Hinge structure

• US 9,512,655 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2015
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Inventors: Kuo, Yan-Lin
• Primary Examiner(s): O BRIEN, JEFFREY D
• Application Number:
  US14/735,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20160083989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 1/04 with guide members shaped as circular arcs
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/06 Devices for limiting the opening movement of hinges
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/1028 for maintaining the hinge in two or more positions, e.g. intermediate or fully open
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 2001/045 for telescopic hinges
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2999/00 Subject-matter not otherwise provided for in this subclass

Abstract

A hinge structure including a fixing member, a rotating member and an extension member is provided. The rotating member is pivotally disposed on the fixing member, and the extension member is pivotally disposed on the rotating member, wherein the fixing member and the extension member are adapted to be fixed at two parts respectively. After the rotating member rotates relative to the fixing member along a rotating axial direction and the extension member rotates relative to the rotating member along the rotating axial direction, an included angle between the extension member and the fixing member presents an acute angle, so that the two parts are adapted to stand on a platform. The extension member and the fixing member are adapted to increase the included angle through an external force exerted towards the platform, until the included angle presents 180 degrees and the two parts construct a plane.

Claims

1. A hinge structure, adapted to connect two parts, wherein the two parts are adapted to rotate relative to each other through the hinge structure, the hinge structure comprising:

a fixing member, adapted to be fixed at one of the two parts;

a rotating member, pivotally disposed on the fixing member; and

an extension member, pivotally disposed on the rotating member, and adapted to be fixed at another one of the two parts, wherein after the rotating member rotates relative to the fixing member along a rotating axial direction and the extension member rotates relative to the rotating member along the rotating axial direction, an included angle between the extension member and the fixing member presents an acute angle, so that the two parts are adapted to stand on a platform, and the extension member and the fixing member are adapted to increase the included angle therebetween through an external force exerted towards the platform, until the included angle presents 180 degrees and the two parts construct a plane;

the fixing member has a first guide slot;

the rotating member has a second guide slot and a first guide protrusion for sliding in the first guide slot during rotation of the rotating member relative to the fixing member; and

the extension member has a second guide protrusion for sliding in the second guide slot during rotation of the extension member relative to the rotating member;

the fixing member has a first connection portion, the rotating member is pivotally disposed in the first connection portion, the rotating member has a second connection portion, and the extension member is pivotally disposed in the second connection portion, and the first connection portion, the second connection portion and the extension member are overlapped to each other;

a clamping member, clamping the first connection portion, the second connection portion and the extension member from outside inward, such that the fixing member, the rotating member and the extension member maintain fixed distances along a force-exerting axial direction of the clamping member;

wherein the force-exerting axial direction is parallel to the rotating axial direction, such that the fixing member, the rotating member and the extension member clamped by the clamping member produce frictions therebetween when rotating relative to each other.

2. The hinge structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clamping member comprises two force-exerting portions and a stop portion connected to the two force-exerting portions, the two force-exerting portions are opposite to each other for clamping the fixing member, the rotating member and the extension member from outside inward, and the stop portion is located above the fixing member, the rotating member and the extension member.

3. The hinge structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixing member has a first recess, the rotating member has a second recess, the clamping member is located in the first recess and the second recess, and when the rotating member rotates relative to the fixing member, the rotating member drives the clamping member to move relative to the first recess from a first position to a second position through a side edge of the second recess.

4. The hinge structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein the extension member has a third recess, and when the extension member rotates relative to the rotating member, the extension member drives the clamping member to move relative to the first recess from the second position to the first position through a side edge of the third recess.

5. The hinge structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first guide slot has two pairs of first curved slideways respectively located at two opposite sides of the fixing member, and the pair of the first curved slideways located at a same side takes the rotating axial direction as an axial center, the first guide protrusion has two pairs of first slide poles respectively located at two opposite sides of the rotating member, and a connection direction of the pair of the first slide poles located at a same side passes through the rotating axial direction, and the two pairs of the first slide poles are correspondingly embedded in the two pairs of the first curved slideways, such that the rotating member is adapted to rotate relative to the fixing member along the rotating axial direction.

6. The hinge structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second guide slot has two pairs of second curved slideways respectively located at two opposite sides of the rotating member, and the pair of the second curved slideways located at a same side takes the rotating axial direction as an axial center, the second guide protrusion has two pairs of second slide poles respectively located at two opposite sides of the extension member, and a connection direction of the pair of the second slide poles located at a same side passes through the rotating axial direction, and the two pairs of the second slide poles are correspondingly embedded in the two pairs of the second curved slideways, such that the extension member is adapted to rotate relative to the rotating member along the rotating axial direction.

7. The hinge structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a rotation stroke of the rotating member rotating relative to the fixing member is 0 to 75 degrees, and a rotation stroke of the extension member rotating relative to the rotating member is 0 to 75 degrees, such that the included angle between the extension member and the fixing member is between 30 degrees and 180 degrees.