Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Virtual pivot hinge with sliding friction coupler
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Application No.: US16235623Application Date: 2018-12-28
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Publication No.: US11061442B2Publication Date: 2021-07-13
- Inventor: Joseph Benjamin Gault , Brian D. Bitz
- Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
- Applicant Address: US WA Redmond
- Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
- Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
- Current Assignee Address: US WA Redmond
- Agency: Holzer Patel Drennan
- Main IPC: G06F1/16
- IPC: G06F1/16 ; H05K5/00 ; H05K5/02

Abstract:
Conventional laptop computers may utilize a door-hinge style or in a bezel-behind-base style hinge to connect a display with a keyboard of the laptop computer. Typically, these hinges present a discontinuous visual impression to the user. Presenting a more continuous visual impression of the hinge to the user suggests a higher overall quality of the computing device to the user and is thus desirable to the user. The disclosed virtual pivot hinge pivots about a pivot axis running between the display and the keyboard. The hardware of the hinge is located away from the pivot axis, which creates a virtual pivoting action about the axis that maintains a consistent front gap distance (or no front gap) between the display and the keyboard. The resulting visual impression to the user is that the display is floating above keyboard at the same or similar distance regardless of the display angle.
Information query