Handheld electronics device having pivotal hinge mechanism
AssigneeMotorola, Inc.
InventorsGiles McWilliam, Mark Oliver
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A handheld electronics device having a display (150) on a first housing portion and a keypad (162) on a second housing portion, a hinge member 130 includes a first portion member pivotally coupled to the first housing portion and a second portion pivotally coupled to the second housing portion. The display and/or keypad may be configured in either a landscape or portrait configuration upon opening the hinge member depending upon where the hinge member is pivoted relative to the housing portions.
Claims20
A handheld electronics device, the electronics device comprising:
- first and second housing portions;
- an openable generally unshaped hinge member disposed about the first and second housing portions when the first and second housing portions are in a stacked configuration, a portion of the hinge member pivotally coupled to the first housing portion and another portion of the hinge member pivotally coupled to the second housing portion,
- the hinge member pivotal about an axis extending through the first and second housing portions when the first and second housing portions are in the stacked configuration, the hinge member pivotal between first and second positions relative to the first and second housing portions when the first and second housing portions are in the stacked configuration,
- the first and second housing portions separable from the stacked configuration when the hinge member is in the first position and when the hinge member is in the second position.
(canceled)
The handheld electronics device of claim 20, the first and second axes are perpendicular and non-intersecting.
The handheld electronics device of claim 20, the first pivot axis located in a corner of the device.
A handheld electronics device, the electronics device comprising:
- first and second housing portions;
- a hinge member having a first portion pivotally coupled to the first housing portion, the hinge member having a second portion pivotally coupled to the second housing portion,
- the hinge member pivotal between first and second positions relative to the first and second, housing portions when the first and second housing portions are in a stacked configuration, the hinge member movable to permit separating the first and second housing portions from the stacked configuration when the hinge member is in the first position, and the hinge member movable to permit separating the first and second housing portions from the stacked configuration when the hinge member is in the second position,
- a pivot axis of the hinge member non-parallel to a pivot axis about which the first and second hinge portions are pivotally coupled to the first and second housing portions.
(canceled)
An electronics device, the electronics device comprising:
- first and second housing portions;
- a hinge member having first and second portions movably connected to each other about a first axis,
- the first portion of the hinge member pivotally coupled to the first housing portion and the second portion of the hinge member pivotally coupled to the second housing portion, the hinge member having a hinge axis non-parallel to axis portions about which the first and second portions of the hinge member are coupled to the first and second housing portions.
(canceled)
A handheld electronics device, the electronics device comprising:
- first and second housing portions;
- an openable generally unshaped hinge member disposed about the first and second housing portions when the first and second housing portions are in a stacked configuration, a portion of the hinge member pivotally coupled to the first housing portion and another portion of the hinge member pivotally coupled to the second housing portion,
- the hinge member pivotal about a first pivot axis between the first and second positions relative to the first and second housing portions when the first and second housing portions are in the stacked configuration,
- the hinge member pivotal about a second axis not aligned with the first axis, the first and second housing portions separable from the stacked configuration when the hinge member is pivoted about the second axis,
- the first and second housing portions separable from the stacked configuration when the hinge member is in the first position and when the hinge member is in the second position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.