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US 5,206,790 AGranted
Pivot and swivel mechanism for lap top display
AssigneeZeos International, Inc.
InventorsWilliam B. Thomas, Michael R. Barry, James R. Flom
Life of this patent
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AssigneeZeos International, Inc.
InventorsWilliam B. Thomas, Michael R. Barry, James R. Flom
Estimating the term…
A laptop computer (10) with a tiltable and swivelable display (12) is connected to case (29) by a pivot mechanism (20) and a swivel mechanism (33). In the pivot mechanism (20), a first pivot (22) connects display (12) to a pivot plate (50), and the second pivot (24) connects the pivot plate (50) to base (32) of the display (12). The first pivot (22) consists of a pair of pivot pins (52) on each end of the pivot plate (50). The second pivot (24) consists of split pivot pins (54) at each end of the pivot plate (50). The pivot pins (54) and inboard shafts (58) are fastened together and inboard shafts (58) rotate within outboard shafts (56). The outboard shafts (56) and the inboard shafts (58) are surrounded by clutch springs (60), which are connected so that the clutches are in their free rotating direction, i.e., does not resist motion between them when the display is being opened, and which resist motion between the inboard shafts (58) and outboard shafts (56) when the display is being lowered, to produce a greater friction than produced by the first pivot (22). The swivel mechanism (33) consists of a first swivel member (70) fixedly attached to case (29) and a second swivel member (72) which is fixedly attached to display base (32) and nests inside the first swivel member (70). The second swivel member (72) rotates inside the first swivel member (70).
A laptop or notebook computer comprising:
In a laptop or notebook computer having a base and a display which pivots between a closed position over said base and an open position, a pivot mechanism for said display of said laptop or notebook computer, which comprises a first pivot connected between said display and a pivot plate and a second pivot connected between said pivot plate and said base, said first pivot having a greater resistance to pivoting in an opening direction of said display than said second pivot, said first pivot and said second pivot being axially displaced with respect to one another, so that said display and said pivot plate initially pivot together about said second pivot with respect to said base as said display is opened to a given extent, and said display then pivots with respect to said pivot plate about said first pivot when said display is opened a greater extent than the given extent, said second pivot having a greater resistance to pivoting than said first pivot when said display is lowered over said base, so that said display initially pivots with respect to said pivot plate about said first pivot, and said display and said pivot plate than pivot together about said second pivot with respect to said base until said display is closed over said base.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.