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US 10,871,803 B2Granted
Flexible structures
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsKuan-Ting Wu, Wei Kuang Chu, Wei-Chung Chen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Examples described herein include a flexible structure for an electronic device that includes oblong connection elements flexibly coupled to one another in series. The series can have a first and a second end oblong connection element. The first end oblong connection element can be coupled to a first anchor element, while the second end oblong connection element can be coupled to a second anchor element.
Claims14
A flexible structure comprising:
- a plurality of oblong connection elements flexibly coupled to one another in series and having a first end oblong connection element and a second end oblong connection element;
- a first anchor element coupled to the first end oblong connection element;
- a second anchor element coupled to the second end oblong connection element;
- and
- a flexible strap, windable around a reel coupled to a spring element, to provide tension from the spring element to the plurality of oblong connection elements, wherein the tension provided by the flexible strap biases consecutive oblong connection elements of the plurality of oblong connection elements toward a position in which the consecutive oblong connection elements are in contact with one another at a point proximate to ends of their respective short cross-section axes.
2 more elements
An electronic device housing comprising:
- a flexible structure comprising a plurality of oblong connection elements flexibly coupled to one another in series and having a first end oblong connection element and a second end oblong connection element, wherein consecutive oblong connection elements are coupled to one another by a rotating joint including a spring element to bias the consecutive oblong connection elements toward a low potential energy state, wherein the low potential energy state corresponds to a position in which a distance between respective central pivot points of the consecutive oblong connection elements is less than a distance between the respective central pivot points of the consecutive oblong connection elements in a high potential energy state;
- a first housing body coupled to the first end oblong connection element;
- and
- a second housing body coupled to the second end oblong connection element.
1 more element
A flexible coupler comprising:
- a first oblong connection element;
- and
- a second oblong connection element coupled to the first oblong connection element by a rotating joint that provides rotational freedom of movement between the first and second oblong connection elements, wherein the rotating joint comprises a spring element to provide tension such that the first and second oblong connection elements are pulled toward a position in which the first and second oblong connection elements are in contact with one another at a point proximate to ends of their respective short cross-section axes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.