Abstract:
A portable communication apparatus including a first housing extending along a longitudinal direction, a second housing connected at substantially one end of the first housing, and a pair of link arms formed on the second housing facing each other, for connecting the second housing to the first housing allowing the second housing to rotate relative to the first housing so that a variety of electronic communication components may be mounted on the second housing, and rotation of the second housing facilitates convenient placement of the electronic component for use.

Description:
PRIORITY 
   This application claims priority to an application entitled “Portable Communication Apparatus” filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Jun. 9, 2004 and assigned Serial No. 2004-42276, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a portable communication apparatus, and more particularly to a portable communication apparatus capable of easily adjusting the direction of additional function modules, including a camera lens module, a flash, and an IrDA (infrared data association) module. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   In general, portable communication apparatuses may be classified into various types depending on their appearance, such as bar-type portable communication apparatuses, flip-type portable communication apparatuses, and folder-type portable communication apparatuses. The bar-type portable communication apparatus has a single housing shaped like a bar. The flip-type portable communication apparatus has a flip which is pivotably mounted to a bar-shaped housing by a hinge device. The folder-type portable communication apparatus has a folder coupled to a single bar-shaped housing by a hinge device in such a manner that the folder can be rotated towards or unfolded away from the housing. 
   Further, portable communication apparatuses may be classified into rotation-type communication apparatuses, sliding-type communication apparatuses, and pop-up-type communication apparatuses depending on how it is opened or closed. In the rotation-type portable communication apparatus, two housings are coupled to each other to allow one housing to rotate open or closed relative to the other while facing each other. In the sliding-type and pop-up-type portable communication apparatuses, two housings are coupled to each other to allow one housing to slide along a longitudinal direction to be opened or closed relative to the other. These variously classified portable communication apparatuses can be easily understood by those skilled in the art. 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , a conventional bar-type portable communication apparatus has a display device  14  and a key array portion  15  for data input, both of which are positioned on the front portion  11  thereof, as well as a speaker device  13  positioned on the upper end thereof. Referring to  FIG. 2 , the bar-type portable communication apparatus has a fixed camera lens module  16  on the rear portion  12  thereof. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the bar-type portable communication apparatus it is inconvenient to us in that it is difficult to adjust the direction of the camera lens module  16  because it is fixed. Accordingly, with this design it may be impossible for a user to view the display device  14  each time a picture is taken especially if the user is taking a picture of him/herself. 
   Meanwhile, current portable communication apparatuses tend to incorporate an increasing number of additional complex functions, such as a camera function, a flash function, and an IrDA function, in addition to the basic function of performing communication. As additional function modules are added to perform additional functions, the mounting space becomes limited. In addition, noise from the additional function modules may affect other electronic components, e.g., an antenna, which is mounted adjacently thereto. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a portable communication apparatus capable of easily adjusting the direction of additional function modules, including a camera lens module, a flash, and an IrDA module. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable communication apparatus wherein additional function modules are positioned in an additional housing, which is separate from existing housings, so that the noise from the additional function modules is less likely to affect an electronic device, e.g., an antenna, disposed on a main housing. 
   In order to accomplish this object, there is provided a portable communication apparatus which includes a first housing extending along a longitudinal direction; a second housing connected to an end of the first housing to allow rotation about a hinged axis; and a pair of link arms formed on the second housing facing each other, for connecting the second housing to the first housing to allow rotation of the second housing relative to the first housing. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a conventional bar-type portable communication apparatus; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing the rear side of a conventional bar-type portable communication apparatus; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing a portable communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a side view showing a portable communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention showing a direction of rotation of a second housing, where the second housing is in a first position; 
       FIG. 5  is a side view showing a portable communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention wherein a second housing is rotated in a first direction to a second position; 
       FIG. 6  is a side view showing a portable communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention wherein a second housing is rotated in a second direction to a third position; 
       FIG. 7  is a top view showing the components of the second housing of a portable communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 8  is a rear view showing a portable communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention wherein the first and second housings are separated from each other; and 
       FIG. 9  is a rear view showing an embedded antenna of a portable communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention unclear. 
   A portable communication apparatus having additional function modules installed thereon, including a camera lens module  310 , a flash  320 , and an IrDA module  330 , will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 3 to 9 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 3 , a perspective view of a portable communication apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. The portable communication apparatus includes a first housing  210  as a main body, a second housing  220  connected to an end of the first housing  210  whereby it can be rotated about a hinge axis A 1 , and a pair of link arms  260  positioned on the second housing  220  facing each other, for rotatably connecting the second housing  220  to the first housing  210 . 
   The link arms  260  have link arm terminals  280  having a predetermined curvature for smooth rotation in relation to the first housing  210 . 
   The first housing  210  has a display device  230  for displaying data and a speaker device  240  disposed adjacently to the upper portion of the display device  230 . The first housing  210  has a key array portion  250 , which is composed of a number of keys, disposed adjacently to the lower portion of the display device  230 , and a microphone device  290  disposed adjacently to the lower portion of the key array portion  250 . The first housing  210  also has side key portions  270  positioned on both lateral surfaces thereof for, e.g., taking pictures using a camera and for adjusting the volume. 
   Referring to  FIG. 4 , the second housing  220  is rotatable in either direction shown by arrow {circle around ( 2 )}, which extends along the longitudinal direction of the first housing  210 . In the first position shown in  FIG. 4 , the portable communication apparatus is ready to be used for speech mode function. 
   Referring to  FIG. 5 , the second housing  220  is directed toward a position after rotation shown by arrow {circle around ( 1 )}, the second position being perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first housing  210  and which faces in the opposite direction of the display device  230 . In this second position, the portable communication apparatus is ready to take pictures. 
   Referring to  FIG. 6 , the second housing  220  is directed toward a third position after rotation shown by arrow {circle around ( 3 )}, the third position being perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first housing  210  and which faces in the same direction of the display device  230 . In this state, the portable communication apparatus is ready to take pictures of the user himself/herself with the camera lens module  310  or to perform video communication. 
   Referring to  FIG. 7 , a top view of the second housing  220  is shown. The second housing  220  has a camera lens module  310 , a flash  320 , and an IrDA module  330  for additional functions, in addition to the basic function of the portable communication apparatus of performing communication. Although not shown in the drawing, the second housing  220  may also have additional function modules. 
   Referring to  FIG. 8 , a front view of the first and second housings  210  and  220 , which are connected to each other, is shown. As shown, the portable communication apparatus is provided with a flexible circuit  410  for an electrical connection between the first and second housings  210  and  220 , a link arm inner space  420  through which the flexible circuit  410  can pass, hinge protrusions  440  formed on the first housing  210 , and hinge holes  430  formed in the link arm  260  to accommodate the hinge protrusion  440  to allow the second housing  220  to rotate about the hinge axis A 1 . The uppermost end surface  450  of the first housing and the bottom surface  460  of the second housing are adapted to face other with a predetermined curvature for smooth rotation. Specifically, the uppermost end surface  450  of the first housing has a convex shape, and the bottom surface  460  of the second housing is contoured to accommodate the convex shape of the uppermost end surface  450 . 
   According to the above relationship, the second housing  220 , which has the camera lens module  310 , the flash  320 , and the IrDA module  330  positioned thereon, can be rotated into the first, second, and third positions, by the user. The flexible circuit  410  permits rotation of the second housing  220  into the first, second, and third positions. 
   Referring to  FIG. 9 , a rear view of the portable communication apparatus is shown. The portable communication apparatus has an embedded antenna  510 , which is positioned inside the rear upper end of the first housing  210 , a battery lock  530  and a battery pack  520 , which are positioned adjacent to the lower portion of the embedded antenna  510 . 
   As mentioned above, the portable communication apparatus according to the present invention has additional function modules, such as a camera lens module  310 , a flash  320 , and an IrDA module  330 , positioned on the second housing, which is separate from the first housing. As a result, the additional function modules can be used extensively for additional functions. In addition, although the mounting structure of the portable communication apparatus has become increasingly complicated, noise from the additional function modules are less likely to affect an electronic components, such as an embedded antenna  510 , of the first housing  210 . 
   While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.