Electronic device comprising accessory

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11048304-B2
Application number	US-201816612892-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2018
Priority date	May 22, 2017
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

Various embodiments relating to an electronic device comprising an accessory are described. An electronic device according to one embodiment comprises: a first electronic device forming a first curved surface on at least one side and including at least one first magnet on the first curved surface; a second electronic device forming a second curved surface on at least one side and including at least one second magnet on the second curved surface; and an accessory structure including third and fourth curved surfaces facing the first and second curved surfaces, and including at least one third and fourth magnets on the third and fourth curved surfaces, wherein the accessory structure may attach and detach the at least one first and second magnets and the at least one third and fourth magnets by magnetic force, may rotate the first and second curved surfaces along the third and fourth curved surfaces, and may be bent during rotation so as to mount the first electronic device at various angles. Other various embodiments are also possible.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic device including an accessory, the electronic device comprising:
a first electronic device having a first curved face on at least one side face and including at least one first magnet in the first curved face;
a second electronic device having a second curved face on at least one side face and including at least one second magnet in the second curved face;
an accessory structure including third and fourth curved faces facing the first and second curved faces, and including at least one third magnet and at least one fourth magnet in the third curved face and the fourth curved face, respectively,
wherein the accessory structure allows the first electronic device to be mounted at various angles when the at least one first magnet and the at least one second magnet are attached to/detached from the at least one third magnet and the at least one fourth magnet of the first and second electronic devices by magnetic force and the first and second curved faces of the first and second electronic devices are rotated along the third and fourth curved faces such that the accessory structure is bent by the rotation,
wherein the accessory structure includes:
a first cover part located on a portion of a front face of the first electronic device, and including the third curved face formed on one side thereof to face the first curved face, the at least one third magnet located in the third curved face, the fourth curved face formed on another side thereof to face the second curved face, and the at least one fourth magnet located in the fourth curved face; and
a second cover part located on a rear face of the first electronic device, and rotatably connected to the first cover part, the second cover part being bent while being rotated to face a least a portion of the rear face of the first electronic device and to allow the first electronic device to be mounted at the various angles,
wherein the at least one third magnet and the at least one fourth magnet are attached to/detached from the at least one first magnet and the at least one second magnets by magnetic force, and the first and second curved faces of the first and second electronic devices are rotated along the third and fourth curved faces of the first cover part.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first electronic device includes at least one of a notebook computer, a netbook, a smartphone, and a tablet PC, and the second electronic device includes a keyboard.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth magnets has a cylindrical bar shape.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein a first portion of each of the first, second, third, and fourth magnets generates magnetic force, and wherein a second portion of each of the first, second, third, and fourth magnets includes a shield member configured to block the magnetic force of each of the magnets, and
wherein the shield member includes a metal material or a synthetic resin material, which blocks the magnetic force of each of the magnets.

5. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth curved faces includes at least one of circular, hemisphere, and elliptical shapes in cross section.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first cover part includes at least one of a speaker, a microphone, a camera, a connector terminal, a key button, and a touch screen.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the second cover part includes at least one bent portion that allows the second cover part to be bent.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein, when the second cover part is used or not used as a cradle, the second cover part is attached to/detached from at least one mounting magnet included in the first electronic device.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein each of the first electronic device, the second electronic device, and the first cover part includes a near-field communication module such that the first and second electronic devices and the first cover part transmit and receive a signal for near-field communication with each other.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein, when the second cover part is used as a cradle, the first magnet of the first electronic device is attached to the third magnet of the first cover part, the first curved face of the first electronic device is rotated along the third curved face of the first cover part,
the second cover part is rotated and bent to be attached to the at least one mounting magnet provided on the rear face of the first electronic device, so that the second cover part is used as a cradle, and
the second magnet of the second electronic device is attached to/detached from the fourth magnet of the first cover part.

11. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein, when the first electronic device is mounted at various angles, the first magnet of the first electronic device is separated from the third magnet of the first cover part and is attached to the fourth magnet, the first curved face of the first electronic device is rotated along the fourth curved face of the first cover part,
the second cover part is rotated and bent to be attached to the at least one mounting magnet provided on the rear face of the first electronic device, and the second cover part is located to face at least a portion of the rear face of the first electronic device, so that the second cover part is used as a cradle, and
the second magnet of the second electronic device is attached to/detached from the fourth magnet of the first cover part.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first electronic device is configured to perform an input mode or an operation mode by attaching/detaching the at least one first magnet of the first electronic device to/from the at least one third magnet of the accessory structure by magnetic force, and
the second electronic device is configured to perform an input mode or an operation mode by attaching/detaching the at least one second magnet of the second electronic device to/from the at least one fourth magnet of the accessory structure by magnetic force.

13. An accessory for coupling an electronic device, comprising:
a cover part including a first curved face, the cover part configured to cover at least one surface of an electronic device; and
at least one first magnet included in the first curved face of the cover part, the first magnet including a first portion configured to generate magnetic force and a shield member configured to block the generated magnetic force,
wherein the first magnet is configured to couple to a second magnet disposed in the electronic device, such that the electronic device is physically coupled to an input device through the accessory, and
wherein the at least one first magnet includes a cylindrical shape, and the shield member is formed in a corresponding cylindrical shape as to cover a portion of the first magnet, such that the electronic device is shielded from the generated magnetic force while rotatably coupled to the accessory.

14. An electronic device, comprising:
a first curved face and at least one first magnet in the first curved face; and
an accessory structure including a bendable cover, a second curved face with at least one second magnet in the second curved face, and a third curved face with at least one third magnet in the third curved face,
wherein the accessory structure is configured such that:
when the bendable cover is set at a first bending angle, the at least one second magnet is detachably coupled to the at least one first magnet by magnetic

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kang Nam-Hyun
• Kim Han
• Kim Ik-Sang
• Park Seon-Keun
• Hwang Ji-Su

Classifications

• G06F1/1633

  Constructional details or arrangements of portable computers not specific to the type of enclosures covered by groups G06F1/1615 - G06F1/1626 · CPC title

• G06F1/166 Primary

  related to integrated arrangements for adjusting the position of the main body with respect to the supporting surface, e.g. legs for adjusting the tilt angle · CPC title

• G06F1/1628

  Enclosures for carrying portable computers with peripheral devices, e.g. cases for a laptop and a printer · CPC title

• G06F1/1679 Primary

  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

• G06F2200/1633

  Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer · CPC title