Abstract:
A flip-up electronic product mounting structure includes a base frame shell having a pivot connection portion, a cover frame shell having a mating connection portion and a plug hole located in the mating connection portion, and a hinge including female hinge members fixedly mounted in the pivot connection portion, a male hinge member rotatably and axially movably mounted in the female hinge member with a plug portion located at one end thereof, and a displacement control device operable to move the male hinge member relative to the female hinge member to further engage the plug portion into the plug hole or disengage the plug portion from the plug hole. Thus, the invention facilitates the assembly of the flip-flop electronic product, enabling the flip-flop electronic product to have light, thin, short and small design characteristics.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to flip-up electronic product technology and more particularly, to a flip-up electronic product mounting structure which uses a specially designed hinge to couple a base frame shell and a cover frame shell together. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Hinges are intensively used in flip-up mobile electronic devices, such as notebook, electronic dictionary, PDA and etc. to pivotally connect a base member and a cover member together, allowing only a limited angle of rotation between them. 
     A conventional flip-up electronic product mounting structure for flip-up electronic product generally comprises a female hinge shaft having a mounting leaf for fixation to a cover member of a flip-up electronic product, and a male hinge shaft rotatably inserted through the female hinge shaft and having a mounting leaf for fixation to a base member of the flip-up electronic product for allowing the cover member of the flip-up electronic product to be turned relative to the base member between an open position and a close position. However, this conventional design of flip-up electronic product mounting structure still has drawbacks as follows: 
     1. The cover member and base member of the flip-up electronic product must provide a respective mounting leaf for mounting. It is complicated to respectively fasten the mounting leaf of the male hinge shaft and the mounting leaf of the female hinge shaft to the cover member and base member of the flip-up electronic product with screws. 
     2. Today&#39;s electronic products are facing light, thin, short and small design. The mounting leaf of the male hinge shaft and the mounting leaf of the female hinge shaft occupy much space in the cover member and base member of the flip-up electronic product, minimizing available internal space of the flip-up electronic product, not facilitating small size design. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a flip-up electronic product mounting structure, which facilitates the assembly of the flip-flop electronic product, enabling the flip-flop electronic product to have light, thin, short and small design characteristics. 
     To achieve this and other objects of the present invention, a flip-up electronic product mounting structure comprises a base frame shell, a cover frame shell, and a hinge. The base frame shell comprises a pivot connection portion. The cover frame shell comprises a mating connection portion, and a plug hole located in the mating connection portion. The hinge is mounted in the pivot connection portion of the base frame shell for detachably and pivotally securing the cover frame shell to the base frame shell, comprising at least one female hinge member affixed to the base frame shell, a male hinge member rotatably and axially movably mounted in the at least one female hinge member, the male hinge member comprising a non-circular plug portion located at one end thereof in axial alignment with the plug hole of the cover frame shell for engaging into the plug hole of the cover frame shell, and displacement control means operable to move the male hinge member between a first position where the plug portion is engaged into the plug hole to pivotally secure the cover frame shell to the base frame shell, and a second position where the plug portion is disengaged from the plug hole for allowing separation between the cover frame shell and the base frame shell. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic side view of a flip-up electronic product mounting structure in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an oblique top elevational view of the hinge of the flip-up electronic product mounting structure in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the hinge of the flip-up electronic product mounting structure in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the hinge of the flip-up electronic product mounting structure in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic assembly view of the flip-up electronic product mounting structure in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention (I). 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic assembly view of the flip-up electronic product mounting structure in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention (II). 
         FIG. 7  is an oblique top elevational view of a hinge for flip-up electronic product mounting structure in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded view of the hinge shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic assembly view of the flip-up electronic product mounting structure in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention (I). 
         FIG. 10  is a schematic assembly view of the flip-up electronic product mounting structure in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention (II). 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 5 , a flip-up electronic product mounting structure in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention is shown. The flip-up electronic product mounting structure comprises a base frame shell  1  with a pivot connection portion  11  located at one side thereof and a non-circular plug hole  22  located in the pivot connection portion  11  holding therein, for example, a keyboard, a circuit board and etc. and having, a cover frame shell  2  with a mating connection portion  21  located at one side thereof and holding therein, for example, a display screen, a hinge  3  mounted in the pivot connection portion  11  of the base frame shell  1 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2-4  and  FIG. 5  again, the hinge  3  comprises a mounting base member  31 , two female hinge members  32 , a male hinge member  33 , and first displacement control means. In this embodiment, the first displacement control means is a lever  34 . 
     The mounting base member  31  is fixedly mounted at the pivot connection portion  11  of the base frame shell  1 , comprising a horizontal bottom wall  311 , two upright walls  312  vertically upwardly extended from the horizontal bottom wall  311  in a parallel manner, and a mounting hole  313  located in each upright wall  312 . 
     The female hinge members  32  are fixedly mounted at a top surface of the horizontal bottom wall  311  of the mounting base member  31  between the two upright walls  312 , each comprising a split tube-like shaft body  322  defining therein an axially extending shaft chamber  323 , and a positioning portion  321  formed integral with the periphery of the split tube-like shaft body  322  and fixedly mounted at the top surface of the horizontal bottom wall  311  of the mounting base member  31 . 
     The male hinge member  33  is rotatably and axially movably inserted through the axially extending shaft chamber  323  of each female hinge member  32 , comprising a non-circular plug portion  331  located at one end thereof and a position-limit groove  332  extending around the periphery thereof on the middle and disposed between the two female hinge members  32 . 
     The lever  34  comprises a lever body  341  and a pivot pin  345 . The lever body  341  comprises an operating portion  342 , two actuation portions  343  bilaterally extended from one end of the operating portion  342 , and a pivot hole  344  transversely cut through two opposite lateral sides thereof between the operating portion  342  and the actuation portion  343 . The pivot pin  345  is inserted through the pivot hole  344  and respectively fixedly connected with two opposite ends thereof to the mounting hole  313  of the mounting base member  31 , enabling the actuation portions  343  to be positioned in the position-limit groove  332  and disposed at two opposite lateral sides of the male hinge member  33 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 6  and  FIGS. 2-5  again, when mounting the base frame shell  11  and the cover frame shell  2 , bias the operating portion  342  of the lever  34  in an upward direction away from the upright wall  312  of the mounting base member  31  to drive the actuation portions  343  in moving the male hinge member  33  toward the mounting base member  31 , then approach the pivot connection portion  11  of the base frame shell  1  to the mating connection portion  21  of the cover frame shell  2  to keep the non-circular plug hole  22  of the cover frame shell  2  in axial alignment with the plug portion  331  of the male hinge member  33 . At this time, the user can bias the operating portion  342  of the lever  34  in direction toward the upright walls  312  of the mounting base member  31  to push the actuation portion  343  against the male hinge member  33  in direction away from the mounting base member  3 , forcing the plug portion  331  of the male hinge member  33  into the non-circular plug hole  22  of the cover frame shell  2 . Because the plug portion  331  of the male hinge member  33  and the non-circular plug hole  22  of the cover frame shell  2  are non-circular and mates with each other, the cover frame shell  2  is pivotally coupled to the cover frame shell  2  by the male hinge member  33  after the plug portion  331  is engaged into the non-circular plug hole  22  of the cover frame shell  2 . Similarly, when the user wishes to dismount the cover frame shell  2  and the base frame shell  1 , bias the operating portion  342  of the lever  34  in direction away from the upright walls  312  of the mounting base member  31  to force the actuation portions  343  in moving the male hinge member  33  toward the mounting base member  31  and to further disengage the plug portion  331  of the male hinge member  33  from the non-circular plug hole  22  of the cover frame shell  2 , allowing separation between the base frame shell  11  and the cover frame shell  2 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7-10  and  FIG. 1  again, a flip-up electronic product mounting structure in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention is shown. This second embodiment is substantially similar to the aforesaid first embodiment with exception of the design of the hinge. According to this second embodiment, the hinge, referenced by  4 , comprises a mounting base member  41 , two female hinge members  42 , a male hinge member  43 , and second displacement control means. In this embodiment, the second displacement control means is a rotary knob  44 . 
     The mounting base member  41  is fixedly mounted at the pivot connection portion  11  of the base frame shell  11 , comprising a horizontal bottom wall  411 , an upright wall  412  vertically upwardly extended from the horizontal bottom wall  411 , and a screw hole  413  located in the upright wall  412 . 
     The female hinge members  42  are fixedly mounted at a top surface of the horizontal bottom wall  411  of the mounting base member  41  and axially spaced from each other at a predetermined distance, each comprising a split tube-like shaft body  422  defining therein an axially extending shaft chamber  423 , and a positioning portion  421  formed integral with the periphery of the split tube-like shaft body  422  and fixedly mounted at the top surface of the horizontal bottom wall  411  of the mounting base member  41 . 
     The male hinge member  43  is rotatably and axially movably inserted through the axially extending shaft chamber  423  of each female hinge member  42 , comprising a plug portion  431  located at one end thereof, a connection portion  432  located at an opposite end of the cylindrical shaft body  431  and disposed adjacent to one end of the upright wall  412 , and a position-limit groove  433  extending around the periphery of the connection portion  432  and suspending in the upright wall  412  between the screw hole  413  and the female hinge members  42 . 
     The rotary knob  44  comprises a threaded shank  41  threaded into the screw hole  413  of the mounting base member  41 , an actuation portion  442  located at one end of the threaded shank  441 , an operating head  443  located at an opposite end of the threaded shank  441  and coupled to the connection portion  432  of the male hinge shaft  43 , a receiving trough  444  defined in the actuation portion  442  and adapted for receiving the connection portion  432  of the male hinge shaft  43 . 
     When mounting the base frame shell  1  and the cover frame shell  2 , operate the operating head  443  of the rotary knob  44  to rotate the threaded shank  441  and to further move the threaded shank  441  in direction away from the mounting base member  41 , causing the actuation portion  442  of the rotary knob  44  to carry the connection portion  432  of the male hinge member  43  in direction toward the mounting base member  41 , and thus, the plug portion  431  of the male hinge member  43  is moved in direction toward the mounting base member  41 . Thereafter, approach the pivot connection portion  11  of the base frame shell  1  to the mating connection portion  21  of the cover frame shell  2  to keep the non-circular plug hole  22  of the cover frame shell  2  in axial alignment with the plug portion  431  of the male hinge member  43 . At this time, the user can operate the operating head  443  to rotate rotary knob  44  and to simultaneously move the threaded shank  441  in direction toward the female hinge members  42 , causing the male hinge member  43  to be driven by the rotary knob  44  to carry the plug portion  431  in direction away from the mounting base member  41  and then into the non-circular plug hole  22  of the cover frame shell  2 . Because the plug portion  431  of the male hinge member  43  and the non-circular plug hole  22  of the cover frame shell  2  are non circular and mating with each other, the user can turn the cover frame shell  2  about the make hinge member  43  after the plug portion  43  is engaged into the non-circular plug hole  22 . Similarly, if the user wishes to separate the base frame shell  11  and the cover frame shell  2 , operate the operating head  443  of the rotary knob  44  to move the rotary knob  44  in direction away from the mounting base member  41 , causing the connection portion  432  of the male hinge member  43  to be carried by the actuation portion  442  of the rotary knob  44  in direction toward the mounting base member  41 , and the plug portion  431  will then be disengaged from the non-circular plug hole  22 , allowing separation between the cover frame shell  2  and the base frame shell  1 .