Patent Publication Number: US-2009229079-A1

Title: Hinge reinforced structure

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a hinge reinforced structure and particularly to a hinge reinforced structure to couple two articles and allow them to swivel relative to each other. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Many electronic devices such as notebook computers, mobile phones and the like now on the market have a display screen coupling with a host through a hinge. When in use the display device can be flipped against the host for operation. When not in use the display device can be folded over the host. Through the hinge the size of the electronic device can be shrunk to facilitate storing and carrying. 
     For instance, R.O.C. patent No. M326329 entitled “Hinge structure” mainly includes a hinge seat, a pintle, an elastic element and a bucking plate. The pintle is pivotally held on the hinge seat and coupled with the elastic element. The bucking plate has a coupling hole to be coupled on the pintle between the elastic element and the hinge seat to provide anchoring effect when the pintle rotates to reduce wearing of the elastic element and enhance durability of the hinge and improve practicality. Applicant also has a patent granted in R.O.C. by patent No. M253818 entitled “Hinge for anchoring and closing on small pintles” which has a pintle with one end coupled with a fastening seat and the other end coupled with a holding seat. The one end of the pintle coupled with the fastening seat also has a regulation structure and a resistant force generation structure that are interposed by a return element to form a stageless return hinge. The regulation structure has a rotary element and an anchor element that form a contact surface with a swiveling displacement formed thereon. Only one fixed spot is provided to allow the rotary element and the anchor element to latch with each other to form a folding and closed condition. The resistant force generation structure includes a plurality of resistant elements and washers to increase frictional forces between them. 
     Although both techniques mentioned above can increase the durability or frictional resistance of the hinge, they have one common drawback, namely the pintle of the general hinge is usually formed in a non-circular strut to mate non-circular holes formed on the washers and the like. Through the non-circular washers and pintle a frictional resistant force is generated while the pintle rotates and an anchor effect is produced. Such a structure creates gaps between the coupling pintle hole and the pintle. Hence wobbling is generated on the pintle and fastening seat. Moreover, the pintle has to rotate an idle swivel displacement before pressing the inner wall of the pintle hole to drive the washers to swivel. Such a structure is not steady and creates problems in practice. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary object of the present invention is to solve the aforesaid problems and increase steadiness of a hinge. 
     To achieve the foregoing object, the present invention provides a hinge which mainly has a rotary element and a holding element. The rotary element has a pintle to be coupled with a pintle hole formed on the holding element. The rotary element can generate a rotational displacement relative the holding element, and has a driving portion to form a gap with the pintle hole. The pintle further is coupled with a reinforced element which has at least one reinforced portion wedged in the gap to press against an inner wall of the pintle hole. 
     The reinforced element can provide a frictional force for the relative rotation of the rotary element and the holding element, also has the reinforced portion pressing the inner wall of the pintle hole and filling the gap between the driving portion and the pintle hole. Such a structure provides benefits not available on the conventional techniques, notably: 
     1. Wobbling of the rotary element and the holding element can be prevented to enhance steadiness of the hinge. 
     2. When the rotary element rotates the pintle does not have to press on the inner wall of the pintle hole first. With the reinforced element pressing the inner wall of the pintle hole, swiveling of the rotary element is smoother. 
     The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the invention 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view of an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view of another embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the hinge reinforced structure according to the invention mainly includes a rotary element  10  and a holding element  30 . The rotary element  10  has a pintle  11  to be coupled with a pintle hole  31  formed on the holding element  30  to generate a rotational displacement relative to the holding element  30 . The pintle  11  has a driving portion  12  to form a gap A with the pintle hole  31 . The hinge further has an anchor mechanism  40  and a return mechanism  50  run through by the pintle  11 . The pintle  11  has a distal end coupled with a washer  60  and a nut  70  to confine the anchor mechanism  40  and the return mechanism  50  on the pintle  11 . Referring to the drawings, the anchor mechanism  40  includes a jutting element  41  fastened to one side of the holding element  30  and an indented element  42  engaged with the jutting element  41  and driven by the pintle  11  to rotate synchronously therewith. The jutting element  41  and the indented element  42  have respectively an anchor boss  410  and an anchor recess  420  on a contact surface formed between them. The anchor boss  410  and anchor recess  420  are latchable with each other to form anchoring of the indented element  42  and jutting element  41 . The return mechanism  50  includes a plurality of disk-like washers to provide a latching torque for the anchor boss  410  and the anchor recess  420 . It is to be noted that the anchor mechanism  40  and the return mechanism  50  shown in the drawings serve merely for illustrative purpose, and are not the limitation of the invention. The pintle  11  further has a reinforced element  20  located thereon. The reinforced element  20  has at least one reinforced portion  21  to wedge in the gap A and press the inner wall of the pintle hole  31 . Thereby bracing force of the pintle  11  in the pintle hole  31  can be increased so that the rotary element  10  does not wobble in the pintle hole  31  because of the gap A. And initial idle rotation of the rotary element  10  that might otherwise occur can also be eliminated to enhance the steadiness of the whole structure. 
     The reinforced element  20  is a washer and has a plurality of lube oil cavities  22  to improve rotation smoothness of the rotary element  10  relative to the holding element  30 . In addition, the reinforced element  20  may also be integrally formed with the rotary element  10   a  as shown in  FIG. 3 . Then the pintle  11  can be directly inserted into the pintle hole  331  with the reinforced portion  21  on the driving portion  12  pressing the inner wall of the pintle hole  31 . 
     In an embodiment of the invention, referring to  FIG. 4 , a single hinge is disposed at two sides of a notebook computer  80 . The holding element  30  is located on a host  81  of the notebook computer  80 . The rotary element  10  is coupled with a bracing arm  13  to be fastened to a display device  82  of the notebook computer  80 . Thereby the display device  82  can be flipped relative to the host  81 . Moreover, the hinge may also be used as a swivel hinge on the notebook computer  80  as shown in  FIG. 5 . In such a circumstance the rotary element  11  is mounted onto a swivel dock  14  located on the host  81 . The holding element  30  is fastened to the display device  82  so that not only the display device  82  can be flipped against the host  81 , it also can be swiveled relative to the host  81 . More important, either the single pintle or the swivel hinge can adopt the reinforced element  20  to prevent wobbling of the display device  82  and the host  81 . And the display device  82  can be flipped against the host  81  without creating idle swiveling. Thus the structure is steadier and stronger. 
     As a conclusion, the rotary element  10  in the hinge of the invention has the reinforced element  20  located thereon to be wedged in one side of the pintle hole  31  of the holding element  30 . Such a structure not only increases the frictional force during relative swiveling of the rotary element  10  and the holding element  30 , by pressing the reinforced portion  21  on the inner wall of the pintle hole  31 , the gap A between the driving portion  12  of the pintle  11  and the pintle hole  31  is filled. Compared with the conventional techniques, such a structure provides the following benefits: 
     1. Wobbling of the rotary element  10  and the holding element  30  that might otherwise occur can be prevented, and steadiness of the hinge improves. 
     2. As the pintle  11  is not directly in contact with the inner wall of the pintle hole  31  during swiveling, instead, the reinforced element  20  presses the inner wall of the pintle hole  31 , swiveling of the rotary element  10  is smoother. 
     While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth for the purpose of disclosure, modifications of the disclosed embodiments of the invention as well as other embodiments thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.