Abstract:
A portable terminal apparatus which can be folded by having a movable portion thereof that rotatably moves with respect to a main body portion thereof in means to accommodate the increasing multiple functions of the portable terminal apparatus and to improve operability.  
     The portable terminal apparatus includes a main body portion, a movable portion rotatably coupled to the main body portion, and at least one operation key disposed on an inner surface of the movable portion, wherein the operation key is positioned within a reach of a finger of a hand holding the main body portion, wherein the operation key is operated with said finger of said hand.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention generally relates to a portable terminal apparatus, more particularly to a portable terminal apparatus which can be folded by having a movable portion thereof that rotatably moves with respect to a main body portion thereof.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    In recent years, a portable phone, which is a type of portable terminal apparatus, is provided in various forms. Among the various portable phones, a foldable type portable phone has become widely used. The foldable type portable phone having a movable portion thereof rotatably coupled to a main body portion thereof can be carried in a folded state having the movable portion matched with the main body portion.  
           [0005]    In the foldable portable phone, the main body portion has, for example, a microphone, a ten-key, a cursor key, a power key, and a talk key formed thereto, and the movable portion has, for example, a speaker and a liquid crystal display portion (hereinafter referred as “LCD portion”) formed thereto. The movable portion is rotatably connected to the main body portion via a hinge portion, thereby allowing the movable portion to fold with respect to the main body portion.  
           [0006]    The foldable type portable phone having such structure has an advantage of preventing inadvertent key-pressing when being carried since the folding of the phone automatically provides protection for each key positioned between the movable portion and the main body portion. When talking on the foldable type portable phone, the movable portion is unfolded into an opened state with respect to the main body portion; thereby allowing the foldable type portable phone to have a longer body length than that of other types of portable phones such as a straight type phone. Accordingly, the microphone and the speaker are distanced from each other, so that the microphone can be suitably positioned closer to the mouth of the user (talker) and the speaker can be suitably positioned closer to the ear of the user, thereby making conversation on the phone easier. Therefore, the foldable type portable phone having these advantages is widely used in recent years.  
           [0007]    Meanwhile, owing to the multiple functions added to the portable phone, there is a growing increase in the number of operation keys required for performing such functions. For example, other than the conventional operation keys such as the ten-key or the cursor key, portable phones are now provided with additional operation keys such as a single push dialing key for making a phone call or a memory key for storing electronic mail addresses.  
           [0008]    Generally, the user of the foldable type portable phone operates the various operation keys by using his or her thumb while holding the main body portion with the palm of the same hand operating the operation keys. Therefore, conventional operation keys such as the ten-key and the cursor key were all disposed on the main body portion for enabling easy finger-operation.  
           [0009]    However, the growing increase in the number of operation keys required for performing the multiple functions has made it impossible for disposing all the operation keys on the main body portion. Therefore, as shown in Japanese patent laid open publication No. 2002-176476, the conventional art proposes to dispose the operation key not only in the main body portion but in the movable portion as well.  
           [0010]    The portable phone shown in the Japanese patent laid open publication, however, has an operation key disposed close to a speaker of a movable portion. That is, the operation key arranged in the movable portion is disposed in a position far from the main body portion.  
           [0011]    Therefore, the user is unable to operate the operation key disposed far from the main body portion while maintaining to hold the main body portion by the hand. The user is therefore required to change grip of the main body portion in order to reach his or her fingers to the operation key, or otherwise, use the other hand which is not holding the main body portion and operate the operation key with two hands. Therefore, the conventional portable phone lacks operability in operating many operation keys provided thereto.  
           [0012]    Furthermore, the conventional operation key disposed on the movable portion is formed in a manner protruding from an inner surface of the movable portion (i.e., the surface facing the main body portion when the portable phone is in a folded state). Therefore, the operation key risks being inadvertently pressed (operated) when placing an ear upon the speaker for talking on the phone. The operation key also risks being inadvertently pressed (operated) when folding the movable portion since the folding of the movable portion causes the operation key protruding from the surface facing the main body portion (inner surface of the main body portion) to make contact with the main body portion.  
           [0013]    Taking the foregoing problems into consideration, the present invention is aimed to provide a portable terminal apparatus being able to accommodate the increasing multiple functions of the portable terminal apparatus and also being able to improve operability.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0014]    It is a general object of the present invention to provide a portable terminal apparatus that substantially obviates one or more of the problems caused by the limitations and disadvantages of the related art.  
           [0015]    Features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent from the description and the accompanying drawings, or may be learned by practice of the invention according to the teachings provided in the description. Objects as well as other features and advantages of the present invention will be realized and attained by a portable terminal apparatus particularly pointed out in the specification in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention.  
           [0016]    To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a portable terminal apparatus, including a main body portion, a movable portion rotatably coupled to the main body portion, and at least one operation key disposed on an inner surface of the movable portion, wherein the operation key is positioned within a reach of a finger of a hand holding the main body portion, and wherein the operation key is operated with said finger of said hand.  
           [0017]    In the present invention, disposing the operation key on the inner surface of the movable portion (surface facing the main body portion when the movable portion is in fold position) allows the operation key to face against the main body portion when the portable terminal apparatus is folded. Therefore, the operation key can be prevented from being inadvertently pressed (operated) when the movable portion is in a folded position.  
           [0018]    The operation key is positioned within a reach of a finger of a hand holding the main body portion (finger-operable reach). Therefore, even when the operation key is disposed on the movable portion, the operation key can be operated without having to change grip of the main body portion; hence operability of the operation key can be improved.  
           [0019]    In another portable terminal apparatus of this invention, the movable portion has a recess portion formed therein, wherein the operation key is disposed within the recess portion, and wherein the recess portion has a predetermined depth greater than a protrusion height of the operation key protruding from a bottom portion of the recess portion.  
           [0020]    By disposing the operation key within the recess portion and by forming the depth of the recess portion (h1) greater than the protrusion height of the operation key (h2) (h1&gt;h2), the operation key and the main body portion will not interfere with each other even when the movable portion is rotated to a folded position. Accordingly, inadvertent pressing (operation) of the operation key can be prevented when folding the movable portion and also when the portable terminal apparatus is in a folded state.  
           [0021]    In another portable terminal apparatus of this invention, the main body portion has at least a microphone, wherein the movable portion has at least a liquid crystal display portion and a speaker, and wherein the main body portion and the movable portion are rotatably coupled via a hinge portion.  
           [0022]    Since the main body portion having at least a microphone and the movable portion having at least a liquid crystal display portion and a speaker are rotatably coupled via a hinge portion, the portable terminal apparatus serves as a foldable type portable phone.  
           [0023]    In another portable terminal apparatus of this invention, the operation key is disposed between the liquid crystal display portion and the hinge portion.  
           [0024]    Since the position of the operation key (i.e. the portion between the liquid crystal display portion and the hinge portion) is a position within the finger-operable reach for enabling the operation key to be operated with a finger of a hand holding the main body portion, operability of the operation key can be improved.  
           [0025]    In another portable terminal apparatus of this invention, the operation key is a function key assigned to perform one or more functions.  
           [0026]    The user will not experience stress (e.g. fatigue upon fingers) even when using the function key for numerous amount of times since the function key is disposed within the finger-operable reach for enabling the operation key to be operated with a finger of a hand holding the main body portion.  
           [0027]    Other objects and further features of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0028]    [0028]FIG. 1A is a front view showing a movable portion in an opened state, FIG. 1B is a side view showing a movable portion in an opened state, and FIG. 1C is a rear view showing a movable portion in an opened state;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 2A is a front view showing a movable portion in a folded state, FIG. 2B is a side view showing a movable portion in a folded state, FIG. 2C is a rear view showing a movable portion in a folded state;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing the proximity of an operation key; and  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 3. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0032]    In the following, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0033]    An example of an entire structure of a portable terminal apparatus will be hereinafter described with reference to FIG. 1A to FIG. 3. In the following example, a portable phone will be used for explaining the portable terminal apparatus.  
         [0034]    An entire structure of a portable phone  10  will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1A to  2 C. The portable phone  10  is basically formed of, for example, a main body portion  11 , a movable portion  12  and a hinge portion  13 .  
         [0035]    The hinge portion  13  enables the movable portion  12  to rotate with respect to the main body portion  11 . FIGS. 1A to  1 C show a state where the portable phone  10  has the movable portion  12  rotated with respect to the main body portion  11  and situated in an opened position. In such state, a user operates various operation keys to talk on the phone or perform various functions of the portable phone  10 . FIGS. 2A to  2 C show a state where the portable phone  10  has the movable portion  12  rotated with respect to the main body portion  11  and situated in a folded position facing the main body portion  11  (hereinafter referred as “folded state”). The portable phone  10  is carried in thus folded state.  
         [0036]    The main body portion  11 , the movable portion  12  and the hinge portion  13  of the portable phone  10  will hereinafter be described in detail.  
         [0037]    The main body portion  11  has a main body inner surface  14  arranged in a position facing the movable portion  12  during the folded state. Numerous keys including, for example, ten-key  16 , a power key  17 , a talk key  18 , a menu key  19 , a phone book key  20 , and a cursor movement key  21  are disposed on the main body inner surface  14 . A microphone  22  is disposed in a furthest position from the hinge portion  13  of the main body portion  11 . An earphone jack  24  is disposed on a side surface portion of the main body portion  11 . An external speaker  23  is disposed on a main portion outer surface  15  of the main body portion  11 .  
         [0038]    Each of the operation keys  16  to  21  disposed on the main body portion  11 , which serve as standard operation keys for the portable phone  10 , have been used conventionally. The operation keys  16  to  21  are densely disposed on the main body inner surface  14  of the main body portion  11  as shown in FIG. 1A.  
         [0039]    The movable portion  12  has a movable portion inner surface (inner surface of the movable portion)  25  arranged in a position facing the main body portion  12  when in the folded state. The movable portion inner surface  25  has a liquid crystal display element  28  (hereinafter referred as “LCD element”), a speaker  31 , and an antenna  7  which is disposed on a top portion thereof. As shown in FIG. 1C and FIG. 2A, a rear side liquid crystal display element  30  (hereinafter referred as “rear side LCD”) is disposed on a movable portion outer surface  26  of the movable portion  12 .  
         [0040]    Disposing the rear side LCD  30  on the movable portion outer surface  26  enables reception of phone calls or electronic mail to be recognized from the rear side LCD  30  even when the portable phone  10  is in a folded state. A volume key  29  for volume adjustment is disposed on a side portion of the movable portion  12 .  
         [0041]    The portable phone  10  of this embodiment has an operation key  40  disposed on the movable portion  12 . The operation key  40  serves as a key for performing various functions of the portable phone  10 , for example, a single push dialing key for making a telephone call or a memory key for storing electronic mail addresses.  
         [0042]    Note is now to be made to the position of the operation key  40 . Tn this embodiment, the operation key  40  is disposed on the movable portion inner surface  25  of the movable portion  12 , and in a position between the hinge portion  13  and the LCD element  28  of the movable portion  12 . That is, the operation key  40  is disposed on the movable portion inner surface  25 , and in a position proximal to the main body portion  11 .  
         [0043]    Accordingly, along with the other operation keys  16  to  21 , the operation key  40  disposed on the movable portion inner surface  25  will be positioned between the main body portion  11  and the movable portion  12  when the movable portion  12  is in the folded state (see FIG. 2B). That is, the operation key  40  will be positioned facing against the main body portion  11 .  
         [0044]    Therefore, the operation key  40  cannot be operated when the movable portion  12  is in a folded position, and thereby preventing the operation key  40  from being inadvertently pressed when the portable phone  10  is carried when not in use. By preventing the operation key  40  from being inadvertently pressed, an unnecessary consumption of electric power can be restrained and shortening of waiting time as well as inadvertent transmission can be prevented.  
         [0045]    As described above, the operation key  40  is disposed in a position proximal to the main body portion  11  (the position between the hinge portion  13  and the LCD element  28 ). The position of the operation key  40  is predetermined to be within a finger-operable reach, that is, a reach for the user to operate the operation key  40  while holding the main body portion  11  with the same hand for operating the operation key  40 .  
         [0046]    The user generally single handedly operates the portable phone  10  while holding the main body portion  11  with the same hand operating the portable phone  10 . Each operation key  16  to  21  is usually operated with the use of a thumb. This embodiment has a feature of disposing the operation key  40  on the movable portion  12  within the reach for enabling finger-operation while holding a typical portable phone  10  in a conventional manner (a manner where the portable phone  10  is held with the same hand for performing the finger-operation).  
         [0047]    Therefore, even when the operation key  40  is disposed on the movable portion  12 , the user would not have to switch his or her hand for holding the main body portion  11 , nor does the user have to use two hands for operating the operation key since the operation key is positioned in a predetermined reach for enabling finger-operation. Accordingly, operability of the operation key  40  can be improved. In this embodiment, the operation key  40  serve as a function key, for example, a single push dialing key, a memory key, or a setting key for setting a variety of functions. Disposing the operation key  40  within the reach for enabling finger-operation also relieves the user from experiencing stress (e.g. fatigue upon fingers) even when using the operation key  40  for numerous times.  
         [0048]    Therefore, regardless of the increase in the number of functions added to the portable phone  10 , this embodiment will still be able to provide an excellent operability by disposing the operation key  40  on the movable portion  12  within the reach for enabling finger-operation. That is, the portable phone  10  will be able to provide a vast variety of functions while providing an excellent operability.  
         [0049]    Note is now to be made to the height (level) of the operation key  40  and the movable portion inner surface  25 . FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the operation key  40  is disposed in a recess portion  41  formed in the movable portion inner surface  25  (movable portion  12 ).  
         [0050]    Each one of the plurality of operation keys  40  (three keys in this embodiment) is composed of a switch knob  42  and a switch main body  43 . The switch main body  43  is disposed on a base (not shown) arranged in the movable portion  12 , and the switch knob  42  is disposed above an upper portion of the switch main body  43 .  
         [0051]    An opening portion  45  is formed in a bottom surface (bottom surface portion)  41   a  of the recess portion  42 . The switch knob  42  protrudes into the recess portion  41  from the opening portion  45 . The switch main portion  43  electrically switches ON and OFF in accordance with the depressing of the switch knob  42 . It is to be noted that a brim portion  44  is formed for preventing the switch knob  42  from detaching from the movable portion inner surface  25 .  
         [0052]    Note is now to be made to the depth of the recess portion  41  (h1, depth from the movable portion inner surface  25 ), and also to the protrusion height h2 of the switch knob  42  (height from the bottom surface (bottom surface portion)  41   a  of the recess portion  41 . In this embodiment, the depth of the recess portion  41  (h1) is predetermined to be greater than the protrusion height of the switch knob (operation key  40 ) (h2) as shown in FIG. 4 (h1&gt;h2).  
         [0053]    Thus structured, the operation key  40  can be prevented from interfering with the main body portion  11  when the movable portion  12  is rotated to the folded position shown in FIGS. 2A to  2 C. Inadvertent pressing of the operation key  40  can be prevented when folding the movable portion  12  or when the movable portion  12  is in the folded state (i.e. when the portable phone  10  is not in use or when the portable phone  10  is carried). Accordingly, by preventing the operation key  40  from being inadvertently pressed, an unnecessary consumption of electric power can be restrained, shortening of waiting time as well as inadvertent transmission can be prevented. Furthermore, the portable phone  10  can be formed in a thin size since the main body portion  11  and the movable portion  12  require no particular space for disposing the operation key  40  therebetween.  
         [0054]    Although a single push dialing key for making a telephone call or a memory key for storing electronic mail addresses is given as an example for the operation key of this embodiment, other keys may also be disposed on the movable portion  12  within the reach for enabling finger-operation. In such a case, the key disposed on the movable portion  12  is not necessarily required to be a new operation key (function key) for performing a newly added function. That is, an operation key for performing a conventional preexisting function may be disposed on the movable portion  12  while the new operation key for performing a newly added function is disposed on the main body portion  11 .  
         [0055]    Accordingly, the present invention is able to provide the following advantages.  
         [0056]    The present invention can prevent inadvertent pressing of the operation key, and can also improve operability of the operation key.  
         [0057]    The present invention not only can prevent inadvertent pressing of the operation key when folding the movable portion or when the movable portion is in a folded state, but can also form the entire portable terminal apparatus into a thin size.  
         [0058]    The present invention enables the portable terminal apparatus to serve as a foldable type portable phone.  
         [0059]    The present invention improves operability of the operation key by disposing the operation key in a position between the liquid crystal display portion and the hinge portion, that is, a position within the reach for allowing finger-operation while the main body portion is held with the same hand in performing the finger-operation.  
         [0060]    The present invention relieves the user from experiencing stress even when using the function key (operation key) for numerous times.  
         [0061]    Further, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, but various variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.  
         [0062]    The present application is based on Japanese priority application No. 2002-235525 filed on Aug., 13, 2002 with the Japanese Patent Office, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.