Handheld electronic device

A handheld electronic device including a first body, a second body, a third body, a gear set and a pivot member pivoted on the first body is provided. The second body having a first rack is slidably coupled with the first body. The third body having a second rack is slidably coupled with the pivot member. The gear set is disposed on the first body and coupled with the first rack and the second rack. When the third body shifts a first distance relative to the first body along a first operating direction and drives the gear set, the second body is driven to shift with respect to the first body along a second operating direction opposite to the first operating direction and exposed by the third body. After the second body is exposed by the third body, the third body is tilted with respect to the first body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial No. 99123842, filed on Jul. 20, 2010. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present application relates to an electronic apparatus. More particularly, the present application relates to a handheld electronic apparatus.

2. Description of Related Art

With advancement of information technology at present, it becomes easier and easier to obtain necessary information from daily-used electronic devices. On the other hand, relying on the dramatic improvement of the state of the art, handheld electronic devices are developed to be lighter and slimmer. Being advantaged in portability, handheld electronic devices are popular and broadly used in our daily life.

Taking the cell phones as an example, various types of cell phones such as bar type, folded type, rotate type, slide type, etc. are proposed to meet different preferences and requirements. In respect to slide type cell phone, two bodies are slidely coupled together to be operated in an expanding mode and a retracting mode. Stacking the two bodies facilitates minimizing dimensions of the slide type cell phone, while the two bodies are expanded in specific operating mode. With the advancement of touch screen technology, cell phone touch screen functions gradually replace conventional key press functions. Thus, the subject of debate is how to pair a larger usable surface on a cell phone body that has limited space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present application is directed to a handheld electronic device with large usable surface area, so as to increase the flexibility of the arrangement of components.

As embodied and broadly described herein, the application provides a handheld electronic device including a first body, a pivot member, a second body, a third body, and a gear set. The pivot member is pivoted on the first body. The second body has a first rack and is slidably coupled with the first body. The third body has a second rack and is slidably coupled with the pivot member, and the second body is stacked between the first body and the third body. The gear set is disposed on the first body and coupled with the first rack and the second rack. When the third body shifts a first distance relative to the first body along a first operating direction and drives the gear set with the second rack, the second body is driven by the first rack to shift with respect to the first body along a second operating direction opposite to the first operating direction and exposed by the third body, and then the third body is tilted with respect to the first body by the pivot member pivoted on the first body.

Accordingly, the second body of the application is stacked between the first and third bodies. The third body utilizes the gear set to drive the second body. This way, the third body and the second body move along opposite directions so that the second body is exposed by the third body. Next, the third body tilts relatively to the first body, combining the third body and the second body, so that the handheld electronic device has a larger usable surface.

In order to make the aforementioned and other features and advantages of the application more comprehensible, embodiments accompanying figures are described in detail below.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1A through 1Dshow an operating process of a handheld electronic device according to one embodiment of the application.FIG. 2Ashows a schematic cross-sectional view along line E-E, a schematic cross-sectional view along line A-A, and a side view of the handheld electronic device illustrated inFIG. 1A.FIG. 2Bshows a schematic cross-sectional view along line F-F, a schematic cross-sectional view along line B-B, and a side view of the handheld electronic device illustrated inFIG. 1B.FIG. 2Cshows a schematic cross-sectional view along line G-G, a schematic cross-sectional view along line C-C, and a side view of the handheld electronic device illustrated inFIG. 1C.FIG. 2Dshows a schematic cross-sectional view along line H-H, a schematic cross-sectional view along line D-D, and a side view of the handheld electronic device illustrated inFIG. 1D.FIGS. 3A through 3Dare perspective views respectively showing a part of members of the handheld electronic device ofFIG. 1A through 1D.FIG. 4is an explosive view of the handheld electronic device ofFIG. 1. Referring toFIGS. 1A,2A,3A and4, the handheld electronic device100of the present embodiment includes a first body110, a second body120, a third body130, pivot members140and gear sets150.

The pivot member140is pivoted on the first body110. The second body120is slidably coupled with the first body110and has two first racks122. The third body130is slidably coupled with the pivot member140and has two second racks132. When the handheld electronic device100is retracted, the second body120is stacked between the first body110and the third body130as shown inFIG. 2A. The gear sets150are disposed on the first body110and coupled with the first racks122and the second racks132.

The user can push the third body130to shift with respect to the first body110along a first operating direction D1as shown inFIGS. 2A through 2C, and thereby drives the gear sets150with the second racks132. The second body120can be driven by the gear sets150with the first racks122to shift with respect to the first body110along a second operating direction D2opposite to the first operating direction D1as shown inFIGS. 2A through 2C. Accordingly, the handheld electronic device100is transformed from the state as shown inFIGS. 1A,2A and3A to the state as shown inFIGS. 1B,2B and3B, wherein the second body120is partially exposed by the third body130.

Then, the user can push the third body130to proceed to shift with respect to the first body110along the first operating direction D1and drives the gear sets150with the second racks132. Thereby, the second body120can be driven by the gear sets150with the first racks122to proceed to shift with respect to the first body110along the second operating direction D2opposite to the first operating direction D1. Accordingly, the handheld electronic device100is transformed from the state as shown inFIGS. 1B,2B and3B to the state as shown inFIGS. 1C,2C and3C, wherein the second body120is entirely exposed by the third body130.

After the second body120is entirely exposed by the third body130, the third body130can be tilted with respect to the first body110by the pivot members140pivoted on the first body. In other words, the handheld electronic device100is transformed from the state as shown inFIGS. 1C,2C and3C to the state as shown inFIGS. 1D,2D and3D. By which, the displaying surface134on the third body130and the displaying surface124of the second body120are combined to provide the user a larger displaying and operating interface.

More specifically, when the third body130is tilted with respect to the first body110as shown inFIGS. 1D and 2D, the third body130leans against the second body120, such that the displaying surface134and the displaying surface124are adapted to displaying two interactive frames or two individual frames respectively, or together displaying a whole frame.

Referring toFIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the handheld electronic device100may further comprises elastic members160connected between the first body110and the pivot members140. When the second body120is exposed by the third body130as shown inFIGS. 1C and 2C, the pivot members140rotate with respect to the first body110by elastic force of the elastic members and drive the third body130to tilt with respect to the first body110as shown inFIGS. 1D and 2D.

In the present embodiment, the elastic members160are torsion springs, for example. In the states as shown fromFIG. 2AtoFIG. 2B, the elastic members160are stressed between the pivot members140and the first body110and stores an elastic potential energy. As the elastic members160are in the state ofFIG. 2C, the pivot members140have freedom of rotating with respect to the first body110, and the elastic potential energy stored in the elastic members160can be released to drive the pivot members140to rotate with respect to the first body110and drive the third body130to tilt with respect to the first body110.

Furthermore, referring toFIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the handheld electronic device100further comprises elastic members170connected between the third body130and the pivot members140. The elastic members170store or release elastic potential energy in the process of the third body130shifting with respect to the first body110, so as to provide kinetic energy for the third body130to move with respect to the first body110for the user to push the third body130with ease as retracting or spreading the handheld electronic device100.

The elastic members170of the present embodiment may be compression springs or coil springs, which are capable of accomplishing semi-auto sliding function of the handheld electronic device100. More specifically, in the process of shifting the third body130from the state as shown inFIG. 2Ato the state as shown inFIG. 2C, the user needs to counteract the elastic force of the elastic members170to push the third body130to a critical position, and then the elastic members170start to release the stored elastic potential energy to drive the third body130shifting to the position as shown inFIG. 2Cautomatically. Similarly, in the process of drawing the third body130from the state as shown inFIG. 2Cback to the state as shown inFIG. 2A, the user needs to counteract the elastic force of the elastic members170to push the third body130to a critical position, and then the elastic members170start to release the stored elastic potential energy to drive the third body130shifting to the position as shown inFIG. 2Aautomatically.

Referring toFIG. 3A, in the present embodiment, the gear set150includes a passive gear152, a tilting rod154and a driving gear156. The passive gear152is coupled with the first rack122via other gears of the gear set150, and the passive gear152has a slot152a. An end of the tilting rod154is disposed in the slot152aand adapted to swing with respect to the slot152a. The driving gear156is coupled with the second rack132and fixed with the other end of the tilting rod154, so as to drive the passive gear152via the tilting rod154. Therefore, when the third body130is tilted with respect to the first body110, the tilting rod154can swing in the slot152aas shown inFIG. 2D. Referring toFIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the tilting rod154penetrates the pivot member140, such that the pivot member140is adapted to drive the tilting rod154to swing in the slot152aas shown inFIG. 3Aas being rotated with respect to the first body110.

The gear sets150of the present embodiment may be reduction gear sets, such that the shift stroke of the third body130is greater than that of the second body120. For example, when the third body130in the state ofFIG. 2Ashift a first distance with respect to the first body110along the first operating direction D1and is transformed to the state ofFIG. 2C, the third body130drives the second body120in the state ofFIG. 2Avia the gear sets150to shift a second distance with respect to the first body110along the second operating direction D2. Owing to the reduction of the gear sets150, the second distance is smaller than the first distance, such that the strokes of the second body120and the third body130are matched up to accomplish the operation of the handheld electronic device100.

When the operation ends up and the user want to retract the handheld electronic device100, the elastic force of the elastic members160as shown inFIG. 4is counteracted to press the third body130from the position inFIG. 2Dto the position inFIG. 2C. Then, the third body130is pushed from the position inFIG. 2Cto the position inFIG. 2Ato accomplish the retraction of the handheld electronic device100.

In the present application, the handheld electronic device100may further comprise a decorating ring180. The decorating ring is disposed at the edge of the first body110and located between the first body110and the third body130, so as to cover the gear sets150and the pivot members140in the states ofFIGS. 2A through 2Dand maintain the appearance of the handheld electronic device100.

Accordingly, the second body of the application is stacked between the first and third bodies. The third body utilizes the gear set to drive the second body. This way, the third body and the second body move along opposite directions so that the second body is exposed by the third body. Next, the third body tilts relatively to the first body, combining the third body and the second body, so that the handheld electronic device has a larger usable surface. Furthermore, an elastic member is disposed between the pivot member and the first body to provide elastic force for driving the pivot member to rotate with respect to the first body. In addition, further an elastic member can be disposed between the pivot member and the third body to provide elastic force for driving the third body to shift with respect to the first body, so as to improve the convenience in operating the handheld electronic device.