received in a corresponding one of the two tubes for connection to a monitor of the electronic device and an extension extending downward from a bottom face of the body to selectively engage with either one of the limiting edges of the limiting disk to limit a rotation angle of the body to the fixing plate; and

leaf springs mounted on the rotation shaft and an uppermost leaf being riveted to a distal end of the rotation shaft to securely sandwich the body with the limiting disk.

2. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixing plate has a first through hole centrally defined therein and having two opposite cutouts defined in an inner face defining the first through hole and the rotation shaft has two fixing feet formed on a bottom face of the rotation shaft to correspond to and be received in the two cutouts in the fixing plate to secure engagement between the rotation shaft and the fixing plate.

3. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the limiting disk has at least one boss formed on a top face of the limiting disk and the body has a second through hole defined to allow extension of the rotation shaft and provided with at least two opposite position recesses to correspond to the at least one boss so that when the at least one boss is received in one of the at least two opposite position recesses, a temporary position effect is provided to the rotation seat.

4. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of the tubes has a limiting block and each of the connection legs has a stop formed to correspond to the limiting block such that rotational movement of the connection legs in relation to the tubes is limited when the stop engages with the limiting block.

5. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of the tubes has a limiting block and each of the connection legs has a stop formed to correspond to the limiting block such that rotational movement of the connection legs in relation to the tubes is limited when the stop engages with the limiting block.

6. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the limiting disk has at least one boss formed on a top face of the limiting disk and the body has a second through hole defined to allow extension of the rotation shaft and provided with at least two opposite position recesses to correspond to the at least one boss so that when the at least one boss is received in one of the at least two opposite position recesses, a temporary position effect is provided to the rotation seat.

7. The hinge assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the tubes has a limiting block and each of the connection legs has a stop formed to correspond to the limiting block such that rotational movement of the connection legs in relation to the tubes are limited when the stop engages with the limiting block.