Composite hinge assembly, multi-functional keypad and tablet computer kit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11042197-B2
Application number	US-201716309938-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2017
Priority date	Nov 10, 2016
Publication date	Jun 22, 2021
Grant date	Jun 22, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a composite hinge assembly, comprising a clamping portion and a rotating shaft portion fixed relative to the clamping portion and extending out of the two ends of the clamping portion. An inner surface of the clamping portion defining a slot, and an outer surface of the clamping portion is a damping layer made of an elastic material. The present disclosure also discloses a tablet computer kit and a multi-functional keypad thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A composite hinge assembly for a multi-functional keypad with a keypad body, comprising a clamping portion and a rotating shaft portion fixed relative to the clamping portion and extending out of two ends of the clamping portion, the clamping portion having an inner surface defining a slot and an outer surface which is a damping layer made of an elastic material;
wherein the damping layer is configured to be pressed to come into an elastic contact with the keypad body as the clamping portion is rotated about the rotating shaft portion relative to the keypad body to enable a tablet computer inserted into the slot to be disposed at any desired stable opening angles relative to the keypad body.

2. The composite hinge assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the outer surface of the clamping portion is a cam surface.

3. The composite hinge assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the clamping portion comprises an inner housing and an outer housing, the slot is formed on a surface of the inner housing, the damping layer is formed on a surface of the outer housing; the outer housing comprises a curved outer wall facing the inner housing and for arranging the damping layer and side walls provided at the two end faces of the outer wall, the inner housing and the outer and side walls of the outer housing enclose a receiving cavity; the rotating shaft portion passes through the side walls and is fixed in the receiving cavity.

4. The composite hinge assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the rotating shaft portion comprises two rotating shaft portions disposed respectively at the two ends of the outer housing.

5. The composite hinge assembly according to claim 3 , further comprising a mounting plate disposed in the receiving cavity, wherein the rotating shaft portion comprises a planar contact surface fastened to a surface of the mounting plate.

6. The composite hinge assembly according to claim 3 , further comprising a plurality of magnetic blocks disposed in the receiving cavity, the plurality of magnetic blocks being arranged in a row at a bottom of the slot.

7. The composite hinge assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising a damping block protruding from a surface of the damping layer;
wherein the damping block extends along a circumferential direction of the clamping portion, and abuts against an upper surface of the keypad body to restrict the clamping portion relative to the rotating shaft portion when the clamping portion is rotated to a maximum opening angle.

8. A multi-functional keypad comprising a keypad body and a composite hinge assembly disposed on the keypad body, wherein the composite hinge assembly comprises a clamping portion and a rotating shaft portion fixed relative to the clamping portion and extending out of two ends of the clamping portion, the clamping portion has an inner surface which defines a slot and an outer surface which is a damping layer made of an elastic material; the composite hinge assembly is rotatably disposed on the keypad body by means of the rotating shaft portion at the two ends;
wherein the damping layer is configured to be pressed to come into an elastic contact with the keypad body as the clamping portion is rotated about the rotating shaft portion relative to the keypad body to enable a tablet computer inserted into the slot to be disposed at any desired stable opening angles relative to the keypad body.

9. The multi-functional keypad according to claim 8 , wherein the outer surface of the clamping portion is a cam surface.

10. The multi-functional keypad according to claim 8 , wherein the clamping portion comprises an inner housing and an outer housing, the slot is formed on a surface of the inner housing, the damping layer is formed on a surface of the outer housing; the outer housing comprises a curved outer wall facing the inner housing and for arranging the damping layer and side walls provided at the two end faces of the outer wall, the inner housing and the outer and side walls of the outer housing enclose a receiving cavity; the rotating shaft portion passes through the side walls and is fixed in the receiving cavity.

11. The multi-functional keypad according to claim 10 , wherein the rotating shaft portion comprises two rotating shaft portions disposed respectively at the two ends of the outer housing.

12. The multi-functional keypad according to claim 10 , further comprising a mounting plate disposed in the receiving cavity, wherein the rotating shaft portion comprises a planar contact surface fastened to a surface of the mounting plate.

13. The multi-functional keypad according to claim 10 , further comprising a plurality of magnetic blocks disposed in the receiving cavity, the plurality of magnetic blocks being arranged in a row at a bottom of the slot.

14. The multi-functional keypad according to claim 8 , wherein the composite hinge assembly further includes a damping block protruding from a surface of the damping layer;
wherein the damping block extends along a circumferential direction of the clamping portion, and abuts against an upper surface of the keypad body to restrict the clamping portion relative to the rotating shaft portion when the clamping portion is rotated to a maximum opening angle.

15. A tablet computer kit, comprising a tablet computer and a multi-functional keypad, the multi-functional keypad comprising a keypad body and a composite hinge assembly disposed on the keypad body, wherein the composite hinge assembly comprises a clamping portion and a rotating shaft portion fixed relative to the clamping portion and extending out of two ends of the clamping portion, the clamping portion has an inner surface which defines a slot and an outer surface which is a damping layer made of an elastic material; the composite hinge assembly is rotatably disposed on the keypad body by means of the rotating shaft portion at the two ends, and the tablet computer configured to be inserted into the slot;
wherein the damping layer is configured to be pressed to come into an elastic contact with the keypad body as the clamping portion is rotated about the rotating shaft portion relative to the keypad body to enable the tablet computer to be disposed at any desired stable opening angles relative to the keypad body.

16. The tablet computer kit according to claim 15 , wherein the outer surface of the clamping portion is a cam surface.

17. The tablet computer kit according to claim 15 , wherein the clamping portion comprises an inner housing and an outer housing, the slot is formed on a surface of the inner housing, the damping layer is formed on a surface of the outer housing; the outer housing comprises a curved outer wall facing the inner housing and for arranging the damping layer and side walls provided at the two end faces of the outer wall, the inner housing and the outer and side walls of the outer housing enclose a receiving cavity; the rotating shaft portion passes through the side walls and is fixed in the receiving cavity.

18. The tablet computer kit according to claim 17 , further comprising a mounting plate disposed in the receiving cavity, wherein the rotating shaft portion comprises a planar contact surface fastened to a surface of the mounting plate.

19. The tablet computer kit according to claim 17 , further comprising a plurality of magnetic blocks disposed in the receiving cavity, the plurality of magnetic blocks being arranged in a row at a bottom of the slot.

20. The tablet computer kit according to claim 15 , wherein the composite hin

Assignees

• Jrd Communication Shenzhen Ltd

Inventors

• Li Bingquan
• Zong Li
• Zou Aijun

Classifications

• G06F1/1632 Primary

  External expansion units, e.g. docking stations · CPC title

• G06F1/1616

  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

• G06F1/1669

  Detachable keyboards · CPC title

• G06F1/1622 Primary

  with enclosures rotating around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define or with ball-joint coupling, e.g. PDA with display enclosure orientation changeable between portrait and landscape by rotation with respect to a coplanar body enclosure · CPC title

• G06F1/1679

  for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA (G06F1/1681 takes precedence) · CPC title