Patent ID: 8634548

Claim:
A free-stop hinge apparatus for a folding-type mobile terminal, in which a main body and a folder are rotatably connected to each other on a hinge axis, the free-stop hinge apparatus comprising: a rotating driving actuating cam; and a driven sliding cam which slides according to a rotation of the driving actuating cam, wherein the driving actuating cam has a hinge hole substantially at center thereof extending in a direction of the hinge axis, and an inner cam and an outer cam formed on one surface of a body, and the outer cam opposes the inner cam and is formed in a radial direction at an outer edge of the one surface closer to the outer edge of said one surface than the inner cam, and the driven sliding cam has an inner valley and an outer valley, and a hinge hole substantially at a center thereof, the hinge hole extending in a direction of the hinge axis, wherein the inner valley opposes the inner cam and the outer valley opposes the outer cam, wherein a camming between the inner cam and outer cam and the inner valley and outer valley provides a stopping force at angles of 0˜10°, and 350˜360° of an opening/closing operation of the folder, and which provides a stopping force at 180° and about 270 degrees during an opening/closing operation of the folder by an inner projection part having a stepped shape and being recessed in a direction of the hinge axis and being formed at a position opposing the inner valley, and an outer projection part having a stepped shape and is recessed in a direction of the hinge axis, and is formed at a position opposing the outer valley, and where the free-stop hinge apparatus provides a maintaining force that is less than the stopping force at other rotation angles where there is no provision of the stopping force, in which the maintaining force maintains a current position.