US20090316036A1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US20090316036A1
Application number: US12/488,498
Authority: US
Inventors: Alfred Tom
Original assignee: Kantan Inc
Current assignee: Kantan Inc
Priority date: 2003-03-24
Filing date: 2009-06-19
Publication date: 2009-12-24
Also published as: US20040189861A1; US7619686B2

Abstract

A combination camcorder handset device in a clam-shell form factor that has at least two operational modes—one of which is a phone mode wherein the device is used by holding the device to the ear and talking, and another of which is a camera mode wherein the device is rotated on its side so the screen is pointed horizontally and the device is held in one hand just like a traditional camcorder. The angle of the device's clam-shell hinge determines the operational mode. The camera points in a direction perpendicular to the axis along which the keys on the keyboard keys move when pressed. The camera may be contained in a removable camera module. Straps on the keyboard half hold the device in place when the device is held with one hand during camera mode. Buttons along the side of the keyboard half perform functions such as shutter release, zoom-in, and zoom-out, and are within immediate access of the fingers of the hand that is holding the device.

Description

This application is based upon provisional application No. 60/457,402 with a filing date of Mar. 24, 2003.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to wireless communication devices and related apparatus. More particularly, this invention relates to a device that is a combination between a camcorder and a telephone handset.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In Asia the most popular handset form factor is the clam-shell. This design splits a handset into two halves connected by a hinge—one half that contains the keyboard and one half that contains the display. When the clam-shell is closed and the hinge angle is 0 degrees, the keyboard and display are protected. When the clam-shell is open the user can use the keyboard to make and receive telephone calls.

Handsets with cameras are also becoming increasingly popular in the world. However, the problem of efficiently integrating a camera into a clam-shell design is difficult. One solution, used by handset manufacturers such as NEC, places the camera in the screen half so that when the clam-shell is open the lens points away from the user. However, the screen half has to be very thick to house a telephoto or zoom lens. Another solution, used by vendors such as Samsung, places the camera in the hinge that connects the keyboard and screen halves. In some cases the lens can rotate to face towards or away from the user while the display is still visible by the user. However, it is still difficult to house a large lens or a flash in the hinge.

The above solutions have the additional problem of an awkward user-interface. In order to activate the camera mode, the user must navigate a screen-based menu-system to activate the camera mode. In addition, it is not clear to the user which button to press to release the shutter, zoom-in, or zoom-out.

Furthermore, there is a screen orientation problem. Traditional cameras have viewfinders in landscape orientation. The displays on clam-shell designs are vertically oriented. This means the display must either crop a landscape image to a portrait for viewing, or only use part of the display to view the scene in landscape format. Neither is desirable.

The device described herein is a unique solution to the aforementioned problems. It has the following advantages:

1. A long optical lens can be used in the device without difficulty.

2. The device uses a more familiar landscape orientation of the display when taking pictures or videos.

3. The user does not have to navigate a screen-based menu-system to activate and use the camera functionality.

4. When the device is used as a camera, the device held like a traditional camcorder, thus making the apparatus easier and more intuitive to use.

5. The camera components can be placed in a removable module that can be replaced to achieve different optical capabilities.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an apparatus directed to a combination camcorder-handset device that has superior form factor, usability, and functionality than prior-art camera phones.

A clam-shell device that has at least two operational modes, one of which is a camera and one of which is a phone, can change its mode depending on the angle of the screen with respect to the keyboard. This allows the user to change the mode just by rotating the screen instead of navigating a cumbersome user interface using the keypad.

The clam-shell device may position the camera lens in a manner that the camera points in a direction perpendicular to the axis along which the number keys in the keyboard are actuated when pressed. This allows the device to house a much longer lens than if the lens were pointing in a direction parallel to the keypad actuation axis since the casing is very thin in this parallel direction, yet long in the perpendicular direction. The camera lens may be housed in a camera module that can be removed from the keyboard half and replaced by another module with a different lens. This gives the user flexibility with respect to using different focal-length lenses.

The device may contain additional camera buttons separate from the traditional keypad on the device. These buttons have specific functions when the device is in camera mode. These buttons may be located on the side of the device, adjacent and perpendicular to the side that contains the number keypad (not the side that contains the hinge, nor the side that is opposite the side containing the hinge). The axis of actuation of these buttons may be perpendicular to the axis of actuation of the keys on the keypad. The buttons may include a shutter release button and zoom-in and zoom-out buttons. The device may also have one or more straps to hold the device in the user's hand when the user is actuating the camera buttons. These extra buttons and straps allow the user to hold the device like a traditional camcorder when the device is in camera mode.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon further consideration of the specification and drawings. While the following description may contain many specific details describing particular embodiments of the invention, this should not be construed as limitations to the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of preferred embodiments. For each aspect of the invention, many variations are possible as suggested herein that are known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram illustrating a typical clam-shell form factor that can be used as a reference to show the current state of the art.

FIG. 2 is a simplified side view of the apparatus illustrating how the screen half may rotate with respect to the keyboard half. It also shows the three operational positions (˜90 degree camera mode, ˜135 degree phone mode, and 270 degree camera mode) and the placement and direction of the camera.

FIG. 3 is a simplified diagram illustrating the apparatus and the position of the camera lens, flash, and peripheral connector.

FIG. 4 is a simplified diagram illustrating the apparatus with a removable camera module.

FIG. 5 is a simplified diagram that shows the position of the display, shutter button, finger strap, hinge, and keyboard when the apparatus is in the camera mode.

FIG. 6 is a simplified diagram that shows how a user may hold the apparatus when the apparatus is in the camera mode.

FIG. 7 is a simplified diagram that shows the positions of the shutter button, zoom buttons, strap, camera module release button, removable camera module, camera lens, flash, antenna, hinge, and screen in an alternate embodiment of the apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a simplified diagram that shows yet another embodiment of the apparatus, including the position of the shutter button, display, battery door, hand strap, antenna, and camera module.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a typical clam-shell handset that can be seen on the market today. Such a clam-shell handset has two main halves—thekeyboard half2 and thescreen half3. Thekeyboard half2 may contain, among other components, thekeyboard4, and themicrophone5. Thescreen half3 may contain, among other components, thedisplay8 and thespeaker9. There may be ahinge10 or set of hinges that connects the twohalves23 and allows them rotate at different angles with respect to one another.FIG. 1 shows that when the angle between thekeyboard half2 and thescreen half3 is 0 degrees, the handset is in a closed position where the twohalves23 are shut together and thekeyboard4 anddisplay8 are hidden from view.

The present invention provides an apparatus ordevice1 that is a significant improvement on the typical clam-shell handset in such cases when the handset has combination camera/phone functionality. The particular features of the described embodiments in the following description may be considered individually or in combination with other variations and aspects of the invention.

Thedevice1 may have multiple modes of operation. One may be a phone mode where the user may make and receive phone calls using thekeyboard4. Another may be a camera mode where the user may take pictures or record videos using an attached or built-incamera12. As seen inFIG. 2, theangle11 of thekeyboard half2 with respect to thescreen half3 may determine the mode. When theangle11 is in a ˜90degree position13, thedevice1 may activate a camera mode wherein thecamera12 is pointed towards the user and the user's image is shown on thescreen8. When theangle11 is at a ˜135degree position14, thedevice1 may activate a phone mode, wherein theangle11 is in a good position to allow the user to receive or make calls. When theangle11 is at a ˜270degree position15, thedevice1 may activate a second camera mode, wherein thecamera12 may be pointed away from the user and the user may see the camera image on thedisplay8. Thehinge10 may contain a mechanism that senses the different positions of theangle11, enabling thedevice1 to change modes depending on the hinge position orangle11. There are many such mechanisms commonly used in the industry today and thus the particulars of the mechanism need not be discussed here. Thus, thehinge angle11 may determine the operational mode of thedevice1.

Thedevice1 may activate an operational mode as soon as thehinge10 is at a certain angle, or a mode may be activated whenhinge10 is at an angle for a minimum period of time. For example, a user may open thedevice1 and put theangle11 at ˜90degrees13. In some embodiments, thedevice1 may immediately switch to the camera mode. In another embodiment, thedevice1 may switch to the camera mode after theangle11 is at theposition13 for 500 ms.

Thehinge10 that connects the keyboard andscreen halves23 may have a mechanical stop that prevents theangle11 from increasing beyond thephone mode angle14. This is to allow thescreen half3 to remain steady when the user is talking and thedisplay8 is pressed to the user's ear. If the user desires to rotate thescreen half3 to the ˜270degree position15, the user may activate a mechanical stop release that may allow thehinge10 to rotate greater than thephone mode angle14 to reach the ˜270degree angle15. When the user returns theangle11 to thephone mode angle14, the mechanical stop may be reactivated. These mechanical stops are commonly used in the industry today and thus the particulars of the mechanical stop need not be discussed here.

Thehinge10 may have a cam mechanism that encourages thehinge10 to stay at a mode position unless the user applies force to move thehinge10 out of the mode position. The behavior may be similar to how a car door stays open at certain angles. Any kind of cam mechanism commonly used today may be used in thehinge10.

Thekeyboard half2 may contain an image sensor andcamera lens16 on the side opposite to thehinge10, as shown inFIG. 3. Thecamera lens16 may be positioned to point away from thehinge10. Thelens16 and sensor may be encased in aremovable camera module17, along with other components such as aflash18 or aperipheral connector6, as shown inFIG. 4. Theconnector19 on thekeyboard half2 that connects thekeyboard half2 to theremovable module17 may also connect to other camera modules that have different optical capabilities, such as wide-angle, telephoto, or zoom lens, or no lens at all.Interchangeable camera modules17 enable flexibility in thedevice1. Theconnector19 may also have pins that allow thekeyboard half2 to communicate with theremovable camera module17. This information exchanged may include imaging data, peripheral signals (like battery power, serial connection, and headset jack), flash signals, and operational commands for the imaging system.

FIG. 5 shows adevice1 that may have additional buttons on thekeyboard half2. One button (the “shutter release button”)20 may be used to snap a picture or start/stop a video recording when thedevice1 is in camera mode. There also may be a zoom-inbutton21 and a zoom-out button22. As shown inFIG. 6, thebuttons2122 may be placed in a location close to thehinge10 that allows the user to push thebuttons2122 with the right thumb when thedevice1 is in camera mode and the user is holding thedevice1 with theright hand23.

Theshutter release button20 may be located on the corner of thekeyboard half2 and wrapped around the corner in such a way so as the button can be pressed from the back with the thumb or from the top with the index or middle finger. Thedevice1 may have one ormore straps24 that attach thedevice1 to the user's finger(s) orhand23 when thedevice1 is in camera mode. Thestraps24 may be adjustable to fit different size hands.

An alternate embodiment to the invention described above limits themaximum hinge angle11 to the angle of thephone mode14. Thus, no locking mechanism is needed, saving complexity and cost. As shown inFIG. 7, thecamera module17 may be located right next to thehinge10 instead of on the side opposite the hinge. Themodule17 may also be replaceable and have aremovable connection19 to thekeyboard half2 with electrical pins. A cameramodule release button26 may be pressed to unlock the camera module from thekeyboard half2. There may be only one camera mode position angle (˜90 degrees)13 instead of two (˜90 and ˜270 degrees). Thecamera lens16 may be pointed in the opposite direction of thedisplay8 when thedevice1 is in the ˜90degree camera mode13.FIG. 8 shows how a user may use thedevice1 in camera mode by holding thedevice1 on its side so that thedisplay8 is in landscape mode and thelens16 is pointed away from the user.Straps24 may be located on the opposite side of thekeyboard4 or on an adjacent side of thekeyboard4 to help the user hold thedevice1 in camera mode with one hand.Buttons202122 may be located on thekeyboard half2 that allows the user to take the picture, zoom in, or zoom out with onehand23. The user may push theshutter release button20 with the thumb or index finger, and the zoom in/outbuttons2122 with the index and/or middle fingers.

In this embodiment, there may be asecondary display25 on the other side of themain display8 that allows the user to see what thelens16 sees when thelens16 is pointed towards the user. The device I may activate the camera mode when theangle11 is ˜90degrees13. If theangle11 is put in thephone mode position14 right after a picture is taken or right after theangle11 has been in the camera mode position for a minimum amount of time, thedevice1 may activate a picture-browsing mode instead of the phone mode. This picture-browsing mode may allow the user to scan through images that are on thedevice1.

Claims

1. A clam-shell handset device comprising:

a screen half that contains a display; and

a keyboard half that contains a keyboard; and

a hinge that connects the screen half to the keyboard half and allows the two to rotate with respect to each other; and

a means for the clam-shell handset device to change its mode of operation depending on the angle of the hinge.

2. The device as recited inclaim 1 wherein one of the modes of operation is used to take a picture or video.

3. The device as recited inclaim 2 wherein a second mode of operation is used to make or receive a phone call.

4. The device as recited inclaim 1 wherein the operational mode is activated immediately when the hinge is at a specified angle.

5. The device as recited inclaim 1 wherein the operational mode is activated when the hinge is at a specified angle for a pre-determined amount of time.

6. The device as recited inclaim 3 wherein the hinge contains a locking mechanism to lock the hinge at an angle corresponding to a mode of operation; and

a mechanical release that releases the locking mechanism.

7. The device as recited inclaim 2 wherein there are two different hinge angles that activate the camera mode; and

the direction of the screen when the hinge is at the first camera mode angle is opposite to the direction of the screen when the hinge is at the second angle.

8. The device as recited inclaim 1 wherein the hinge contains a mechanism that senses when the hinge is at certain angles.

9. The device as recited inclaim 1 wherein the hinge contains a cam mechanism that encourages the hinge to stay at an angle that activates a mode of operation until a force is applied to the screen half that is greater than the force required to rotate the hinge when the hinge is not at an angle that activates a mode of operation.

10. A clam-shell handset device comprising:

a screen half that contains a display; and

a keyboard half that contains keys and an image sensor; and

a hinge that connects the screen half to the keyboard half and allows the two to rotate with respect to each other; wherein

the orientation of the image sensor is along a first axis that is perpendicular to a second axis that is pointed in the same direction as the direction the keys move when they are actuated.

11. The device as recited inclaim 10 wherein the keyboard half contains a camera lens.

12. The device as recited inclaim 11 wherein the camera lens is in a module that is removably connected to the keyboard half.

13. The device as recited inclaim 12 wherein the module contains a flash.

14. The device as recited inclaim 12 wherein the module can be replaced by a second module that contains a lens with a different focal length than the lens in the first module.

15. The device as recited inclaim 12 wherein the module and keyboard half communicate information over the removable connection.

16. The device as recited inclaim 11 wherein the lens is located on the side of the keyboard half that both contains the hinge and is perpendicular and adjacent to the side with the keys; and

the lens is pointed orthogonal to the side on which it is located.

17. The device as recited inclaim 11 wherein the lens is located on a side of the keyboard half that is both adjacent to the side with the keys and directly opposite from the side that contains the hinge; and

the lens is pointed orthogonal to the side on which it is located.

18. A clam-shell handset device comprising:

a screen half that contains a display; and

a keyboard half that contains number keys and at least one camera button; and

the at least one camera button is located on a side adjacent to the side that contains the number keys; and

the axis along which the at least one camera button moves when actuated is perpendicular to the axis along which the number keys move when actuated.

19. The device as recited inclaim 18 wherein the button is a shutter release button.

20. The device as recited inclaim 19 wherein a second button is a zoom-in button and a third button is a zoom-out button.

21. The device as recited inclaim 18 wherein the button is a video record button.

22. The device as recited inclaim 18 wherein keyboard half contains at least one strap.

23. The device as recited inclaim 22 wherein the at least one strap is attached to the same side as the at least one button.

24. The device as recited inclaim 22 wherein the at least one strap is attached to the side opposite to the side that contains the number keys.

25. The device as recited inclaim 22 wherein the at least one strap has adjustable length.

26. The device as recited inclaim 3 wherein a third mode is picture browsing; and

the picture browsing mode shows images stored on the device; and

the picture browsing mode is activated when the hinge is moved from the camera mode angle to the angle for making or receiving a phone call;

27. The device as recited inclaim 26 wherein picture browsing mode is activated only if the hinge was at the camera mode angle for at least a predetermined amount of time before being moved to the angle for making or receiving a phone call.

28. The device as recited inclaim 26 wherein picture browsing mode is activated only if a picture was taken when the hinge was at the camera mode angle before being moved to the angle for making or receiving a phone call.