Portable electronic device

• US 8,879,251 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2012
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Inventors: Hsiu, Cheng-Min
• Primary Examiner(s): LEA EDMONDS, LISA S
• Application Number:
  US13/677,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20130229753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.55, 361/679.59
• US Class Current: 361/679.59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/166 related to integrated arrangements for adjusting the position of the main body with respect to the supporting surface, e.g. legs for adjusting the tilt angle
• 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: H05K 5/03 Covers

Abstract

A portable electronic device includes a housing body having a bottom wall and a pair of grooves formed in the bottom wall, a cover body, a pair of hinges interconnecting the housing and cover bodies, a pair of foot modules respectively corresponding to positions of the grooves, and a pair of cam mechanisms each connected to one hinge and an adjacent foot module. Each foot module includes a foot pad movable between retracted and protruding position. When the cover body is pivoted from a closed position to an open position, each hinge actuates a respective cam mechanism which in turn actuates the foot pad to move the latter from the retracted to the protruding position.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a housing having a housing body, a cover body and a pair of hinges, said pair of hinges interconnecting said housing body and said cover body so that said cover body is pivotable relative to said housing body between a closed position and an open position, said housing body having a bottom wall and a pair of grooves formed in said bottom wall, each of said pair of grooves being spaced apart from a respective one of said hinges by a definite distance;

a pair of foot modules disposed on said bottom wall and respectively corresponding to positions of said pair of grooves, each of said foot modules including a hollow limiting member and a foot pad, an inner portion of said limiting member being in spatial communication with a respective one of said grooves, said foot pad being movably disposed in said limiting member and said respective groove, and being movable between a retracted position, where said foot pad is disposed in said limiting member and said respective groove, and a protruding position, where said foot pad partially protrudes out of said respective groove; and

a pair of cam mechanisms, each of said cam mechanisms being connected to one of said hinges and body is pivoted from said closed position to said open position, each of said hinges actuates a respective one of said cam mechanisms which in turn actuates said foot pad of a respective one of said foot modules so as to move said foot pad from said retracted position to said protruding position.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein each of said foot modules further comprises a first elastic element disposed in said inner portion of said limiting member and connected to said foot pad, when said cover body is pivoted back to said closed position, said food pad is biased by a restoring force of said first elastic element to move from said protruding position to said retracted position.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein each of said cam mechanisms includes a cam connected to the respective one of said hinges, a cam follower disposed on said bottom wall and spanning the respective one of said grooves, and a second elastic element disposed between said housing body and said cam follower, said cam follower being linearly movable in two opposite directions under the action of said cam and said second elastic element, said cam follower having a push portion corresponding in position to said foot pad, when said cover body is pivoted from said closed position to said open to move from said retracted position to said protruding position.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 3, wherein said foot pad of each of said foot modules has a foot pad body and a bottom plate connected to a bottom side of said foot pad body, said foot pad body being formed with a first positioning structure, said push portion of said cam follower being formed with a second positioning structure, said first and second positioning structures cooperating to position said foot pad at said protruding position.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 4, wherein said first positioning structure is provided on a top side of said foot pad body and is configured as an inverted V-shaped protrusion, said second positioning structure including a substantially inverted V-shaped groove to engage releasably said inverted V-shaped protrusion.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 4, wherein said first positioning structure is provided on a top side of said foot pad body and is configured as an inverted V-shaped protrusion, said second positioning structure including a plurality of interconnected substantially inverted V-shaped grooves arranged along a moving direction of said cam follower, said cover body being selectively to said housing body when said inverted V-shaped protrusion is engaged to a selected one of said inverted V-shaped grooves.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 3, wherein each of said foot modules further includes a first elastic element and a limiting rod, said limiting member including a pair of first vertical walls, a pair of vertical guide slots, and a holding portion between said first vertical walls and adjacent to said respective groove, said pair of first vertical walls being oppositely spaced apart from each other and perpendicular to said bottom wall, said vertical guide slots extending inwardly and respectively from top ends of said first vertical walls to receive respectively therein two opposite ends of said limiting rod, so that said limiting rod is movable along a direction perpendicular to said bottom wall, said foot pad further having a through slot formed in said first positioning structure to receive therein a rod body of said limiting rod which is between said two opposite ends of said limiting rod, said bottom plate abutting against said holding portion when said foot pad is in said retracted position, said first elastic element being disposed around said foot pad body of said foot pad and sandwiched between said limiting rod and said to said closed position, said foot pad is biased by a restoring force of said first elastic element to move from said protruding position to said retracted position.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 7, wherein said limiting member further includes a pair of second vertical walls connected between said pair of first vertical walls and cooperating with said pair of first vertical walls to define a surrounding wall, said pair of second vertical walls being spaced apart from each other in a moving direction of said cam follower and being respectively formed with a notch to permit passage of said push portion into or out of said inner portion of said limiting member when said cam follower moves in said moving direction.

9. The portable electronic device of claim 5, wherein said second positioning structure further includes a guide inclined face that is slidable on said first positioning structure.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 3, wherein said housing body further has two fixing studs connected to said bottom wall and disposed on two opposite sides of a corresponding one of said grooves, said cam follower further having an elongated body and a pair of elongated slide slots formed in said respective foot module, said pair of elongated slide slots being respectively located at two opposite sides of said push portion and extending along a moving direction of said cam follower to receive respectively said fixing studs to mount said cam follower on said bottom wall.