Patent Publication Number: US-2009231797-A1

Title: Multi-step hinge and portable terminal having same

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/806,535 filed Jun. 1, 2007 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,536,751 issued May 26, 2009) which, in turn, claimed priority to Korean Patent Application Serial Number 10-2007-0042839 filed May 3, 2007 (now Korean Patent Registration Number 10-0802558 registered Feb. 1, 2008). The entire disclosures of each of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a multi-step hinge and a portable terminal having the same. More specifically, the invention relates to an angular adjustable hinge and a portable terminal using the same. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Throughout the description, a portable terminal means portable electronic devices including PDAs (Personal Digital assistant), smart phones, handheld personal computers, hand phones, MP3 players and the like. These devices may be equipped with a desired communications module such as CDMA (Code Divisions Multiplexing Access) module, Bluetooth module, IrDA (Infrared Data Association) module, wired or wireless LAN card. In addition, such portable terminals may be provided with a desired microprocessor having a function of reproducing multi-media data, i.e., a desired computational ability. 
     Recently, portable terminals have been popularized for listening music, furthermore for watching movies or TVs according to the advent of satellite DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) and ground wave broadcasting. 
     As such, users are quite often bound to use those portable terminals for a long period of time. 
     Holding a portable terminal by hand for a long time causes the users to become physically tired. 
     As another problem, a longer antenna became required for the portable terminals to receive, for example, the satellite DMB service. 
     In order to receive the satellite DMB, diversity technique has been proposed, in which multiple antennas are employed, but which results in a bulky and heavier device (e.g., cellular phone). 
     The above problems in the art will be explained in details. 
       FIG. 1  shows a conventional portable terminal and an electric charging station. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the portable terminal  1  is placed in an electric charging station  10  to charge the terminal. 
     The bottom face  11  of the charging station  10  is flat so that the charging station can be placed on a floor such as desks and tables. On the top of the charging station  100  is formed a recess  13  where the portable terminal  1  is placed when it is charged. 
     The recess  13  of the charging station  10  is structured such that the portable terminal  1  rested therein remains inclined at a certain angle. Thus, a user can place the portable terminal on the recess  13  to watch movies or TV being displayed on the display  12  for a long time. 
     With this electric charging machine, the user can see the display  2  for a long time without excessive bowing of head and thus without excessive fatigue. However, inconveniently the users must carry the electric charging station  10 . 
     In addition, the recess  13  of the charging station  10  has a fixed angular position and shape, so that the user can not arbitrarily adjust the angle of the portable terminal  1  with respect to the floor. 
     That is, the angle of the display  2  to the floor can not be adjusted according to the individual user&#39;s preferences and choices. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , another conventional technique will be explained. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a portable terminal, i.e., a cellular phone having a tilting device. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the tilting device  30  is pivotally installed in a portable terminal  20  at both end faces  22  and  23  thereof. 
     The front face of the portable terminal  20  is formed with a display  21 . The tilting device takes the form of “[”, at both ends of which a hinge  31  is pivotally attached to both lateral faces of the portable terminal  20 . 
       FIG. 3  is an enlarged view of the portion III in  FIG. 2 . 
     At both lateral sides of the portable terminal  20  is formed a stepped portion  24  for the tilting device  30  not to be protruded. The stepped portion  24  is made up of a step  25  and a flat portion  26 . 
     The above “[” shaped tilting device  30  is combined to the flat portion  26  by means of a hinge  31 . The hinge  31  pivots about near the step  26  to the extent of 90 degrees. 
     The “[” shaped tilting device  30  pivots near the hinge  31  and then is stopped by the step  25 . At this state, the tilting device  30  contacts the floor and the bottom of the portable terminal  20  contacts the floor, such that the portable terminal is supported on the floor while forming a certain angle with the floor. 
     When the tilting device  30  is not being used, it can rest on the flat portion  26  of the stepped portion  24  to provide a convenient portability. With this technique, however, the tilting device supports the portable terminal  30  with a fixed inclination, i.e., 90-degree all the time. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been made in order to solve at least part of the problems in the art. It is an object of the invention to provide a multi-step hinge and a portable terminal using the same. 
     In order to accomplish the above objects, according to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a multi-step hinge comprising a housing, a rotary member rotatably installed inside of the housing, and a stopper slidably installed at either side of the rotary member inside of the housing. The rotary member has a retainer groove formed in the outer circumferential face, and the stopper has a retainer protrusion formed so as to be engaged with the retainer groove. A resilient member is disposed between the housing and the stopper. 
     The retainer groove is formed in multiple numbers so as to extend along the rotational axis of the rotary member, and the retainer protrusion is formed correspondingly to the retainer groove. 
     The stopper includes a front portion in which the retainer protrusion is formed, and a guide portion extended from the front portion so as to receive and support the resilient member. 
     The rotary member is formed with a rotation shaft and the housing is formed with an insert hole through which the rotation shaft passes. The rotation shaft is formed with a rotation limiter protrusion and the insert hole is formed with a rotation limiter step which engages the rotation limiter protrusion to restrict rotation of the rotary member within a predetermined angular range. 
     The rotation limiter protrusion protrudes from the outer face of the rotation shaft and is received in the insert hole, and the rotation limiter step protrudes from the inner face of the insert hole in a way to embrace part of the rotation shaft. 
     The stopper is disposed at one side of the rotary member, and a rotational support member is disposed at the other side of the rotary member so as to slidably contact and embrace the outer surface of the rotary member. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a portable terminal comprising a main body equipped with a display unit, a support leg for supporting the main body, and a multi-step hinge combining the support leg with the main body. Here, the multi-step hinge has the above structure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further objects and advantages of the invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a conventional portable phone and electric charging station; 
         FIG. 2  shows another conventional portable terminal having a tilting device; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged view for the portion III in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of the portable terminal of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIGS. 6 and 7  are exploded perspective views of a multi-step hinge according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 8  shows operations of the multi-step hinge of  FIGS. 6 and 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a portable terminal according to another embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view of the portable terminal of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a multi-step hinge according to another embodiment of the invention; 
         FIGS. 12 and 13  are exploded perspective views of the multi-step hinge of  FIG. 11 ; and 
         FIG. 14  shows operations of the multi-step hinge of  FIG. 11 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Hereafter, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained, with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the invention and  FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of the portable terminal. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the portable terminal of this embodiment includes a main body  100  equipped with a display, a support leg  200 , and a multi-step hinge  300  pivotally connecting the main body and the support leg  200  to each other. 
     Part of the outer periphery of the main body  100  is depressed to form a recess  110  into which the support let  200  is inserted and rests thereon, when necessary. The depressed recess  110  forms a stepped-up portion  112  at both ends thereof, i.e., between the depressed recess  110  and the remaining un-depressed portion. 
     The support leg  200  is formed in the form of “[” so as to rest on the recess  110 . Both ends of the support leg  200  are pivotally attached to the recess  110  by means of the multi-step hinge  300 . 
     The support leg  200  is attached to the depressed recess  110  such that the end portion of the leg  200  is placed near the stepped-up portion  112  and thus the support leg  200  is stopped by the stepped-up portion  112 , thereby not pivoting beyond the stepped-up portion. 
     Of course, the support leg  200  may be hinged directly to the main body  100 , without the stepped-up portion  112  and the recess  110 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the multi-step hinge  300  is mounted inside of the main body  100  by means of a bolt  400  or the like. The support leg  200  is coupled to the hinge  300  so as to be hinged with the main body  100 . 
     For this purpose, the main body  100  is provided with a through-hole  120  formed at a desired position of the recess  110 , through which the support leg  200  is combined with the multi-step hinge  300  using a bolt  400 . A cap  450  or the like is mounted so as not to expose the bolt or the like to the outside, thereby not spoiling the appearance. 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  are exploded perspective views of a multi-step hinge  300  according to an embodiment of the invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 to 7 , the multi-step hinge  300  is composed of a housing  310 ,  320 , a rotary member  330 , a stopper  340 , and a resilient member  350 . 
     The housing is mounted inside of the main body  100 , and composed of a male housing  320  and a female housing  310  to be combined with each other. 
     Here, the male housing  320  is formed with a latch protrusion  324  and the female housing  310  is formed with a latch groove  314  corresponding to the latch protrusion  324 . Thus, the latch protrusion  324  is snap-inserted into the latch groove  314  to combine the male and female housings  320  and  310  with each other. 
     Of course, a fastener means such as bolts, or an adhesive may be used to combine the male housing  320  with the female housing  310 . 
     The rotary member  330  takes a cylindrical form and is mounted inside of the housing  310  and  320 . The rotary member  330  is provided with a retainer groove  334  formed at the outer face thereof. 
     The rotary member  330  is formed with a rotation shaft  332 . The rotation shaft  332  passes through a first insert hole  312  or a second insert hole  322  and then is coupled to the support leg  200 . 
     Therefore, as the support leg  200  pivots, the rotary member  330  rotates inside of the housing  310 ,  320  while being supported on the first and second insert holes  312  and  322 . 
     The retainer groove  334  is formed in the outer circumferential face of the rotary member  330  in such a manner to extend lengthwise of the cylindrical rotary member  330 . 
     Here, the retainer groove  334  is formed in multiple numbers along the outer circumference at certain angular intervals, for example, at regular intervals of 45-degree. 
     Further, formed at the top and bottom of the female housing  310  is a rotation recess  318  having an arcuate form so as to receive and accommodate the rotary member  330 . 
     The stopper  340  is mounted inside of the housing  310 ,  320  so as to enable to slidably move towards and far away from the rotary member  330 . The stopper  340  may be disposed at either side of the rotary member  330  or at both sides thereof. 
     The stopper  340  includes a front portion  342  disposed adjacent to the rotary member  330 , a guide portion  343  extended backwards of the front portion  342 , and a retainer protrusion  342  formed in the front portion  342 . 
     The retainer protrusion  341  becomes engaged with the retainer groove  334 . The retainer protrusion and groove are rounded off so as to be smoothly engaged with and released from each other. 
     In addition, the retainer protrusion  341  is formed to extend correspondingly to the retainer groove  334  of the rotary member  330 . 
     In this way, the retainer protrusion  341  and groove  334  come to have a larger contact surface to thereby further inhibit arbitrary moving relative to each other. 
     The guide portion  343  is formed in a way to extend backwardly from the top and lower end portions of the front portion  342 . The resilient member  350  is inserted into the guide portion  343 . 
     The resilient member  350  is formed of a coil spring or the like, which urges the stopper  340  towards the original position thereof. 
     Due to the resiliency of the resilient member  350 , the retainer protrusion  341  of the stopper  340  is engaged with and retained on the retainer groove  334  of the rotary member, thereby preventing the rotary member  330  from being arbitrarily rotated. 
     At this time, the guide portion  343  has generally an arched structure configured so as to prevent the resilient member, i.e., the coil spring  350  from being escaped sideways. 
       FIG. 8  shows operation of the multi-step hinge  300  having the above configuration. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8(   a ), the retainer protrusion  341  of the stopper  340  is rested on the retainer groove  334  of the rotary member  330 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 8(   b ), as the rotary member  330  is rotated, the retainer protrusion  341  is released from the retainer groove  334  and thus the stopper  340  moves far away from the rotary member  350  while compressing the resilient member  350  backwards. 
     If the rotary member  330  is further rotated, the retainer protrusion  341  becomes rested onto an adjacent retainer groove  334 , due to the restoring force of the resilient member, as shown in  FIG. 8(   a ). 
     Here, the rotary member  330  can not be freely rotated by means of engagement between the retainer protrusion  341  and the retainer groove  334 . 
     Since the support leg  200  is coupled to the main body  100  through the multi-step hinge  300  described above, the user can place the portable terminal on the floor at various angles with respect to the floor to view the display in a more comfortable manner. Furthermore, because the retainer protrusion  341  of the stopper  340  remains firmly on the retainer groove  334  of the rotary member  330  by the elastic force of the resilient member  350 , the support leg  200  is prevented from arbitrarily pivoting so that the portable terminal can remain at the state inclined with an angle set-up by the user. 
     Here, the intervals of the retainer grooves  334  formed in the rotary member  330  may vary and thus inclination angles of the main body  100  may be adjusted in various ways of angles. 
     Hereafter, another embodiment of the invention will be explained in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a portable terminal according to another embodiment of the invention and  FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view of the portable terminal. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the portable terminal of this embodiment includes a main body  100  equipped with a display, a support leg  200 , and a multi-step hinge  300  pivotally connecting the main body  100  and the support leg  200  to each other. 
     Part of the outer periphery of the main body  100  is depressed to form a recess  110  into which the support leg  200  is fitted and rests thereon, when necessary. The depressed recess  110  forms a stepped-up portion  112  at both ends thereof, i.e., between the depressed recess  110  and the remaining un-depressed portion. 
     The support leg  200  is formed in the form of “[” so as to rest on the recess  110 . Both ends of the support leg  200  are pivotally attached to the recess  110  by means of the multi-step hinge  300 . 
     The support leg  200  is attached to the depressed recess  110  such that the end portion of the leg  200  is placed near the stepped-up portion  112  and thus the support leg  200  is stopped by the stepped-up portion  112 , thereby not pivoting beyond the stepped-up portion. 
     Of course, the support leg  200  may be hinged directly to the main body  100 , without the stepped-up portion  112  and the recess  110 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , the multi-step hinge  300  is mounted inside of the main body  100  by means of a bolt  400  or the like. The support leg  200  is coupled to the hinge  300  so as to be hinged with the main body  100 . 
     For this purpose, the main body  100  is provided with a through-hole  120  formed at a desired position of the recess  110 , through which the support leg  200  is combined with the multi-step hinge  300  using a bolt  400 . A cap  450  or like is mounted so as not to expose the bolt or the like to the outside, thereby not spoiling the appearance. 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a multi-step hinge according to another embodiment of the invention.  FIGS. 12 and 13  are exploded perspective views of the multi-step hinge of  FIG. 11 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 11 to 13 , the multi-step hinge  300  is composed of a housing  310 ,  320 , a rotary member  330 , a stopper  340 , a resilient member  350 , and a rotational support member  360 . 
     The housing is mounted inside of the main body  100 , and composed of a male housing  320  and a female housing  310  to be combined with each other. 
     Here, the male housing  320  is formed with a latch protrusion  324  and the female housing  310  is formed with a latch groove  314  corresponding to the latch protrusion  324 . Thus, the latch protrusion  324  is snap-inserted into the latch groove  314  to combine the male and female housings  320  and  310  with each other. 
     Of course, a fastener means such as bolts, or an adhesive may be used to combine the male housing  320  with the female housing  310 . 
     Furthermore, the upper front edge portion of the male housing  320  is bent slightly upwards such that the female housing  310  can be easily inserted into the male housing  320  when being assembled. 
     The rotary member  330  takes a cylindrical form and is mounted inside of the housing  310  and  320 . The rotary member  330  is provided with a retainer groove  334  formed at the outer face thereof. 
     The rotary member  330  is formed with a rotation shaft  332 . The rotation shaft  332  passes through a first insert hole  312  or a second insert hole  322  and then is coupled to the support leg  200 . 
     Therefore, as the support leg  200  pivots, the rotary member  330  rotates inside of the housing  310 ,  320  while being supported on the first and second insert holes  312  and  322 . 
     The retainer groove  334  is formed in the outer circumferential face of the rotary member  330  in such a manner to extend lengthwise of the cylindrical rotary member  330 . 
     Here, the retainer groove  334  is formed in multiple numbers along the outer circumference at certain angular intervals. Preferably, the distance between a first retainer groove  334   a  and a second retainer groove  334   b  is made longer than the distance between the second retainer groove  334   b  and a third retainer groove  334   c.    
     In this way, unnecessary retainer grooves can be saved in the range of angles where the support leg  200  does not need to be retained for inclination-supporting the main body  100 . That is, when slant-supporting the portable terminal, the support leg  200  can be turned up to a minimum angular position at one operation, without being obstructed by unnecessary retainer protrusions and grooves in-between. 
     Further, formed at the top and bottom of the female housing  310  is a rotation recess  318  having an arcuate form so as to receive and accommodate the rotary member  330 . 
     The stopper  340  is mounted inside of the housing  310 ,  320  so as to enable to slidably move towards and far away from the rotary member  330 . The rotary member  340  may be disposed at either side of the rotary member  330  or at both sides thereof. 
     The stopper  340  includes a front portion  342  to be placed towards to the rotary member  330 , a guide portion  343  extended backwards of the front portion  342 , and a retainer protrusion  342  formed in the front portion  342 . 
     The retainer protrusion  341  becomes engaged with the retainer groove  334 . The retainer protrusion and groove are rounded off so as to be smoothly engaged with and released from each other. 
     In addition, the retainer protrusion  341  is formed so as to extend correspondingly to the retainer groove  334  of the rotary member  330 . 
     In this way, the retainer protrusion  341  and groove  334  come to have a larger contact surface to thereby further inhibit arbitrary moving relative to each other. 
     The front portion  342  is formed to be concaved generally in a way to wrap around the rotary member  330 . 
     The guide portion  343  is formed in a way to extend backwardly from the top and lower end portions of the front portion  342 . The resilient member  350  is inserted into the guide portion  343 . 
     The resilient member  350  is formed of a coil spring or the like, which is disposed between the stopper  340  and the housing to urge the stopper  340  towards the original position thereof. 
     Due to the resiliency of the resilient member  350 , the retainer protrusion  341  of the stopper  340  is engaged with and retained on the retainer groove  334  of the rotary member, thereby preventing the rotary member  330  from being arbitrarily rotated. 
     At this time, the guide portion  343  has in general an arched structure configured so as to prevent the resilient member, i.e., the coil spring  350  from being escaped sideways. 
     The stopper  340  is disposed at one side of the rotary member  330 , and a rotational support member  360  is disposed at the other side of the rotary member  330  in a way to contact and wrap around the outer surface of the rotary member  330 . 
     In other words, the rotational support member  360  is mounted to slidably embrace the rotary member  330 , such that the rotary member  330  can be rotated in a steady and smooth manner without wobbling. 
     On the other hand, as shown in  FIG. 12 , the rotation shaft  332  is provided with a rotation limiter protrusion  336  formed at a desired position of the outer surface thereof. The first insert hole  312  is formed with a rotation limiter step  316  in the inner circumference, which allows the rotary member  330  to rotate within a predetermined range of angles, in cooperation with the rotation limiter protrusion  336  formed in the rotation shaft  332  of the rotary member  330 . 
     The rotation limiter protrusion  336  may be formed in both sides of the rotation shaft  332 . In this embodiment, it is formed at one side only of the rotation shaft  332  as shown in  FIG. 12 . Correspondingly, the rotation limiter step  316  may be formed at both the first insert hole  312  and the second insert hole  322 . In this embodiment, it is formed at either one of the first and second insert holes  312  and  322  so as to correspond to the rotation limiter protrusion  336 . 
     The rotation limiter protrusion  336  is inserted into the first insert hole  312 , along with the rotation shaft  332 . Thus, the radius of the first insert hole  312  is made to be slightly larger than the radius of the rotation shaft  332  plus the height of the rotation limiter protrusion  336 . 
     The rotation limiter step  316  is formed so as to protrude from the inner face of the first insert hole so as to embrace part of the rotation shaft  332 . 
     That is, the rotation limiter step  316  has a “C” shape to slidably wrap around part of the rotation shaft, which is allowed to rotate within the opening of the “C” shape. That is, the rotation limiter protrusion  336  is stopped by both ends of the “C” shape. 
       FIG. 14  shows operation of the multi-step hinge having the above configuration. 
     As shown in  FIG. 14(   a ), the retainer protrusion  341  of the stopper  340  is rested on the first retainer groove  334   a  of the rotary member  330 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 14(   b ), if the rotary member  330  is rotated, the retainer protrusion  341  is released from the first retainer groove  334   a  and thus the stopper  340  moves far away from the rotary member  350  while compressing the resilient member  350 . 
     If the rotary member  330  is further rotated, the retainer protrusion  341  becomes rested onto the second retainer groove  334   b,  due to the restoring force of the resilient member, as shown in  FIG. 14(   c ). 
     Here, the rotary member  330  can not be freely rotated by means of engagement between the retainer protrusion  341  and the second retainer groove  334   b.    
     As the rotary member  330  is further rotated, the retainer protrusion  341  is rested onto the third retainer groove  334   c  and the fourth retainer groove  334   d  consecutively, as shown in  FIG. 14(   d ). It can be seen from  FIGS. 14(   a ) and  14 ( d ) that the rotation limiter protrusion  336  is stopped by the rotation limiter step  316  to thereby inhibit further rotation of the rotation shaft  332 , i.e., the rotary member  330 . 
     Since the support leg  200  is coupled to the main body  100  through the multi-step hinge  300  described above, the user can place the portable terminal on the floor at various angles with respect to the floor to view the display in a more comfortable posture. Furthermore, because the retainer protrusion  341  of the stopper  340  remains firmly on the retainer groove  334  of the rotary member  330  by the elastic force of the resilient member  350 , the support leg  200  is prevented from arbitrarily pivoting so that the portable terminal can remain at the state inclined with an angle set-up by the user. 
     Here, the intervals of the retainer grooves  334  formed in the rotary member  330  may vary and thus inclination angles of the main body  100  may be implemented in various ways of angles. 
     Further, the rotation limiter protrusion  336  and step  316  cooperates to avoid unnecessary rotation of the rotary member  330 . The rotational support member  360  allows for smooth rotation of the rotary member  330 , without wobbling. 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to several exemplary embodiments, the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention. Various modifications and variations may occur to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.