Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Hinge – Including means to hold or retard hinged members against...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-15
2003-05-27
Will, Thomas B. (Department: 3671)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Hinge
Including means to hold or retard hinged members against...
C016S340000, C361S689000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06568034
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hinge assembly, and more particularly, to a hinge assembly, in which an elastic specific body is provided between a fixed body and a rotating body, for exerting a torque to the rotating body.
2. Background of the Related Art
In general, the hinge assembly is used in many fields and different purposes, and, particularly, used widely in computers with monitors which present an image for visual understanding of a product, or in apparatuses which require testing devices and rotating bodies, for adjustment of tilting angles of the monitors or the rotating bodies to meet an angle a user desires.
As an exemplary case, a related art hinge assembly provided to the monitor will be explained, briefly. There are the rotating body coupled with the monitor, the fixed body coupled to a support for supporting the monitor, and friction means provided between the rotating body and the fixed body having various washers and springs for applying a torque to the rotating body.
That is, referring to
FIG. 1
, there is a fixed bracket
1
corresponding to the fixed body, and a rotating bracket
2
coupled with a shaft
3
for rotating on the shaft
3
coupled to the fixed bracket
1
. The rotating bracket
2
corresponds to the rotating body generally provided at a rear of the rotating body, such as the monitor.
Each of the shafts
3
fixed to opposite sides of the fixed bracket
1
is provided with a spring
4
both ends of which are caught at terminals on a side each of the rotating bracket
2
and the fixed bracket
1
, for transmission of friction and torque to the rotating bracket
2
. There are a rotating angle limiting washer
5
and an oil washer
6
fitted to a round bar projected from the shaft
3
, with the rotating bracket
2
fitted thereto in contact with the oil washer
6
, and, in succession, another oil washer and a separate tension washer
7
fitted thereto, additionally. Then, a fixing ring
8
is inserted in an end of the shaft
3
projected out of the tension washer
7
, and pressed toward the rotating bracket
2
to cause a friction between components fitted between the rotating bracket
2
and the fixed bracket
1
, to apply a torque to the rotating bracket
2
.
Referring to
FIG. 2
, in a state an adequate torque required for the hinge assembly structured thus is provided, an impact is given to an end of the shaft
3
, to deform a cylindrical edge of the end on a surface of the fixed ring
8
to press down the fixed ring
8
, which are finally subjected to caulking to assemble the hinge assembly, permanently.
However, because the hinge assembly is assembled by deformation of the end of shaft caused by impact, the torque applied to the hinge assembly can not be re-set once the hinge assembly is completed. Moreover, the different surfaces of many components involved in providing the friction make adjustment of the friction to an appropriate level is difficult, to require provision of additional washers, that makes the structure substantially complicate. The many components make a productivity of the hinge assembly poor, and to cost high.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a hinge assembly that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a hinge assembly, in which a friction between a fixed body and a rotating body can be adjusted, a torque of the rotating body can be re-set, and a number of components can be reduced.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the hinge assembly provided between a fixed body to be coupled to a fixed object and a rotating body to be coupled to a rotating object to be rotatably fitted to the fixed object, for providing a torque required with respect to the fixed object, including a shaft, a fixed bracket having one leaf fixed to an end of the shaft, and the other leaf fixed to the fixed body, a rotating bracket having one leaf rotatably coupled to the shaft from an outer side of the fixed bracket, and the other leaf coupled to the rotating body, and a frictional elastic member disposed between the fixed bracket and the rotating bracket such that one end thereof is fixed to an end of the shaft, and the other end thereof coupled to the rotating bracket to pass through the rotating bracket, for making friction as a part of the frictional elastic member in contact with the rotating bracket makes an elastic compression onto the rotating bracket, for applying a torque to the rotating bracket.
The fixed object is a monitor support and the rotating object is a flat monitor.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5022778 (1991-06-01), Lu
patent: 5208944 (1993-05-01), Lu
patent: 5239731 (1993-08-01), Lu
patent: 5894633 (1999-04-01), Kaneko
patent: 5913351 (1999-06-01), Miura
patent: 5970580 (1999-10-01), Katoh
patent: 6108868 (2000-08-01), Lin
patent: 6154925 (2000-12-01), Miura
patent: 6171011 (2001-01-01), Wu
patent: 6378171 (2002-04-01), Suzuki et al.
Jacobson & Holman PLLC
LG Electronics Inc.
Will Thomas B.
LandOfFree
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