Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7200428?dq=2040248
Timestamp: 2014-03-10 15:48:03
Document Index: 33960299

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 28', 'art 28', 'art 28', 'art 28', 'art 31', 'art 31', 'art 31', 'art 31', 'art 36', 'arts 37', 'art 36', 'arts 37', 'art 36', 'art 36', 'art 36', 'art 36', 'art 31', 'art 31', 'art 31', 'art 31', 'arts 37', 'arts 49', 'arts 49', 'arts 49']

Patent US7200428 - Portable terminal - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsTo improve usability while maintaining miniaturization, in a portable terminal device in which one end part of a first housing having an operating part and one end part of a second housing having a display part are turnably connected by a hinge part, an open state where the surface of the display part...http://www.google.com/patents/US7200428?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7200428 - Portable terminalAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7200428 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 10/470,142PCT numberPCT/JP2002/012106Publication dateApr 3, 2007Filing dateNov 20, 2002Priority dateNov 27, 2001Fee statusPaidAlso published asCN1242600C, CN1491511A, DE60224828D1, DE60224828T2, EP1450545A1, EP1450545A4, EP1450545B1, US20040248628, WO2003047218A1Publication number10470142, 470142, PCT/2002/12106, PCT/JP/2/012106, PCT/JP/2/12106, PCT/JP/2002/012106, PCT/JP/2002/12106, PCT/JP2/012106, PCT/JP2/12106, PCT/JP2002/012106, PCT/JP2002/12106, PCT/JP2002012106, PCT/JP200212106, PCT/JP2012106, PCT/JP212106, US 7200428 B2, US 7200428B2, US-B2-7200428, US7200428 B2, US7200428B2InventorsMinoru TaninaiOriginal AssigneeSony Ericsson Mobil Communication Japan, Inc.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (14), Referenced by (4), Classifications (24), Legal Events (2) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetPortable terminalUS 7200428 B2Abstract To improve usability while maintaining miniaturization, in a portable terminal device in which one end part of a first housing having an operating part and one end part of a second housing having a display part are turnably connected by a hinge part, an open state where the surface of the display part and the surface of the operating part are opened at a predetermined angle is formed by turning the first housing or the second housing by the hinge part from a close state where the first housing and the second housing are overlapped with each other and the operating part surface and the display part surface are facing to the same direction, and the hinge part has tilt angle changing means that is tiltably supported to the first housing or the second housing and can change the angle in the open state.
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a portable terminal device, and more particularly, relates to the technical field of a portable terminal device in which a first housing having a microphone part and a second housing having a speaker part are connected via a hinge shaft in freely turnable to the shaftwise direction of said hinge shaft.
BACKGROUND ART Portable terminal devices, for example, portable wireless telephone sets have been popularized by the development of mobile telephone systems in recent years. In portable wireless telephones sets, there is a type in which a first housing having a microphone part and a second housing having a speaker part are turnably connected via a hinge shaft, however, as such type of portable wireless telephone sets, some are designed so that the first housing and the second housing are turnably connected to the shaftwise direction of the hinge shaft, and the microphone part and the speaker part face to the same direction in a close state where the second housing is lying on the first housing (for example, see patent document 1).
As shown in FIGS. 38 and 39, in such a conventional portable wireless telephone set �a�, a first housing �c� having a microphone part �b� and a second housing �e� having a speaker part �d� are turnably connected via a hinge shaft �f�, and if the second housing �e� is turned to the first housing �c� from the close state where the second housing �e� is lying on the first housing �c� in the thickness direction (see FIG. 39), the portable wireless telephone set �a� becomes an open state (see FIG. 38) and becomes available for communication.
In the portable wireless telephone set �a�, a main operating part �g� having plural operation keys is provided on the surface of the first housing �c� on the side that touches the second housing �e�, and a display part �h� and a suboperating part �i� are provided on the opposite side. In this manner, in the portable wireless telephone set �a�, since the suboperating part �i� is provided on the surface on the opposite side of the second housing �e� to the side that touches the first housing �c�, the user can perform predetermined operations by operating the suboperating part �i� in both states of the open state and the close state.
On the other hand, as a further developed device from the said portable wireless telephone set �a�, there is an open/close type portable information terminal designed so that the angle of a housing having an operating part corresponding to the first housing �c� and a housing having a display part corresponding to the second housing �e� in the said open state becomes a predetermined angle θ; 180� or less (for example, see patent document 2).
However, in the said portable wireless telephone-set �a� (patent document 1), in the open state, it becomes the state where the first housing �c� and the second housing �e� are connected in almost straight and the shape is not along the outline of the caller's face when the caller performs communication; if the caller gets close to his/her mouth to the microphone part �b�, his/her ear gets away from the speaker part �d� (see FIG. 40), and reverse, if the caller gets close the ear to the speaker part �d�, the microphone part �b� gets away from the mouth (see FIG. 41): there is a problem that the usability is not good in both cases.
Then, to improve the usability, it can be considered that as a portable wireless telephone set a′ shown in FIGS. 42 and 43, a projecting part �j� is provided by making the part having the microphone part �b� in the first housing �c� project, however, since the projecting-part �j� is provided, the length of the first housing �c� becomes longer: it causes a problem that the portable wireless telephone set �a� becomes a large size.
Note that, this large size problem similarly arises also in the case where the part having the speaker part �d� in the second housing �e� is projected, without projecting the part having the microphone part �b� in the first housing �c�.
Furthermore, to improve the usability, as a portable wireless telephone set a″ shown in FIG. 44, it can be considered that the hinge shaft �f� is tilted to the first housing �c�, so that the second housing �e� tilts to the first housing �c�, however, in this case, since the second housing �e� is tilted, it is necessary that the hinge shaft �f� is longer, and a large gap generates between the first housing �c� and the second housing �e�: the hinge shaft �f� is apt to get a large load, and the whole of the portable wireless telephone set a″ becomes a large size.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A portable terminal device according to the present invention aims to maintain the miniaturization of the said portable terminal device, and to prevent breakage by a load.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a state to show the concept of a portable terminal device.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that, each embodiment shown in below is that the present invention has been applied to a portable wireless telephone set.
The tilt angle changing member 27 is formed by machining a springy planar metallic material, and a base part 28, fitting pieces 29 s and a supporting piece 30 are formed in one body. The base part 28 is bent at the almost same angle as the said tilt angle θ formed by the first housing 11 and the second housing 12; the fitting pieces 29 s are projected from the positions separate from the edges of one end of the base part 28 in the width direction; and the supporting piece 30 is projected to the same side as the fitted pieces 29 s from the center part of the edges of the other end of the base part 28 in the width direction. In the fitting pieces 29 s, a screw inserting-hole �29 a� is formed, respectively. In the supporting piece 30, a shaft inserting hole not shown is formed.
The hinge shaft 13 is composed of a shaft part 31 and a planar fitting piece 32 provided at one end part of the said shaft part 31. At the other end part of the shaft part 31, a coming-out preventing projecting part 31 a projected from its outer circumference side is provided. In the fitting piece 32, screw inserting holes �32 a�s are formed at the both end parts.
The fitting pieces 29 s of the tilt angle changing member 27 are fitted on the first housing 11. The fitting pieces 29 s are fitted on the first housing 11 by inserting fitting screws not shown into the screw inserting holes �29 a�s and screwing them on the first housing 11.
To put it concretely, as shown in FIG. 16, in the first housing 11, a first boss 11P is provided on the opposite inner circumference side to the slope 11 c in the state where a female screw is formed in its inside, and also a second boss 11Q having the same central axis as the central axis of the said first boss 11P is provided on the inner circumference side of the other surface 11 b. In the state where a metallic plate 11S previously fitted on the first housing 11 is inserted between these first boss 11P and second boss 11Q, a fitting screw 11R is inserted into the inserting hole of the said second boss 11Q, the through hole of the plate 11S and the screw inserting holes �29 a�s of the fitted pieces 29 s: the fitting pieces 29 s of the tilt angle changing member 27 are screwed to the first boss 11P by the said fitting screw 11R.
The fitting piece 32 of the hinge shaft 13 is fitted into the second housing 12. The fitting piece 32 is fitted on the second housing 12 by inserting fitting screws not shown into screw inserting holes �32 a�s and screwing the fitting piece 32 onto the second housing 12.
The tilt angle changing member 35 is formed by machining a planar metallic material, and a base part 36, supporting parts 37 s, and spring supporting pieces 38 s are formed in one body. The base part 36 has an almost rectangular shape, and a shaft inserting hole not shown is formed at the center part. The supporting parts 37 s are provided so as to project to the same orthogonal direction from the both end parts of the base part 36 in the longitudinal direction, and supporting holes �37 a�s are formed respectively.
The spring supporting pieces 38 s are provided so as to project to the same direction from the both edges of the center part of the base part 36 in the longitudinal direction, respectively. The spring supporting pieces 38 s are composed of projecting piece parts �38 a�s which project to the orthogonal direction from the base part 36 respectively, and spring supporting parts �38 b�s orthogonal to the said projecting piece parts �38 a�s; the said spring supporting parts �38 b�s are located in parallel to the base part 36.
The hinge shaft 13 is composed of the shaft part 31, and the planar fitting piece 32 provided at the other end part of the said shaft part 31. At one end part of the shaft part 31, a coming-out preventing projecting part 31 a which projects from its outer circumference surface is provided. In the fitting piece 32, the screw inserting holes �32 a�s are formed at the both side parts.
The supporting holes �37 a�s of the supporting parts 37 s are supported by supporting shafts 39 s. Therefore, the turning supporting mechanism 34 is turnable to the first housing 11 to the shaftwise direction of the supporting shafts 39 s fixed in the first housing 11.
Between the spring supporting parts �38 b�s of the spring supporting pieces 38 s and one surface 11 a of the first housing 11, compression coil springs 40 s (FIG. 23) are contractedly provided, respectively.
The fitting piece 32 of the hinge shaft 13 is fitted on the second housing 12. The fitting piece 32 is fitted on the second housing 12 by inserting fitting screws not shown into the screw inserting holes �32 a�s and screwing the fitting piece 32 to the second housing 12.
On one surface 11 a of the first housing 11D, both of the slope 11 c and the part other than the slope 11 c are formed in planes. On the both sides of the edges of one surface 11 a in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of one surface 11 a, receiving projecting parts 49 s are separately provided in the longitudinal direction of the first housing 11D respectively so as to extend in the said longitudinal direction. In the receiving projecting parts 49 s, for instance, projecting parts �49 a�s of which the sides facing to the second housing 12D in a close state are almost in spheres, are formed. The receiving projecting parts 49 s are designed so that the projection amount from one surface 11 a is larger than the said projections 18 s provided in the first housing 11 (FIG. 3) and the first housing 11A (FIG. 25).
INDUSTRIAL UTILIZATION A portable terminal device according to the present invention will be applied to a portable wireless telephone set in which a first housing and a second housing are connected via a hinge shaft in turnable to the shaftwise direction of the said hinge shaft.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS5485517 *Apr 24, 1995Jan 16, 1996Gray; Robert R.Portable wireless telephone having swivel chassisUS5689824 *Jul 14, 1995Nov 18, 1997Nec CorporationFolding portable wireless apparatus capable of automatically opening upper and lower casesUS6850784 *Jan 31, 2001Feb 1, 2005Microsoft CorporationModular two-body design for integration of mobile computing device features with a wireless communication deviceJP2000101263A Title not availableJP2002135380A Title not availableJP2002158758A Title not availableJP2002344596A Title not availableJPH0738945A Title not availableJPH0795651A Title not availableJPH01319348A Title not availableJPH05136859A Title not availableJPH05211547A Title not availableJPH07202748A Title not availableJPH07288860A Title not available* Cited by examinerReferenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS7423704 *May 6, 2005Sep 9, 2008Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.Liquid crystal display moduleUS7433722 *Jul 7, 2005Oct 7, 2008Sharp Kabushiki KaishaPortable deviceUS8306585 *Jul 22, 2009Nov 6, 2012Lg Electronics Inc.Slide type mobile terminal with tiltable slide moduleUS20100035669 *Jul 22, 2009Feb 11, 2010Lg Electroncics Inc.Slide type mobile terminal with tiltable slide module* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification455/575.3, 455/575.8, 455/575.4, 455/575.1, 455/566International ClassificationH04B1/38, F16M11/10, E05D3/02, H04M1/00, H04M1/02, F16C11/04Cooperative ClassificationE05Y2900/606, F16C11/04, H04M1/0227, E05D3/022, F16M11/10, H04M1/0233, F16M2200/041, F16M13/005European ClassificationF16M13/00A, F16M11/10, H04M1/02A2B6F, H04M1/02A2B6S, F16C11/04Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionSep 27, 2010FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Jul 24, 2003ASAssignmentOwner name: SONY ERICSSON MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS JAPAN, INC., JFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:TANINAI, MINORU;REEL/FRAME:014937/0872Effective date: 20030604RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google