Portable terminal for providing visual and acoustic convenience and rotary type hinge apparatus therefor

• US 8,103,320 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2008
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Kwon, Hyun-Woo, Park, Jae-Wan
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUONG, DAI
• Application Number:
  US11/968,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20080167086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 4555751-5758
• US Class Current: 455/575.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0212 with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, i.e. folding around a first axis and rotating around a second axis perpendicular to the first
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0227 Rotatable in one plane, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0233 Including a rotatable display body part

Abstract

A rotary-type hinge apparatus for a folder-type portable terminal is provided. For a portable terminal including a main body, a folder, a connection member for coupling the main body with the folder, and a hinge apparatus for rotatably coupling the connection member to the main body, a rotary-type hinge apparatus includes housing means mounted in the connection member, cam means including a center cam unit having at least three cam faces and a pair of side cam units for moving towards or away from the center cam unit according to the rotation of the folder in order to maintain close contact with selected cam faces, and adjusting the rotation angle of the folder by cam movement with the selected cam faces while being accommodated in the housing means, elastic bodies for causing the side cam units to closely contact the selected cam faces while being accommodated in the housing means, and an axis extending in a longitudinal direction of the center cam unit. Thus, the rotary-type hinge apparatus can allow users to conveniently view moving pictures.

Claims

1. A rotary-type hinge apparatus for a portable terminal comprising:

a main body;

a folder;

a connection member for coupling the main body with the folder, wherein the connection member is coupled to the main body by a first hinge apparatus and the folder is coupled to the connection member by a second hinge apparatus;

housing means mounted in the connection member;

cam means including a center cam unit having at least three cam faces and a pair of side cam units for moving towards or away from the center cam unit according to a rotation of the folder in order to maintain close contact with selected cam faces, and adjusting a rotation angle of the folder by cam movement with the selected cam faces while being accommodated in the housing means, wherein protrusions extending in the longitudinal direction are provided between the cam faces for stably supporting a close contact state between the cam faces and the pair of side cam units;

elastic bodies for causing the pair of side cam units to closely contact the selected cam faces while being accommodated in the housing means; and

an axis extending in a longitudinal direction of the center cam unit.

2. The rotary-type hinge apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing means comprises:

a main hinge housing for accommodating the cam means and the elastic bodies in its longitudinal direction;

an upper hinge housing coupled to the main hinge housing; and

a subsidiary cover coupled to the upper hinge housing.

3. The rotary-type hinge apparatus of claim 1, wherein the center cam unit comprises a polygonal cross-section.

4. The rotary-type hinge apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cam faces are substantially flat.

5. The rotary-type hinge apparatus of claim 4, wherein the pair of side cam units are disposed symmetrically with respect to the center cam unit, in which each of the pair of side cam units comprises a first face and a second face, wherein each of the first faces face each other with respect to the center cam unit and each of the second faces face the elastic bodies, respectively.

6. The rotary-type hinge apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the pair of side cam units comprises a trapezoid-shaped cross-section, in which one face of each of the pair of side cam units closely contacts one of the selected cam faces and the other face of each of the pair of side cam units closely contacts one of the elastic bodies, respectively.

7. The rotary-type hinge apparatus of claim 1, wherein the connection member comprises a first portion coupled with the main body and a second portion coupled with the folder, and the axis is disposed in the first portion and the housing means are disposed in the second portion.

8. A portable terminal comprising:

a housing mounted in a connection member, wherein the connection member is coupled to a main body of the portable terminal by a first hinge apparatus and a folder of the portable terminal is coupled to the connection member by a second hinge apparatus;

a cam located in the housing and including a center cam unit having at least three cam faces and a pair of side cam units, wherein the pair of side cam units are for moving towards or away from the center cam unit according to a rotation of the center cam to maintain close contact with selected cam faces, and for adjusting a rotation angle of the cam, wherein the center cam comprises protrusions extending in a longitudinal direction between the cam faces for stably supporting a close contact state between the cam faces and the pair of side cam units; and

a plurality of elastic bodies located in the housing for causing the pair of side cam units to closely contact the selected cam faces.

9. The portable terminal of claim 8, wherein the housing comprises:

a main hinge housing for accommodating the cam means and the elastic bodies in a longitudinal direction;

an upper hinge housing coupled to the main hinge housing; and

a subsidiary cover coupled to the upper hinge housing.

10. The portable terminal of claim 8, wherein the center cam unit comprises a polygonal cross-section.

11. The portable terminal of claim 8, wherein the at least three cam faces are substantially flat.

12. The portable terminal of claim 11, wherein the pair of side cam units are disposed symmetrically with respect to the center cam unit, in which each of the pair of side cam units comprises a first face and a second face, wherein each of the first faces face each other with respect to the center cam unit and each of the second faces face the elastic bodies, respectively.

13. The portable terminal of claim 8, wherein each of the pair of side cam units comprises a trapezoid-shaped cross-section, in which one face of each of the pair of side cam units closely contacts one of the selected cam faces and the other face of each of the side cam units closely contacts one of the elastic bodies, respectively.