Hinge assembly for electronic devices

An interconnection assembly for a portable electronic computer, the computer having a first part and a second part, comprising:

• a first linear track adapted to be connected to the first part of the computer;
• a first carriage movably mounted on said first linear track so as to move lineally along said first linear track;
• a first rotational joint member having a first axis of rotation and being adapted to be connected to said first carriage;
• a second rotational joint member having a second axis of rotation and being rotatably connected to said first rotational joint member so that said first axis of rotation and said second axis of rotation are collinear and said first and second joint members rotate relative to one another about their axes of rotation;
• a third rotational joint member having a third axis of rotation and being connected to said second rotational joint member so that said third axis of rotation intersects said second axis of rotation and is substantially perpendicular thereto;
• and
• a fourth rotational joint member adapted to be connected to the second part of the computer, having a fourth axis of rotation and being rotatably connected to said third rotational joint member so that said fourth axis of rotation and said third axis of rotation are collinear, and said fourth and third joint members rotate relative to one another about their axes of rotation, and that the second part of the computer and the first part of the computer can be rotated with respect to one another about two distinct axes.

An interconnection assembly for a portable electronic computer, the computer having a first part and a second part, comprising:

• a first linear track adapted to be connected to a first part of the computer;
• a first carriage movably mounted on said first linear track so as to move lineally along said first linear track;
• a second linear track adapted to be connected to a second part of the computer;
• a second carriage movably mounted on said second linear track so as to move lineally along said second linear track;
• a first rotational joint member having a first axis of rotation and being connected to said first carriage;
• and
• a second rotational joint member having a second axis of rotation and being rotatably connected to said first rotational joint member so that said first axis of rotation and said second axis of rotation are collinear and said first and second joint members rotate relative to one another about their axes of rotation, said second rotational joint member being connected to said second carriage, so that the second part of the computer can be moved lineally with respect to the first part of the computer on said first linear track, the first part of the computer can be moved lineally with respect to the second part of the computer on said second linear track, and the first part of the computer and the second part of the computer can be rotated with respect to one another.

An interconnection assembly for a portable electronic computer, the computer having a first part and a second part, comprising:

• a first rotational joint member having a first axis of rotation and being adapted to be connected to the first part of the computer;
• a second rotational joint member being adapted to be connected to the second part of the computer, having a second axis of rotation and being rotatably connected to said first rotational joint member so that said first axis of rotation and said second axis of rotation are collinear and said first and second joint members rotate relative to one another about their axes of rotation;
• and
• a self releasing connector which is separable from said first part and said second part of said computer for releasably connecting said first rotational joint member to the first part of the computer, so that the second part of the computer and the first part of the computer can be rotated with respect to one another yet may be disconnected from one another without the aid of tools.

An interconnection assembly for a portable electronic computer, the computer having a first part and a second part, comprising:

• a first rotational joint member having a first axis of rotation and being adapted to be connected to the first part of the computer;
• a second rotational joint member being adapted to be connected to the second part of the computer, having a second axis of rotation and being rotatably connected to said first rotational joint member so that said first axis of rotation and said second axis of rotation are collinear and said first and second joint members rotate relative to one another about their axes of rotation;
• and
• said first rotational joint member including a plurality of first electrical contacts and said second rotational joint member including a plurality of second electrical contacts corresponding to and in contact with respective first electrical contacts regardless of the relative rotational position of said first rotational joint member and said second rotational joint member, said plurality of said first electrical contacts being disposed around the periphery of said first rotational joint member and said plurality of said second electrical contacts being disposed on the inside of a cylindrical sleeve extending from said second rotational joint member over said first rotational joint member, so that the first part of the computer and the second part of the computer can be rotated with respect to one another while maintaining electrical communication therebetween through said interconnection assembly, wherein said plurality of said first electrical contacts and said plurality of said second electrical contacts and said cylindrical sleeve are separable from said first rotational joint member.

An interconnection assembly for a portable electronic computer, the computer having a first part and a second part, comprising:

• a first linear track adapted to be connected to the first part of the computer;
• a first carriage movably mounted on said first linear track so as to move lineally along said first linear track
• a first rotational joint member having a first axis of rotation and a second rotational joint member;
• said second rotational joint member having a second axis of rotation and being rotatably connected to said first rotational joint member so that said first axis of rotation and said second axis of rotation are collinear and said first and second joint members rotate relative to one another about their axes of rotation, said second rotational joint member being connected to said first carriage independent of said first rotational joint member and said first linear track, so that the second part of the computer can be moved lineally with respect to the first part of the computer on said first linear track and the first part of the computer and the second part of the computer can be rotated with respect to one another;
• and
• said first rotational joint member being adapted to be connected to a second part of the computer.

An interconnection assembly for a portable electronic computer, the computer having a first part and a second part, comprising:

• a first rotational joint member having a first axis of rotation and being adapted to be connected to the first part of the computer;
• a second rotational joint member having a second axis of rotation and being rotatably connected to said first rotational joint member so that said first axis of rotation and said second axis of rotation are collinear and said first and second joint members rotate relative to one another about their axes of rotation;
• a third rotational joint member having a third axis of rotation and being connected to said second rotational joint member so that said third axis of rotation intersects a line which is substantially perpendicular to said second axis of rotation and to said third axis of rotation;
• and
• a fourth rotational joint member being adapted to be connected to the second part of the computer, having a fourth axis of rotation and being rotatably connected to said third rotational joint member so that said fourth axis of rotation and said third axis of rotation are collinear, said fourth and third joint members rotate relative to one another about their axes of rotation, so that the second part of the computer and the first part of the computer can be rotated independently with respect to one another about two distinct axes.

An interconnection assembly for a portable electronic computer, the computer having a first part and a second part, comprising:

• a first rotational joint member having a first axis of rotation and being adapted to be connected to the first part of the computer;
• a second rotational joint member having a second axis of rotation and being rotatably connected to said first rotational joint member so that said first axis of rotation and said second axis of rotation are collinear and said first and second joint members rotate relative to one another about their axes of rotation;
• a third rotational joint member having a third axis of rotation and being connected to said second rotational joint member so that said third axis of rotation intersects said second axis of rotation and is substantially perpendicular thereto;
• a fourth rotational joint member having a fourth axis of rotation and being rotatably connected to said third rotational joint member so that said fourth axis of rotation and said third axis of rotation are collinear, and said fourth and third joint members rotate relative to one another about their axes of rotation;
• a fifth rotational joint member having a fifth axis of rotation and being connected to said fourth rotational joint member so that said fifth axis of rotation intersects said fourth axis of rotation and is substantially perpendicular thereto;
• and
• a sixth rotational joint member being adapted to be connected to the second part of the computer, having a sixth axis of rotation and being rotatably connected to said fifth rotational joint member so that said sixth axis of rotation and said fifth axis of rotation are collinear and said sixth and fifth joint members rotate relative to one another about their axes of rotation and that the second part of the computer and the first part of the computer can be rotated with respect to one another about three distinct axes.

An interconnection assembly for a portable electronic computer, the computer having a first part and a second part, comprising:

• a first rotational joint member having a first axis of rotation and being adapted to be connected to the first part of the computer;
• a second rotational joint member having a second axis of rotation and being rotatably connected to said first rotational joint member so that said first axis of rotation and said second axis of rotation are collinear and said first and second joint members rotate relative to one another about their axes of rotation;
• a third rotational joint member having a third axis of rotation and being connected to said second rotational joint member so that said third axis of rotation intersects said second axis of rotation and is substantially perpendicular thereto;
• and
• a fourth rotational joint member being adapted to be connected to the second part of the computer, having a fourth axis of rotation and being rotatably connected to said third rotational joint member so that said fourth axis of rotation and said third axis of rotation are collinear, at least one of said first and second and one of said third and fourth rotational joint members being elongate, and said fourth and third joint members rotate relative to one another about their axes of rotation, so that the second part of the computer and the first part of the computer can be rotated with respect to one another about two distinct axes.