Patent ID: 6857879

Claim:
A coupling device for a folding electronic apparatus, said coupling device for coupling a first electronic apparatus, having first and second faces facing in opposite directions away from each other, to a second electronic apparatus of the folding electronic apparatus, said device comprising: a hinge mechanism arranged to allow pivoting of the first electronic apparatus relative to the second electronic apparatus about a hinge axis for unfolding the folding electronic apparatus into the first electronic apparatus and the second electronic apparatus, and folding the first electronic apparatus and the second electronic apparatus into the folding electronic apparatus; a swivel mechanism mounted to said hinge mechanism for retaining the first electronic apparatus in a swivelable way, within a predetermined swivelable range having two ends, such that the first electronic apparatus and the second electronic apparatus can be selectively folded into the folding electronic apparatus in either of a first position and a second position, the first position being with the first electronic apparatus occupying a predetermined location on the second electronic apparatus and having the first face of the first electronic apparatus facing toward the second electronic apparatus, and the second position being with the first electronic apparatus occupying said predetermined location on the second electronic apparatus and having the first face of the first electronic apparatus facing away from the second electronic apparatus; and a torsion spring for energizing said swivel mechanism, wherein said torsion spring is mounted to said swivel mechanism such that said torsion spring has a large torsional restoring force when the first electronic apparatus is at a middle point in the swivelable range and the restoring force of the spring lowers as the first electronic apparatus approaches either of the two ends of the swivelable range, wherein, upon said torsion spring being released from the middle point of the swivelable range, resilient torsional repulsion of said torsion spring energizes said swivel mechanism such that the first electronic apparatus swivels toward one of the ends of the swivelable range, and wherein said swivel mechanism is arranged for swiveling the first electronic apparatus relative to the second electronic apparatus about a swivel axis that is generally perpendicular to said hinge axis, and for selectively folding the first electronic apparatus so that said first face of the first electronic apparatus is turned outwardly, away from said second electronic apparatus or so that said first face of the first electronic apparatus is turned inwardly, toward said second electronic apparatus.