Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Hinge – Including means to hold or retard hinged members against...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-09
2002-11-05
Mah, Chuck Y. (Department: 3676)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Hinge
Including means to hold or retard hinged members against...
C016S386000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06473938
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention generally relates to a hinge, and more particularly, to a hinge, which provides braking force against pivoting at all times.
A hinge of this type is used for mounting a flap body such as a liquid crystal display to the body of a device such as a laptop personal computer (a notebook personal computer) and a desktop personal computer equipped with a liquid crystal display, for instance. Braking action of the hinge permits the flap body mounted with the hinge of this type to maintain the state of inclination at a desired angle to the body of the device.
BACKGROUND ART
A description will now be given of the hinge of this type in the prior art with reference to
FIGS. 7 and 8
.
FIG. 7
is an exploded sectional view showing a hinge in the prior art, and
FIG. 8
is a sectional view taken along line C—C indicated by arrows in FIG.
7
.
As shown in
FIG. 7
, a hinge
4
a
is composed of a cylindrical holding body
4
having a circular section hollow part
40
open to one end side and provided with a mounting part
41
on the other axial end side of the hollow part
40
, and a shaft body
5
having a cylindrical part
50
open to one end side and provided with a mounting part
51
on the other axial end side of the cylindrical part
50
.
Each of the mounting parts
41
,
51
is adapted as a means of mounting the cylindrical holding body
4
and the shaft body
5
to a device, and an appropriate number of mounting holes
42
,
52
are provided in the mounting parts
41
,
51
, respectively.
A small bore portion
40
a
, slightly smaller in diameter than the remainder of hollow
40
, is formed at the inner bottom part of the hollow
40
in the cylindrical holding body
4
. A pair of slots
50
a
,
50
a
is formed on the open side of the cylindrical part
50
of the shaft body
5
. A portion of the cylindrical part
50
where the slots
50
a
,
50
a
are formed is press-fitted in the small bore part
40
a
of the hollow part
40
in the cylindrical holding body
4
.
Since the material of the shaft body
5
is steel or the like subjected to carbonitriding, for instance, and the cylindrical part
50
of the shaft body
5
is provided with the slots
50
a
for elasticity, the cylindrical holding body
4
and the shaft body
5
are braked in the pivotal direction by the elastic action of the cylindrical part
50
.
By selection of material for the shaft body
5
, as well as by selection of size for the portion of the cylindrical part
50
where the slots
50
a
are formed, an elastic force, increasing in the circumferential direction, acts as a braking force against pivoting motion where the cylindrical part
50
is press-fitted in the hollow part
40
.
The hinge
4
a
is used for mounting a flap body
61
, serving as a display, on the body
60
of a device
6
such as a notebook personal computer, for example as shown in FIG.
9
. In mounting the flap body
61
on the body
60
, one of the mounting parts
41
,
51
is fixed to the body
60
, while the other is fixed to the flap body
61
with screws or the like (not shown).
As described above, the hinge exerts a specified braking force on the pivoting motion between cylindrical holding body
4
and the shaft body
5
. Thus, when raising the flap body
61
to a desired angle, the braking force exceeds the weight of the flap body
61
in the closing direction and, as a result, the flap body
61
maintains its raised position without falling down.
Since the hinge in the prior art is structured so that the elastic force at the tip part of the cylindrical part
50
in the shaft body
5
applies a specified braking force on the portion where the cylindrical part
50
is press-fitted in the hollow part
40
as described the above, and the cylindrical part
50
of the shaft body
5
also exerts a braking force. However, frequent operation of the flap body
61
causes an age-based reduction in elastic force of the cylindrical part
50
, resulting in a reduction in the braking force, shortening the life of the hinge.
Further, since the weight of the flap body normally varies according to the types of device, there is a need for manufacture of a different shaft body
5
for every different type of device, resulting in higher hinge manufacture cost. Furthermore, while the selection of material for the shaft body
5
and of size for the cylindrical part
50
permit adjustment of the circumferential elastic force at the tip of the cylindrical part
50
in the shaft body
5
, it is difficult to adjust the braking force to meet required limits for the reason that the cylindrical part of the shaft body
5
is also used to exert the elastic force required for braking action. Thus, a hinge exerting an excessive braking force is in use in most cases.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hinge providing a braking force against pivotal motion at all times, wherein an age-based reduction in braking force due to the frequent use of a flap body is prevented, thereby ensuring long life.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a hinge which makes it possible to use a common shaft body for different types of devices with various flap body weights, resulting in a reduction in manufacture cost.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a hinge which permits easy adjustment of braking force to meet required limits in a connecting part between a cylindrical holding body and a cylindrical part of a shaft body.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In a first embodiment of the present invention the hinge comprises a cylindrical holding body
1
having a circular section hollow part
10
and provided with a mounting part
11
, a shaft body
2
having, at its tip, a cylindrical part
20
in which at least one axially extending slot
20
a
is formed and provided with a mounting part
21
at a base end side of the cylindrical part
20
, and a spring
3
press-fitted into the cylindrical part
20
at the portion where the slot
20
a
is formed. The portion of the cylindrical part
20
with the slot
20
a
is press-fitted in the hollow part
10
of the cylindrical holding body
1
.
A hinge in a second embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the interior of the hollow part
10
of the cylindrical holding body
1
according to the first embodiment is modified by provision of a small bore
10
a
slightly smaller in diameter than the remaining portion of the hollow
10
, and the portion of the cylindrical part
20
with slot
20
a
is press-fitted in small bore portion
10
a.
A hinge in a third embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the spring
3
in the hinge of the first or second embodiment is modified to include a circular-arc section spring pin having a slit
30
extending along the longitudinal direction.
A hinge in a fourth embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the spring
3
of the hinge according of the third embodiment is press-fitted in the hollow part
10
of the cylindrical holding body
1
such that the slit-shaped part
30
of the spring
3
is circumferentially aligned with the slot
20
a
of the cylindrical part
20
. Preferably, the hinge according to each of the above embodiments has a pin
23
inserted in the base end side of the cylindrical part
20
of the shaft body
2
, and also a slot
10
b
of a predetermined circumferential length in the hollow part
10
of the cylindrical holding body
1
serving to guide pin
23
. Preferably, the hinge also has a solid part
20
b
on the base end side of the cylindrical part
20
, and the pin
23
is a spring pin inserted into the solid part
20
b.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5018244 (1991-05-01), Hino
patent: 5774939 (1998-07-01), Lu
patent: 5832566 (1998-11-01), Quek et al.
patent: 5894635 (1999-04-01), Lu
patent: 6116806 (2000-09-01), Chang
patent: 6317927 (2001-11-01), Lai et al.
patent: 6336252 (2002-01-01), Bando
patent: 57-167912 (1982-10-01), None
patent: 58-225217 (1983-12-01), None
patent: 5-71529 (1993-03-01), None
Ono Ken
Yoshigashima Yutaka
Lorusso & Loud
Mah Chuck Y.
Mizuki Seimitu Co., Ltd.
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