The description relates to hinged devices, such as hinged computing devices. One example can include a hinge assembly that rotatably secures a first portion and a second portion relative to a hinge axis and defines a planar conductor path between the first and second portions through the hinge assembly. The example can also include a pop-up arm that compresses a spring when the first portion and the second portion are rotated to a closed orientation, and wherein the compressed spring creates a bias to rotate the first and second portions from the closed orientation to an open orientation.

A method for securing a portable electronic device having a housing to a substantially immovable object utilizing a locking assembly having a security rod or spike formed with an anchoring end separated axially by a protruding end, a locking device with an internal locking mechanism and a cable permanently attached to lire locking device at one end, includes several steps. The steps include securedly fixing the anchoring end of the security rod or spike to the portable electronic device upon or through the housing, attaching an other end of the cable to the substantially immovable object and inserting the protruding end of the security rod into an opening in the locking device to actuate the internal locking mechanism and lock the locking device to die captive security rod. Locking the security rod to the locking device concurrently locks the portable electronic device to which it is anchored to the substantially immovable object.

An electronic device may have a hinge that allows the device to be flexed about a bend axis. A display may span the bend axis. To facilitate bending about the bend axis without damage when the display is cold, a portion of the display that overlaps the bend axis may be selectively heated. The portion of the display that overlaps the bend axis may be self-heated by illuminating pixels in the portion of the display that overlap the bend axis or may be heated using a heating element or other heating structure that provides heat to the portion of the display overlapping the bend axis. Control circuitry may engage a latching mechanism that prevents opening and closing of the electronic device when the temperature of the portion of the display that overlaps the bend axis is below a predetermined temperature.

A security latching mechanism attached to a first device for removably securing the first device to a second device is provided, comprising an upper latching plate, a lower latching plate, and a base plate adapted to retain the upper latching plate and the lower latching in a sliding cooperative engagement with respect to each other and the base plate, and wherein each of the upper and lower latching plates further comprise a latch portion adapted to cause a sliding movement for its respective latching plate from a first position to a second position when the respective latching portions are in sliding contact with a security latching mechanism receptacle in the second device, such that the security latching mechanism can pass through the security latching mechanism receptacle when the second position has been reached by each of the upper and lower latching plate, and upon passing through the security latching mechanism receptacle, each of the upper latching plate and lower latching plate returns to the first position.

A lock for actively locking an electronic device includes an engagement member that is movable by an actuator. The actuator moves the engagement member to the locked position with a first amount of power from the power source and from the locked position to an unlocked position with a second amount of power from the power source. The engagement member will passively remain in the unlocked position or the locked position.

An apparatus for locking an electronic device includes an actuator, a return mechanism, and an arm. The actuator includes an actuator SMM wire that is configured to apply a contraction force. The return mechanism includes a return SMM wire that is configured to apply a return force opposite the contraction force. The arm is movable toward an unlocked position by the actuator and movable toward a locked position by the return force. The arm has at least one equilibrium position with less than 1 Newton of force on the arm from the actuator and less than 1 Newton of force on the arm from the return mechanism.

In some embodiments, an apparatus for locking a computing device includes an actuator, a locking protrusion connected to a first portion of the computing device, a locking receptacle connected to a second portion of the computing device, a shape memory material (SMM) wire, and a force conditioner. The SMM wire has a first state and a second state and is movable between states by the actuator. The first state and the second state have first and second lengths, respectively. Moving from the first state to the second state applies a contraction force along a longitudinal direction of the SMM wire. The force conditioner is configured to apply a return force to the SMM wire that opposes the contraction face. The return force returns the SMM wire toward the first state while moving a maximum available force of the SMM wire to the second state of the SMM wire.

A lock for actively locking an electronic device includes an engagement member that is movable by an actuator. The actuator moves the engagement member to the locked position with a first amount of power from the power source and from the locked position to an unlocked position with a second amount of power from the power source. The engagement member will passively remain in the unlocked position or the locked position.

A method for securing a portable electronic device having a housing to a substantially immovable object utilizing a locking assembly having a security rod or spike formed with an anchoring end separated axially by a protruding end, a locking device with an internal locking mechanism and a cable permanently attached to the locking device at one end, includes several steps. The steps include securedly fixing the anchoring end of the security rod or spike to the portable electronic device upon or through the housing, attaching an other end of the cable to the substantially immovable object and inserting the protruding end of the security rod into an opening in the locking device to actuate the internal locking mechanism and lock the locking device to the captive security rod. Locking the security rod to the locking device concurrently locks the portable electronic device to which it is anchored to the substantially immovable object.

In some examples, an electronic device includes an electronic component, a battery pack that is dockable to the electronic component, and a lock to lock a docked battery pack to the electronic device. In some examples, the lock is to move to a locked state in which the docked battery pack is to be locked to the electronic device and electrically coupled to the electronic component to power the electronic component using the docked battery pack and the lock is to move to an unlocked state in which the docked battery pack is to be unlocked from the electronic device and electrically isolated from the electronic component.