Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US20070178949?dq=7,249,099
Timestamp: 2014-03-17 03:27:13
Document Index: 34006448

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 18', 'art 18', 'art 18', 'art 18', 'art 18', 'art 18', 'art 18', 'art 18', 'art 25', 'art 25', 'art 4', 'arts 9', 'art 9', 'art 9', 'art 9', 'art 9', 'art 9', 'art 9', 'art 9', 'art 25', 'art 9', 'art 9', 'art 9', 'art 9', 'art 4', 'art 9', 'art 18', 'art 18', 'art 18', 'art 18', 'art 18', 'art 4', 'art 18', 'art 18', 'art 18', 'art 18', 'art 18', 'art 18', 'arts 9', 'art 9', 'art 18', 'art 18', 'art 118', 'art 104', 'art 118', 'art 104', 'art 118', 'art 104', 'art 125', 'art 125', 'art 154', 'art 154', 'art 154', 'art 104', 'art 104', 'art 154', 'art 154', 'art 118', 'art 118', 'art 154', 'art 154', 'art 118']

Patent US20070178949 - Mobile Terminal - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA mobile terminal able to emit an information sound outwardly even in a case where it is set down in a closed state, in particular a mobile phone including a first housing having a projecting part at one end and having a second housing having a recess in which the projecting part is fitted on one end...http://www.google.com/patents/US20070178949?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US20070178949 - Mobile TerminalAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS20070178949 A1Publication typeApplicationApplication numberUS 11/460,196Publication dateAug 2, 2007Filing dateJul 26, 2006Priority dateJul 28, 2005Publication number11460196, 460196, US 2007/0178949 A1, US 2007/178949 A1, US 20070178949 A1, US 20070178949A1, US 2007178949 A1, US 2007178949A1, US-A1-20070178949, US-A1-2007178949, US2007/0178949A1, US2007/178949A1, US20070178949 A1, US20070178949A1, US2007178949 A1, US2007178949A1InventorsTakafumi Sato, Shiro AritaOriginal AssigneeKyocera CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManReferenced by (4), Classifications (9), Legal Events (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetMobile TerminalUS 20070178949 A1Abstract A mobile terminal able to emit an information sound outwardly even in a case where it is set down in a closed state, in particular a mobile phone including a first housing having a projecting part at one end and having a second housing having a recess in which the projecting part is fitted on one end and having a built-in information speaker, the projecting part being pivotably connected to the inside of the recess so as to enable the first housing and the sender housing to be opened and closed, wherein a top surface of the projecting part is located at an inside from the plane including a back surface of the sender housing on an opposite side to a facing surface in the closed state of the mobile phone, a space is provided between the projecting part and the recess, and sound emission ports for emitting sound from the information speaker are provided in a wall surface of the recess forming that space. Images(13) Claims(12)
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views of the appearance of a mobile phone 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The mobile phone 1 is constituted as a so-called clamshell type mobile phone. FIG. 1 shows an opened state, and FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B show a closed state. The mobile phone 1 is provided with a first housing 2 and a second housing 3. The first housing 2 and the second housing 3 are connected at their ends by a hinge part 4. The mobile phone 1 can open and close about the hinge part 4. The first housing 2 and the second housing 3 are formed as generally thin box shapes which are superimposed on each other in the closed state. They substantially match in contour when viewing one housing side from the other housing side. The first housing 2 is provided with a front case 6 in the front side that the surface (front surface) facing the second housing 3 in the closed state and a back case 7 in the back side. The front case 6 and the back case 7 are for example molded from plastic. The first housing 2 is provided with a main display 11 for displaying images on the front surface and a sub display 12 for displaying images on the back surface. The main display 11 and the sub display 12 are formed by for example liquid crystal displays. Note that the first housing 2 is also provided with a speech speaker. A sound emission port 17 of the speaker is provided in the front case 6. The second housing 3 is provided with a front case 8 in the front side that the surface facing the first housing 2 in the closed state, a back case 9 in the back side, and a lid (back plate) 10 on the back surface of the back case 9. The front case 8, the back case 9, and the lid 10 are for example molded from plastic. The second housing 3 is provided with a input section 13 for receiving operations by the user, an antenna, a circuit board having an IC chip and electronic parts mounted thereon, a battery 26, a speech use microphone, and an information speaker 25. The input section 13 includes for example dial buttons 14 a, a cursor key 14 b, and various other types of buttons exposed from the front case 8. A sound collection port 15 for the speech use microphone (not shown) is opened in the front surface of the second housing 3, and a sound emission port (second sound emission port) 16 for the information speaker 25 mentioned later is opened in the back surface of the second housing 3. FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a portion near the hinge part 4 of the mobile phone 1 in the opened state. The hinge part 4 is configured with a projecting part 18 projecting from one end of the first housing 2 being fitted in a recess 19 provided at one end of the second housing 3 and with a shaft member 20 inserted into the wall portion of the recess 19 and the projecting part 18. The shaft member 20 is supported pivotally by at least one of the wall portion of the recess 19 and the projecting part 18, so the first housing 2 and the second housing 3 can pivot with respect to each other about the shaft member 20. The projecting part 18 is formed in a generally semi-cylindrical shape around the axis of rotation. There is a clearance between an outer circumferential surface 18 a around the axis of rotation of the projecting part 18 and a wall surface 19 a parallel to the axis of rotation of the recess 19, whereby rotation of the projecting part 18 with respect to the recess 19 is permitted. On the other hand, an end faces 18 b of the projecting part 18 perpendicular to the axis of rotation touch against wall surfaces 19 b of the recess 19 holding the projecting part 18 therein and slid with respect to the wall surfaces 19 b of the recess 19 when the mobile phone 1 is open action or close action. At the inside of the housing of the wall portion of the recess 19, the information speaker 25 is provided. The information speaker 25 emits an information sound when informing the user of an incoming call or informing the user of an erroneous operation. Further, the information speaker 25 is used in for various other purposes. For example, when utilizing a so-called �hands free� function allowing the user to converse without the mobile phone 1 brought close to the ear of the user, it functions as a speaker for outputting the voice of the other party. When utilizing a movie play function of the mobile phone 1, it functions as a speaker for outputting the audio played. The information speaker 25 is formed in for example in approximately disk shape, has an electrode part 25 a on one surface of the disk, and has a speaker surface 25 b (see FIG. 4) on its other surface. It is arranged so that the speaker surface 25 b becomes the back side of the second housing 3 (below sheet of FIG. 3). The information speaker 25 outputs audio by vibration of cone paper (vibration plate) arranged at the speaker surface 25 b side in accordance with a current input to the electrode part 25 a. FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a part of the second housing 3 (direction indicated by IV-IV arrow in FIG. 5). Note that the part above the sheet is the back side of the second housing 3. The information speaker 25 is arranged at the back case 9 at the inside of the housing (below sheet). On the back surface of the back case 9, a battery 26 forming the power supply of the mobile phone 1 is arranged. The information speaker 25 and the battery 26 are covered by the lid 10. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the back case 9 of the second housing 3 as seen from the back side of the second housing 3. The back case 9 is formed in a generally box shape with the side at the inside of the housing recessed. When combining the back case 9 and the front case 8, a space is formed between them. In the space, for example a not shown circuit board provided with a high frequency circuit etc. is arranged. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the front case 8 and the back case 9 are formed with similar widths. The lid 10 is placed on the back case 9 and forms substantially the entire back surface of the second housing 3. Specifically, the lid 10 forms the range from the end on the opposite side to the hinge part 4 up to the recess 19 in the overall back surface. Only the back surfaces of the projecting parts 9 a arranged at the both sides of the recess 19 are formed by the back case 9. Note that, as shown also in FIG. 5, the back case 9 is formed as if the back surface were cut away while leaving the projecting part 9 a. When the lid 10 is placed over the back case 9, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B and FIG. 4, the back surface of the projecting part 9 a and the back surface of the lid 10 become continuous. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the back case 9 is provided with a holding part 9 b for holding the information speaker 25. Specifically, part of the back case 9 at the recess 19 side is provided with a recess 9 c recessed into the back surface. The holding part 9 b is formed so as to project to the back side from the bottom of the recess 9 c. The holding part 9 b is formed in a cylindrical shape recessed into the back case 9 at the inside of the housing and has a wall 9 d and an end face 9 e. The end face 9 e is formed to a circular frame shape with a circular opening 9 f having a smaller diameter than the speaker surface 25 b of the information speaker 25. The information speaker 25 is held by the holding part 9 b by being inserted and fitted in the recess of the holding part 9 b from the inside of the case and by its electrode part 25 a side being restrained by the circuit board etc. As shown in FIG. 4, the amount of projection of the holding part 9 b is smaller in comparison with the depth of the recess 9 c, so a clearance is formed between the end face 9 e and the lid 10. Accordingly, at the periphery of the holding part 9 b, a sound conduction space SP for conducting the sound output from the information speaker 25 and emitted from the opening 9 f to the outside of the case is formed. The sound conduction space SP has a first space SPa for conducting the sound from the opening 9 f and a second space SPb for conducting the sound from the first space SPa. The first space SPa is defined by the lid (back plate) 10, the end face (first surface) 9 e, and the wall of the recess 9 c at the center side of the back surface. The second space SPb is defined by the lid 10, the wall 9 d, a bottom (second surface) 9 h of the recess 9 c, and a wall 9 g on the recess 19 side of the recess 9 c. The second space SPb is larger in width (depth) from the lid 10 in comparison with the first space SPa by the amount of projection of the holding part 9 b. A distance (first distance) W between the lid 10 and the end face 9 e in the first space SPa is for example 1/10 to � of the thickness of the information speaker 25, for example, 1 mm. An amount V of projection of the holding part 9 b is for example the same extent as the thickness of the information speaker 25, for example, 5 mm. The first space SPa is communicated with the sound emission port 16 provided in the lid (back plate 10). Accordingly, the sound conducted by the first space SPa is emitted to the outside of the housing via the sound emission port 16. The second space SPb is communicated with a plurality of sound emission ports 9 k. The sound emission ports 9 k are opened in the wall 9 g of the recess 9 c and aligned along for example the axis of rotation of the hinge part 4. The wall 9 g is also the wall for forming the recess 19. The sound conducted by the second space SPb is emitted to the recess 19 via the sound emission ports 9 k. Note that, as shown in FIG. 5, the recess 9 c is formed in an arc shape having the same diameter as that of the holding part 9 b at the center side of the back case 9, and is formed so as to spread from the center side of the back surface to the recess 19 side. In other words, the shape of the second space SPb in the view from the lid 10 is formed so as to spread to the recess 19 side. Further, the sound emission ports 9 k are arranged over substantially the same range as the diameter of the information speaker 25 or over a broader range than that. Accordingly, the sound of the information speaker 25 is efficiently emitted. FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a sound path of the information speaker 25 in the closed state. FIG. 6 shows a state where the second housing 3 is placed on a desk DI with the back surface down. The back surface of the second housing 3 is formed to a substantially flat shape and abuts against the surface of the desk DI. Accordingly, the sound emission port 16 is shut by the desk DI. The projecting part 18 projects to the second housing 3 side from the surface facing the second housing 3 of the first housing 2. The top surface 18 c thereof is located at the inside from the plane including the back surface of the second housing 3. Accordingly, there is a space S between the top surface 18 c and the surface of the desk DI. Note that the plane including the back surface of the second housing 3 is a virtual plane including flat part of the back surface of the second housing 3. The flat part of the back surface may have a width large enough for the mobile phone to be stably placed on a desk etc. by the flat part. In FIG. 6, the surface of the desk DI coincides with the plane including the back surface. Further, as mentioned above, there is a space between the outer circumference 18 a of the projecting part 18 and the wall surface 19 a of the recess 19, and the sound emission ports 9 k are opened in the wall surface 19 a. Accordingly, as indicated by an arrow y1, the sound output from the information speaker 25 passes through the sound emission ports 9 k, the space between the projecting part 18 and the recess 19, and the space between the top surface 18 c and the desk DI and is propagated outward. FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the sound path of the information speaker 25 in the opened state. A stopper 31 for restricting the rotation of the first housing 2 with respect to the second housing 3 is formed in the base side of the projecting part 18. Specifically, the projecting part 18 is formed so as to project from a location slightly nearer the center than the end of the first housing 2. A corner formed by the end face of the first housing 2 and the front surface (surface above the sheet) functions as the stopper portion 31. Accordingly, the stopper 31 has a length over the recess 19 in the direction of the axis of rotation of the hinge part 4. By the engagement of the stopper 31 with the end of the lid 10, the rotation of the first housing 2 is restricted. At this time, the space between the projecting part 18 and the recess 19 is shut at the back side by the stopper 31. On the other hand, the space is opened to the front side. Accordingly, as indicated by an arrow y2, the sound output from the information speaker 25 passes through the sound emission ports 9 and the space between the projecting part 18 and the recess 19 and emitted to the front surface of the housing. Note that the projecting part 18 is formed as a semi-cylindrical shape, therefore the space between the projecting part 18 and the recess 19 flares out and the sound can be efficiently output outward. According to the above embodiment, the top surface 18 c of the projecting part 18 is located to the inside from the plane including the back surface of the second housing 3 in the closed state of the mobile phone 1, a space T is provided between the projecting part 18 and the recess 19, and sound emission ports 9 k for emitting sound from the information speaker 25 are provided in the wall surface 19 a of the recess 19 forming this space T. Therefore, even if placing the mobile phone 1 on a desk in the closed state with the back surface of the second housing 3 facing downward and the sound emission port 16 is blocked, the information sound can be emitted outward. The second housing 3 is provided with the battery 16, substantially the entire back surface of the second housing 3 is formed by the lid 10 for the battery, and the sound emission port 16 is formed in the lid 10, therefore entry of moisture into the battery is reduced. Namely, conventionally, the sound emission port of the back surface (corresponding to the sound emission port 16) was formed in the back case, and the lid was placed over a range narrower than the entire back surface so as to avoid that sound emission port. Accordingly, a borderline between the lid and the back case was located on the back surface. It was considered that moisture entered from the back surface of the housing via the border line. However, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2B and FIG. 5, only the borderline of the based of the projecting parts 9 a on the both sides of the recess 19 are located on the back surface and the borderline and the recess containing the battery 26 are partitioned, therefore entry of moisture from the back surface is suppressed. The sound conduction space SP has the first space SPa and the second space SPb formed deeper from the lid 10 than the first space SPa, the sound emission ports 9 k are communicated with the second space SPb, and the sound emission port 16 is communicated with the first space SPa, therefore the entry of moisture into the housing is reduced. Namely, the sound emission ports 9 k are opened in the wall surface forming the recess 19, therefore the moisture entering from the sound emission ports 9 k may enter from the opening 9 f for the information speaker 25, but the first space SPa is formed shallower from the lid 10 than the second space SPb, therefore the moisture entering from the sound emission ports 9 k stays in the second space SPb, so entry into the first space SPa is suppressed. Further, in the present embodiment, the first space SPa is located between the second space SPb and the battery, therefore the entry of moisture into the recess containing the battery 26 is also suppressed. On the other hand, the sound emission port 16 is opened in the back surface and communicated with the second space SPb, and the second space SPb is formed relatively shallow from the back plate. Therefore, the distance between the information speaker 25 and the sound emission port 16 becomes relatively short, thus sound can be efficiently emitted. The information speaker 25 has the speaker surface 25 b facing the lid 10 in the first space Spa, therefore the entry of moisture into the information speaker 25 is suppressed. Namely, the entry of moisture from the sound emission ports 9 k into the first space SPa is suppressed as mentioned above, therefore the entry of moisture from the speaker surface 25 b is suppressed. Note that the information speaker 25 is enough if the speaker surface 25 b is exposed with respect to the sound conduction space, therefore the side surface of the information speaker 25 and the electrode portion side may be waterproofed by surrounding the information speaker 25 by the holding part 9 b as in the present embodiment. The stopper 31 for restricting further rotation to the opening direction by abutting against the back surface of the second housing 3 in the opened state is provided at the base side of the projection part 18, the space between the recess 19 and the projecting part 18 is opened on the facing surface side in the opened state of the mobile phone 1, and the back surface side is shut by the stopper 31, therefore the sound output by the information speaker 25 in the opened state can be efficiently emitted to the front side of the mobile phone 1. Due to this, for example, both when the information speaker 25 is utilized in the opened state at the time of a hands free function usage and the time of playing back a movie, the user can hear the sound output by the information speaker 25 more efficiently. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and may be executed in various ways. The mobile terminal of the present invention may be one having a first housing and second housing connected so that they can be opened and closed by a recess and a projecting part and having a speaker. The speaker may be any one informing the user of some information by outputting audio in the closed state. Accordingly, the mobile terminal is not limited to a mobile phone and may also be for example a laptop computer or PDA. The speaker is not limited to one informing the user of an incoming call or e-mail and may be for example one informing the user of the time or battery shortage. In other words, the mobile terminal need not have a communication function. The sound of the speaker may also be output to the outside of the housing by only the first sound emission port without providing the second sound emission port. In this case, the sound emission port of the speaker can be made unnoticeable, so the design appearance is improved. On the other hand, when a second sound emission port is provided, the sound of the speaker can be more reliably output to the outside of the housing when the second sound emission port is not blocked, for example, when the mobile terminal is hung from somewhere. Note that since the sound can be emitted from the first sound emission port, it is possible to make the second sound emission port smaller in comparison with the conventional sound emission port on the back surface. The mobile terminal of the present invention may be one put so that the second housing having the recess is placed on the first housing having the projecting part. FIGS. 8 to 12 show a mobile phone 101 put so that the second housing 102 having the recess 119 is placed on the first housing 103 having the projecting part 118. FIGS. 8A and 8B are perspective views of the appearance of a mobile phone 101, FIG. 8A shows an opened state and FIG. 8B shows a closed state. The second housing 102 has a display 111 and a speech speaker 112 at a facing surface side. The first housing 103 has an input section 113 and a speech use microphone 114 at a facing surface side. As shown in FIG. 8A, a screw cap 156 is provided on the facing surface of the second housing 102. The screw cap hides screws 160 fixing a front case 106 and a back case 107 of the second housing 102. The screw cap 156 is formed by for example the elasticity member such as rubber. The screw cap 156 is formed for example in the long shape extended along the rotation axis of hinge part 104, the length of the screw cap is set to for example more than width of the recess 119 and less than the width of the second housing 102. The screw cap 156 projects from the facing surface of the second housing 102 so as to touch the facing surface of the first housing 103 in the closed state (see FIG. 11). Note that, the screw cap 156 may be provided in the first housing 103, or both of the second housing 102 and the first housing 103. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of hinge part 118. A projected rim 131 extended in the direction of the rotation axis of hinge part 104 is provided on end surface of the first housing 103 at the projecting part 118 side. The length of the projected rim 131 is same as the width of the first housing 103. In the opened state, a slope 131 a of the projected rim 131 touch a slope 102 a provided on the end of the second housing 102, so the rotation is restricted. FIG. 10 is a disassembled perspective view of the second housing 102. A plural sound emission ports 107 k are provided in the back case 107 at a wall portion 107 g forming the recess 119. An information speaker 125 is provided in the second housing 102 at the hinge part 104 side. The information speaker 125 is formed in for example in approximately disk shape, has an electrode part 125 a on one surface of the disk, and has a speaker surface 125 b on its other surface. The information speaker is arranged so that an electrode part 125 a faces front case 106 and a speaker surface 125 b faces back case 107. The information speaker 125 is installed in the second housing 102 by a speaker holder 154. The speaker holder 154 has an inner portion 154 a and an outer portion 154 b. The inner portion 154 a is formed in approximately cylindrical shape where the thickness (height) thereof is same as it of the information speaker 125. The information speaker 125 is fitted into the inner portion 154 a from facing case 106 side. An opening part 154 c where the diameter thereof is smaller than it of the speaker surface 125 b is provided in inner portion at the back case 107 side. The outer portion 154 b is formed in approximately plate shape enclosing the inner portion 154 a. Note that, strictly, outer part 154 b composes a portion of inner portion 111 in the display side (see FIG. 11). The outer portion is formed so as to be higher than the inner portion in the vertical direction of the FIG. 10, so the speaker holder 154 is fixed to the second housing 102 by placing the outer portion 154 b between front case 106 and back case 107. An empty part 154 d is provided in the outer portion 154 b at the hinge part 104 side. A cutting off portion 154 e is provided in the outer portion at the opposite side to the hinge part 104 and at the front case 106 side. FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing a sound path of the information speaker 125 in the closed state. FIG. 11 shows the state that the mobile phone 101 is put on for example a desk (not shown) so that the second housing 102 is placed on the first housing 103. As indicated by an arrow y11, the sound output from the information speaker 125 passes through the opening part 154 c, empty part 154 d (see FIG. 10), sound emission ports 107 k and a space T2 between the projecting part 118 and the recess 119 and is propagated outward (upward). In this time, the space T2 is shut by screw cap 156 at connecting side to a space between the facing surfaces of the second housing 102 and the first housing 103, so it is prevented that the sound defuses into the space between the facing surfaces of the first housing 103 and second housing 102. the information speaker 125 is holded by speaker holder 154 so as to form a space B1 between the information speaker 125 and the facing surface of the second housing 102. And the space B1 is connected to a space B2 provided in display 111 side of the speaker holder 154 through the cutting off portion 154 e. Therefore, the back cavity of information speaker 125 is secured enough by the space B3 and the space B2, the pressure fluctuation in the back side of the vibration board of information speaker 125 is absorbed, and tone quality improves. FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing the sound path of the information speaker 125 in the opened state. In the opened state, the slope 131 a of the first housing 103 engages with the slope 102 a of the second housing 102, so the rotation of the second housing 102 with respect to the first housing 103 is restricted. In this time, the space T2 between the projecting part 118 and recess 119 is shut by the projected rim at back side. On the other hand, the space T2 opens to front side. Therefore, as indicated by an arrow y12, the sound output from the information speaker 125 passes through the opening part 154 c, empty part 154 d (see FIG. 10), sound emission ports 107 k and a space T2 between the projecting part 118 and the recess 119 and is propagated front side of the first housing 103 and the second housing 102. Note that, a second emission port may be provided in the back surface of the second housing 102 at a position (an area 157 in FIG. 11) facing the information speaker 125. While the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments chosen for purpose of illustration, it should be apparent that numerous modifications could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the basic concept and scope of the invention. Referenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS8060157 *Nov 27, 2007Nov 15, 2011Nokia CorporationRecessed hingeUS8160641 *Jan 6, 2009Apr 17, 2012Asustek Computer Inc.Portable electronic deviceUS20090186667 *Jan 6, 2009Jul 23, 2009Asustek Computer Inc.Portable electronic deviceUS20100227655 *Jun 29, 2009Sep 9, 2010Panasonic CorporationFolding-type portable electronic device* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification455/575.3International ClassificationH04M1/00Cooperative ClassificationH04M1/035, H04M2250/16, H04M1/605, H04M1/03, H04M1/0216European ClassificationH04M1/03, H04M1/02A2B4FLegal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionSep 13, 2006ASAssignmentOwner name: KYOCERA CORPORATION, JAPANFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:SATO, TAKAFUMI;ARITA, SHIRO;REEL/FRAME:018244/0723;SIGNING DATES FROM 20060901 TO 20060904RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google