Flexible living hinge for an identification pull tab

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10240374-B2
Application number	US-201715472657-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2017
Priority date	Mar 29, 2017
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

Examples disclosed herein relate to a flexible living hinge for an identification pull tab. The flexible living hinge has a first shot area with a first portion of a first material and a second portion of a second material. The first portion has a first spring tail and a second sprint tail for attachment to a surface of a product and the second portion has a flat surface. A second shot area of a third flexible material is connected to the first portion and the second portion of the first shot area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flexible living hinge for an identification pull tab, comprising:
a first shot area having a first portion of a first material and a second portion of a second material;
a second shot area of a third flexible material, the second shot area is molded between the first portion and the second portion of the first shot area for allowing the second portion to bend relative to the first portion about a hinge axis;
the first portion having a first spring tail and a second spring tail, the first spring tail and the second spring tail each extending substantially perpendicular to the hinge axis and having an end configured for locking insertion into a surface of a product; and
the second portion having a flat surface and a mechanical interlock configured to receive the second shot area of the third flexible material within the second portion.

2. The flexible living hinge of claim 1 , wherein the first material and the second material are plastics.

3. The flexible living hinge of claim 2 , wherein the first material comprises a polycarbonate resin.

4. The flexible living hinge of claim 2 , wherein the second material comprises a polycarbonate acrylonitrile butadiene styrene thermoplastic.

5. The flexible living hinge of claim 1 , wherein the first portion comprises an undercut adjacent to the first spring tail configured for allowing the first spring tail to be moved in a direction substantially parallel to the hinge axis for removal from the surface of the product.

6. The flexible living hinge of claim 1 , wherein the flat surface comprises a top and a bottom flat surface area for placement of a product identification label.

7. The flexible living hinge of claim 1 , wherein the third material comprises a thermoplastic elastomer material.

8. The flexible living hinge of claim 1 , wherein the second shot area is molded between the first portion and the second portion of the first shot area via the mechanical interlock and a chemical bond.

9. The flexible living hinge of claim 8 , wherein the chemical bond is formed during a two-shot overmold process.

10. A flexible living hinge for an identification pull tab, comprising:
a first shot area having a first portion of a first material and a second portion of a second material;
a second shot area of a third flexible material, the second shot area is molded between the first portion and the second portion of the first shot area for allowing the second portion to bend relative to the first portion about a hinge axis;
the first portion having a first spring tail and a second spring tail, the first spring tail and the second spring tail each extending substantially perpendicular to the hinge axis and having a barbed end configured for insertion into a surface of a computer server; and
the second portion having a flat surface and a dovetail shaped mechanical interlock configured to receive the second shot area of the third flexible material.

11. The flexible living hinge of claim 10 , wherein the first material and the second material are plastics.

12. The flexible living hinge of claim 11 , wherein the first material comprises a polycarbonate resin.

13. The flexible living hinge of claim 11 , wherein the second material comprises a polycarbonate acrylonitrile butadiene styrene thermoplastic.

14. The flexible living hinge of claim 10 , wherein the first portion comprises an undercut adjacent to the first spring tail configured for allowing the first spring tail to be moved in a direction substantially parallel to the hinge axis for removal from the surface of the computer server.

15. The flexible living hinge of claim 10 , wherein the flat surface comprises a top and a bottom flat surface area for placement of a product identification label.

16. The flexible living hinge of claim 10 , wherein the third material comprises a thermoplastic elastomer material.

17. The flexible living hinge of claim 10 , wherein the second shot area is molded between the first portion and the second portion of the first shot area via the mechanical interlock and a chemical bond.

18. The flexible living hinge of claim 17 , wherein the chemical bond is formed during a two-shot overmold process.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Entpr Dev Lp

Inventors

• Todd Eric
• Schulze James
• Sauer Keith A

Classifications

• F16C11/12

  incorporating flexible connections, e.g. leaf springs · CPC title

• Y10T16/525

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• E05D1/02 Primary

  made of one piece · CPC title

• G09F23/00

  Advertising on or in specific articles, e.g. ashtrays, letter-boxes (on or in vehicles G09F21/00) · CPC title

• E05D9/005

  from plastics (E05D1/02 takes precedence) · CPC title