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US 6,206,281 B1Granted
Calculator with automatic slow motion deployment
AssigneeCCL Products Enterprises, Inc.
InventorChan Sik Leung
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A decorative housing for an object such as calculator has a unique appearance that enhances its functionality. To reduce the desk area of the calculator when not in use, the calculator shrinks in size when in the closed position. The decorative housing opens in an automatic smooth slow motion kinetic deployment when ready to use. It includes a whimsical design with kinetic features that can amuse the user.
Claims14
A decorative housing device for useful articles, comprising:
- (a) a body having a longitudinal dimension, said body being divided along said longitudinal dimension into an upper part and a separate lower part, said upper and lower parts each having respective outer surfaces and respective parallel mutually opposing inner surfaces in separable contact with one another;
- said inner surfaces respectively having a front portion terminating in a front edge and a rear portion terminating in a rear edge;
- (b) a pair of elongated pivoting members in parallel disposition relative to each other, said pivoting members each rotatably connected within said upper and said lower parts;
- and wherein one of said pivoting members is a driven member and said other pivoting member is a driver;
- said driver pivoting member being provided with spring means and motion damping means mounted to said driver pivoting member at said rotatable connection of said driver pivoting member with said lower part of said body of said decorative housing;
- (c) the upper and lower parts being moveable with a slow gliding rotational motion, wherein accelerations are relatively small and velocity is relatively low and substantially constant through most of the travel of said upper and lower parts relative to each other, wherein further rotational motion is about said pivotable members;
- said rotational motion comprising a component of longitudinal displacement and a component of vertical displacement;
- said rotational motion being between alternate open and closed positions of said decorative housing;
- said opposing inner surfaces remaining parallel to each other during said rotational motion;
- and
- (d) in the closed position said inner surface of said upper part covers substantially all of said inner surface of said lower part;
- and
- (e) in the open position said inner surface of said upper part covers less than substantially all of said inner surface of said lower part;
- and
- (f) the spring means urging said upper and lower parts into the open position wherein;
- said decorative housing having latch means for releasably latching said decorative housing in the closed position.
13 more elements
A two-piece user openable object decorative housing device capable of moving with a slow gliding motion between an open position and a closed position, comprising:
- (a) a body having a longitudinal dimension, said body being divided along said longitudinal dimension into an upper part and a separate lower part, said upper and lower parts each having respective outer surfaces and respective parallel mutually opposing inner surfaces in separable contact with one another;
- said inner surfaces respectively having a front portion terminating in a front edge and a rear portion terminating in a rear edge;
- (b) a pair of elongated pivoting members in parallel disposition relative to each other, said pivoting members each rotatably connected within said upper and said lower parts;
- and wherein one of said pivoting members is a driven member and said other pivoting member is a driver;
- said driver pivoting member being provided with spring means and motion damping means mounted to said driver pivoting member at said rotatable connection of said driver pivoting member with said lower part of said body of said two-piece user openable object;
- (c) the upper and lower parts being moveable with a slow gliding rotational motion about said pivoting rods;
- said rotational motion comprising a component of longitudinal displacement and a component of vertical displacement;
- said rotational motion being between alternate open and closed positions of said two-piece user openable object;
- said opposing inner surfaces remaining parallel to each other during said rotational motion;
- and
- (d) in the closed position said inner surface of said upper part covers substantially all of said inner surface of said lower part;
- and
- (e) in the open position said inner surface of said upper part covers less than substantially all of said inner surface of said lower part;
- and
- (f) the spring means urging said upper and lower parts into the open position wherein;
- said two-piece user openable object having latch means for releasably latching said two-piece user openable object in the closed position.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.