Source: https://insight.rpxcorp.com/pat/US20050215296A1
Timestamp: 2020-01-19 17:25:02
Document Index: 60114283

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 3', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 3']

Patent US 20050215296A1
US 20050215296A1
Filed: 03/24/2005
a second housing provided to the hinge section so as to freely rotate about a second rotation axis being substantially orthogonal to the first rotation axis, the first housing having a speaker hole provided at the protrusion, the second housing having a display section provided on at least one surface substantially parallel to the second rotation axis of the second housing.
PORTABLE TERMINAL WITH DUAL HINGE AXES
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2. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the first housing has a speaker in an inner space that communicates between the base and the protrusion.
3. The portable device according to claim 2, wherein the first housing has (i) a shooting lens on an opposite surface of the first housing from a surface having the protrusion, and (ii) a camera section, provided between the speaker and the shooting lens, for capturing an image provided from the shooting lens.
4. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the second housing has a key operation section on a same surface as a surface having the display section.
5. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the first housing has a cross-shape key provided at the protrusion.
6. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the second housing has a shock-absorbing member at its corner contacting the first housing when the hinge section is moved toward the first housing with the second housing rotated through 90 degrees with respect to the hinge section.
7. The portable device according to claim 6, wherein the shock-absorbing member is made of material having lower hardness than material that the first housing is made of.
9. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the display section displays a rotatable direction of the second housing with respect to the hinge section.
10. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the base has a microphone hole provided in the vicinity of the protrusion.
11. The portable device according to claim 10, wherein the second housing has a receiver hole at an end opposed to an end where the hinge section is connected.
As shown in FIGS. 14 to 16, the portable telephone 101 includes a housing 103 having a surface 103a, housings 107 and 108 provided so as to be moved in the direction indicated by an arrow 151 with respect to the housing 103, and a camera section (not shown) contained in the housing 103. The housing 107 contains a hinge unit (not shown) which connects the housings 103 and 107 so that they can be moved, and connects the housings 107 and 108 so that they can be rotated.
On the housing 103 at an end on the side having the hinge unit, hinge supporting portions 104m and 104n are provided being protruded through the surface 103a. The hinge supporting portions 104m and 104n are provided at a distance away from each other. The housing 107 is positioned between the hinge supporting portions 104m and 104n on the surface 103a. Then, the hinge supporting portions 104m and 104n, and the housing 107 are connected through the hinge unit contained in the housing 107.
The surface 103a of the housing 103 has a plurality of operation buttons 118. A surface 103b of the housing 103 located at the opposite side from the surface 103a has a speaker 122. A shooting lens 114 of the camera section is exposed on a surface 153 that is provided so as to be raised to higher level than the surface 103b. The shooting lens 114 is disposed to be next to the housing 108 in the opened state of the portable telephone 101. The camera section is disposed in a space inside the housing 103 sandwiched between the surface 103a and the surface 153. A surface 108a of the housing 108 has a main display section 116.
FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the portable telephone 101, when the housing 108 having the main display section is rotated from the state shown in FIG. 14. As shown in FIG. 17, the housing 108 is provided to be rotatable with respect to the housing 107 in the direction indicated by an arrow 152. Therefore, the surface 108a having the main display section 116 can be turned in a desired direction.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first housing 2 includes (i) a base 7 having a substantially rectangular surface 7a and (ii) a protrusion 8 protruded through the surface 7a at a predetermined position thereof. The surface 7a faces outward when the portable telephone 1 is opened, while facing inward when it is closed. In other words, the surface 7a is covered (closed) with the housing 4 when the portable telephone 1 is in the closed state. Opening the portable telephone 1 turns the surface 7a to be open to the outside. The base 7 has a pair of side surfaces 7b that locate in parallel at both outer sides of the surface 7a. The side surfaces 7b are substantially orthogonal to the surface 7a.
The surface 7a has (i) input buttons 9 including keys for entering numbers and characters, and (ii) function buttons 10 for selecting various settings and functions of the portable telephone 1. These input buttons 9 and function buttons 10 have keytops made of plastic resins such as ABS or PC-ABS. The keytops of the function buttons 10 is plated with chrome or other material.
The surface 7a has a microphone hole 11a and a microphone hole 11b respectively corresponding to a first microphone and a second microphone. The microphone hole 11a is used for a phone call in the opened state of the portable telephone 1. The microphone hole 11b is used for a phone call in the closed state of the portable telephone 1. In other words, the first microphone is disposed at a position corresponding to (associated with) the microphone hole 11a so as to obtain (receive) a voice transferred through the microphone hole 11a. Similarly, the second microphone is disposed at a position corresponding to the microphone hole 11b so as to obtain (receive) a voice transferred through the microphone hole 11b.
The microphone hole 11a is disposed at one end opposed to (facing) an end where the protrusion 8 is provided. The microphone hole 11b is disposed in the vicinity of the protrusion 8. The microphone hole 11b is disposed to face a central part 3m when the portable telephone 1 is closed by movement of the hinge section 3 with respect to the first housing 2 about the movement axis 5 so that the first housing 2 faces the hinge section 3 and the second housing 4. In other words, the microphone hole 11b is located midway between a gap B and a gap C shown in FIG. 2. The gap B is provided between the first housing 2 and the hinge section 3, and the gap C is provided between the hinge section 3 and the second housing 4.
The microphone hole 11b may also be located underneath the gap B provided between the first housing 2 and the hinge section 3, or underneath the gap C provided between the hinge section 3 and the second housing 4, when the portable telephone 1 is closed.
The first microphone and the microphone hole 11a corresponding to the first microphone may be removed, so that the second microphone can be used regardless of the opened state or the closed state of the portable telephone 1. Such an arrangement allows for phone calls regardless of whether the portable telephone 1 is opened or closed, without increasing its components count.
One of the side surfaces 7b has a shutter button 12 to be operated for using the camera section contained in the first housing 2.
Being next to the hinge section 3, the protrusion 8 is provided at an end of the surface 7a extending in the extended direction of the movement axis 5. The protrusion 8, positioned so as to be separated with a space from the surface 7a along the extended direction of the movement axis 5, has a surface 8a and a pair of side surfaces 8b. The surface 8a is substantially horizontal to the surface 7a. The side surfaces 8b are connected with the surface 8a at a distance from the surface 7a so as to be substantially square to the surface 7a.
The surface 8a has a first speaker hole 13 for a first speaker 24 (refer to FIG. 4), which outputs sounds such as a ringing melody at high levels.
The protrusion 8 also has a pair of side surfaces 8c connected with the surface 7a. The side surfaces 8c are both ends of the protrusion 8 in the direction of the movement axis 5. Each of the side surfaces 8c is located inner than each of the side surfaces 7b by a given distance. Therefore, the protrusion 8 is provided at the center of the end of the surface 7a with its two corners open.
The first housing 2 is connected with the hinge section 3 and the second housing 4. The hinge section 3 is provided to the protrusion 8 so as to be freely moved. The second housing 4 is provided to the hinge section 3 so as to rotate freely with respect to the hinge section 3 about the rotation axis 6. An extended line of the rotation axis 6 is orthogonal to the movement axis 5 at the center point of the protrusion 8. The center point is located where a distance from one of the side surfaces 8c and a distance from the other side surface 8c are equal.
The hinge section 3 includes the central part 3m and both-ends 3n, having a “U” shape. The central part 3m lies along with the extended direction of the movement axis 5, and the both-ends 3n lie in the direction of the rotation axis 6, extending from the both ends of the central part 3m. The hinge section 3 is positioned so that the both-ends 3n sandwich the pair of side surfaces 8c of the protrusion 8.
The hinge section 3 has a hinge unit and an antenna (not shown) contained therein. The hinge unit connects the both-ends 3n and the side surfaces 8c for free movement. Accordingly, the central part 3m and the second housing 4 are connected so as to freely move with respect to the first housing 2. Also, via the antenna, signals are transmitted to and received from a base station, for example.
The second housing 4 includes a substantially rectangular surface 4a having a notched part at its end where the hinge section 3 is connected. The surface 4a is arranged to be substantially square to a connecting surface where the hinge section 3 and the second housing 4 are connected. In other words, the surface 4a is substantially parallel to the rotation axis 6.
The surface 4a has a first display section (display section) 14. The first display section 14 is realized by a liquid crystal display or an electro luminescent (EL) display for example, and carries out display in accordance with image data provided through a display driver section.
The surface 4a also has a receiver hole 15 corresponding to a receiver used for a phone call, for example. The receiver hole 15 is disposed at one end opposed to (facing) an end where the hinge section 3 is connected. On the surface 4a, the first display section 14 is provided between the receiver hole 15 and the end where the hinge section 3 is connected.
Further, the surface 4a has operation buttons (key operation section) 16, which are used when the portable telephone 1 is closed with the first display section 14 facing outward. The operation buttons 16 are disposed at four corners of the first display section 14, respectively.
When the portable telephone 1 is closed with the first display section 14 facing inward (in a state where the first display section 14 faces the surface 7a of the first housing 2), an angle of the second housing 4 with respect to the hinge section 3 is defined as zero degree. Also, when the portable telephone 1 is closed with the first display section 14 facing outward (in a state where a surface 4b provided on the backside of the second housing 4 from the surface 4a (having the first display section 14) faces the surface 7a of the first housing 2), an angle of the second housing 4 with respect to the hinge section 3 is defined as 180 degrees. Under such conditions, the shock-absorbing member 17 is provided at one corner of the second housing 4 that contacts the first housing 2, when the second housing 4 is rotated by 90 degrees with respect to the hinge section 3 and then the hinge section 3 is moved toward the first housing 2.
The above structure allows the second housing 4 to have minimum portion made of the lower-hardness material than the materials that the first housing 2 is made of. Thus, the decrease of strength of the second housing 4 can be suppressed. Also, twists of the signal wires (lead wires or flexible substrates), which connect the hinge section 3 and the second housing 4, can be also minimized. Further, since the user only needs to rotate the second housing 4 so that the shock-absorbing member 17 is always placed on the side of the surface 7a, the user can easily recognize a rotatable direction. Thus, rotation in a wrong direction can be restrained, so that damage to the hinge section 3 due to the rotation in a wrong direction can be prevented.
As shown in FIG. 3, a shooting lens 18 and a flash 19 are aligned on a surface 7c of the base 7. The surface 7c is located on the opposite side from the surface 7a, and the shooting lens 18 and the flash 19 are provided at a corresponding position to the protrusion 8. The flash 19 is used as an auxiliary light source when the camera section captures an image (the camera section will be described in detail). Generally, a xenon tube is used for the auxiliary light source, and currently light emitting diodes (LED) that give off red, green, and blue glows are used. White-light illumination can be obtained by emitting the LEDs of three colors simultaneously.
On the surface 7c, a second display section 20 and a second speaker hole 21 for a second speaker (not shown) are aligned in the vicinity of the shooting lens 18. The second speaker is used for outputting sounds such as a ringing melody. The second display section 20 is realized by a liquid crystal display or an EL display for example.
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the portable telephone 1 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 illustrates an opened portable telephone viewed from the side of the surface 7a and the surface 4a. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first housing 2 is composed of a cabinet 2p having the surface 7a and a rear cabinet 2q having the surface 7c. The second housing 4 is composed of a cabinet 4p having the surface 4a and a rear cabinet 4q having the surface 4b.
The hinge section 3 is composed of a cabinet 3p and a rear cabinet 3q. The cabinet 3p and the rear cabinet 3q are incorporated into one unit, containing a hinge unit 25 therein. The hinge unit 25 is composed of a hinge mechanism 26 and two hinge mechanisms 27. The hinge mechanism 26 connects the central part 3m and the second housing 4 to be freely rotated. The hinge mechanisms 27 connect the both-ends 3n and the side surfaces 8b to be freely moved.
According to this arrangement, the camera section 23 and the first speaker 24 are contained in the internal space 22 that reaches the inner side of the protrusion 8 where the hinge section 3 is connected. Therefore, the first housing 2 can contain even a large camera having an optical zoom function and other functions, together with the first speaker 24, without having more protrusions but the protrusion 8 on the side of the surface 7c of the first housing 2.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the following state of the portable telephone 1. The portable telephone 1 is set to a 90-degree opened state (the hinge section 3 and the second housing 4 are moved by 90 degrees with respect to the first housing 2 about the movement axis 5 from the closed state). Then, the second housing 4 is rotated by only 90 degrees with respect to the hinge section 3 about the rotation axis 6 from the state shown in FIG. 1. In this state, the second housing 4 is positioned so that the surface 4a having the first display section 14 and the surface 7a of the first housing 2 having the input buttons 9 and the function buttons 10 become orthogonal to each other.
In this case, the portable telephone 1 is positioned so that the surface 4a of the second housing 4 and the surface 7c of the first housing 2 point in one same direction. Also, the surface 4b of the second housing 4 and the surface 7a of the first housing 2 point in the other same direction. Apart from the states shown in FIGS. 1, 6, and 7, the second housing 4 can be moved by adequate degrees about the rotation axis 6. Therefore, the first display section 14 provided on the surface 4a can be pointed to a desired direction.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the portable telephone 1 in a state in which the portable telephone 1 is moved from the state shown in FIG. 6 in the closing direction (direction where the portable telephone 1 is closed about the movement axis 5). As illustrated in FIG. 8, the portable telephone 1 is closed so that the shock-absorbing member 17 provided on the second housing 4 presses an “F key” of the function buttons 10 on the surface 7a of the first housing 2. Even in this case, damage to the operation key due to the impact of the moving second housing 4 can be prevented with two reasons. One reason is that the F key is arranged to maintain high endurance because the F key is used most frequently among the function buttons 10. Another reason is that the shock-absorbing member 17 is made of a rubber-containing plastic resin such as TPE or TPEE.
When the second housing 4 is rotated about the rotation axis 6 while receiving a pressure applied about the movement axis 5 in the closing direction, the shock-absorbing member 17 provided to the second housing 4 moves in contact with the surface 7a and part of the function buttons 10 on the first housing 2. In this case, the shock-absorbing member 17 is made of the rubber-containing plastic resin such as TPE or TPEE, which has lower hardness than the materials that the surface 7a and the function buttons 10 on the first housing 2 are made of. Therefore, the surface 7a and the function buttons 10 on the first housing 2 are prevented from scratches.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating the portable telephone 1 in the closed state with the first display section 14 facing outward. FIG. 10 is an oblique perspective view illustrating the state of the first housing 2. In other words, FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate the portable telephone 1 in the state in which the second housing 4 is moved from the state shown in FIG. 7 in the closing direction about the rotation axis 5. In this case, the portable telephone 1 can be closed so that the surface 4a having the first display section 14 and the operation buttons 16 faces outward and the surface 4b faces inward. Further, in this case, the user can put his/her forefinger of the right hand on the shutter button 12 (refer to FIG. 1) and take a picture holding the portable telephone 1 with both hands. That is, the user can hold the portable telephone 1 as a dedicated digital camera. Thus, the usability of the portable telephone 1 can be improved when it is used as a camera.
In the closed state of the portable telephone 1, the microphone hole 11b is disposed to face the central part 3m, that is, in midway between the gap B and the gap C. The gap B is provided between the first housing 2 and the hinge section 3, and the gap C is provided between the hinge section 3 and the second housing 4. Therefore, sounds can be easily received from the gaps B and C through the gap A, and the quality of a phone call in the closed state of the portable telephone 1 can be improved.
The speaker activation control section 31 controls activation of the receiver 32, the first speaker 24, and the second speaker 33 during audio output. Activation of the first speaker 24 and the second speaker 33 are switched, in accordance with a detection result of a terminal'"'"'s position detected by the position detection control section 44 or usage status of various functions of the portable telephone 1.
The microphone control section 34 controls input of voice signals fed from the first microphone 35 and the second microphone 36 during a phone call. The microphone control section 34 switches between input from the first microphone 35 and input from the second microphone 36 (selection on either the first microphone 35 or the second microphone 36 to be activated) in accordance with the detection result of the terminal'"'"'s position detected by the position detection control section 44.
The display control section 37 controls switching displays to be shown on the first display section 14 and the second display section 20. Switching the displays is performed in accordance with the detection result of the terminal'"'"'s position detected by the position detection control section 44. The operation input section 38 performs inputs in accordance with key operations of the input buttons 9, the function buttons 10 and the operation buttons 16.
The position detection control section 44 is position detection means for detecting what terminal state the portable telephone 1 is in. That is, in accordance with ON or OFF state of the first and the second hall elements 42 and 43, the position detection control section 44 determines whether the portable telephone 1 is closed, and whether the second housing 4 is at the 0-degree state with respect to the hinge section 3. Accordingly, the terminal'"'"'s position is automatically detected, so that inputting or outputting sounds or image displays can be switched automatically. The first and the second hall elements 42 and 43 are provided in the first housing 2, the second housing 4, or the hinge section 3. Thus, the first and the second hall elements 42 and 43 are turned on/off when attractive power of a magnet provided on the other housing, which faces the first and the second hall elements 42 and 43, is detected.
The icon may be displayed on the second display section 20 to show a rotatable direction of the second housing 4. Thus, when the portable telephone 1 is opened with the second housing 4 rotated through 0 degree with respect to the hinge section 3, and even when the portable telephone 1 is viewed from the side of the surface 7c of the first housing 2, the user can recognize a rotatable direction of the second housing 4. Therefore, damage to the hinge, caused when the second housing 4 is rotated in a wrong direction, can be further prevented.
A display section may be provided instead of the first speaker hole 13, for example, so as to display the icon that visually shows a rotatable direction of the second housing 4. Thus, when the portable telephone 1 is opened with the second housing 4 rotated through 180 degrees with respect to the hinge section 3, and even when the portable telephone 1 is viewed from the side of the surface 7a of the first housing 2, the user can recognize a rotatable direction of the second housing 4. Therefore, damage to the hinge, caused when the second housing 4 is rotated in a wrong direction, can be further prevented.
Fujimoto, Masao, Fujihara, Shunji, Nishimoto, Kazuyuki
US 7,599,720 B2
455/575.300
H04M 1/0218 : The hinge comprising input ...
H04M 1/0241 : using relative motion of th...
H04M 1/03 : Constructional features of ...
H04M 1/18 : Telephone sets modified for...