Sugatsune Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Katsuya Imai

Kazuyoshi Oshima

Shinichiro Koshikawa

Shinichirou Koshikawa

Hisashi Fukai

A hinge assembly comprising a movable memberand a fixed memberrotatably connected to each other and a coiled spring (not shown) biasing the movable membertoward the fixed member. A receiving recessis formed in an opposing surfaceof the movable memberfacing the fixed member. A spherical bodyis received in the receiving recesssuch that the spherical bodyis movable in a circumferential direction of the movable member. A first cam portionis formed in an opposing surface of the fixed memberfacing the movable member. Rotation of the movable memberin a direction of an arrow causes the cam portionto be abutted against the spherical body. The cam portionconverts a biasing force of the coiled spring into a rotational biasing force. The rotational biasing force causes the spherical bodyto be rapidly abutted against a first hitting portionof the receiving recessand thereby to generate a clicking sound.

Hinge assembly

A hinge pinis turnably inserted in a through holeformed in a first hinge member. A second hinge memberis fixed to the hinge pin. A movable memberis connected to the first hinge membersuch that said movable memberis non-turnable but movable in the axial direction. A convex partis formed on the movable member. A concave partis formed in a fixing memberof the second hinge member. By pressing the convex partagainst a bottom surfaceof the concave partunder the biasing force of a coiled spring, the biasing force of the coiled springcan be converted to a turn biasing force for turning the second hinge memberwith respect to the first hinge member. The hinge pinis press-fitted in the through-holeof the first hinge member. This causes to generate a frictional resistance for preventing relative rotation between the first hinge memberand the second member, between the inner peripheral surface of the through-holeand the outer peripheral surface of the hinge pin. This frictional resistance is set to be smaller than the turn biasing force caused by the coiled spring

Hinge device

An abutment memberof a first hinge member Ais pressed against a cam memberof a second hinge member Aby a coiled springBy this, an interval between an enlarged diameter portionof an insertion memberof the first hinge member Aand a connecting plate portionof the second hinge member Ais restricted to a predetermined interval. In other words, an interval between the end facesof the enlarged diameter portionand the connecting plate portionis restricted to a predetermined interval. A friction membercomposed of an elastic material such as a rubber is disposed between the end faces. The thickness of the friction memberin the opposing direction of the end facesis larger than the interval between the end faces

A hinge assembly () used for a foldable cellular telephone, wherein a pair of abutment members () are forcibly rotated by the biasing force of a bias means () to a neutral position where the center parts of the projection () and the recess () of the abutment members are generally aligned with each other in circumferential direction, the projection is brought into contact with the recess at both side parts of the abutment members in circumferential direction when the pair of abutment members are rotated to the neutral position, and the outer surface of the projection and both side surfaces of the recess in circumferential direction should desirably be formed in an arcuate surface and an outwardly projecting arcuate surface, respectively.

A hinge assembly for switching a closed position and an open position of two articles by engagement between a first hinge member which is disposed at one of the two articles such that the first hinge member is non-turnable and non-movable in the axial direction and a second hinge member which is disposed at the other article such that the second hinge member is non-turnable but movable in the axial direction, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a plurality of engagement members disposed between the first hinge member and the second hinge member in such a manner as to be away from each other in the circumferential direction, biasing means for pressing the engagement member against the first hinge member, a guide portion for connecting the engagement members, which are disposed at the first hinge member, such that the engagement members are movable only in the radial direction, and a locking portion, which is disposed at the second hinge member, being raised towards the first hinge member and varied in height along the radial direction, the engagement members being locked by a high part of said locking portion, thereby maintaining the first and second hinge members in the closed position, and wherein movement means moves the engagement members from a high side towards a low side of the locking portion in accordance with movement of the control member, which is externally controlled, from the first position towards the second position side, and the first hinge member is turned to the open position by turning force of the biasing means.

A hinge assembly ( ) used for a foldable cellular telephone, comprising a pair of abutment members ( ), a bias means ( ) biasing the abutment members so that the abutment members are pressingly brought into contact with each other, a projection ( ) extending in the radial direction of one abutment member ( ), and a recess ( ) allowing the access of the projection thereto formed in the other abutment member ( ), wherein the recess ( ) is formed of an inside recess and an outside recess on the radial inner and outer sides of the other abutment member, and the inside recess is formed along the center line of the other abutment member and the outside recess is formed so that the width thereof is increased from the inside recess to the outside so that the side surface of the recess is generally formed in a dogleg-like configuration.

Hinge for cellular telephone

A cam portion is composed of a first to fifth arcuate surfaces to . The first arcuate surface is arranged such that when a cover member C of a cellular telephone is located in a neutral position, a plate spring portion contacts a crossing portion where the first arcuate surface crosses an orthogonal line Lp passing through a center of curvature of the first arcuate surface and orthogonal to a rotation axis L. A second and a third arcuate surface are arranged on both sides of the first arcuate surface . Radii of curvature of the second and third arcuate surfaces are set to be larger than a radius of curvature of the fist arcuate surface

A hinge shaft is nonpivotably connected to a cover . Two shaft portions are formed on the hinge shaft . Spring elements , which are nonpivotably disposed at a telephone main body , are in pressure contact with the shaft portions . By the foregoing arrangement, the shaft portions are functioned as a pivotal movement restricting portion for restricting a pivoting position of the cover 3. The shaft portions are arranged away from each other so that a space S for storing a lubricating oil such as a grease is formed therebetween.

Slits are each formed in one pair of first opposite side portions of a hinge body . By this, one pair of second opposite side portions of the hinge body can resiliently be deformed such that an interval between the second opposite side portions varies. An outside interval W between the second opposite side portions , at an opening end, of the hinge main body is designed to be larger than an inside interval between one pair of opposite inner surfaces of a receiving hole . By this, the one pair of second side portions of the hinge main body are press contacted with opposite inner surfaces of the receiving hole

Hinge assembly with limited play

There is provided a hinge device for a foldable apparatus which comprises a first member provided with a first hinge sleeve rigidly secured thereto and with a first abutment peripheral edge and a second member provided with a second hinge sleeve with a second abutment peripheral edge slidably held in abutment with the first abutment peripheral edge; wherein said hinge device further comprises a first disk unrotatably fitted into said first hinge sleeve and a second disk unrotatably fitted into said second hinge sleeve; and either the first abutment facet of the first disk or the second abutment facet of the second disk being provided with a plurality of engaging recesses arranged at predetermined angular positions thereof; the other being provided with a plurality of engaging projections adapted to become engaged with the each engaging recesses under the effect of resilient force of a coil spring, the engagement of said engaging projections and said engaging recesses being switched by an opening or closing motion of the first and second members;

Growing community of inventors

Tako-Machi, Japan

Katsuya Imai