The present invention relates to a flip cover device and a hinge thereof, and more specifically, to a flip cover device which can prevent a cover from being damaged or broken, and a hinge thereof.
A flip cover device, such as a scanner or a multi-function apparatus, usually includes a main body and a cover pivotally connected to the main body and capable of folding or unfolding relative to the main body, so that the flip cover device can switch between an unfolded state and a folded state. The cover of the conventional flip cover device can be configured to interfere with the main body to position the cover at a predetermined angle when the cover is pivotally unfolded at the predetermined angle relative to the main body. However, if the cover which interferes with the main body is forced by an unfolding force along an unfolding direction, an excessive stress may lead to a permanent structural damage of the cover. In other words, the cover of the conventional flip cover device may be damaged or broken easily due to an improper and excessive pivotal movement of the cover.
Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a flip cover device which can prevent a cover from being damaged or broken, and a hinge thereof for solving the aforementioned problem.
In order to achieve the aforementioned objective, the present invention discloses a flip cover device. The flip cover device includes a cover, a main body and at least one hinge. The at least one hinge is disposed on the main body. The at least one hinge is pivotally connected to the cover in a detachable manner for allowing the cover to pivotally unfold or fold relative to the main body. The at least one hinge includes a hinge body and a notch structure. The notch structure is formed on the hinge body. The cover abuts against the main body when the cover pivotally unfolds relative to the main body to an unfolded position along a first pivoting direction, and the cover is driven by a reaction force provided by the main body to disengage from the at least one hinge via the notch structure when the cover is located at the unfolded position and forced by a torque along the first pivoting direction.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the hinge body includes a mounting portion and a pivoting portion connected to the mounting portion. The mounting portion is mounted on the main body. The notch structure is formed on the pivoting portion, and the cover includes at least one pivotal structure pivotally passing through the pivoting portion of the hinge body.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a resilient abutting portion is formed on an end portion of the at least one pivotal structure. The resilient abutting portion is resiliently deformed during a process that the at least one pivotal structure pivotally passes through the pivoting portion of the hinge body, and the resilient abutting portion resiliently recovers to abut against the pivoting portion after the at least one pivotal structure pivotally passes through the pivoting portion of the hinge body.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one recess and at least one mounting slot are formed on the main body. The at least one mounting slot is located at a position corresponding to the at least one recess. The mounting portion is mounted inside the at least one mounting slot, and the pivoting portion is at least partially exposed through the at least one recess.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the main body includes a top wall and a lateral wall. The at least one recess is located at a connection of the top wall and the lateral wall. The mounting portion is inserted into the at least one mounting slot via the at least one recess along a mounting direction. The notch structure is formed on a lateral side of the pivoting portion, and the at least one pivotal structure is disengaged from the pivoting portion along a disengaging direction different from the mounting direction by the notch structure and the at least one recess.
In order to achieve the aforementioned objective, the present invention further discloses a hinge. The hinge is disposed between a cover and a main body of a flip cover device. The hinge is disposed on the main body. The hinge is pivotally connected to the cover in a detachable manner for allowing the cover to pivotally unfold or fold relative to the main body. The cover abuts against the main body when the cover pivotally unfolds relative to the main body to an unfolded position along a first pivoting direction. The hinge includes a hinge body and a notch structure. The notch structure is formed on the hinge body. The cover is driven by a reaction force provided by the main body to disengage from the hinge via the notch structure when the cover is located at the unfolded position and forced by a torque along the first pivoting direction.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the hinge body further includes a mounting portion and a pivoting portion connected to the mounting portion. The mounting portion is mounted on the main body. The notch structure is formed on the pivoting portion, and the pivoting portion is for allowing a pivotal structure of the cover to pivotally pass therethrough.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the pivoting portion abuts against a resilient abutting portion formed on an end portion of the pivotal structure after the pivotal structure pivotally passes through the pivoting portion.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the mounting portion is mounted inside a mounting slot formed on the main body, and the pivoting portion is at least partially exposed through a recess formed on the main body and located at a position corresponding to the mounting slot.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the mounting portion is inserted into the mounting slot via the recess along a mounting direction, and the notch structure is formed on a lateral side of the pivoting portion for allowing the pivotal structure to be disengaged from the pivoting portion along a disengaging direction different from the mounting direction by the notch structure and the recess.
In summary, in the present invention, since the hinge and the cover are pivotally connected to each other in a detachable manner, the cover can be driven by a reaction force provided by the main body to disengage from the hinge via the notch structure when the cover abuts against the main body and is forced by the torque along the first pivoting direction, i.e., an unfolding direction. Therefore, the present invention can effectively prevent a permanent structural damage of the cover due to an excessive stress of the cover abutted by the main body. In other words, the flip cover device can effectively prevent the cover from being damaged or broken due to an improper and excessive pivotal movement of the cover. Furthermore, after the cover is disengaged from the hinge via the notch structure, the cover and the hinge still can be pivotally connected to each other again easily to recover the flip cover device. Therefore, the present invention has an easy recovery operation or an easy maintenance operation.
These and other objectives of the present disclosure will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. In this regard, directional terminology, such as “top”, “bottom”, “front”, “back”, etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the Figure (s) being described. The components of the present invention can be positioned in a number of different orientations. As such, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive. Also, the term “connect” is intended to mean either an indirect or direct electrical/mechanical connection. Thus, if a first device is connected to a second device, that connection may be through a direct electrical/mechanical connection, or through an indirect electrical/mechanical connection via other devices and connections.
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However, the mounting direction, the disengaging direction and the longitudinal direction are not limited to this embodiment. It depends on practical demands. For example, in another embodiment, the mounting direction can be parallel to the horizontal direction, the longitudinal direction can be parallel to the vertical direction, and the disengaging direction can be different from the mounting direction.
Operational principle of the present invention is described as follows. Please refer to
It should be noticed that the numbers and the configurations of the hinge, the pivotal structure, the recess and the mounting slot are not limited to this embodiment. It depends on practical demands. For example, in another embodiment, the flip cover device can only include one hinge, one recess, one mounting slot disposed on a central portion of the main body and one pivotal structure disposed on a central portion of the lateral portion of the cover.
In contrast to the prior art, in the present invention, since the hinge and the cover are pivotally connected to each other in a detachable manner, the cover can be driven by a reaction force provided by the main body to disengage from the hinge via the notch structure when the cover abuts against the main body and is forced by the torque along the first pivoting direction, i.e., an unfolding direction. Therefore, the present invention can effectively prevent a permanent structural damage of the cover due to an excessive stress of the cover abutted by the main body. In other words, the flip cover device can effectively prevent the cover from being damaged or broken due to an improper and excessive pivotal movement of the cover. Furthermore, after the cover is disengaged from the hinge via the notch structure, the cover and the hinge still can be pivotally connected to each other again easily to recover the flip cover device. Therefore, the present invention has an easy recovery operation or an easy maintenance operation.
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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109129912 | Sep 2020 | TW | national |
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5979016 | Fan | Nov 1999 | A |
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20210247016 | Affentranger | Aug 2021 | A1 |
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2017-155837 | Sep 2017 | JP |
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I663867 | Jun 2019 | TW |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20220070319 A1 | Mar 2022 | US |