ELECTRONIC DEVICES WITH CLIPS

• US 20110034219A1
• Filed: 08/05/2009
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lynch, S. Brian, Moolsintong, P. Jan, Filson, J. Benjamin
• Granted Patent: US 8,948,824 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/575.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0017 with operator interface units
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0204 Mounting supporting structures on the outside of casings
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0226 Hinges
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/023 Handles; Grips
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/04 Metal casings

Abstract

A portable electronic device may have a clip. The clip may be mounted to a housing using hinge structures. The hinge structures may bias the clip towards a closed position. The clip may be opened to attach the portable electronic device to an object. When in the closed position, the clip may lie flush with the exterior of the device housing. Clip biasing may be provided using a torsion spring, a coil spring, a ribbon spring, a clip with built-in biasing, a tension spring, or a compression spring. A coupling mechanism may be used to attach the clip to the housing. The coupling mechanism may include a ratcheting rotatable mechanism, a fixed attachment structure, a flexible attachment structure, a removable structure, or a structure that includes a spring bias adjustment mechanism. The device may have a button with a touch sensor array.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a housing having a housing surface;

a clip; and

a hinge coupled between the housing and the clip that allows the clip to pivot between an open position in which at least part of the clip is offset from the housing and a closed position in which the clip lies flush with the housing surface.

2. The portable electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the hinge pivots about a pivot axis, the portable electronic device further comprising a rotatable coupling mechanism coupled between the housing and the hinge that allows the clip to rotate relative to the housing about a rotational axis that is different than the pivot axis.

3. The portable electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the rotatable coupling mechanism comprises ratcheting structures.

4. The portable electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the ratcheting structures comprise a ring with corrugations and a spring-loaded pin that bears against the corrugations.

5. The portable electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the hinge is mounted to the ring.

6. The portable electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the hinge comprises a torsion spring that biases the clip against the housing.

7. The portable electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the clip comprises a curved surface, wherein the housing surface with which the clip lies flush is also curved, and wherein the housing has a circular outline.

8. The portable electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the portable electronic device comprises a media player and wherein the housing has a circular outline that surrounds the rotational axis.

9. The portable electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising

a switch member that protrudes through an opening in the housing;

and

a backing plate that has at least one flexible member that bears against the switch member and biases the switch member outwardly through the opening.

10. The portable electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a button that includes a button member and a touch sensor array connected to a surface of the button member.

11. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

storage and processing circuitry mounted in the housing;

an input device that includes a touch sensor mounted to a front face of the housing;

a clip; and

hinge structures that connect the clip to a rear surface of the housing and that bias the clip towards a closed position.

12. The portable electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the hinge structures include a torsion spring.

13. The portable electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the torsion spring has an elongated central portion that engages a groove on a post.

14. The portable electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the hinge structures further comprises a hinge barrel and end caps that fit into the barrel.

15. The portable electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the end caps have grooves that receive ends of the torsion spring and that have guide surfaces that pre-bias the spring.

16. The portable electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the hinge structures include a coil spring.

17. The portable electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the coil spring includes a first end that presses against the clip and a second end that presses against the housing.

18. The portable electronic device defined in claim 17 further comprising a bushing that is surrounded by coils in the coil spring.

19. The portable electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the hinge structures form a four-bar linkage in which the housing serves as a first bar, the clip serves as a second bar, a first hinge member serves as a third bar, and a second hinge member serves as a fourth bar, and wherein the hinge structures comprise pins that pivotably couple the first and second hinge members between the housing and the clip.

20. The portable electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the hinge structures comprise a screw that adjusts how much the hinge structures bias the clip towards the closed position.

21. The portable electronic device defined in claim 11 further comprising a flexible member to which the hinge structures are mounted to allow the hinge structures to move relative to the housing when the flexible member flexes.

22. A portable electronic device having:

a housing;

a clip;

a hinge with which the clip is attached to the housing; and

a torsion spring in the hinge that biases the clip towards a closed position.

23. The portable electronic device defined in claim 22 wherein the hinge has a pivot axis about which the hinge and clip pivot and wherein the portable electronic device further comprises a rotatable coupling structure that allows the hinge and clip to rotate about a rotational axis that is perpendicular to the pivot axis.

24. The portable electronic device defined in claim 22 further comprising a glass button member with a touch sensor array.