Patent ID: 7383618

Claim:
A hinge for a portable device comprising: a hollow body having a cavity defined longitudinally in the body and having a noncircular cross section and an open end having an edge; and multiple retaining tabs being formed on and extending inward radially from the edge of the open end of the cavity; a spring mounted in the cavity in the body; a slide mounted slidably in the cavity in the body, abutting the spring and having a noncircular cross section corresponding to the noncircular cross section of the cavity in the body; two ends; and a positioning element formed on one end of the slide; and a shaft mounted to the body, rotatably engaging the slide and having a center axis; two ends; a head coaxially formed on one end of the shaft outside the body and having a first outside wall; a positioning element coaxially formed on the other end of the shaft opposite the head, mounted rotatably in the cavity in the body, rotatably engaging the positioning element of the slide, and having a second outside wall; and an annular groove defined in shaft between the head and the positioning element, so that a neck is formed between the head and the positioning element, rotably engaging the retaining tabs on the body, wherein the neck has a third outside wall and wherein a first distance from the center axis to the first outside wall and a second distance from the center axis to the second outside wall are larger than a third distance from the center axis to the third outside wall.