US20050070343A1 - Rotational mechanism for a wireless communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention is a wireless communication device (100) including a first housing (220) with a housing support (250) and a second housing (120) positioned about the housing support, or a portion thereof, so that the second housing may rotate around the housing support. Also, the second housing (120) includes a circular portion (122) positioned about the housing support (250) and an extending portion (124) extending from the circular portion. When the device (100) is in a closed position (110), the circular and extending portions (122&124) of the second housing (120) are adjacent to the first housing (220). When the device (100) is in an opened position (210), the circular portion (122) is adjacent to the first housing (220) and the extending portion (124) is away from the first housing. In addition, the second housing (120) may have multiple position relative to the first housing (220) in which each position activates a particular function of the device (100).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention relates generally to the field of portable electronic devices and, more particularly, to a wireless communication devices having a unique form factor to facilitate its portability and maximize its functionality.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• Portable electronic devices have many functions and come in a variety of different form factors. To increase their appeal, manufacturers of such devices focus on minimizing their form factor and while maximizing their functions. The flip-type device has a collapsible form factor that is particularly popular among manufacturers of wireless communication devices, such as radiotelephones, paging devices, personal digital assistant and the combination of these devices. The flip-type device includes two sections connected by a hinge that flip open for general operation of the device and flip closed for convenient transport of the device. Many wireless communication devices having the collapsible form factor provide a display an inner surface of the device so that it is exposed when the device is open and hidden when the device is closed.
• Several wireless communication devices provide a viewable display when the devices are closed. As a result, a user may receive useful information, such as caller ID and time/date information, provided on the viewable display while the device is closed. One common type of wireless communication device provides a second display on the outer surface of the device. Another known type of wireless communication device provides an opening through one of the sections of the flip phone so that display on the inner surface of the device is exposed through the opening when the device is closed. Specifically, a first section of the device includes a display, and a second section of the device has two arms that attach to the first section with a large opening therebetween. Unfortunately, the arms of the open section tend to be unstable and fragile since the large opening between the two arms do not provide much support. Also, for both types of devices, the display is not conveniently viewable by the user when the device is transitioning from the closed position to the opened position and vice-versa.
• Another type of wireless communication device with a collapsible form factor has two sections with inner surfaces that slide past each other to rotate open and slide together to rotate closed. For this configuration, the display is located on an outer surface of one section and is viewable by the user in both the opened and closed positions of the device. Unfortunately, if the display is considered to be right side up when the device is opened, the display is upside down when the device is closed due to the rotation of its corresponding section. Therefore, existing rotatable phones do not have conveniently viewable displays for both opened and closed positions.
• There is a need for a wireless communication device with a collapsible form factor having a conveniently viewable display when the device is opened as well as closed. Also, the display should be conveniently viewable while the device is transitioning between the opened and closed positions. In addition, the desired device should not compromise the stability and rigidity of the device in the opened and closed positions. The functionality of the desired device should be maximized, and it is further desirable to have a viewable display configuration that provides increased functionality to the device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a radiotelephone in a closed position;
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the radiotelephone ofFIG. 1 in an opened position as well as two alternative positions;
• FIG. 3 is an exploded, perspective view of the radiotelephone ofFIG. 1 viewed from the bottom down;
• FIG. 4 is an exploded, perspective view of the radiotelephone ofFIG. 1 viewed from the top down; and
• FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the internal, electronic components of the radiotelephone ofFIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)
• The present invention is a wireless communication device including first and second housings. The first housing includes a housing support capable of retaining a display. The second housing includes a circular portion positioned about a portion of the housing support, namely the support rim, and an extending portion extending away from the circular portion. The second housing, particularly the circular portion, is capable of rotating around the portion of the support rim of the housing support. The first and second housings have a closed position and one or more opened positions. In the closed position, the circular and extending portions of the second housing are adjacent to the first housing. In one or more opened positions, the circular portion is adjacent to the first housing and at least a portion of the extending portion is positioned away from the first housing.
• Referring toFIG. 1, there is provided acollapsible radiotelephone100 in a closedposition110. Theradiotelephone100 has wireless communication capabilities and, thus, may be used to communicate with wireless infrastructure, such as cellular base stations, regional and local wireless transponders, and wireless local area networks. Theradiotelephone100 described herein is a representation of the type of wireless communication device that may benefit from the present invention. However, it is to be understood that the present invention may be applied to any type of portable electronic device and is not limited to the following devices: radiotelephones, cordless phones, paging devices, personal digital assistants, portable computers, pen-based or keyboard-based handheld devices, remote control units, an audio player (such as an MP3 player) and the like. Accordingly, any reference herein to theradiotelephone100 should also be considered to apply equally to other portable electronic devices.
• For the preferred embodiment shown inFIG. 1, theradiotelephone100 includes anupper housing120 having a generally elongated and planar shape. Theupper housing120 has an uppercircular portion122 at one end and an upper extendingportion124 extending away from the upper circular portion. For this closedposition110, the uppercircular portion122 and the upper extendingportion124 are adjacent to a lower housing (shown inFIG. 2). Also, anexternal antenna180 may be provided to enhance the wireless communication capabilities of theradiotelephone100.
• Components of theradiotelephone100 are positioned near the uppercircular portion122 including aninterchangeable cover130, alocking piece140, and adisplay150. Theinterchangeable cover130 has a ring-like shape that may be attached to, and detached from, theradiotelephone100. Since theinterchangeable cover130 may be easily attached and detached by a user without the need of tools, the user may select among interchangeable covers of different colors to decorate theradiotelephone100. In addition, theinterchangeable cover130 may includecover selection buttons132 and/or indicator lights (not shown) to provide additional functionality to theradiotelephone100. For example, the preferred embodiment provides three cover selection keys132: a left selection key, and right selection key and a menu key therebetween. Thedisplay150 may be any type of output device that provides a convenient display of text and/or graphics to the user. Preferably, thedisplay150 is a liquid crystal display having a backlighting system to illuminate the display when lighting conditions are insufficient for proper viewing by the user. Thelocking piece140 locks certain components of theradiotelephone100 together, which is explained below. Thelocking piece140 also functions as a display lens to protect thedisplay150 from undesirable, foreign matter.
• The extendedportion124 of theupper housing120 may include upperhousing selection buttons160 andspeaker apertures170. Although many different selection buttons may be provided on theupper housing120, only one upperhousing selection button160 is shown inFIG. 1 by way of example. Thus, theupper housing120 of the present invention may include one or more selection buttons (such asselection buttons132 and160) for various types of features including, but not limited to, volume control, menu control, call answering, call termination, caller identification, phone book control, voicemail control, e-mail/messaging control, network browsing, power on/off, and the like. The speaker apertures170 direct sounds generated by an audio output device (shown inFIG. 5) to the user.
• Referring toFIG. 2, the preferred embodiment of theradiotelephone100 is shown in an openedposition210. The portions theradiotelephone100 that become visible in the openedposition210 include alower housing220, akeypad230 and amicrophone aperture240. When viewed from above, the lower housing of the preferred embodiment has a substantially similar profile to theupper housing120. Similar to theupper housing120, the lower housing includes a lowercircular portion222 and a lower extendingportion224. For this openedposition210, the uppercircular portion122 of theupper housing120 is adjacent to, and positioned above, the lower circular portion of thelower housing220. On the other hand, the upper extendingportion124 is positioned away from the lower housing. For example, as shown inFIG. 2, the upper extendingportion124 is positioned the opposite the lower extendingportion124 on opposite sides of the upper and lowercircular portions122 &222. Thekeypad230 may include any layout of keys that provide convenient operation of theradiotelephone100 by the user. Themicrophone aperture240 directs sounds received from the user or other local sounds to an audio input device (shown inFIG. 5).
• The preferred embodiment includes a standard layout of alphanumeric and menu control for operation of theradiotelephone100. As shown inFIG. 2, thekeypad230 includes twelve standard keys232 (namely, 0 through 9, # and *) as well as three lowerhousing selection buttons234. However, theradiotelephone100 may include a larger grouping of keys, such as a QWERTY keyboard, if a device having a larger form factor or smaller individual keys is desired. Although not shown inFIG. 2, thekeypad230 may also include a cursor or graphical pointing device such as a joystick, touch pad or track ball. Also, similar toselection buttons132 and160 described, above, the lowerhousing selection buttons234 may be used for various features including, but not limited to, volume control, menu control, call answering, call termination, caller identification, phone book control, voicemail control, e-mail/messaging control, network browsing, power on/off, and the like.
• The position of theupper housing120 is not restricted the openedposition210 and theclosed position110 described above. The upper extendingportion124 of theupper housing120 has at least three functional positions about a housing support or bottom support (described below) of thelower housing220. The preferred embodiment shown inFIG. 2 includes four functional positions, namely openedposition210,closed position110, andauxiliary positions260 &270. Generally, the openedposition210 and theclosed position110 may activate functions of theradiotelephone100 such as answering an incoming call and terminating an existing call. Each of theauxiliary positions260 &270 may also be set to activate a particular function of theradiotelephone100. For example,auxiliary position260 may operate to illuminate the display150 (without answering an incoming call, if one exists), andauxiliary position270 may operate to provide caller identification information about an incoming call that is not provided in theclosed position110.
• Another function that may be activated by the functional positions of the upper extendingportion124 includes changing between different modes of operation for a multimode device. For example, the position of the upper extendingportion124 may determine whether the wireless communication device operates as a radiotelephone, a pager, a network browser, an e-mail device, a personal digital assistant, or an audio player.
• Still another function that may be activated by the functional positions of the upper extendingportion124 includes scrolling through a predetermined selection of data shown on thedisplay150. For example, the upper extendingportion124 may be rotated to conveniently move up and down a list of contacts and/or phone numbers, or a listing of alphanumeric characters (i.e. “A” through “Z”, “a” through “z”, “0” through “9”, and any special characters). This feature may also be used to operate functions that are not necessarily shown on thedisplay150, such as volume control.
• Regardless of the position of theupper housing120 relative to thelower housing220, thecover selection buttons132, upperhousing selection button160, and lowerhousing selection buttons234 may operate independently or in cooperation. For example, the each of theseselection buttons132,160 &234 may activate a different function of theradiotelephone100. Regarding the upperhousing selection button160, its function may change depending upon the position of theupper housing120 relative to thelower housing220. For the preferred embodiment, the upperhousing selection button160 and themiddle button236 of the lowerhousing selection buttons234 operate cooperatively. In theclosed position110 shown inFIG. 1, the upperhousing selection button160 is a mechanical lever that physically contacts the surface of themiddle button236 when a user adjusts the upper housing selection button. In the opened position210 (and thealternative positions260 &270), the upperhousing selection button160 does not have any function.
• Referring toFIG. 3, theradiotelephone100 of the preferred embodiment includes atop support310 in addition to thelower housing220, theupper housing120, thelocking piece140 and theinterchangeable cover130 described above in reference toFIGS. 1 and 2. In contrast toFIGS. 1 & 2, certain sections of theradiotelephone100, such as an inner surface of theupper housing120, an outer surface of thelower housing220, thedisplay150 and other components within the upper and lower housings, are not shown inFIG. 3 to more easily view the relationship among thetop support310, the lower housing, the upper housing, thelocking piece140 and theinterchangeable cover130. Thelower housing220 includes the lowercircular portion222 and the lower extending portion224 (shown inFIG. 2). The lowercircular portion222 includes the housing support orbottom support250 and the display150 (shown inFIGS. 1 & 2).
• Thebottom support250 includes abottom support rim324 having a circular shape and abottom support base326 to receive and support the display150 (shown inFIGS. 1 & 2) such as a backlit liquid crystal display. Thebottom support rim324 defines a bottom support opening328 to provide a viewing area of thedisplay150 to the user. The housing support orbottom support250 may be an integrated component that is part of thelower housing220 or a separable component that is positioned within the lower housing. As shown inFIG. 3, thebottom support250 of the preferred embodiment is an integrated component that is part of aninside wall320 of thelower housing220. Thebottom support250 is integrated with one part of thelower housing220 to retain thedisplay150 in that area of the lower housing. The other part of thelower housing220 includeskeypad apertures322 to reveal user-accessible portions of thekeypad230.
• Thetop support310 mates with thebottom support250 and maintains theupper housing120 between the top and bottom supports. The top andbottom supports310 &250 are made of a rigid material, preferably a metallic material, to form a strong, inflexible coupling between the top and bottom supports. Thetop support310 includes atop support base312 and atop support rim314 having a circular shape. Thetop support310 is positioned over theupper housing120 so that a lower surface of thetop support base312 is adjacent to an upper surface of the uppercircular portion122. Similarly, thebottom support250 is positioned under theupper housing120 so that an upper surface of thebottom support base326 is adjacent to a lower surface of the uppercircular portion122. Also, thetop support rim314 is positioned around thebottom support rim324 so that an inner surface of the top support rim is adjacent to an outer surface of the bottom support rim. Theupper housing120 is situated between thetop support310 and thebottom support250 so that the inner surface of the uppercircular portion122 is adjacent to the outer surface of thetop support rim314. Accordingly, the uppercircular portion122 is capable of rotating about thetop support rim314 and thebottom support rim324.
• Thetop support rim314 of thetop support310 defines a top support opening316 to permit the user to see a viewing area of thedisplay150. The shape of thetop support310 may vary, but thetop support rim314 is preferably circular to provide a rotatable surface for theupper housing120. Also, the top support opening316 of thetop support310 preferably has a shape that does not obstruct the user's view of thedisplay150. Similarly, theupper housing120 includes anupper housing opening340 to permit the user to see a viewing area of thedisplay150 and, preferably, does not obstruct the user's view of the display.
• As shown inFIG. 3, thelocking piece140 is positioned through thetop support310 and coupled to thebottom support250 to prevent the top support from detaching from the bottom support. A more detailed explanation is provided below in reference toFIG. 4. Of course, as stated above, thelocking piece140 of the preferred embodiment also serves as the display lens to protect thedisplay150 from undesirable, foreign matter
• Theupper housing120 may also include a detent assembly330 to position the upper housing at various positions about the top andbottom supports310 &250. More specifically, the detent assembly330 permits the upper extendingportion124 of theupper housing120 to be positioned at various positions about thetop support rim314 and thebottom support rim324. For the preferred embodiment, the detent assembly330 includes a spring332 and a follower334 that are supported by the uppercircular portion122. The follower334 is positioned in anaperture336 through a sidewall of the uppercircular portion122 so that it protrudes passed the inner surface of the upper circular portion. The spring332 flexibly supports the follower334 at this position, so that the follower may mate with aslot318 provided on the outer surface of thetop support rim314. In the alternative, the detent assembly330 may include a one-piece spring having a projecting form that provides the functions of the spring332 and the follower334 of the preferred embodiment.
• As shown inFIG. 3, thetop support310 may have a plurality ofslots318 and, likewise, theupper housing120 may have a plurality of detent assemblies330. This structure permits theradiotelephone100, particularly, the upper extendingportion124 of theupper housing120, to have at least three positions about thebottom support rim324 of thelower housing220, as explained above in reference toFIG. 2.
• Referring toFIG. 4, the interlocking connection among the lockingpiece140, thetop support310, and thebottom support250 are represented. To assemble these components, thetop support310 is dropped onto thebottom support250. Thetop support310 includes one or more top support inner andouter anchors410 &412 (also shown inFIG. 3), and thebottom support320 includes corresponding bottom support inner andouter grooves420 &422. Top supportinner anchors410 of thetop support310 are aligned with corresponding bottom supportinner grooves420 of thebottom support250 and, similarly, top support outer anchors412 of the top support are aligned with corresponding bottom support outer grooves422 of the bottom support. Then, thetop support310 is rotated, as shown bydirection430, to lock the top support inner andouter anchors410 &412 into the bottom support inner &outer grooves420 &422. Finally, thelocking piece140 is dropped down to prevent thetop support310 from rotating back in a direction opposite theoriginal direction430. Thelocking piece140 includes one or more locking piece feet450 (also shown inFIG. 3) for mating with corresponding bottomsupport retaining areas460 of thebottom support250.
• Referring again toFIG. 1 in conjunction withFIG. 4, theinterchangeable cover130 may be attached to, and detached from, theradiotelephone100 by a user without the need for tools. Theinterchangeable cover130 would have a ring-like shape that may enhance but, preferably, does not obstruct the user's view of thedisplay150. Theinterchangeable cover130 includes cover anchors490 that mate with correspondingtop support grooves470 of thetop support310. Thetop support310 also includesprojections480 to provide tension against the inner surface of theinterchangeable cover130 in order to retain the cover anchors490 in thetop support grooves470.
• Although not shown inFIG. 4, thecover selection buttons132 of the preferred embodiment has electrical contacts that couple to corresponding electrical contacts of thetop support310. These corresponding electrical contacts of thetop support310 are coupled to electronic components, discussed below in reference toFIG. 5, supported in thelower housing250 by a flex cable.
• Referring toFIG. 5, theelectronic components500 of theradiotelephone100 are housed within the upper andlower housings120 &220. Theelectronic components500 include aprocessor510, atransceiver520 and anantenna530. For the preferred embodiment, theantenna530 transmits radio frequency (“RF”) signals received from thetransceiver520 and provides RF signals to the transceiver that it receives. Likewise, thetransceiver520 converts controls signals received from theprocessor510 for transmission by theantenna530, and converts RF signal received by the antenna for processing by the processor. Theprocessor510 acts as a central processing unit for theradiotelephone100 and coordinates the operations of theelectronic components500. Theprocessor510 also includes amemory portion512 to store and retrieve data as well as perform various operations of theradiotelephone100. However, it is to be understood that various functions described herein for theelectronic components500 may be integrated or segregated and, thus, the present invention is not limited to particular discrete components shown inFIG. 5. For example, theprocessor510 and thetransceiver520 may be combined in a single integrated circuit, or the processor and thememory portion512 may be separated to different components.
• Theelectronic components500 may also include anaudio input540, anaudio output550, adisplay560 andinput keys570. For the preferred embodiment, theaudio input540 is a microphone that receives sounds through the microphone aperture240 (shown inFIG. 2) and theaudio output550 is an earpiece that emits sounds through the speaker apertures170 (shown inFIGS. 1 & 2). Also, for the preferred embodiment, thedisplay560 is a backlit, liquid crystal display that is shown inFIGS. 1 & 2 asdisplay150. Theinput keys570 includeinternal keys572 such as the keypad230 (shown inFIG. 2) andexternal keys574 such as the upperhousing selection button160 and the cover selection buttons132 (shown inFIGS. 1 & 2). Thedisplay560 and theinput keys570 may also include connections to any indicator lights or selection buttons provided on theinterchangeable cover140, as described above.
• Theelectronic components500 of the present invention further include at least oneposition sensor580. For example, theposition sensor580 of the preferred embodiment is a Hall effect detector that includes a magnet mounted on the uppercircular portion122 of theupper housing120 and a Hall effect switch mounted to the lowercircular portion222 of thelower housing220. Asingle position sensor580 is capable of detecting a particular position of theupper housing120 relative to thelower housing220. Therefore, a plurality ofposition sensors580 may be positioned throughout thecircular portions122 &222 of the upper andlower housings120 &220 to detect various positions of the upper housing relative to the lower housing, such as theclosed position110, an openedposition210, and additional positions (such as260 &270) about thehousing support250. Theposition sensor580 is capable of determining a particular position of theupper housing120 relative to thelower housing220 and generating a response signal corresponding to the particular position. Theprocessor510 is then effective to activate a particular function of theradiotelephone100 in response to the response signal when theupper housing120 is positioned at one of the additional positions.
• While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not so limited. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions and equivalents will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (9)

1-25. (canceled)

26. A wireless communication device comprising:

a first housing having an elongated shape; and

a second housing rotatably coupled to the first housing and including a display, the second housing being capable of rotating in a plane parallel to the display,

wherein the first housing is capable of rotating relative to one end of the first housing, and the second housing is capable of rotating relative to a central portion of the display.

27. The wireless communication device ofclaim 26, wherein the first housing has a circular portion and an extending portion extending away from the circular portion.

28. The wireless communication device ofclaim 26, wherein the first housing includes at least one selection button.

29. The wireless communication device ofclaim 26, wherein the first housing includes at least one audio aperture.

30. The wireless communication device ofclaim 29, wherein the at least one audio aperture is located at a distal position from the one end of the first housing.

31. The wireless communication device ofclaim 26, wherein the first housing includes one of a microphone aperture and a speaker aperture and the second housing includes the other of the microphone aperture and the speaker aperture

32. The wireless communication device ofclaim 26, wherein the first housing has a profile similar to a profile of the second housing.

33. The wireless communication device ofclaim 26, wherein the second housing includes a top support positioned in front of the first housing relative to a viewing area of the display.

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