Abstract:
A hinge structure of a foldable electronic device includes a body section and a cover section. The hinge structure includes a hinge sleeve longitudinally defining a slot. An outer surface of the hinge sleeve forms a coarse surface. The hinge sleeve rotatably connects the cover section to the body section. The coarse surface allows the cover section to maintain any of a variety of selectable positions relative to the body section.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Technical Field 
         [0002]    The present disclosure relates to hinge structures, and particularly to a hinge sleeve for foldable electronic devices, such as mobile phones and portable computers. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Presently, perhaps the most popular portable electronic device in the market is the foldable mobile phone, which generally includes a cover section and a body section. The cover section and the body section are rotatably interconnected through a hinge assembly. 
         [0005]    One kind of hinge assembly employs a cam and a follower, which makes the cover section fold outward from the body section and then maintain in an open position. The hinge assembly typically includes a cam having a concave portion, a follower having a convex portion, a shaft having a fixing end, and a spring. The cam and the follower are placed around the shaft. The spring resists the follower to make the concave portion tightly contact the convex portion. The cam, the follower, the shaft and the spring are received in a housing. The cover section rotates about the body section of the mobile phone by overcoming the force of the spring, thus making the concave portion rotate about the convex portion. 
         [0006]    However, the foldable electronic device can only be opened to preset angles, because the cam can only stably engages with the coplanar end faces of follower at a few preset positions. In addition, the concave portion of the cam is designed with relatively sharp edges and corners, which are prone to being worn by repeated use. When this happens, the connection between the body section and the cover section is liable to deteriorate. 
         [0007]    Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    Many aspects of the embodiments can be better understood with references to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present hinge sleeve. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is an exploded, isometric view of an exemplary foldable electronic device; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is an assembled, isometric view of the exemplary foldable electronic device shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]    The present hinge sleeve is suitable for a foldable electronic device such as a manually opening mobile phone. 
         [0012]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , an exemplary foldable electronic device  100  includes a hinge sleeve  20 , a body section  30 , a cover section  40  and a filler block  50 . The hinge sleeve  20  is pivotably connected the body section  30  to the cover section  40 . 
         [0013]    The foldable electronic device  100  typically includes communications circuitry within the body section  30  and the cover section  40  to allow users to communicate with remote parties via a wireless communications network. Generally, such circuitry includes one or more microprocessors, memory, and long-range and/or short-range transceivers that operate according to any known standard. Suitable standards include, but are not limited to, the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), TIA/EIA-136, CDMAONE, CDMA2000, UMTS, Wideband CDMA, and BLUETOOTH. 
         [0014]    The body section  30  includes a plurality of keys  31  for operating the foldable electronic device  100 . The body section  30  integrally forms a knuckle  32  and a post  33  at one end thereof. The knuckle  32  faces with the post  33 , and defines a through hole  34  longitudinally through the knuckle  32 . A column  332  longitudinally extends from one end of the post  33  towards the knuckle  32 . 
         [0015]    The cover section  40  forms a barrel portion  42  at one end thereof. The barrel portion  42  mates between the knuckle  32  and the post  33  of the body section  30 . The barrel portion  42  is substantially cylindrical, and defines a central hole  422  longitudinally through the barrel portion  42 . 
         [0016]    The hinge sleeve  20  is substantially cylindrical, and includes a sleeve body  22  and a covering layer  24 . The sleeve body  22  is made of elastic metal. The sleeve body  22  defines a slot  221  longitudinally extending therethrough at one side of the sleeve body  22 . The slot  221  may provide a deformable space when the sleeve body  22  is compressed to deform. The covering layer  24  is made of rubber, and is for completely overlying on the sleeve body  22 . An outer surface of the covering layer  24  forms a plurality of even and uneven projections  241  for increasing coarseness of the surface. When the covering layer  24  is overlaid on the sleeve body  22 , a diameter of the hinge sleeve  20  is larger than the diameter of the through hole  34  and the central hole  422 . When the hinge sleeve  20  is inserted into the through hole  34 , the hinge sleeve  20  is compressed to deform so as to allow the hinge sleeve  20  to be received in the through hole  34  and the central hole  422 . Under the elastic role of the sleeve body  22 , the projections  241  tightly resist an inner wall of the central hole  422  of the through hole  34 . 
         [0017]    The filler block  50  is substantially cylindrical, and engages in the through hole  34  to cover one end of the through hole  34  for preventing dust from entering. 
         [0018]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , when the hinge sleeve  20  is assembled to the foldable electronic device  100 , the covering layer  24  is firstly tightly placed around the sleeve body  22 . Then, the cover section  40  is positioned over the body section  42 . The barrel portion  42  is positioned between the knuckle  32  and the post  33 , and the column  332  is rotatably received in the central hole  422 . The hinge sleeve  20  is then compressed by an external force to deform to a suitable size/diameter corresponding to that of the through hole  34  and the central hole  422 . Then the deformed hinge sleeve  20  is inserted into the through hole  34  and the central hole  422 . Finally, the filler block  50  is engaged into the open end of the through hole  34 . Thus, the hinge sleeve  20  is completely assembled in the foldable electronic device  100 . Since the hinge sleeve  20  has an elastic characteristic, the projections  241  not only tightly resist an inner wall of the central hole  422  and the through hole  34 , but also allow the cover section  40  to rotatably connect the body section  30 . 
         [0019]    When the user wants to open the cover section  40  of the foldable electronic device  100 , the cover section  40  is pushed to rotate relative to the body section  30 . Since the covering layer  24  of the hinge sleeve  20  is made of rubber, and has a plurality of projections  241 , a large friction is provided between the hinge sleeve  20  and the cover section  40 . Thus, the hinge sleeve  20  can be maintained in a steady state in any of a variety of selectable positions. Accordingly, the cover section  40  becomes open relative to the body section  30  of the foldable electronic device  100 . 
         [0020]    Understandably, the projections  241  of the covering layer  24  may be a natural property of the rubber material. Alternatively, the projections  241  may be directly formed on the sleeve body  22  by manufacturing for increasing the coarseness. 
         [0021]    It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that different changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments of the invention.