Flexible device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11459808-B2
Application number	US-201716319676-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2017
Priority date	Jul 19, 2016
Publication date	Oct 4, 2022
Grant date	Oct 4, 2022

Abstract

A flexible device includes two opposite sides and a flexible functional element. Each side includes a movable element having a top portion. The flexible functional element includes a flexible functional screen and a support plate supporting the flexible functional screen. The support plate includes a plate body and fixing sheets extending from the plate body. The plate body separably abuts against the top portions of the movable elements, and the fixing sheets fix to the movable elements.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flexible device, comprising:
two opposite sides each comprising: a movable element having a top portion; and
a flexible functional element comprising:
a flexible functional screen; and
a support plate supporting the flexible functional screen and comprising a plate body and fixing sheets extending from the plate body, the plate body separably abutting against the top portions of the movable elements, and the fixing sheets fixing to the movable elements.

2. The flexible device of claim 1 , wherein each of the fixing sheets is formed by integral bending of the plate body.

3. The flexible device of claim 1 , wherein the support plate further comprises connection sheets each connecting one of the fixing sheets to the plate body.

4. The flexible device of claim 3 , wherein each of two opposite sides of each of the connection sheets defines a recess recessed toward an inside of the plate body.

5. The flexible device of claim 3 , wherein each of the connection sheets is narrower than each of the fixing sheets.

6. The flexible device of claim 1 , further comprising fixing elements each passing through one of the fixing sheets and one of the movable elements to fix the one of the fixing sheets to the one of the movable elements.

7. The flexible device of claim 6 , wherein each of the fixing elements passes through one of the fixing sheets from outside to inside, and is locked in one of the movable elements.

8. The flexible device of claim 6 , further comprising a first connection element connecting to the movable elements.

9. The flexible device of claim 8 , wherein the first connection element comprises a base plate supporting the movable elements and sidewalls formed on ends of the base plate, and each of the fixing elements further passes through one of the sidewalls of the first connection element.

10. The flexible device of claim 9 , wherein the first connection element further comprises baffles formed on the base plate, each of the baffles is adjacent to one of the sidewalls, and each of the fixing sheets is sandwiched between one of the baffles and one of the sidewalls adjacent to the one of the baffles.

11. The flexible device of claim 10 , wherein each of the fixing elements sequentially passes through one of the sidewalls, one of the fixing sheets, and one of the baffles, and is locked in one of the movable elements.

12. The flexible device of claim 9 , further comprising another movable elements and a connection beam, each of the another movable elements locates at one of the two opposite sides of the flexible device, and movably connects to one of the movable elements, and the connection beam has opposite ends inserting in the movable elements respectively.

13. The flexible device of claim 12 , further comprising a second connection element supporting the another movable elements, and the connection beam locates above the second connection element.

14. The flexible device of claim 13 , wherein the base plate of the second connection element is wider than the base plate of the first connection element.

15. The flexible device of claim 1 , further comprising positioning elements, each of the two opposite sides of the flexible device further comprising another movable element, each of the movable elements defining at least one positioning slot, each of the another movable elements defining a positioning hole, and each of the positioning elements passing through one of the at least one positioning slot of one of the movable elements and the positioning hole of one of the another movable elements adjacent to the one of the movable elements.

16. The flexible device of claim 15 , wherein each of the movable elements defines two positioning slots, each of the positioning slots locates at one of two opposite side portions of each of the movable elements, and each of the fixing elements passes through a portion of one of the movable elements between the two positioning slots of the one of the movable elements.

17. The flexible device of claim 1 , further comprising a connection rod having two opposite ends, each of the two opposite sides of the flexible device further comprising another movable element, each of the movable element moves relative to one of the another movable elements, and the two opposite ends of the connection rod inserting in the another movable elements respectively.

18. The flexible device of claim 17 , wherein each of the another movable elements has a top portion, the top portion of each of the another movable elements defines a fixing slot, and the connection rod inserts in the fixing slots of the another movable elements.

19. The flexible device of claim 1 , wherein each of the two opposite sides of the flexible device further comprises another movable element adjacent to one of the movable elements, each of the another movable elements has a top surface, the top surface of each of the another movable elements has a top portion, each of the movable elements has a top surface, and the top portion of each of the movable elements locates on the top surface of each of the movable elements.

20. The flexible device of claim 19 , wherein a movement of each of the movable elements relative to one adjacent another movable element deforms the flexible device to switch between a first state and a second state; in the first state, the plate body of the support plate is separated from other regions of the top surface of each of the another movable elements adjacent to the top portion of each of the another movable elements and other regions of the top surface of each of the movable elements adjacent to the top portion of each of the movable elements; in the second state, the plate body of the support plate is in contact with the other regions of the top surface of each of the another movable elements adjacent to the top portion of each of the another movable elements and the other regions of the top surface of each of the movable elements adjacent to the top portion of each of the movable elements.

Assignees

• Shenzhen Royole Technologies Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wu Weifeng
• Yang Songling

Classifications

• H04M1/0268

  including a flexible display panel · CPC title

• A44C5/02

  Link constructions · CPC title

• G06F1/1652

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

• G06F1/1643

  the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads (details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615) · CPC title

• A44C5/0053 Primary

  Flexible straps · CPC title