Patent Publication Number: US-2021195775-A1

Title: Hinge structure and folding electronic device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201911342459.9 filed on Dec. 23, 2019, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     With the development of flexible OLED display technologies and folding electronic devices, combined with portability of many electronic devices and the ultimate experience of large-screen display, folding electronic devices have become trendy in the development of mobile terminals, and have become an important area of competition among major terminal manufacturers. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure generally relates to the technical field of terminals, and more specifically, to a hinge structure and a folding electronic device. 
     According to a first aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a hinge structure applied to a folding electronic device, the hinge structure includes a housing and at least one first hinge, and the first hinge includes: 
     a trajectory limiting mechanism including a first hinge bracket fixedly connected to the housing, a first slider which includes a first hollow chute, and a second slider which includes a second hollow chute; and 
     a synchronization mechanism including a cylindrical gear set, a first guide gear, and a second guide gear, the first guide gear and the second guide gear including a gear end and a guide end respectively, the gear end of the first guide gear engaging with an end gear of the cylindrical gear set, the gear end of the second guide gear engaging with another end gear of the cylindrical gear set, the guide end of the first guide gear being in sliding fit with the first hollow chute, and the guide end of the second guide gear being in sliding fit with the second hollow chute, so as to drive the first slider and the second slider to rotate with respect to the first hinge bracket, respectively. 
     In some embodiments, the first hinge bracket includes a first arc guide portion, the first slider includes a first arc portion, the second slider includes a second arc portion, and the first arc portion and the second arc portion fit with the first arc guide portion, respectively. 
     In some embodiments, the first hinge bracket further includes two standing blocks extending upward from a bottom surface of the first arc guide portion; and 
     the gear end of the first guide gear, the gear end of the second guide gear, and the cylindrical gear set are located between the two standing blocks. 
     In some embodiments, the first slider includes a first recessed portion formed by being recessed along a length direction of the first hollow chute, the second slider includes a second recessed portion formed by being recessed along a length direction of the second hollow chute, and the first recessed portion and the second recessed portion are both used to avoid the two standing blocks. 
     In some embodiments, at least a part of the second arc portion is located in the first recessed portion; 
     alternatively, at least a part of the first arc portion is located in the second recessed portion. 
     In some embodiments, the first slider further includes a first conducting portion, and the first hollow chute penetrates to the outside of the first slider through the first conducting portion; 
     the second slider further includes a second conducting portion, and the second hollow chute penetrates to the outside of the second slider through the second conducting portion; and 
     the first guide gear includes a first raised portion, the second guide gear includes a second raised portion, and a part of the first raised portion projects into the first conducting portion, and a part of the second raised portion projects into the second conducting portion. 
     In some embodiments, there is included a second hinge including a second hinge bracket, a third slider and a fourth slider, the second hinge bracket is fixedly connected to the housing, and the second hinge bracket includes a second arc guide portion; and 
     the third slider includes a third arc portion, the fourth slider includes a fourth arc portion, and the third arc portion and the fourth arc portion fit with the second arc guide portion, respectively. 
     In some embodiments, the hinge structure includes two of the first hinges and one of the second hinges, and the second hinge is located between the two first hinges. 
     In some embodiments, there is further included a supporting steel sheet, fixedly connected to a middle frame of the folding electronic device, and the first slider and the second slider are both fixedly connected to the supporting steel sheet. 
     In some embodiments, the cylindrical gear set includes a first gear and a second gear which engage with each other, the first gear engages with the gear end of the first guide gear, and the second gear engages with the gear end of the second guide gear. 
     In some embodiments, ends of the guide ends of the first guide gear and the second guide gear are provided in a cylindrical shape. 
     According to a second aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a folding electronic device, comprising: 
     a middle frame; 
     a hinge structure, connected to the middle frame, according to any one of the above embodiments. 
     It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this description, illustrate embodiments consistent with the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 1  is a decomposed schematic diagram illustrating a hinge structure according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 2  is an expanding schematic diagram illustrating the first hinge according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 3  is a folding schematic diagram illustrating the first hinge according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 4  is an expanding simplified diagram illustrating the first hinge according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 5  is a folding simplified diagram illustrating the first hinge according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 6  is a decomposed schematic diagram illustrating the first hinge according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 7  is a structural schematic diagram illustrating a synchronization mechanism according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 8  is a decomposed schematic diagram illustrating a second hinge according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 9  is an expanding schematic diagram illustrating the second hinge according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 10  is a folding schematic diagram illustrating the second hinge according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 11  is a structural schematic diagram illustrating another hinge structure according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 12  is a schematic diagram illustrating the cooperation between a hinge structure and a middle frame according to some embodiments. 
         FIG. 13  is a decomposed schematic diagram illustrating a hinge structure and a middle frame according to some embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Description will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The following description refers to the accompanying drawings in which the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise represented. The implementations set forth in the following description of exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the disclosure. Instead, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with aspects related to the disclosure as recited in the appended claims. 
     The terminology used in the present disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present inventive concept. As used the present disclosure and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “said” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “and/or” used herein refers to that also include any or all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items 
     It is to be understood that, although the terms such as first, second and third can be used in the present disclosure to describe various information, the information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are for the purpose of distinguishing the same type of information from each other only. For instance, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the first information can also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information can also be referred to as the first information. Depending on the context, the word “if” used herein can be interpreted as “at” or “when” or “in response to determination”. 
       FIG. 1  is the decomposed schematic diagram illustrating a hinge structure  100  according to some embodiments.  FIG. 2  is the expanding schematic diagram illustrating a first hinge according to some embodiments.  FIG. 3  is the folding schematic diagram illustrating the first hinge according to some embodiments.  FIG. 4  is the expanding simplified diagram illustrating the first hinge according to some embodiments.  FIG. 5  is the folding simplified diagram illustrating the first hinge according to some embodiments. As shown in  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 5 , the hinge structure  100  can be used for a folding electronic device, so that the folding electronic device can be driven to be bent by the hinge structure  100 . For instance, the folding electronic device can be driven to fold in both of the left and right directions, or the folding electronic device can be driven to be folded in both of the upper and lower directions. The hinge structure  100  can include a housing  1  and at least one first hinge  2 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , the hinge structure  100  can include two first hinges, or in other embodiments, the hinge structure  100  can also include one or three or more first hinges, which is not limited in this disclosure. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2  to  FIG. 4 , the first hinge  2  can include a trajectory limiting mechanism  21  and a synchronization mechanism  22 . The trajectory limiting mechanism  21  can be used to limit a rotation direction of the first hinge  2 , and the synchronization mechanism  22  can be used to realize the rotation of the first hinge  2 . Specifically, the trajectory limiting mechanism  21  can include a first hinge bracket  211 , a first slider  212 , and a second slider  213 , the first hinge bracket  211  can be connected to the housing  1 , for instance, the first hinge bracket  211  can be fixedly connected to the housing  1  by screws or bolts, or can be fixed to the housing  1  by welding, which is not limited in the present disclosure. The first slider  212  can include a first hollow chute  2121 , and the second slider  213  can include a second hollow chute  2131 , that is, the first slider  212  and the second slider  213  can be partially shorted to obtain a corresponding hollow chute. The synchronization mechanism  22  can include a cylindrical gear set  221 , a first guide gear  222 , and a second guide gear  223 , and the first guide gear  222  can include a gear end  2221  and a guide end  2222 , and similarly, the second guide gear  223  can also include a corresponding gear end  2231  and a guide end  2232 . The gear end  2221  of the first guide gear  222  engages with an end gear of the cylindrical gear set  221 , and the gear end  2231  of the second guide gear  223  engages with another end gear of the cylindrical gear set  221 ; the guide end  2222  of the first guide gear  222  fits with the first hollow chute  2121 , and the guide end  2232  of the second guide gear  223  fits with the second hollow chute  2131 . 
     In view of this, when an external force is applied to the electronic device provided with the hinge structure  100  and the force is further transmitted to the first slider  212 , the gear end  2221  can transmit power to the cylindrical gear set  221  by the slide of the guide end  2222  of the first guide gear  222  in the first hollow chute  2121 , and the power is further transmitted to the gear end  2231  of the second guide gear  223 , so as to drive the guide end  2232  of the second guide gear  223  to slide in the second hollow chute  2131 . Due to the limitation of the first hollow chute  2121  and the second hollow chute  2131 , the first hinge  2  can be switched between the state shown in  FIG. 2  and the state shown in  FIG. 3 , or between the state shown in  FIG. 4  and the state shown in  FIG. 5 , that is, the angle of the first slider  212  relative to the first hinge bracket  211  and the angle of the second slider  213  relative to the first hinge bracket  211  at the same time can be substantially the same (that is, the difference between the angle between the first slider  212  and the first hinge bracket  211  and the angle between the second slider  213  and the first hinge bracket  211  is relatively small, and is within a permissible range), a synchronous movement between the first slider  212  and the second slider  213  is basically achieved. Of course, only the force applying to the first slider  212  is described here as an example, the case in which the force is transmitted to the second slider  213  or the case in which the force is transmitted to the first slider  212  and the second slider  213  can refer to the embodiment described above, and details are not described herein again. 
     It can be known from the above embodiments that the cylindrical gear set  221  in the present disclosure can enable the power to be substantially linear when the power is transmitted from the first slider  212  to the second slider  213  side, or from the second slider  213  to the first slider  212  side, and thus when the first slider  212  and the second slider  213  are opposite to each other, the first slider  212  and the second slider  213  can be driven to rotate with respect to the first hinge bracket  211  through the cooperation of the cylindrical gear set  221 , the first guide gear  222  and the second guide gear  223 , which can avoid a torque generated in the synchronization mechanism  22  and the trajectory limiting mechanism  21  due to the misalignment of the first slider  212  and the second slider  213 , and is beneficial to extending the life of the hinge structure  100 . 
     In the embodiment, in order to realize the rotation of the first slider  212  and the second slider  213  relative to the first hinge bracket  211 , as shown in  FIG. 6 , the first hinge bracket  211  can include a first arc guide portion  2111 , the first slider  212  can include a first arc portion  2122 , and the second slider  213  can include a second arc portion  2132 , the first arc portion  2122  and the second arc portion  2132  cooperate with the first arc guide portion  2111 , respectively. For instance, the outer arc surfaces of the first arc portion  2122  and the second arc portion  2132  are in contact with the arc surfaces of the first arc guide portion  2111  facing the first slider  212  and the second slider  213 , in this way, when the synchronization mechanism  22  rotates, the first arc portion  2122  and the second arc portion  2132  rotate under the limitation of the first arc guide portion  2111 , so that the movement trajectories of the first slider  212  and the second slider  213  are constant, and a side round angle of the hinge structure  100  after being folded is determined by the first round guide  2111 , and the round corner of the first arc guide portion  2111  is a fixed value, so as to ensure that the side round angle of the hinge structure  100  after being folded is constant, which is beneficial to reduce the screen damage for the folding electronic device. 
     In the embodiment, in order to reduce the thickness of the first hinge  2 , as still shown in  FIG. 6 , the first hinge bracket  211  can further include two standing blocks  2112  extending upward from the bottom surface of the first arc guide portion  2111  respectively, and there can be a certain interval distance between the two standing blocks  2112 , so that the gear end  2221  of the first guide gear  222 , the gear end  2231  of the second guide gear  223 , and the cylindrical gear set  221  are disposed between the two standing blocks  2112 . The area on the bottom surface of the first arc guide portion  2111  between the two standing blocks  2112  can be designed adaptively with regard to the gear end  2221  of the first guide gear  222 , the gear end  2231  of the second guide gear  223 , and the cylindrical gear set  221 , which is not limited in the present disclosure. 
     In the embodiment, since an avoiding portion formed by the limitation of the standing blocks exists in the first arc guide portion  2111 , in order to avoid the avoiding portion, the first slider  212  can include a first recessed portion  2123  recessed along a length direction of the first hollow chute  2121 , the second slider  213  can include a second recessed portion  2133  recessed along a length direction of the second hollow chute  2131 , and both the first recessed portion  2123  and the second recessed portion  2133  can give way to the avoiding portion. Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 6 , in order to shorten the length of the first hinge  2  in the length direction of the first hollow chute  2121  and the second hollow chute  2131 , a part of the first arc portion  2122  included in the first slider  212  can be located in the second recessed portion  2133 , alternatively, a part of the second arc portion  2132  included in the second slider  213  can be located in the first recessed portion  2123  in other embodiments, which is not limited in the present disclosure. 
     In each of the above embodiments, still taking  FIG. 6  as an example, the first slider  212  can further include a first conducting portion  2124 , and the first hollow chute  2121  can penetrate to the outside through the first conducting portion  2124 ; and similarly, the second slider  213  can further include a second conducting portion  2134 , and the second hollow chute  2131  can penetrate to the outside through the second conducting portion  2134 . The first guide gear  222  can further include a first raised portion  2223 , the second guide gear  223  can further include a second raised portion  2233 , and a part of the first raised portion  2223  projects into the first conducting portion  2124 , and a part of the second raised portion  2233  projects into the second conducting portion  2134 . In this way, when the hinge structure  100  is completely deployed, the first raised portion  2223  can be limited through the side of the first conducting portion  2124  close to the first recessed portion  2123 , and the second raised portion  2233  can be limited through the side of the second conducting portion  2134  close to the second recessed portion  2133 ; and when the hinge structure  100  is completely folded, the first raised portion  2223  can be limited through the side of the first conducting portion  2124  away from the first recessed portion  2123 , and the second raised portion  2233  can be limited through the side of the second conducting portion  2134  away from the second recessed portion  2133 , thereby the hinge structure  100  is prevented from being deployed or folded excessively. 
     Based on the above respective embodiments, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the ends of the guide end  2222  of the first guide gear  222  and the guide end  2232  of the second guide gear  223  can be provided in a cylindrical shape to reduce the frictional force when the guide end  2222  of the guide gear  222  slides in the first hollow chute  2121  and the guide end  2232  of the second guide gear  223  slides in the second hollow chute  2131 , such that the user experience can be improved. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , in some embodiments, the cylindrical gear set  221  in the above embodiments is described. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the cylindrical gear set  221  can include a first gear  2211  and a second gear  2212  that engage with each other, the first gear  2211  engages with the gear end  2221  of the first guide gear  222 , and the second gear  2212  engages with the gear end  2231  of the second guide gear  223 , in this way, the number of gear engaging points can be reduced as much as possible, which is beneficial to reduce the cumulative tolerance, thereby the delay between the rotation of the first slider  212  and the rotation of the second slider  213  is reduced, and synchronization effect and folding effect when the hinge structure  100  is folded are improved. 
     According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in  FIGS. 8-10 , the hinge structure  100  can further include a second hinge  3 , and the second hinge  3  can include a second hinge bracket  31 , a third slider  32 , and a fourth slider  33 , the second hinge bracket  31  can be fixedly connected to the housing  1 . Herein, the second hinge bracket  31  can further include a second arc guide portion  311 , the third slider  32  can include a third arc portion  321 , the fourth slider  33  can include a fourth arc portion  331 , and both the third arc portion  321  and the fourth arc portion  331  cooperate with the second arc guide portion  311 , so that the third arc portion  321  and the fourth arc portion  331  can be driven to rotate with respect to the second arc guide portion  311  when the motion on the first hinge  2  is transmitted to the second hinge  3 , and the second hinge  3  is switched between the state shown in  FIG. 9  and the state shown in  FIG. 10 . The outer round corners of the second arc guide portion  311  can be equal to the outer round corners of the first arc guide portion  2111  to improve the aesthetics of the hinge structure  100 . Herein, the other structures of the second hinge  3  can refer to the trajectory limiting mechanism  21  of the first hinge  2 , and the description is not repeated herein. 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the first hinge  2  and the second hinge  3  can be included in the same hinge structure  100 . Taking  FIG. 11  as an example, it can be assumed that the hinge structure  100  includes a second hinge  3  and two first hinges  2 , since the first hinge  2  can limit the folding trajectory of the hinge structure  100 , the two first hinges  2  can be arranged at the end of the housing  1 , and the second hinge  3  can be arranged between the two first hinges  2 , in this way, the structure can be reduced, and the folding requirements can be satisfied. 
     As shown in  FIG. 12  and  FIG. 13 , the hinge structure  100  can further include a supporting steel sheet  4  that can be fixedly connected to a middle frame  200  of the folding electronic device, the first slider  212 , the second slider  213 , the third slider  32  and the fourth slider  33  are all fixedly connected to the supporting steel sheet  4 . As shown in  FIG. 13 , the supporting steel sheet  4  can include a first supporting sheet  41  and a second supporting sheet  42  connected rotatably to the first supporting sheet  41 , the first supporting sheet  41  is fixedly connected to the slider close to the first supporting sheet  41 , and the second supporting sheet  42  is fixedly connected to the slider close to the second supporting sheet  42 . As shown in  FIG. 13 , the first supporting sheet  41  is fixedly connected to the first slider  212  and the third slider  32 , and the second supporting sheet  42  is fixedly connected to the second slider  231  and the fourth slider  33 . 
     Based on the hinge structure  100  described in the above respective embodiments, the present disclosure further provides an electronic device, the electronic device can include the middle frame  200  and the hinge structure  100 , the hinge structure  100  is connected to the middle frame  200 , and specifically, the connection can be made through the first slider  212 , the second slider  213 , the third slider  32  and the fourth slider  33 , or the supporting steel sheet  4 . The electronic device can be a holding terminal or an electronic reader, which is not limited in the present disclosure. 
     Various embodiments of the present disclosure can have one or more of the following advantages: 
     The cylindrical gear set can enable power to be substantially linear when the power is transmitted from the first slider to the second slider side, or from the second slider to the first slider side such that when the first slider and the second slider are disposed opposite to each other, the first slider and the second slider can be driven to rotate with respect to the first hinge bracket through the cooperation of the cylindrical gear set, the first guide gear and the second guide gear, which can avoid a torque generated in the synchronization mechanism and the trajectory limiting mechanism due to the misalignment of the first slider and the second slider, and is beneficial to extend the life of the hinge structure. 
     The various device components, modules, units, blocks, or portions may have modular configurations, or are composed of discrete components, but nonetheless can be referred to as “modules” in general. In other words, the “components,” “modules,” “blocks,” “portions,” or “units” referred to herein may or may not be in modular forms, and these phrases may be interchangeably used. 
     In the present disclosure, the terms “installed,” “connected,” “coupled,” “fixed” and the like shall be understood broadly, and can be either a fixed connection or a detachable connection, or integrated, unless otherwise explicitly defined. These terms can refer to mechanical or electrical connections, or both. Such connections can be direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium. These terms can also refer to the internal connections or the interactions between elements. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art on a case-by-case basis. 
     In the description of the present disclosure, the terms “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “example,” “specific example,” or “some examples,” and the like can indicate a specific feature described in connection with the embodiment or example, a structure, a material or feature included in at least one embodiment or example. In the present disclosure, the schematic representation of the above terms is not necessarily directed to the same embodiment or example. 
     Moreover, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, various embodiments or examples described in the specification, as well as features of various embodiments or examples, can be combined and reorganized. 
     In some embodiments, the control and/or interface software or app can be provided in a form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon is further provided. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium can be a ROM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, optical data storage equipment, a flash drive such as a USB drive or an SD card, and the like. 
     To provide for interaction with a user, implementations of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented with a computer and/or a display device, e.g., a VR/AR device, a head-mount display (HMD) device, a head-up display (HUD) device, smart eyewear (e.g., glasses), a CRT (cathode-ray tube), LCD (liquid-crystal display), OLED (organic light emitting diode), or any other monitor for displaying information to the user and a keyboard, a pointing device, e.g., a mouse, trackball, etc., or a touch screen, touch pad, etc., by which the user can provide input to the computer. 
     As such, particular implementations of the subject matter have been described. Other implementations are within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. In addition, the processes depicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In certain implementations, multitasking or parallel processing can be utilized. 
     It is intended that the specification and embodiments be considered as examples only. Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the specification and drawings of the present disclosure. That is, although specific embodiments have been described above in detail, the description is merely for purposes of illustration. It should be appreciated, therefore, that many aspects described above are not intended as required or essential elements unless explicitly stated otherwise. 
     Various modifications of, and equivalent acts corresponding to, the disclosed aspects of the example embodiments, in addition to those described above, can be made by a person of ordinary skill in the art, having the benefit of the present disclosure, without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure defined in the following claims, the scope of which is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass such modifications and equivalent structures. 
     It should be understood that “a plurality” or “multiple” as referred to herein means two or more. “And/or,” describing the association relationship of the associated objects, indicates that there may be three relationships, for example, A and/or B may indicate that there are three cases where A exists separately, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists separately. The character “/” generally indicates that the contextual objects are in an “or” relationship. 
     In the present disclosure, it is to be understood that the terms “lower,” “upper,” “under” or “beneath” or “underneath,” “above,” “front,” “back,” “left,” “right,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” “outer,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” and other orientation or positional relationships are based on example orientations illustrated in the drawings, and are merely for the convenience of the description of some embodiments, rather than indicating or implying the device or component being constructed and operated in a particular orientation. Therefore, these terms are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. 
     Moreover, the terms “first” and “second” are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, elements referred to as “first” and “second” may include one or more of the features either explicitly or implicitly. In the description of the present disclosure, “a plurality” indicates two or more unless specifically defined otherwise. 
     In the present disclosure, a first element being “on” a second element may indicate direct contact between the first and second elements, without contact, or indirect geometrical relationship through one or more intermediate media or layers, unless otherwise explicitly stated and defined. Similarly, a first element being “under,” “underneath” or “beneath” a second element may indicate direct contact between the first and second elements, without contact, or indirect geometrical relationship through one or more intermediate media or layers, unless otherwise explicitly stated and defined. 
     Some other embodiments of the present disclosure can be available to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the various embodiments disclosed herein. The present application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present disclosure following general principles of the present disclosure and include the common general knowledge or conventional technical means in the art without departing from the present disclosure. The specification and examples can be shown as illustrative only, and the true scope and spirit of the disclosure are indicated by the following claims.