Device having pivotable hinges
AssigneeMotorola, Inc.
InventorMark Oliver
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In one embodiment, a device (100) having a first portion (102) and a second portion (104), the first or second portion being pivotably adjustable in two directions to reveal the other of the first or second portion, has a biaxially pivotable hinge (106) and a disengagable uniaxially pivotable hinge (108). The biaxially pivotable hinge (106) interconnects the first and second portions (102, 104). The uniaxially pivotable hinge (108) is capable of selectively (a) interconnecting the first and second portions (102, 104) and (b) releasing connection between the first and second portions (102, 104), the selectivity being dependent upon relative rotational position of the first portion (102) and the second portion (104) about the uniaxially pivotable hinge (108).
Claims21
A device having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being pivotably adjustable in two directions relative to the second portion, the device comprising:
- a biaxially pivotable hinge interconnecting the first portion and the second portion;
- and
- a disengagable uniaxially pivotable hinge capable of selectively (a) interconnecting the first portion and the second portion and (b) releasing connection between the first portion and the second portion, the selectivity being dependent upon a rotational position of the first portion relative to the second portion about the uniaxially pivotable hinge.
A cellular telephone/personal digital assistant combination device comprising:
- a display housing;
- a keypad housing;
- a first hinge interconnecting the display housing and the keypad housing that is pivotable in at least two directions;
- and
- a second hinge interconnecting the display housing and the keypad housing, the second hinge having a first portion and a second portion said first portion being automatically disengagable from said second portion when the display housing is at less than a selected pivot angle relative to the keypad housing.
A hinge comprising:
- a female portion;
- and
- a male portion biased resiliently into engagement with the female portion, an engagement depth of the male portion with the female portion being dependent upon axial rotational orientation of the male portion to the female portion, the male portion and the female portion being separable transaxially only when an axial rotational orientation of the male portion and the female portion is at a preselected relationship.
A method for pivotably adjusting a first portion of a device in two directions relative to a second portion of the device, the method comprising:
- rotating the first portion relative to the second portion about a first pivoting axis of a biaxially pivotable hinge and a uniaxially pivotable hinge to be in a closed position or a first open position whereby the uniaxially pivotable hinge automatically deepens engagement when opened about the first pivoting axis;
- and
- rotating the first portion relative to the second portion about a second pivoting axis of the biaxially pivotable hinge to be in the closed position or a second open position whereby urging of the first portion relative to the second portion causes automatic disengagement of the uniaxially pivotable hinge.
A method for making a pivotably adjustable device comprising:
- connecting a first portion of the device to a second portion of the device with a first hinge operable in a plurality of axes;
- connecting the first portion of the device to the second portion of the device with a second hinge pivotably operable in one of the plurality of axes of the first hinge and automatically disengagably operable in another of the plurality of axes of the first hinge;
- resiliently disposing a first portion of the second hinge relative to a second portion of the second hinge;
- and
- profiling an engagement interface between the first portion of the second hinge and the second portion of the second hinge to facilitate automatic disengageability upon application of an opening force by a user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.