Hinge

Details Hinge Hinge

2002-01-14

2003-08-26

Estremsky, Gary (Department: 3676)

Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,

Hinge

Including means to hold or retard hinged members against...

C016S342000, C016S386000, C379S433130

Reexamination Certificate

active

06609273

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention generally relates to a hinge.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a hinge having the functions of (1) providing a specified braking force in pivot unfolding or folding of two flaps by which, when the flaps are pivotally folded or unfolded to a specified angle or are folded over each other, “click” to a stop of their pivotal motion, and (2) allowing for application of a specified force in the direction of pivotal motion to release the flaps from their “clicked” state. Such a hinge may be used for connecting together a transmitter-side casing and a receiver-side casing of a folding portable mobile telephone, for example.
BACKGROUND ART
A portable mobile telephone as shown in
FIG. 14
is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 11-68901, and a hinge as shown in
FIG. 15
is used for this portable mobile telephone. The portable mobile telephone shown in
FIG. 14
is composed of a transmitter-side casing
50
having a transmitter part
51
and operation keys
52
and a receiver-side casing
60
having a receiver part
61
, a display part
62
and an antenna
63
. The casings
50
and
60
are connected together through a pair of hinges
7
,
7
.
Each hinge
7
has axially aligned cylindrical conductive bearing parts
70
,
71
, and one bearing part
70
is connected to the transmitter-side casing
50
, while the other bearing part
71
is connected to the receiver-side casing
60
. Reference numeral
73
denotes a connector cover.
A ring-like friction-bearing member
72
made of metal is fixed to the inside of the bearing part
71
, as shown in FIG.
15
. This friction-bearing member
72
is in contact with an end of a cylindrical friction member
73
made of metal and mounted in the bearing part
70
.
A shaft
74
has a flanged spring seat
74
a
, also serving as a cover, at its base end and a bolt part
74
b
extending therefrom through the bearing parts
70
,
71
. A spring
75
bears against the base end of the shaft
74
. The spring
75
is compressed by tightening the bolt part
74
b
of the shaft
74
with a nut
76
which extends through an open end of the other bearing part
71
to press the friction member
73
against the friction-bearing member
72
for braking.
Reference numeral
77
denotes a cylindrical flat spring also serving as a spring seat. The tip end of the flat spring
77
is in slidable contact with the outer surface of the friction member
73
and with the inner surface of the bearing part
70
, providing conduction of frame grounding in the casing.
In the above-described hinge, the friction-bearing member
72
and the friction member
73
are held in surface contact with each other under a specified pressure by the action of the spring
75
. Thus, the casing
60
, when folded over or unfolded from the casing
50
, is braked by a specified force through friction between the friction-bearing member
72
and the friction member
73
.
Further, the sliding surfaces of the friction-bearing member
72
and the friction member
73
have parts with tapered surfaces at positions spaced at an interval of a specified angle (160 to 180 degrees). Thus, when the casings
50
,
60
are pivoted open to a specified angle, the tapered parts engage with each other for locking or “clicking” the casings. Forcing the casing
50
pivotally relative to the casing
60
releases the casings from their “clicked state” for folding the casings over each other (closed). Then, the tapered parts again become engaged with each other when the casings are folded closed.
Since the hinge in the above prior art utilizes the pressure of the spring
75
in the axial direction, the contact between the friction-bearing member
72
and the friction member
73
in the turning direction is structurally limited to a short length, resulting in the need for a larger-sized spring to provide sufficient braking force against pivotal motion. However, since the bearing
70
has an outer diameter of 7 mm or less in most cases, a large-sized spring can not be used for the above hinge.
Although an increased number of springs is supposed to meet a demand for higher braking force, the structure of the above hinge does not allow for mounting a plurality of springs (two springs, for instance).
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hinge, which utilizes the pressure of a spring in the direction of pivotal motion of the flaps more efficiently by increasing the contact length of frictional parts.
A hinge according to the present invention comprises a bearing body, which has, at its exterior, mounting parts for a first flap and a wear-resistant inner surface having slider holding parts (“catches”) at positions spaced at an interval of a specified angle on the same circumference. A shaft has, at its one end, mounting parts for a second flap, and is inserted into the bearing body in a manner allowing relative turning. The shaft also has a spring housing hole opening at one end at the shaft's outer surface so as to cross at right angles with a longitudinal axis. A coil spring is inserted into the spring housing hole and a slider is biased by the coil spring so as to be pressed against the inner surface of the bearing body. The slider has wear-resistance at least at its tip end which contacts with the inner surface of the bearing body, and is capable of engagement with and disengagement from the slider holding part (slider catch) when the bearing body is turned relative to the shaft.
The slider may have a spring guide pin for mounting the coil spring externally fitted to the guide pin. Optionally, the slider may be in the form of a hard ball or a hard roller having its axis parallel to an axis of the shaft.
In a preferred embodiment the slider has a semicircular section orthogonal to the axis of the tip end making contact with the inner surface of the bearing body, and makes contact with the inner surface portions of the bearing body, other than the slider catches continuously over a specified axial length.
The surface portions of the slider in contact with the coil spring are preferably planar.
In a preferred embodiment, the slider holding part or catch is in the form of a hole.
A plurality of paired slider catches may be located in the same circumferential location, and a plurality of spring housing holes axially paired so as to face corresponding slider catches, and with coil spring and a slider housed in each spring housing hole.
The slider catch may be formed in the shape of an axial groove on the inner surface of the bearing body and may have a concave semicircular section.
Where the slider holding part is formed as a groove having a concave semicircular section, with a plurality of spring housing holes axially aligned so as to face in the same circumferential direction and a coil spring housed in each spring housing hole, the slider should have an axial length extending across the spring housing holes, and the spring housing holes are recessed to such an extent that the tip end of the slider is hidden when in contact with a part of the bearing body other than a slider catch.
The bearing body may be composed of a synthetic resin body and a metal interior sheet fixed to the inner surface of the resin body.
A transmitter-side casing of a portable mobile telephone may be attached to one of the first and second flaps, while a receiver-side casing of the portable mobile telephone is attached to the other, in which application the bearing body and the shaft should have conductivity.


REFERENCES:
patent: 2591476 (1952-04-01), Swanson
patent: 3583734 (1971-06-01), Magi
patent: 4987640 (1991-01-01), Lin
patent: 5409297 (1995-04-01), De Filippo
patent: 5412842 (1995-05-01), Riblett
patent: 5454617 (1995-10-01), Welter
patent: 5509332 (1996-04-01), Donaldson
patent: 5636462 (1997-06-01), Kleiman
patent: 5645308 (1997-07-01), Fink
patent: 5765263 (1998-06-01), Bolinas et al.
patent: 5918347 (1999-07-01), Morawetz
patent: 57-194856 (1936-06-01), None
patent: 51-17655 (1949-07-01), None
patent: 44-19217 (1969-08-01), No

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