The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 27, 1993
Filed:
Jul. 11, 1991
William B Thomas, Fremont, CA (US);
Michael R Barry, Palo Alto, CA (US);
James R Flom, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Zeos International, Ltd., St. Paul, MN (US);
Abstract
A laptop computer (10) with a tiltable and swivelable display (12) is connected to case (29) by a pivot mechanism (20) and a swivel mechanism (33). In the pivot mechanism (20), a first pivot (22) connects display (12) to a pivot plate (50), and the second pivot (24) connects the pivot plate (50) to base (32) of the display (12). The first pivot (22) consists of a pair of pivot pins (52) on each end of the pivot plate (50). The second pivot (24) consists of split pivot pins (54) at each end of the pivot plate (50). The pivot pins (54) and inboard shafts (58) are fastened together and inboard shafts (58) rotate within outboard shafts (56). The outboard shafts (56) and the inboard shafts (58) are surrounded by clutch springs (60), which are connected so that the clutches are in their free rotating direction, i.e., does not resist motion between them when the display is being opened, and which resist motion between the inboard shafts (58) and outboard shafts (56) when the display is being lowered, to produce a greater friction than produced by the first pivot (22). The swivel mechanism (33) consists of a first swivel member (70) fixedly attached to case (29) and a second swivel member (72) which is fixedly attached to display base (32) and nests inside the first swivel member (70). The second swivel member (72) rotates inside the first swivel member (70).