Gearing solution for an external flexible substrate on a multi-use product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10317934-B2
Application number	US-201514613915-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2015
Priority date	Feb 4, 2015
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

An information handling system a flexible display screen, first and second display platforms, and a rack gear component. The flexible display screen is movably mounted to the first and second display platforms. The rack gear component is mounted between the first and second display platforms, and controls support of the flexible display screen.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information handling system comprising:
a flexible display screen supported across a first display platform and a second display platform;
the first display platform hinged to the second display platform via a hinge, the flexible display screen movably mounted to the first and second display platforms;
the hinge including a first gear component operatively coupled to the first and second display platforms and the first gear component oriented to rotate with rotation of the first or second display platform about the hinge;
the hinge including a rack operatively coupled to the first gear component:
a flexible substrate operatively coupled to the rack; and
wherein the flexible substrate includes rigid supports to provide support to the flexible display screen,
wherein the rack and the first gear component to control support of the flexible display screen via actuation of the rack into a space between the hinge and the flexible display screen such that the rack supports a portion of the flexible display screen and the flexible substrate disposed across the hinge between the first display platform and the second display platform.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the rack gear component comprises:
a second gear component, the second gear component to be mounted on another one of the first or second display platforms; and
the rack to be placed in a first location between the first and second gear components when the first and second display platforms are in an open position, and to be placed in a second location between the first and second gear components when the first and second display platforms are in a closed position.

3. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the first gear component rotates with respect to the rack in response to the first and second display platforms moving from the open position to the closed position.

4. The information handling system of claim 3 , wherein the rack moves between a first location raised in the space between the hinge and the flexible display screen and a second location lowered between the first and second display platforms in response to the rotation of the first gear component.

5. The information handling system of claim 1 , further comprising:
the flexible substrate to be mounted between at least one of the first or second display platforms and the flexible display screen the flexible substrate to provide support to the flexible display screen while the flexible display screen is in any of a plurality of positions.

6. The information handling system of claim 5 , wherein the flexible substrate comprises:
a flexible material to surround the rigid supports, the flexible material to enable the flexible substrate to bend.

7. The information handling system of claim 6 , wherein the flexible substrate is configured to slide along one of the first and second display platforms in response to the first and second display platforms being rotated.

8. An information handling system comprising:
a flexible display screen;
a first display platform hinged to a second display platform via a hinge, the flexible display screen movably mounted to the first and second display platforms;
the hinge including a rack to be actuated into a first location by rotation of a first gear component operatively coupled to one of the first or second display platforms;
the first gear component operatively coupled to the rack and oriented to rotate with the first or second display platform about the hinge to raise the rack into a space between the hinge and the flexible display screen when the first and second display platforms are in an open position;
a flexible substrate in physical communication with the rack, the flexible substrate to provide support to the flexible display screen such that the rack supports a portion of the flexible display screen and the flexible substrate disposed across the hinge between the first display platform and the second display platform; and
wherein the flexible substrate includes rigid supports to provide support to the flexible display screen,
the rack placed in a second location lowered between the first and second display platforms when the first and second display platforms are in a closed position,
wherein the rack causes the flexible display screen to flex when the rack is in the second location and cause the flexible display screen to straighten when the rack is in the first location.

9. The information handling system of claim 8 , wherein the rack is placed in a third location between the first and second location in response to the first and second display platforms being placed in a reader position.

10. The information handling system of claim 8 , wherein the flexible substrate is configured to slide along one of the first and second display platforms in response to the first or second display platforms being rotated.

11. The information handling system of claim 10 , further comprising:
a second gear component to be operatively coupled to another one of the first or second display platforms, and to be operatively coupled to the rack.

12. The information handling system of claim 11 , wherein the first and second gear components rotate with respect to the rack in response to the first or second display platforms moving from the open position to the closed position.

13. The information handling system of claim 8 , further comprising:
the flexible substrate to be mounted between the first display platform and the flexible display screen to provide support to the flexible display screen while the flexible display screen is in any of a plurality of positions.

14. The information handling system of claim 13 , wherein the flexible substrate comprises:
rigid supports to provide support to the flexible display screen; and
a flexible material to surround the rigid supports, the flexible material to enable the flexible substrate to bend.

15. The information handling system of claim 14 , wherein the flexible substrate is configured to slide along one of the first and second display platforms in response to the first or second display platforms being rotated.

16. An information handling system comprising:
a hinge including a first gear component;
a flexible substrate includes rigid supports to provide support to a flexible display screen of the information handling system,
wherein the flexible substrate and the flexible display screen are supported across the hinge between hinged display platforms; and
the hinge including a rack operatively coupled to the first gear component and to the flexible substrate, the rack and the first gear component to control support of the flexible display screen via actuation of the rack into a space between the first gear component and the flexible substrate supported across the hinge,
wherein the first gear component controls a position of the rack by raising the rack into or lowering the rack from the space between the first gear component and the flexible substrate based from movement of the first gear component when a position of the information handling system is adjusted.

17. The information handling system of claim 16 , further comprising:
rigid supports operatively coupled to the flexible substrate, the rigid supports to provide support to the flexible display screen.

18. The information handling system of claim 17 , further comprising:
a flexible material to surround the rigid supports, the flexible material to enable the flexible substrate to bend.

19. The infor

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Hampton Patrick
• Pelissier Gerald R
• Tzeng George
• Morrison John Trevor
• Cheng Alpha Y F

Classifications

• G06F1/1616 Primary

  with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position · CPC title

• G06F1/1652

  the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable · CPC title

• G06F1/1681

  Details related solely to hinges (hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683) · CPC title

• G06F1/1601 Primary

  Constructional details related to the housing of computer displays, e.g. of CRT monitors, of flat displays (constructional details related to flat displays integrated in a portable computer, e.g. laptop, handheld computer G06F1/1637; constructional details related to television receivers H04N5/64) · CPC title