IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,788,865
Granted Patent B1
US 10,788,865 · App. 16/396,046 · Granted Sep 29, 2020

Information handling system dual pivot hinge signal path

Inventors: Jace W. Files (Round Rock, TX); Chiu-Jung Tsen (Hsinchu, TW); John Trevor Morrison (Round Rock, TX)
Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
G06F1/1681G06F1/1616G06F1/1683G06F1/3206
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,788,865
App. No.
16/396,046
Filed
Apr 26, 2019
Granted
Sep 29, 2020
Kind
B1
Art Unit
2841
USPC
361/679.27
Abstract

A portable information handling system rotationally couples housing portions with a dual axis hinge and communicates signals between the housing portions through a signal conduit inserted over the axles of the dual axis hinge. Signal contact elements coupled to opposing housing portions interface wirelines to contact fingers that insert in the signal conduit. Conductive surfaces in the signal conduit transmit signals across the dual axis hinge at varying rotational orientations by maintaining an electrical interface with opposing contact fingers.

Claims (44)

1. A portable information handling system comprising:

first and second housing portions;

a dual axis hinge having first and second axles and rotationally coupling the first and second housing portions;

processing components disposed in the first and second housing portions, the processing components cooperating to process information;

a display integrated in at least one of the first and second housing portions and interfaced with the processing components, the display configured to present the information as visual images;

first and second signal contact elements, the first signal contact element coupled to the first housing portion, the second signal contact element coupled to the second housing portion, each of the first and second signal contact elements having plural contact fingers; and

a signal conduit interfacing the processing components of the first and second housing portions across the dual axis hinge, the signal conduit having plural supports, each support having first and second openings, the first axle inserted through the first opening, the second axle inserted through the second opening, each support further having a conductive surface aligned to contact one of the plural contact fingers of the first signal contact element and one of the plural contact fingers of the second signal contact element.

2. The portable information handling system of claim 1 wherein each of the plural supports have a conductive surface on only one side, each of the plural contact fingers having one conductive face aligned to contact one conductive surface.

3. The portable information handling system of claim 1 wherein each of the plural supports have first and second conductive surfaces on opposing sides, each of the plural contact fingers having first and second conductive faces on opposing sides to interface with separate conductive surfaces of separate supports.

4. The portable information handling system of claim 3 wherein at least one of contact fingers communicates a differential signal pair having a first signal passed through the first conductive face and a second signal passed through the second conductive face.

5. The portable information handling system of claim 1 wherein at least one support conductive surface has a nonconductive portion to block signal communication through the at least one support conductive surface between the first and second housing portions at predetermined rotational orientations.

6. The portable information handling system of claim 5 wherein the predetermined rotational orientations correspond to a clamshell configuration and the block of signal communication triggers presentation of a keyboard at the display.

7. The portable information handling system of claim 5 wherein the predetermined rotational orientations correspond to a tablet configuration and the block of the signal communication triggers removal of a keyboard from presentation at the display.

8. The portable information handling system of claim 5 wherein the predetermined rotational orientations correspond to a closed configuration and the block of the signal communication triggers a cutoff of power draw from a battery integrated in the first or second housing portions.

9. The portable information handling system of claim 5 wherein the predetermined rotational orientations correspond to a closed configuration and the block of the signal communication triggers a release of tension applied at the display.

10. A method for communicating signals between housing portions of a portable information handling system, the method comprising:

terminating a first set of plural signal wires at a first signal contact element in a first housing portion, the first signal contact element having plural contact fingers, each signal wire of the first set of plural signal wires interfaced with one of the plural contact fingers;

terminating a second set of plural signal wires at a second signal contact element in a second housing portion, the second signal contact element having plural contact fingers, each signal wire of the second set of plural signal wires interfaced with one of the plural contact fingers;

rotationally coupling the first and second housing portions with a dual axle hinge having first and second axles; and

interfacing the first and second set of plural signal wires across the dual axle hinge through a signal conduit having plural supports, each of the plural supports having first and second openings aligned to accept the first and second axles and a conductive surface disposed to contact at least one of the first signal contact element contact fingers and at least one of the second signal contact element contract fingers.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

sending a differential pair signal from first and second of the first set of plural signal wires to a first contact finger of the first signal contact element;

communicating the differential pair signal from the first contact finger to first and second conductive surfaces of first and second supports disposed in the signal conduit; and

receiving the differential pair signal from the first and second conductive surfaces at a first contact finger of the second signal contact element.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

disposing both a conductive surface and non-conductive surface on one or more of the signal conduit plural supports;

rotating the first and second housing portions about the first and second axles to pass at least one contact finger across both the conductive surface and the non-conductive surface; and

applying a signal received at the at least one contact finger to command a predetermined function at a predetermined rotational orientation of the housing portions.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the predetermined rotational orientation comprises a clamshell configuration and the predetermined function comprises presentation of a keyboard at a display.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the predetermined rotational orientation comprises a closed configuration and the predetermined function comprises cutting of current from a battery integrated in the information handling system.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the predetermined rotational orientation comprises an open configuration and the predetermined function comprises turning on the information handling system.

16. A signal communication system comprising:

first and second signal contact elements, each signal contact element having plural contact fingers, each of the plural contact fingers interfaced with one or more communication wirelines; and

a signal conduit having plural supports, each support having first and second openings formed to align with first and second axles of a dual axle hinge, each support further having at least one conductive surface;

wherein:

each of the plural contact fingers of the first signal contact element interfaces with a different one of the plural support conductive surfaces;

each of the plural contact fingers of the second signal contact element interfaces with a different one of the plural support conductive surfaces; and

signals communicate from the first signal contact element communication wirelines to the second signal contact element communication wirelines through associated of the contact fingers and conductive surfaces.

17. The signal communication system of claim 16 wherein:

at least some of the plural contract fingers interface with first and second communication wirelines; and

at least some of the plural supports have conductive surfaces disposed on first and second opposing sides.

18. The signal communication system of claim 16 wherein the conductive surface is formed with an over mold of a conductive material.

19. The signal communication system of claim 16 wherein the conductive surface is formed with an insert mold of a conductive material.

20. The signal communication system of claim 16 wherein the plural contact fingers comprise a palladium nickel alloy having a gold overlayer.

Assignments (9)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (050724/0466) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.)
Reel/Frame 060753/0486 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053311/0169) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 060438/0742 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 050405 FRAME 0534 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 058001/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jun 5, 2020
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 053311/0169 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053546/0001 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Oct 15, 2019
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 050724/0466 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 17, 2019
From: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
Reel/Frame 050405/0534 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 26, 2019
From: FILES, JACE W.; TSEN, CHIU-JUNG; MORRISON, JOHN TREVOR
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 049008/0931 →
Cited By (2)
US 12,602,093 US 12,701,312