Handheld electronics device having pivotal hinge mechanism

• US 6,976,861 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2004
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Oliver, Mark W., McWilliam, Giles D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bradley, P. Austin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phuongchi
• Application Number:
  US10/832,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20050239306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 439/165, 439/31, 439/65, 364/708.1, 361/756, 361/681, 361/679, 361/684, 455/90, 455/438, 455/550.1, 220/9, 381/383
• US Class Current: 439/165
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0222 Foldable in two directions, i.e. using a two degree of freedom hinge

Abstract

A handheld electronics device having a display (150) on a first housing portion and a keypad (162) on a second housing portion, a hinge member 130 includes a first portion member pivotally coupled to the first housing portion and a second portion pivotally coupled to the second housing portion. The display and/or keypad may be configured in either a landscape or portrait configuration upon opening the hinge member depending upon where the hinge member is pivoted relative to the housing portions.

Claims

1. A handheld electronics device, the electronics device comprising:

first and second housing portions;

an openable generally u-shaped hinge member disposed about the first and second housing portions when the first and second housing portions are in a stacked configuration, a portion of the hinge member pivotally coupled to the first housing portion and another portion of the hinge member pivotally coupled to the second housing portion,

the hinge member pivotal about an axis extending through the first and second housing portions when the first and second housing portions are in the stacked configuration, the hinge member pivotal between first and second positions relative to the first and second housing portions when the first and second housing portions are in the stacked configuration,

the first and second housing portions separable from the stacked configuration when the hinge member is in the first position and when the hinge member is in the second position.

2. The handheld electronics device of claim 1,

the hinge member pivotal at least ninety degrees between the first and second positions relative to the first and second housing portions when the first and second housing portions are in the stacked configuration.

3. The handheld electronics device of claim 1,

the first and second housing portions having generally oblong shapes with longer and shorter sides,

the first position of the hinge member along the longer side of the first and second housing portions when the first and second housing portions are in the stacked configuration,

the second position of the hinge member along the shorter side of the first and second housing portions when the first and second housing portions a re in the stacked configuration.

4. The handheld electronics device of claim 1,

at least one of the first and second housing portions including a display having an oblong shape,

the display oriented in a portrait configuration when the first and second housing portions are separated from the stacked configuration by opening the hinge member in the first position,

the display oriented in a landscape configuration when the first and second housing portions are separated from the stacked configuration by opening the hinge member in the second position.

5. A handheld electronics device, the electronics device comprising:

first and second housing portions;

an openable generally u-shaped hinge member disposed about the first and second housing portions when the first and second housing portions are in a stacked configuration, a portion of the hinge member pivotally coupled to the first housing portion and another portion of the hinge member pivotally coupled to the second housing portion,

the hinge member pivotal about a first pivot axis between the first and second positions relative to the first and second housing portions when the first and second housing portions are in the stacked configuration,

the hinge member pivotal about a second axis not aligned with the first axis, the first and second housing portions separable from the stacked configuration when the hinge member is pivoted about the second axis,

the first and second housing portions separable from the stacked configuration when the hinge member is in the first position and when the hinge member is in the second position.

6. The handheld electronics device of claim 5, the first and second axes are perpendicular and non-intersecting.

7. The handheld electronics device of claim 5, the first pivot axis located in a corner of the device.

8. A handheld electronics device, the electronics device comprising:

first and second housing portions;

a hinge member having a first portion pivotally coupled to the first housing portion, the hinge member having a second portion pivotally coupled to the second housing portion,

the hinge member pivotal between first and second positions relative to the first and second housing portions when the first and second housing portions are in a stacked configuration,

the hinge member movable to permit separating the first and second housing portions from the stacked configuration when the hinge member is in the first position, and the hinge member movable to permit separating the first and second housing portions from the stacked configuration when the hinge member is in the second position,

a pivot axis of the hinge member non-parallel to a pivot axis about which the first and second hinge portions are pivotally coupled to the first and second housing portions.

9. The handheld electronics device of claim 8,

the first and second housing portions having a generally oblong shape with long and short sides when in the stacked configuration,

the first position of the hinge member on the long side of the first and second housing portions, the second position of the hinge member on the short side of the first and second housing portions.

10. The handheld electronics device of claim 8,

at least one of the first and second housing portions including a display having an oblong shape,

the display oriented in a portrait configuration when the hinge member is in the first position,

the display oriented in a landscape configuration when the hinge member is in the second position.

11. The handheld electronics device of claim 8, the pivot axis of the hinge member substantially perpendicular to the axes about which the first and second hinge portions are coupled to the first and second housing portions.

12. An electronics device, the electronics device comprising:

first and second housing portions;

a hinge member having first and second portions movably connected to each other about a first axis,

the first portion of the hinge member pivotally coupled to the first housing portion and the second portion of the hinge member pivotally coupled to the second housing portion, the hinge member having a hinge axis non-parallel to axis portions about which the first and second portions of the hinge member are coupled to the first and second housing portions.

13. The electronics device of claim 12,

the hinge member having an open and closed configuration,

the first and second housing portions movable between a closed configuration where the first and second housing portions are disposed one atop the other to an open configuration where the first and second housing portions are separated from each other.

14. The electronics device of claim 12,

the hinge member positionable along different sides of the first and second housing portions when the first and second housing portions are in a closed configuration.

15. The electronics device of claim 12,

the hinge member movable along different sides of the first and second housing portions when the first and second housing portions are in the stacked configuration,

the hinge member having open and closed configurations when the hinge member is positioned along the different sides of the first and second housing portions.

16. The electronics device of claim 15,

the first and second housing portions having a generally oblong shape,

the hinge member movable along a longer side of the first and second housing portions when the first and second housing portions are in the stacked configuration,

the hinge member movable along a shorter side of the first and second housing portions when the first and second housing portions are in the stacked configuration.

17. The electronics device of claim 15,

one of the first and second housing portions including a display having an oblong shape,

the display oriented in a portrait configuration when the hinge member is opened from one side of the first and second housing portions,

the display oriented in a landscape configuration when the hinge member is opened from another side of the first and second housing portions.