Hinges with lift slots
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsMark David Senatori, Jin Cherl Kwon, Chad Patrick Paris
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electronic computing device may include a first housing, a second housing, and a hinge coupled to the first housing and the second housing. The hinge may enable the first housing to rotate and lift relative to the second housing. The hinge may include a shaft, a collar coupled to the shaft, a bracket coupled to the collar via a lift slot, and a brace coupled to the bracket and the shaft. During rotation of the first housing, the protrusion may slide in the helical channel. The collar may translate along the shaft in a first direction via the helical channel and translate along the bracket in a second direction via the lift slot. The brace may block translation of the shaft relative to the first housing.
Claims20
An electronic computing device comprising:
- a first housing;
- a second housing;
- and
- a hinge coupled to the first housing and the second housing, the hinge to enable the first housing to rotate relative to the second housing from a closed position to an open position, the hinge comprising:
- a shaft having a first protrusion;
- a bracket having a second protrusion;
- a collar having a helical channel and a lift slot, the helical channel to receive the first protrusion of the shaft, the lift slot to receive the second protrusion of the bracket;
- and
- a brace coupled to the bracket and the shaft;
- wherein, during rotation of the first housing toward the open position:
- the first protrusion slides in the helical channel;
- the collar translates along the shaft in a first direction via the helical channel and translates along the bracket in a second direction via the lift slot;
- and
- the brace blocks translation of the shaft relative to the first housing.
An electronic computing device comprising:
- a first housing;
- a second housing;
- and
- a hinge coupled to the first housing and the second housing, the hinge to enable the first housing to rotate relative to the second housing, the hinge comprising:
- a shaft;
- a collar coupled to the shaft, the collar having a channel and a lift slot, the channel to receive a portion of the shaft;
- and
- a bracket coupled to the collar via the lift slot;
- wherein, during rotation of the first housing:
- the collar translates in a first direction along the shaft via the channel and translates along the bracket in a second direction via the lift slot;
- and
- the collar maintains a substantially constant contact area with the shaft in the first direction, thereby providing a substantially fixed torque as the first housing rotates relative to the second housing.
An electronic computing device comprising:
- a first housing;
- a second housing;
- and
- a hinge coupled to the first housing and the second housing, the hinge to enable the first housing to rotate relative to the second housing, the hinge comprising:
- a shaft;
- a collar coupled to the shaft, the collar having a channel and a lift slot, the channel matingly engaged with the shaft;
- and
- a bracket coupled to the collar via the lift slot;
- wherein, during rotation of the first housing, the collar:
- translates in a first direction along the shaft via the channel to a position beyond a terminal end of the shaft in the first direction, thereby reducing a contact area with the shaft to provide a variable rotational torque, and
- translates along the bracket in a second direction via the lift slot.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.