Abstract:
A mobile phone includes a first housing including a first rotating component with a first slit, a display panel installed on the first housing, a second housing comprising a second rotating component with a second slit and connected to the first rotating component, wherein a plurality of buttons is installed on the second housing for inputting button signals, a flexible printed circuit (FPC) with a first end stretching from the first slit and a second end stretching from the second slit, a third housing connected to the first housing, and a fourth housing connected to the second housing.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to a mobile phone, and more specifically, to a folder-style mobile phone having an improved structure of flexible printed circuit (FPC) connected between a liquid crystal display (LCD) module and a main module of the mobile phone.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     In the modern information-oriented society, compact and portable mobile phones are widely used as a means of daily communication among people for exchanging information and opinions as well as experiences. As technology progresses, mobile phones are becoming smaller in size, meaning that the limited area needs to be effectively used. In addition, the modules and parts need to be fixed to the mobile phone tightly in order to function normally.  
         [0005]     A large proportion of mobile phones are folder-style. A folder-style phone is divided into two parts one part containing a display and the other part a keypad. The two parts are connected with a hinge and other fixing components.  
         [0006]     Please refer to  FIG. 1  showing a block diagram of a conventional mobile phone  10 . The mobile phone  10  has a first housing  12  and a second housing  14 . The first housing  12  has a first hinge  16 , and the second housing  14  has a second hinge  18 . The first hinge  16  is connected to the second hinge  18  by a fixing component so that the first housing  12  along with the second housing  14  can be opened and closed by rotating the hinge. The mobile phone  10  further includes a processing module  20  installed in the second housing  14  for controlling the operation of the mobile phone  10 , a radio module  22  installed in the second housing  14  and electrically connected to the processing module  20  for receiving radio signals to generate corresponding communication signals and sending them to the processing module  20  as well as outputting data from the processing module  20  wirelessly, a microphone  24  installed in the second housing  14  and electrically connected to the processing module  20  for converting real sound into audio signals and sending them to the processing module  20 , and a plurality of buttons  25  for inputting button signals.  
         [0007]     The mobile phone  10  further includes a signal processing module  26  installed in the first housing  12 , a display panel  28  installed in the first housing  12  and electrically connected to the signal processing module  26  for displaying data from the signal processing module  26  as an image, a speaker  30  installed in the first housing  12  and electrically connected to the signal processing module  26  for converting the data from the signal processing module  26  into real sound, and a vibrator  32  installed in the first housing  12  and electrically connected to the signal processing module  26  for vibrating the mobile phone when receiving a vibration signal from the signal processing module  26 . The mobile phone  10  further includes an FPC  34  with one end connected to the signal processing module  26  and the other end connected to the processing module  20 . The FPC  34  passes through a slit in the first hinge  16  and a slit in the second housing in order to connect the processing module  20  with the signal processing module  26  so that the devices and modules in the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  can exchange signals and data with each other.  
         [0008]     Please refer to  FIG. 2  to  FIG. 4 , which show how the FPC  34  is installed into the first housing  12  and the second housing  14  of the mobile phone  10 . First, the FPC  34  is fixed onto the first housing  12  of the mobile phone  10  so that the lower end of the FPC  34  passes through the slit in the first hinge  16 . The lower end of the FPC  34  is then passed through the slit in the second housing  14 . Since the first hinge  16  is connected to the second hinge  18  by the fixing component so that the first housing  12  along with the second housing  14  are opened and closed by rotating the hinge, the FPC  34  will bend according to the rotation of the hinge.  
         [0009]     However, for the sake of good design, the slit should be n a region covered by the first hinge  16  or the second housing  14  during the rotation, otherwise it will be seen. Such a structure that does not follow good design is not proper for a mobile phone with an exposed hinge because the slit in the hinge may also be exposed when opening the mobile phone.  
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
       [0010]     It is therefore a primary objective of the present invention to provide a folder-style mobile phone having a flexible printed circuit (FPC) of improved structure connected between a liquid crystal display (LCD) module and a main module of the mobile phone in order to solve the problems mentioned above.  
         [0011]     Briefly summarized, a mobile phone includes a first housing comprising a first rotating component with a first slit, a display panel installed on the first housing, a second housing comprising a second rotating component with a second slit and connected to the first rotating component, wherein a plurality of buttons is installed on the second housing for inputting button signals, a flexible printed circuit (FPC) with a first end stretching from the first slit and a second end stretching from the second slit, a third housing connected to the first housing, and a fourth housing connected to the second housing.  
         [0012]     These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0013]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a conventional mobile phone.  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating the first step of how an FPC is installed into the first housing and the second housing of the conventional mobile phone.  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating the second step of how the FPC is installed into the first housing and the second housing of the conventional mobile phone.  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  is a diagram illustrating the FPC installed into the first housing and the second housing of the conventional mobile phone.  
         [0017]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram of a mobile phone according to the present invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 6  illustrates the structure of a first housing of the mobile phone according to the present invention.  
         [0019]      FIG. 7  illustrates the structure of a second housing of the mobile phone according to the present invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 8  illustrates how to install a rotating axis into a first rotating component according to the present invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 9  illustrates how to connect the first rotating component to the second housing according to the present invention.  
         [0022]      FIG. 10  illustrates how to install an FPC into a first slit of the first rotating component and a second slit of a second rotating component according to the present invention.  
         [0023]      FIG. 11  illustrates the first rotating component rotated after installing the FPC into the first slit of the first rotating component and the second slit of the second rotating component according to the present invention.  
         [0024]      FIG. 12  illustrates how to assemble the first housing along with the first rotating component to the second housing according to the present invention.  
         [0025]      FIG. 13  illustrates how to assemble a processing module and a signal processing module respectively to the second housing and the first housing.  
         [0026]      FIG. 14  illustrates all the housings of the mobile phone assembled together. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0027]     Please refer to  FIG. 5  showing a block diagram of a mobile phone  40  according to the present invention. The mobile phone  40  has a first housing  42  and a third housing  44 . The first housing  42  has a first rotating component  46  with a first slit  47  in it, and the third housing  44  is connected to the first housing  42 . The mobile phone  40  further includes a second housing  48  and a fourth housing  50 . The second housing  48  has a second rotating component  52  with a second slit  53  in it and connected to the first rotating component  46 , and a plurality of buttons  54 . The fourth housing  50  is connected to the second housing  48 .  
         [0028]     The mobile phone  40  further includes a processing module  56  installed in the second housing  48  and the fourth housing  50  for controlling the operation of the mobile phone  40 , a radio module  22  installed in the second housing  48  and the fourth housing  50  and electrically connected to the processing module  56  for receiving radio signals to generate corresponding communication signals and sending them to the processing module  56  as well as outputting data from the processing module  56  wirelessly, and a microphone  60  installed in the second housing  48  and the fourth housing  50  and electrically connected to the processing module  56  for converting real sound into audio signals and sending them to the processing module  56 . The mobile phone  40  further includes a signal processing module  62  installed in the first housing  42  and the third housing  44 , a display panel  64  installed in the first housing  42  and the third housing  44  and electrically connected to the signal processing module  62  for displaying data from the signal processing module  62  as an image, a speaker  66  installed in the first housing  42  and the third housing  44  and electrically connected to the signal processing module  62  for converting the data from the signal processing module  62  into real sound, and a vibrator  68  installed in the first housing  42  and the third housing  44  and electrically connected to the signal processing module  62  for vibrating the mobile phone when receiving a vibration signal from the signal processing module  62 . The mobile phone  40  further includes an FPC  70  with a first end stretching from a first slit  47  of the first housing  42  and connected to the signal processing module  62 , and a second end stretching from a second slit  53  of the second housing  48  and connected to the processing module  56  so that the devices and modules in the first housing  42  along with the third housing  44  and the second housing  48  along with the fourth housing  50  can exchange signals and data with each other.  
         [0029]     Please refer to  FIG. 6  showing the structure of the first housing  42  of the mobile phone  40 , and  FIG. 7  showing the structure of the second housing  48  of the mobile phone  40 . The first housing  42  has a hole for installing the speaker  66  and a hole for installing the display panel  64 . The first rotating component  46  of the first housing  42  is screwed to the first housing  42  and has a first slit  47 . The second housing  48  has a hole for installing the buttons  54  and a hole for installing the microphone  60 . The second rotating component  52  of the second housing  48  is screwed to the second housing  48  and has a second slit  53 .  
         [0030]     Please refer to  FIG. 8  showing how to install the rotating axis  72  into the first rotating component  46 , and  FIG. 9  showing how to connect the first rotating component  46  to the second housing  48 . The rotating axis  72  is tightly fitted into the first rotating component  46  from the end without the first slit  47  and passes through the first rotating component  46  in order to connect to the node on the upper left side of the second housing  48  in  FIG. 9 . The rotation moment of the first housing  42  and the second housing  48  is received by this node. The end of the first rotating component  46  with the first slit  47  is pressed into the second rotating component  52 . Since this end is for installing the FPC  70 , the rotating axis  72  is not installed in this end, for it may squeeze the FPC  70 .  
         [0031]     Please refer to  FIG. 10  showing how to install the FPC  70  into the first slit  47  of the first rotating component  46  and the second slit  53  of the second rotating component  52 . First, after the first rotating component  46  is assembled with the second housing  48 , the first rotating component  46  is turned so that the first slit  47  of the first rotating component  46  and the second slit  53  of the second rotating component  52  are aligned with each other and form a single, longer slit. Then The FPC  70  is bended along the dashed line  9 - 9  as shown in  FIG. 10  at an angle less than 360 degrees and installed into the first slit  47  of the first rotating component  46  and the second slit  53  of the second rotating component  52 .  
         [0032]     Please refer to  FIG. 11  showing the first rotating component  46  rotated after installing the FPC  70  into the first slit  47  of the first rotating component  46  and the second slit  53  of the second rotating component  52 . After installing the FPC  70  into the first slit  47  of the first rotating component  46  and the second slit  53  of the second rotating component  52 , the first rotating component  46  is rotated so that it shows an angle of 155 degrees to the second housing  48 , which is a typical angle when using the mobile phone  40 . This angle can be fixed by a fixer.  
         [0033]     Please refer to  FIG. 12  showing how to assemble the first housing  42  along with the first rotating component  46  to the second housing  48 . The first rotating component  46  is screwed to the first housing  42 . Please refer to  FIG. 13  showing how to assemble the processing module  56  and the signal processing module  62  respectively to the second housing  48  and the first housing  42 . After the first housing  42  and the second housing  48  is assembled, the processing module  56  and the signal processing module  62  are installed respectively onto the second housing  48  and the first housing  42 . The first end of the FPC  70  is connected to the signal processing module  62  by male/female connectors, and the second end of the FPC  70  is connected to the processing module  56  by male/female connectors so that devices in the two modules can exchange signals and data with each other. Please refer to  FIG. 14  showing all the housings of the mobile phone  40  assembled together. The first housing  42  is screwed with the third housing  44 , and the second housing  48  is screwed with the fourth housing  50 .  
         [0034]     The slit for the FPC  70  of the present invention is covered by the housings so that it will not be exposed even when the hinge rotates. Those structures applying the same concept also belong to the present invention.  
         [0035]     In contrast to the prior art, the present invention provides a structure covering the slit for the FPC  70  in the housings by rotating the rotating component. Such kind of structure substantially improves upon the prior art, which cannot be applied to a mobile phone with an exposed hinge, for the hole is also exposed when rotating the hinge. Moreover, the FPC  70  is installed in the mobile phone  40  at an angle less than 360 degrees so that it will not be overbended as in the prior art, and accordingly the possibility to be damaged can be reduced.  
         [0036]     Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.