Patent ID: 6305050
Filing Date: 2001-10-23
Classification: E05D,E05Y,G06F,H01H,H04M,Y10T

Abstract:
A hinge device to be used for a foldable apparatus comprising a first member provided with a first hinge sleeve rigidly secured thereto and having a first abutment peripheral edge and a second member provided with a second hinge sleeve having a second abutment peripheral edge slidably held in abutment with the first abutment peripheral edge;said hinge device comprising a first disk unrotatably fitted into said first hinge sleeve and a second disk unrotatably fitted into said second hinge sleeve;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 respective 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;said first disk having a sleeve-shaped main body and a sliding disk axially slidably fitted into the sliding grooves produced by cutting the peripheral wall of the main body; said engaging projections or said engaging recesses being formed on said sliding disk;said second disk being provided with resilient anti-release claws;a rod being driven sequentially into said second disk, said sliding disk and said coil spring and fitted into and unreleasably secured to the sleeve-shaped main body of said first disk so as to form an engagement assembly and make the first abutment facet of the sliding disk to be urged by the coil spring and resiliently abut the second abutment facet of the second disk, thereby producing a pair of spaces having a length not smaller than that of the engaging projections between the sliding disk and the remote ends of the sliding grooves in the engagement assembly;said resilient anti-release claws of said second disk becoming engaged with said second hinge sleeve by fitting said engagement assembly into said first hinge sleeve and said second hinge sleeve.