Electronic device with dynamic hinge gap cover

• US 9,513,672 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2015
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Garelli, Adam T., Mathew, Dinesh C., Cao, Robert Y., Lancaster Laroque, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): THAKER, NIDHI VIVEK
• Application Number:
  US14/704,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20160327993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.27, 361/679.28, 361/679.04, 16221-392
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/0054 Covers, e.g. for protection
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 11/0081 for transmitting energy, e.g. electrical cable routing
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 2011/0072 for the gap between hinge parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• 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: G06F 1/1683 for the transmission of signal or power between the different housings, e.g. details of wired or wireless communication, passage of cabling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/203 for portable computers, e.g. for laptops

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with upper and lower housing portions that are separated by a gap. Hinge structures may allow the upper housing portion to rotate between a closed position and an open position. A flexible printed circuit in the electronic device may be coupled between components in the upper housing portion such as the display and components in the lower housing portion and may span the gap. A hinge gap cover may cover the gap and may overlap the flexible printed circuit to block the flexible printed circuit from view when the upper housing portion is in the closed position. The hinge gap cover may be formed from a layer of radio-transparent material that is rotatably coupled to the upper housing portion and that is biased towards the lower housing with a spring structure.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing having first and second housing portions that are separated by a gap, the first housing portion having a stop surface;

first and second hinges that bridge the gap and connect the first housing portion to the second housing portion;

a hinge gap cover mounted to the first housing portion; and

at least one spring structure that biases the hinge gap cover towards the second housing portion, wherein the first housing portion is rotatable between a closed position in which the hinge gap cover spans the gap and an open position in which the hinge gap cover is held away from the second housing portion by the stop surface of the first housing portion by the stop surface contacting the hinge gap cover.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the hinge gap cover comprises dielectric.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2, wherein the spring structure comprises a spring structure selected from the group consisting of:

a spring coupled directly to the hinge gap cover to bias the hinge gap cover towards the second housing portion and a spring-loaded shaft coupled to the hinge gap cover to bias the hinge gap cover towards the second housing portion.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 further comprising a flexible printed circuit that extends between the first and second housing portions.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the hinge gap cover has a convexly curved surface facing the flexible printed circuit.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the first and second hinges allow the first housing portion to rotate about a hinge axis relative to the second housing portion and wherein the flexible printed circuit has a surface that is adjacent to the convexly curved surface when the first housing portion has been rotated about the hinge axis into the open position.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 further comprising a display mounted in the first housing portion.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 further comprising a keyboard mounted in the second housing portion.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the stop surface moves the hinge gap cover away from the second housing portion as the first housing portion is rotated away from the second housing portion.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the hinge gap cover has openings.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the hinge gap cover comprises metal.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the hinge gap cover comprises fiberglass.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:

an antenna that produces antenna signals that pass through the hinge gap cover.

14. A portable computer, comprising:

a housing having an upper housing portion that contains a display and having a lower housing portion, wherein the upper and lower housing form a gap there between, the upper housing portion having a stop surface;

at least one hinge that connects the upper housing portion to the lower housing portion, bridging the gap; and

a hinge gap cover that is rotatably directly connected to the upper housing portion and that is biased towards the lower housing portion using a spring structure, wherein the upper housing portion is rotatable between a closed position in which the hinge gap cover spans the gap and blocks at least part of the interior from view and an open position in which the hinge gap cover is held away from the lower housing portion due to contact between the stop surface of the upper housing portion and the hinge gap cover.

15. The portable computer defined in claim 14 wherein the stop surface contacts the hinge gap cover as the upper housing is rotated away from the lower housing portion using the hinge.

16. The portable computer defined in claim 15 wherein the housing has an interior and wherein the hinge gap cover bows inwardly towards the interior when the upper housing portion is in a closed position relative to the lower housing portion.

17. The portable computer defined in claim 16 further comprising a flexible printed circuit, wherein the hinge gap cover overlaps the flexible printed circuit and blocks the gap when the upper housing portion is in the closed position.

18. The portable computer defined in claim 14 wherein lower housing portion has an internal wall structure that has a surface adjacent to the gap and wherein the surface of the internal wall structure that is adjacent to the gap is recessed with respect to an outer surface of the lower housing portion that is adjacent to the gap.

19. The portable computer defined in claim 18 wherein the internal wall structure comprises a dielectric internal wall structure.

20. A portable computer, comprising:

a housing having upper and lower housing portions that forms a gap there between;

hinge structures that couple the upper and lower housing portions and bridge the gap, wherein the upper housing portion has a display and rotates between a closed position in which the display is adjacent to the lower housing portion and an open position;

a layer of material mounted to the upper housing that covers the gap when the upper housing portion is in the closed position and wherein the layer of material that is moved away from the gap by a stop surface of the upper housing so that the layer of material does not cover the gap when the upper housing is in the open position; and

a spring structure that biases the layer of material towards the lower housing portion.

21. The portable computer defined in claim 20 further comprising an antenna, wherein the layer of material comprises a dielectric layer so that antenna signals from the antenna pass through the layer of material when the upper housing is in the closed position and wherein the upper and lower housing portions comprise metal housing portions.

22. The portable computer defined in claim 21 wherein the stop surface is not in contact with the layer of material when the upper housing portion is in the closed position and in contact with the layer of material when the upper housing portion is in the open position.

23. The portable computer defined in claim 22 further comprising at least one flexible printed circuit that bridges that gap between the upper and lower housing portions, wherein the layer of material overlaps the flexible printed circuit and blocks the flexible printed circuit from view when the upper housing portion is in the closed position.