Patent Publication Number: US-2009233659-A1

Title: Portable electronic device

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of TW 97108662, filed on Mar. 12, 2008. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a portable electronic device and, more particularly, to a portable electronic device whose upper lid is rotated automatically with a flick. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In a conventional portable electronic device (such as a camera phone or a camera), a pivot with two-step rotation should be disposed between a screen and a body of the portable electronic device to make a display screen face a user, so that the user can preview images in a photographing mode. However, when operating the camera phone or the camera, the user needs to rotate the display by two steps first, which is inconvenient. Fleeting and precious images are often missed, for the user cannot adjust the photographing mode of the camera phone or the camera in time. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides a portable electronic device including a body, an elastic pivot, a sleeve and an upper lid. The body includes a datum plane. The elastic pivot is disposed in the body. The sleeve is disposed on the elastic pivot. The upper lid includes a groove, and the groove includes a first position and a second position. The sleeve enters the groove and slides between the first position and the second position. When the sleeve is in the first position, the upper lid is in a first direction and parallel with the datum plane. When the sleeve is in the second position, the elastic pivot rotates the upper lid to a second direction relative to the datum plane by the elastic force. 
     In the invention, the upper lid can rotate by the elastic pivot automatically. Therefore, the upper lid can be rotated to a predetermined direction conveniently and fast, and the portable electronic device enters into a photographing mode to allow a user to preview an image captured by an image capture assembly through a display and capture a real-time image fast. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1   a  is a three-dimensional schematic diagram showing an electronic device whose upper lid is in a second direction in an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 1   b  is a three-dimensional schematic diagram showing an electronic device whose upper lid is in a first direction in an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional diagram showing a detailed structure of an elastic pivot in an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3   a  is a side view showing an electronic device whose upper lid is in a first direction in an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3   b  is a side view showing an electronic device whose upper lid slides relative to a body in an embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 3   c  is a side view showing an electronic device whose upper lid is rotated to a second direction in an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1   a  and  FIG. 1   b  show a portable electronic device  100  in an embodiment of the invention. The portable electronic device  100  includes a body  110 , an elastic pivot  120 , a first sleeve  131 , a second sleeve  132 , an upper lid  140 , a display  150 , an operation interface  160  and an image capture assembly  180 . The body  110  includes a datum plane  111  and a notch  112 . The elastic pivot  120  is disposed in the body  110 . The first sleeve  131  is disposed on the elastic pivot  120 . The display  150  is disposed on a surface of the upper lid  140 . The operation interface  160  is disposed at the surface of the body  110 . The image capture assembly  180  is disposed at the surface of the body  110 . The notch  112  is parallel with a major axis x of the body. 
     The upper lid  140  includes a first side  141 , a second side  142 , a first groove  143  and a second groove  144 . The first groove  143  is located at the first side  141 . The second groove  144  is located at the second side  142 . The first groove  143  and the second groove  144  include a first position A and a second position B. The first groove  143  and the second groove  144  are parallel with a minor axis y of the upper lid. 
     The first sleeve  131  enters the first groove  143  and is connected to the upper lid  140  and the elastic pivot  120 . The second sleeve  132  enters the second groove  144  and is connected to the upper lid  140  and the body  110 . 
     The first sleeve  131  and the second sleeve  132  slide between the first position A and the second position B. When the first sleeve  131  and the second sleeve  132  are in the first position A, the upper lid  140  is in a first direction (the direction shown in  FIG. 1   b ), parallel with the datum plane  111  and covers the operation interface  160 . When the first sleeve  131  and the second sleeve  132  are in the second position B, the elastic pivot  120  rotates the upper lid  140  to a second direction (the direction shown in  FIG. 1   a ) relative to the datum plane  111  by an elastic force. 
       FIG. 2  shows a detailed structure of the elastic pivot  120 . In the embodiment of the invention, the elastic pivot  120  may be one of various elastic pivots used in mobile phones or other electronic devices. The structure of the elastic pivot  120  shown in  FIG. 2  is not used to limit the scope of the invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3   a ,  FIG. 3   b  and  FIG. 3   c , the upper lid  140  includes a first end  145  and a second end  146 . As shown in  FIG. 3   a , when the first sleeve  131  and the second sleeve  132  are in the first position A, the first sleeve  131  and the second sleeve  132  are close to the first end  145 . At that moment, the body  110  touches the second end  146  and provides a supporting force F for the second end  146  to limit the rotation of the elastic pivot  120 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3   b , when a user pushes the upper lid  140  to move the first sleeve  131  and the second sleeve  132  to the second position B, the first sleeve  131  and the second sleeve  132  are close to the second end  146 . At that moment, the first end  145  is a free end. Then, as shown in  FIG. 3   c , the elastic pivot  120  rotates the upper lid  140  to the second direction by the elastic force. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3   a ,  FIG. 3   b  and  FIG. 3   c , the body  110  further includes a first printed circuit board  171 . The upper lid  140  further includes a second printed circuit board  172 . A flexible circuit board  173  is connected between the first printed circuit board  171  and the second printed board  172 . The flexible circuit board  173  extends out of the body  110  via the notch  112  from the first printed circuit board  171  and enters the upper lid  140  to be connected to the second printed circuit board  172 . As shown in  FIG. 3   a , when the upper lid  140  is in the first direction, the flexible circuit board  173  is laid on the operation interface  160 . As shown in  FIG. 3   c , when the upper lid  140  is in the second direction, the flexible circuit board  173  is accommodated in the body  110 . 
     In the invention, the upper lid can rotate by the elastic pivot automatically. Therefore, the upper lid can be rotated to a predetermined position conveniently and fast, and the portable electronic device enters into a photographing mode to allow the user to preview an image captured by the image capture assembly through the display and capture a real-time image fast. 
     Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, the disclosure is not for limiting the scope of the invention. Persons having ordinary skill in the art may make various modifications and changes without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiments described above.