WO2009028882A2

WO2009028882A2 - Slide hinge apparatus for cellular phone

Info

Publication number: WO2009028882A2
Application number: PCT/KR2008/005051
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sung-Deok Kim
Original assignee: Diabell Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2007-08-28
Filing date: 2008-08-28
Publication date: 2009-03-05
Also published as: KR100921534B1; KR20090021761A; WO2009028882A3

Abstract

Disclosed is a slide hinge apparatus, which includes: a first push rod equipped with first pressing bars moving in substantially parallel along one direction; a second push rod equipped with second pressing bars moving in substantially parallel along the one direction; and a body having first and second insertion holes respectively formed at one and the other sides thereof so that the first and second pressing bars are entered and withdrawn, where the first and second insertion holes are alternatively disposed along a substantially vertical direction to the one direction.

Description

Description SLIDE HINGE APPARATUS FOR CELLULAR PHONE

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a slide hinge apparatus, and more particularly, to a slide hinge apparatus for a cellular phone having insertion holes disposed alternatively. Background Art

[2] With the increased use of the portable wireless terminals worldwide, the terminals having various functions and designs to satisfy demands of consumers have been developed and marketed. The portable terminals have been developed from a bar type terminal to flip type and flip-up type terminals. Recently, folder type and slide type terminals are mainly used. The slide type terminal has an operating structure that a slide body slides on a main body by a predetermined distance in the lengthwise direction of the terminal and thus the terminal is opened. A user can use it more easily by pushing and pulling the slide body. Accordingly, the slide type terminal is favored as a high class type because it can realize a slim terminal and provide a display screen having a size similar to the folder type terminal. According to the recent tendency, the slide type terminal has an auto-sliding method. According to the auto-sliding method, when the slide body is pushed by more than a predetermined distance, the slide body is automatically moved by the rest length and the terminal is opened. Thus, various hinge apparatus have been developed to realize the auto-sliding type slide body.

[3] Recently, although it was tried to realize the cellular terminal of slimmer design, there was a limit in the prior art to make a thickness of the terminal slim by reducing a size of a plurality of circumference type pins because a cover part for wrapping outer circumference of the pins should be equipped so as to fix and support the pins each other.

[4] Additionally, there was disadvantage that the slide hinge apparatus in the prior art has a relatively small slide distance, compared with a size of the slide hinge apparatus. Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

[5] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a slide hinge apparatus of a cellular phone that can slip the hinge apparatus relatively by alternatively arranging pressing bars adjacent to each other among the pressing bars respectively arranged in push rods as well as have uniform pressing force by applying the pressing force of the push rods to a body center part.

[6] Another object of the present invention is to prevent generation of interference between sliders by forming a curved diagonal edge portion of outer circumference of a body when a hinge is pressed.

[7] Still another object of the present invention is to use a spring for supporting the respective push rod variously. Technical Solution

[8] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a slide hinge apparatus, which includes: a first push rod including first pressing bars moving in substantially parallel along one direction; a second push rod including second pressing bars moving in substantially parallel along the one direction; and a body having first and second insertion holes respectively formed in one and the other sides thereof so that the first and second pressing bars are entered and withdrawn, where the first and second insertion holes are alternatively disposed along a substantially vertical direction to the one direction.

[9] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a slide hinge apparatus, which includes: a body having a plurality of insertion holes formed in substantially parallel along one direction; a first push rod including first pressing bars moved in substantially parallel along the one direction; and a second push rod including second pressing bars moved in substantially parallel along the one direction, where the insertion holes include first insertion holes respectively having a first entrance formed in one side of the body so as to make the first pressing bars move through the first entrance; and second insertion holes respectively having a second entrance formed in the other side of the body so as to make the second pressing bars move through the second entrance, where the first and second insertion holes are alternatively disposed along a substantially vertical direction to the one direction.

[10] The first push rod is located between the first pressing bars and including a first guide bar moved to the one direction along a first guide space formed in the body, and the second push rod is located between the second pressing bars and may include a second guide bar moved to the one direction along a second guide space formed in the body.

[11] The first guide bar is moved along a first guide hole formed in an upper part of the first guide space and include a first stopper for preventing the first guide bar from being separated from the first guide space, and the second guide bar is moved along a second guide hole formed in an upper part of the second guide space and may include a second stopper for preventing the second guide bar from being separated from the second guide space.

[12] The slide hinge apparatus includes a first elastic body installed on the first pressing bar so as to provide elastic force to the first push rod; and a second elastic body installed on the second pressing bar so as to provide elastic force to the second push rod, where one end of the first elastic body is inserted into the first insertion hole and connected to an end of the first pressing bar, and the other end of the first elastic body is fixed to an entrance of the first insertion hole, and one end of the second elastic body is inserted into the second insertion hole and connected to an end of the second pressing bar, and the other end of the second elastic body may be fixed to the entrance of the first insertion hole.

[13] The first and second elastic bodies are respectively coil springs, and the one end of the coil springs may respectively have a smaller diameter than diameters of the first and second pressing bars.

Advantageous Effects

[14] According to the present invention, the following effects are obtained.

[15] First, it is to provide a slide hinge apparatus of a cellular phone that can slip the hinge apparatus relatively by alternatively arranging pressing bars adjacent to each other among the pressing bars respectively arranged in push rods as well as have uniform pressing force by applying the pressing force of the push rods to a body center part.

[16] Second, it is to provide the slide hinge apparatus of the cellular phone that can prevent generation of interference between sliders by forming a curved diagonal edge portion of outer circumference of a body when a hinge is pressed.

[17] Third, it is to provide the slide hinge apparatus of the cellular phone that can use a spring for supporting the respective push rod variously. Brief Description of the Drawings

[18] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a slide hinge apparatus of the present invention.

[19] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the slide hinge apparatus shown in

FIG. 1.

[20] FIGS. 3 to 5 are perspective views illustrating shape of springs according to the present invention; and

[21] FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating the slide hinge apparatus according to the present invention. Mode for the Invention

[22] According to the present invention, a slide hinge apparatus of a cellular phone comprises a body provided with a pair of guide holes and insertion holes in left and right sides of the guide holes; first and second push rods having a guide bar inserted along the guide holes and a pair of protruded pressing bars inserted into the insertion holes; and at least one spring or more elastically supporting the first and second push rods, where the first and second push rods are inserted into the insertion holes while adjacent pressing bars between a pair of the pressing bars are alternate. [23] The spring is composed of any one selected from a shape having one blocked lengthwise side and the other opened side, and a shape having both opened lengthwise ends, where the spring is composed of any one selected from a shape having an opened end extended outside and a hook shape.

[24] The pressing bar is made of any one selected from metal and nonmetal material, where the total pressing bar or a part of the pressing bar is made of metal material.

[25] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[26] Referring to FIG. 1 or 2, a slide hinge apparatus 10 comprises a body 110, first and second push rods 120 and 130, and a spring 140.

[27] The body 110 is a thin rectangular plate body, includes a rounded- shaped portion diagonal to each other among edge portions, and forms a pair of guide holes 111 and 112 penetrated up and down along the lengthwise direction in a position diagonal to each other as well as insertion holes 113a,l 13b, 114a and 114b in left and right sides of the guide holes 111 and 112. Guide grooves I l ia and 112b are formed along both side surfaces of the penetrated guide holes 111 and 112, where the guide holes 111 and 112 are opened alternatively to each other toward a side surface of the lengthwise direction of the body 110.

[28] The first push rod 120 forms a pair of pressing bars 121 and 122 protruded from a separated position of one side surface and arranges a guide bar 123 protruded in parallel to the pressing bar between the pressing bars 121 and 122. Additionally, the guide bar 123 forms a protrusion plate 124 along both side surfaces and a stopper 125 protruded to upper and lower protruded ends of the guide bar 123.

[29] The second push rod 130 is provided with a pair of pressing bars 131 and 132, a guide bar 133 arranged between the pressing bars 131 and 132, and a protrusion plate 134 and a stopper 135 formed along both side surfaces of the guide bar 133 in the same way as the first push rod 120.

[30] The spring 140 is respectively inserted into the pressing bars 121, 122, 131 and 132 and supports the first and second push rods 120 and 130 elastically.

[31] The spring may be composed of any one selected from a shape having one blocked lengthwise side and the other opened side, and a shape having both opened lengthwise ends. Referring to FIG. 3, a spring 140' has one lengthwise end provided with an opened locking part 141'(diameter=d3,d3>d2>dl) and the other lengthwise end provided with a blocked supporting part 142'(diameter=dl), and the locking part 141' is locked in an end of the insertion hole while the supporting part 142' is inserted into the insertion hole, and thus an end of the pressing bar is tightly attached to an end of the supporting part 142' so as to support the first and second push rods elastically by tensile force when the pressing bar of the first and second push rods is inserted inside the spring 141'(diameter=d2). Referring to FIG. 4, a spring 140" is provided with both opened lengthwise ends and inserted into the insertion hole. When the pressing bar is inserted into the spring 140", one side of both ends of the spring 140" is supported by an end of the body 110, and the other part may be supported by an end of the push rod, thereby supporting them elastically by compression force. On the other hand, the spring 140' has a shape having an opened end extended outside, or the opened end may be formed in a shape of a hook 232 as shown in FIG. 5.

[32] For example, the first and second push rods are elastically supported by using any one selected from a compressed spring and a tensile spring.

[33] According to coupling relations of the present invention, the spring is inserted into the pressing bars 121, 122, 131 and 132 of the first and second push rods 120 and 130. Referring to FIG. 3a or 3b, any one selected from the compressed spring and the tensile spring may be selectively used for the spring 140. The pressing bars and the guide bar of the first push rod are inserted into one side of the body, and the second push rod is inserted into the other side inserted by the first push rod. In this time, the inserted pressing bar is inserted into a position where the pressing bars adjacent to each other are alternate. The pressing bars 122 and 132 of the first and second push rods 120 and 130 are adjacent to each other and located alternatively so that the first and second push rods are located near a body center part by inserting a pressing bar 121 of the first push rod 120 into the insertion hole 114b and inserting a pressing bar 131 of the second push rod 130 into the insertion hole 113b, thereby generating pressing force uniformly to the body part when pressing the first and second push rods. On the other end, the inserted guide bar is fixed to the guide hole by the stopper and prevents the first and second push rods from being spaced by a fixed distance and separated from the body part. The protrusion plates 124 and 134 formed along the lengthwise direction of both sides of the guide bar are inserted into guide grooves I l ia and 112a formed in the lengthwise direction of the both sides of the guide holes 111 and 112 and guided, thereby preventing the first and second push rods from being moved in the body part and allowing sliding to be easy.

[34] Referring to FIG. 6, the pressing bars 121 and 131 are alternatively coupled to each other while the first and second push rods 120 and 130 are disposed to be opposite to each other from the body 110, thereby minimizing variation of pressing force and being slid so that the first and second push rods 120 and 130 are pressed toward the body center part. Although it is not shown in the drawings, it is well-known that the first and second push rods are coupled to a slider equipped in the cellular phone and slide the slider.

[35] The present invention is not limited to the above described embodiments. It should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various replacements, modi- fications and changes in the form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims. Industrial Applicability

[36] The present invention can be applied for various products using the slide hinge apparatus.

Claims

[1] A slide hinge apparatus, comprising: a first push rod including first pressing bars moving in substantially parallel along one direction; a second push rod including second pressing bars moving in substantially parallel along the one direction; and a body having first and second insertion holes respectively formed in one and the other sides thereof so that the first and second pressing bars are entered and withdrawn, where the first and second insertion holes are alternatively disposed along a substantially vertical direction to the one direction.

[2] A slide hinge apparatus, comprising: a body including a plurality of insertion holes formed in substantially parallel along one direction; a first push rod including first pressing bars moved in substantially parallel along the one direction; and a second push rod including second pressing bars moved in substantially parallel along the one direction, where the insertion holes include: first insertion holes respectively having a first entrance formed in one side of the body so as to make the first pressing bars move through the first entrance; and second insertion holes having a second entrance formed in the other side of the body so as to make the second pressing bars move through the second entrance, where the first and second insertion holes are alternatively disposed along a substantially vertical direction to the one direction.

[3] The slide hinge apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first push rod includes a first guide bar being located between the first pressing bars and moving to the one direction along a first guide space formed in the body, and the second push rod includes a second guide bar being located between the second pressing bars and moving to the one direction along a second guide space formed in the body.

[4] The slide hinge apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first guide bar has a first stopper moving along a first guide hole formed in an upper part of the first guide space and preventing the first guide bar from being separated from the first guide space, and the second guide bar has a second stopper moving along a second guide hole formed in an upper part of the second guide space and preventing the second guide bar from being separated from the second guide space.

[5] The slide hinge apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the slide hinge apparatus includes a first elastic body installed on the first pressing bar so as to provide elastic force to the first push rod; and a second elastic body installed on the second pressing bar so as to provide elastic force to the second push rod, where one end of the first elastic body is inserted into the first insertion hole and connected to an end of the first pressing bar, and the other end of the first elastic body is fixed to an entrance of the first insertion hole, and one end of the second elastic body is inserted into the second insertion hole and connected to an end of the second pressing bar, and the other end of the second elastic body is fixed to the entrance of the first insertion hole.

[6] The slide hinge apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first and second elastic bodies are respectively coil springs, and the one end of the coil springs respectively have a smaller diameter than diameters of the first and second pressing bars.