Hinge for a notebook extension pad

• US 7,584,524 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2007
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shin ZU Shing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Shin ZU Shing Company Limited
• Inventors: Hung, Shun-Yu
• Primary Examiner(s): Batson; Victor
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morgan; Emily M
• Application Number:
  US11/878,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20090025182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 162/55, 162/57, 162/58, 162/65, 162/84, 162/97, 163/00, 163/17, 163/19, 163/24, 163/25, 163/37, 163/41, 163/44, 163/52, 163/55, 163/65, 163/74, 163/77, 162/99, 455/575.3, 379/433.13, 361680-683, 3122331-2336, 349/58, 349/65
• US Class Current: 16/337
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations

Abstract

A hinge for a notebook extension pad is mounted in an expansion pad of a notebook and has a pivoting assembly, a positioning disk, a limiting stationary leaf, a limiting disk, a pressing assembly and a locking assembly. The expansion pad has a mounting segment and a pad. The pivoting assembly is mounted securely on the pad and has a shaft. The positioning disk is mounted around the shaft. The limiting stationary leaf is adjacent to the positioning disk, is mounted rotatably around the shaft and connects with the mounting segment. The limiting disk limits movement of the pad relative to the mounting segment. The pressing assembly provides friction against movement to the hinge. The locking assembly is mounted around the shaft and selectively holds the pad at an angle allowing the pad to be used to display the notebook for presentations or achieving a comfortable typing angle.

Claims

1. A hinge for a notebook extension pad comprising

a pivoting assembly having

an inner end;

an outer end;

a mounting leaf being formed on and extending from the outer end of the pivoting assembly; and

a shaft being keyed, being formed on and extending from the inner end of the pivoting assembly and having a distal end;

a positioning disk being mounted coaxially and securely around the shaft and having

an inner surface;

a keyed hole being formed through the positioning disk and corresponding to and engaging the shaft; and

at least one positioning protrusion being formed on and protruding from the inner surface of the positioning disk;

a limiting stationary leaf being rotatably mounted coaxially around the shaft, being adjacent to the inner surface of the positioning disk and having

an edge;

an inner surface;

a pivoting hole being round, being formed coaxially through the limiting stationary leaf and being mounted around the shaft;

multiple detents being formed separately in edge of the limiting stationary leaf and corresponding respectively to and selectively engaging the positioning protrusion;

a mounting protrusion being formed on and extending from the edge of the limiting stationary leaf; and

a boss being formed on and protruding from the inner surface of the limiting stationary leaf;

a limiting disk being mounted coaxially securely around the shaft, being adjacent to the inner surface of the limiting stationary leaf and having

an inner surface;

an edge;

a keyed hole being formed coaxially through the limiting disk and corresponding to and being mounted around the shaft; and

a limit being formed radially on and protruding from the edge of the limiting disk, corresponding to and selectively abutting the boss;

a pressing assembly being mounted coaxially around the distal end of the shaft, being adjacent to the inner surface of the limiting disk and pressing the limiting disk; and

a locking assembly being mounted around the distal end of the shaft being adjacent to the pressing assembly and having

a sliding lock being movably mounted coaxially around the distal end of the shaft and having

an outside wall being circular in cross section;

an inner surface;

an outer surface;

a through hole being keyed corresponding to the shaft, being formed coaxially through the sliding lock and being mounted slidably around the distal end of the shaft;

a flange being formed radially around and extending from the outside wall of the sliding lock at the outer surface and having an inner surface and an outer surface;

a positioning stopper being formed on an protruding from the flange;

a mounting segment being formed on and protruding from the inner surface of the sliding lock and having an annular end edge; and

at least one mounting protrusion protruding radially from the mounting segment and being adjacent to the annular end edge of the mounting segment;

a lock ring being rotatably mounted coaxially around the mounting segment and having

an edge;

a rotating hole being formed coaxially through the lock ring and having an inner wall; and

a handle being formed radially on and protruding from the edge of the lock ring; and

a locking stationary leaf being mounted rotatably around the shaft, securely to the mounting protrusion of the limiting stationary leaf and having

an edge;

a pivoting hole being round and formed through the locking stationary leaf;

a limiting mounting protrusion being formed radially on the edge of the locking stationary leaf and protruding transversely toward and attaching to the mounting protrusion of the limiting stationary leaf;

a retaining bar being formed on the limiting mounting protrusion, and protruding transversely away from the mounting protrusion of the limiting stationary leaf, corresponding to and selectively abutting the handle and selectively reaching to the handle; and

at least one locking detent being formed in the locking stationary leaf, corresponding to the at least one positioning stopper and selectively engaging the positioning stopper.

2. The hinge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shaft of the pivoting assembly further has a threaded segment;

and

the pressing assembly further comprises

two keyed washers being coaxially mounted securely around the shaft, one of the keyed washers pressing the limiting disk and each keyed washer having a keyed hole being formed coaxially through the keyed washer and corresponding to and being mounted around the shaft;

at least one resilient spacer being rotatably mounted coaxially around the shaft between the two keyed washers and each resilient spacer having a pivoting hole being round, being formed coaxially through the resilient spacer and being mounted around the shaft; and

a nut being mounted securely around the threaded segment of the shaft and abutting the other one of the keyed washers.

3. The hinge as claimed in claim 1, wherein each positioning protrusion of the positioning disk is convex.

4. The hinge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lock ring further has

a lip being formed around the inner wall of the rotating hole, corresponding to the mounting protrusion and having an outer surface;

at least one inserting notch being formed on the lip and corresponding to the at least one mounting protrusion; and

a stopping protrusion being formed on the inner wall of the rotating hole, being adjacent to the lip, corresponding to the mounting protrusion and selectively abutting the mounting protrusion.

5. The hinge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the positioning stopper of the sliding lock protrudes from the outer surface of the flange and adjacent to the outside wall of the sliding lock;

and

the locking stationary leaf is mounted rotatably around the outer surface of the sliding lock.

6. The hinge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the positioning stopper of the sliding lock extends from the inner surface of the flange;

and

the locking stationary leaf is adjacent to the inner surface of the sliding lock.

7. The hinge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the limit of the limiting disk is an arc limit.