Patent Application
20070234514
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hinge with a multi-stage positioning function, especially to a hinge mounted in an electrical appliance to allow a cover to pivot relative to a base.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
Electrical devices such as notebook computers, cellular phones, etc. comprise a cover, a base and a hinge. The hinge is mounted between the cover and the base to allow the cover to pivot relative to the base. When the cover is closed, the conventional hinge keeps the cover from hitting the base. However, the hinge only uses friction to hold the cover in position when the cover is open and does not provide a positioning function. After the electrical devices are used for a long time, the hinge wears, and the friction of the hinge is not sufficient to hold the cover in position, especially for portable video games having covers that are opened for a long time.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a hinge with a multi-stage positioning function to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.
The main objective of the present invention is to provide a hinge with a multi-stage positioning function. The hinge with a multi-stage positioning function has a sleeve, a shaft and a positioning spacer assembly. The shaft extends rotatably through the sleeve. The positioning spacer assembly has a first positioning spacer, a second positioning spacer and a third positioning spacer. The first positioning spacer is mounted securely in the sleeve and is mounted around the shaft. Two balls are attached respectively to two opposite surfaces of the first positioning spacer. The second and third positioning spacers are mounted securely on the shaft, are respectively adjacent to the opposite surfaces of the first positioning spacer and respectively have a detent. The detents respectively correspond to and selectively engage the balls and misalign with each other to provide a multi-stage positioning function.
Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
With reference to
The sleeve (10) is hollow and may have an outer wall, an opening end (11), a closed end (12), two notches (13), a through hole (14), a recess (15) and a washer (16). The outer wall of the sleeve (10) may be non-circular. The notches (13) are formed separately in the opening end (11). The through hole (14) is formed through the closed end (12). The recess (15) is formed in the closed end (12). The washer (16) is mounted in the recess (15).
The shaft (20) is mounted rotatably in and extends through the sleeve (10) and may have a first end, a second end, an extension rod (21) and a head (22). The extension rod (21) is non-circular, is formed axially on the first end of the shaft (20) and extends through the through hole (14) in the sleeve (10). The head (22) is formed radially on the second end of the shaft (20) and abuts against the washer (16) in the sleeve (10).
The biasing member (40) is mounted in and abuts against the sleeve (10) and is mounted around the shaft (20). The biasing member (40) may be mounted around the extension rod (21) of the shaft (20), may abut against the closed end (12) of the sleeve (10) and may be a spring.
The positioning spacer assembly (30) is mounted around the shaft (20), abuts against the biasing member (40) and has a first positioning spacer (31), a second positioning spacer (32) and a third positioning spacer (33).
The first positioning spacer (31) is mounted securely in the sleeve (10), is mounted around the shaft (20) and has an edge, two optional protruding parts (311), an inside surface (312), an outside surface (313), an optional inside detent (314), an optional inside protrusion (315), an inside ball (316), an optional outside detent (317), an optional outside protrusion (318) and an outside ball (319). The protruding parts (311) are formed oppositely on and extends radially out from the edge of the first positioning spacer (31) and engage the notches (13) of the sleeve (10) to mount the first positioning spacer (31) securely in the sleeve (10). The inside detent (314) is formed in the inside surface (312) of the first positioning spacer (31). The inside protrusion (315) is formed on the inside surface of the first positioning spacer (31) and is opposite to the inside detent (314). The inside ball (316) is attached to the inside surface (312) of the first positioning spacer (311) and may be mounted securely in the inside detent (314). The outside detent (317) is formed in the outside surface (313) of the first positioning spacer (31). The outside protrusion (318) is formed on the outside surface (313) of the first positioning spacer (31) and is opposite to the outside detent (317). The outside ball (319) is attached to the outside surface (313) of the first positioning spacer (31) and may be mounted securely in the outside detent (317).
With further reference to
With further reference to
The fastener (50) is mounted securely on the shaft (10), may be mounted securely on the extension rod (21) of the shaft (10) to hold the biasing member (40) and the positioning spacer assembly (30) in place and may have an non-circular outer wall.
With further reference to
Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and features of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in the details, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
