Patent Publication Number: US-2006010777-A1

Title: Reversible door with dual pivots

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention is related to a reversible door of an electronic product such as a computer, a server or the like and particularly to a pivotal joint structure of a reversible door.  
      2. Brief Description of Related Art  
      Taiwanese Patent Official Gazette Publish No. 308,323 discloses a turning door structure of a portable computer and the turning door is pivotally arranged at a socket in the computer for adapting with an extending connector. The socket is provided with a pivotal hole at two opposite lateral walls thereof respectively and the turning door is provided with a pivot at two opposite lateral sides thereof corresponding to the pivotal hole so that the turning door can rotate upward with respect to the pivot. The two lateral walls of the socket have an engaging hole respectively being disposed near the lower edges thereof and the two lateral sides of the turning door are provided with an engaging button respectively corresponding to the engaging hole. The turning door can cover the extending connector before being turned upward.  
      Further, Taiwanese Patent Official Gazette Publish No. 547,899 discloses a computer casing with a stored up door. The Taiwanese Patent Official Gazette Publish No. 442,720 discloses a rotational inlet-outlet computer door with a hidden type separation hinge.  
      The turning door disclosed in preceding patents provide a rotational angle less than 120° respectively due to position limitation of pivots at two lateral sides of the turning door pivotally joining the computer casing so that it is not possible for the turning door with a rotational angle greater than 180°. Further, the turning door can only be used for screening and the inner side of the door is unable to be valuably utilized.  
      Currently, it is a computerized era and computer time used by people is getting longer. The utilization value of the turning door can be enhanced if the turning door can be turned inversely on top of the casing and the inner side of the turning door is associated with a mirror for the women being able to take note of their appearances during operating the computer.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      An object of the present invention is to provide a reversible door with dual pivots, which can rotate an angle greater than 180°.  
      Another object of the present invention is to provide a reversible door with dual pivots in which the inner side thereof can be valuably utilized.  
      A reversible door with dual pivots according to the present invention includes a frame, a reversible door and two swing arms. The frame has a pivot member at two inner opposite lateral sides thereof respectively. The reversible door has a pivot member at two inner opposite lateral sides thereof respectively too corresponding to the pivot member of the frame. The swing arms are attached to the frame and the reversible door at two inner opposite lateral sides of the frame and the reversible door respectively with the two ends of each swing arm having a pivot member pivotally connecting with the pivot members of the frame and the reversible door respectively. The swing arms can be rotated with respect to the frame and the reversible door can be rotated with respect to swing arms. A rotational angle of the reversible door being greater than 180° from the frame can be obtained so that the inner lateral sides of the reversible door can be valuably utilized.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The present invention can be more fully understood by reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a reversible door according to the present invention being pivotally joined to the casing of a main unit;  
       FIG. 2  is a side view of a reversible door according to the present invention being pivotally joined to a frame of the casing;  
       FIGS. 3-5  are side views illustrating the reversible door of the present invention being lifted; and  
       FIG. 6  is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the reversible door of the present invention providing a pivot associating with a swing arm and a torsion spring. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a frame  11  at the front side of a casing  10  on an electronic product such as a computer, a server or the like and a reversible door  20 . The reversible door  20  is provided with a shape of lid. The frame  11  and the reversible door  20  each are provided with a pivot member pivot member  111 ,  21  at the inner right and left sides thereof respectively in a way of the pivot members being opposite to each other. The pivot members  111 ,  21  further pivotally connect with corresponding pivot members  31 ,  32  at both ends of a swing arm  30 . The pivot members  111 ,  21  and the pivot members  31 ,  32  can be arranged as pivot holes and pivots and the swing arm  30  has a shape of “L”. The pivot members  31 ,  32  space apart a distance from each other so that no interference between the reversible door  20  and the frame  11  can occur while the reversible door  20  is opened or closed.  
      In case of the reversible door  20  being opened, the swing arm  30  is turned with respect to the frame  11  as shown in  FIG. 3  and the reversible door  20  can rotate with respect to the swing arm  30  to an angular distance 180° from the frame  11  as shown in  FIG. 4 . When the reversible door  20  is actuated to rotate an angular displacement further, the reversible door  20  can be displaced on top of the frame  11  and tilt backward an angle as shown in  FIG. 5 . The reversible door  20  can be associated with articles  40  such as a mirror and pictures at the inner side thereof and the user can see images of the articles  40  from the front side of the frame  11 .  
      The preceding reversible door with dual pivots of the present invention can be rotated an angle greater than 180° with the inner side of thereof being able to be utilized. It is only necessary for the user to take a little care and skill while the reversible door and the two swing arms are operated sequentially and the reversible door and the swing arms can rotate synchronously to enhance smoothness of the reversible door during opening and closing.  
      Referring to  FIG. 6  in company with  FIGS. 1-5 , the conjunctions of the two swing arms  30  joined to the frame  11  are attached with a torsion spring  50  respectively. For instance, the middle part of the torsion spring  50  is inserted to the pivot member  31  to surround the pivot of the pivot member  31  at one of the swing arms  30  as shown in  FIG. 6  with both ends  51 ,  52  of the torsion spring  50  being biased against the frame  11  and the swing arm  30  respectively. In case of the reversible door  20  being closed as shown in  FIG. 2 , the torsion spring  50  is in a state of being subjected to a force at both end  51 ,  52  thereof. The frame  11  and the reversible door  20  each provide an engaging member  12 ,  22  such as a magnet piece and an iron piece at the front sides thereof in a way of being opposite to each other so that the frame  11  and the reversible door  20  can engage with each other. When the reversible door  20  is opened as shown in  FIG. 3 , the both ends  51 ,  52  of the torsion spring  50  are in a state of being not subjected to a force.  
      When the reversible door  20  is in state of closing to the frame  11  as shown in  FIG. 2 , the reversible door  20  can be opened by way of a force exerted by the user to overcome the engaging force of the engaging members  12 ,  22  such that both ends of the torsion spring  50  create a resilient force to rotate the swing arms  30  at two lateral sides of the reversible door  20  synchronously to the respective dead point of the rotating strokes of the swing arms  30  as shown in  FIG. 3 . Once the resilient forces at both ends of the torsion spring  50  are sufficient large, the reversible door  20  can rotate with respect to the swing arms  30  over the frame  11  as shown in  FIG. 4  and then continues to rotate to a position of full opening as shown in  FIG. 5 . If the resilient forces at both ends of the torsion spring  50  are not enough to turn the reversible door  20 , it is necessary for the user to move the reversible door  20  with hands with respect to the swing arms  30  at two lateral sides of the reversible door  20  and the reversible door  20  can rotate upward and over the frame  11  continuously till the position of full opening over the frame  11 .  
      When the reversible door  20  is to be closed, the reversible door  20  is rotated with respect to the swing arms  30  first due to resistance of the torsion spring  50  at the conjunctions of the swing arms  30  and the frame  11  in order to avoid interference between the reversible door  20  and the frame  11 . Then, the swing arms  30  at two lateral sides of the reversible door  20  are rotated synchronously such that both ends of the torsion spring  50  are subjected to a force and the engaging members  12 ,  22  can be in a state of engaging with each other as shown in  FIG. 2 .  
      An ordinary hinge controls the resistant force of the rotational shaft by way of friction coefficient, friction area and magnitude of the force to meet requirement of different rotational shafts rotating sequentially. However, the hinge is complicated and expensive while it is fabricated. The present invention only provides a rotational shaft associated with a torsion spring to meet requirement of different rotational shafts being controlled to rotate sequentially so that a great deal of production cost can be saved effectively.  
      While the invention has been described with referencing to a preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that modifications or variations may be easily made without departing from the spirit of this invention, which is defined by the appended claims.