US 12,079,045 B2
Fabric hinged device
Brian D. Bitz, Woodinville, WA (US); Whitney Anne Reed, Seattle, WA (US); Bernard T. Selting, Seattle, WA (US); Michael Gordon Oldani, Redmond, WA (US); Le Chang, Kirkland, WA (US); and Joseph B. Gault, West Linn, OR (US)
Assigned to Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC, Redmond, WA (US)
Filed by Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC, Redmond, WA (US)
Filed on Dec. 30, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/566,367.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/246,373, filed on Sep. 21, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0088731 A1, Mar. 23, 2023
Int. Cl. G06F 1/16 (2006.01); E05D 1/00 (2006.01); E05D 11/00 (2006.01)
CPC G06F 1/1681 (2013.01) [E05D 1/00 (2013.01); E05D 11/0081 (2013.01); E05Y 2999/00 (2024.05)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A device, comprising:
a first portion including a first hinge end and a first distal end;
a second portion including a second hinge end and a second distal end;
a tension bar positioned in the second portion and extending along the second hinge end and biased away from the second hinge end by a tensioning mechanism, the tension bar defining a tongue extending toward the first portion;
a hinge comprising a flexible material secured to the first portion and to the tension bar in the second portion to allow rotation between the first hinge end and the second hinge end through a range of rotation of the first and second hinge ends from a closed orientation to a fully opened orientation, the flexible material defining a recess through which the tongue extends;
a bumper assembly secured between the first portion and the tension bar and supporting the tongue extending through the recess in the flexible material; and,
a conductor extending through the recess and between and electrically coupling the first and second portions, and in the closed orientation the tension bar is configured to be translated toward the second hinge end by the flexible material overcoming the bias to collectively define a bend radius surface with the bumper assembly that the conductor bends around.