Patent ID: 7155781
Filing Date: 2007-01-02
Classification: G06F,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An electronic instrument composed by pivoting a first member provided with a display portion to a second member, provided with an operating portion and connected electrically to the first member, through a hinge device to be rotable substantially in the horizontal direction, said hinge device characterized in that a first coupling member having a shaft portion is provided in one of said first member and said second member, a second coupling member having a bearing hole portion for bearing said shaft portion is provided in the other member, said first coupling member and said second coupling member are coupled with each other through the shaft portion to be rotable relative to each other so that the first member is rotated through the shaft portion relative to the second member in any direction of right and left directions, and an excessive rotation preventing mechanism for presenting relative excessive rotation of the first member in any direction of the right and left directions relative to the second member is provided, an annular rotary member is provided to be rotatable in any direction of the right and left directions relative to said shaft portion, a first abutment retainer mechanism is provided in which a first abutment portion with which a projection provided on said rotary member is brought into abutment is formed to project from a circumferential surface of the shaft portion in which the first abutment portion is abutted against and retained at the projection even if the first coupling member or the second coupling member is rotated in any direction of the right and left directions so that said rotary member is cooperatively rotated in the right and left directions together with the shaft portion, a second abutment retainer mechanism is provided, in which a projecting portion is formed to project from a surface of the second coupling member on which said projection is butted and retained and said first abutment portion allows the upward passage when said shaft portion and said rotary member are rotated together in any direction of the right and left directions, and said projection abuts against and retained at the projecting potion to thereby prevent the cooperative rotation in said rotary member and said second coupling member, and said excessive rotation preventing mechanism prevents the horizontal rotation of the first member in a position where the first member is directed to real back side from a position where the first member is directed to a real frontal side even of the first member is rotated in any direction of the right and left directions in the horizontal direction to said second member, wherein a first abutment portion for being abutted against and retained at the respective right and left side portions of a projection provided in said rotary member when said first coupling member or said second coupling member is rotated in the respective right and left directions is provided to project from a circumferential surface of said shaft portion and said first abutment portion is abutted against and retained at the right and left side portions of the projection, so that said shaft portion and said rotary member is rotated in any direction of the right and left directions together to form said first abutment retainer mechanism, a second abutment retainer mechanism is provided for preventing the cooperative rotation between the rotary member and the shaft portion, said second abutment retainer mechanism has a second abutment portion formed to project from a surface of said second coupling member for allowing an upward passage without abutting against the first abutment portion while being retained at one side portion of right and left side portion of the projection provided on said rotary member when said shaft portion and said rotary member are rotated together in any one direction of said right and left directions, and a third abutment portion is formed to project from a surface of said second coupling member for allowing upward passage without the first abutment portion abutting against and for being abutted against by and retained at a side portion of the opposite side to the side portion for being abutted against by the second abutment portion out of the right and left side portions of the projection provided on said rotary member when the shaft portion and said rotary member are rotated in any direction together in the right and left direction.