Portable terminal unit

• US 20020051060A1
• Filed: 05/10/2001
• Published: 05/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Wada, Jo
• Granted Patent: US 6,965,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.99
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0212 with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, i.e. folding around a first axis and rotating around a second axis perpendicular to the first
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

In a foldable portable terminal unit containing a picture taking camera capable of transmitting an image and voice, monitoring through a display device is enabled in case of taking picture of himself or herself with that picture taking camera as well as taking picture of an outside object. A lid portion (3) is made foldable with respect to a case main body (2) of the portable terminal unit and rotatable with respect to the case main body (2). A display device (6) provided in the lid portion (3) is rotated with respect to the picture taking camera (11) fixed on rear face or a side face of the case main body (2) corresponding to the state of taking a picture so as to enable monitoring.

Claims

1. A portable terminal unit comprising:

a lid portion foldable with respect to a case main body and installed on said case main body rotatably;

a display provided on said lid portion; and

a picture taking device disposed on said case main body.

2. The portable terminal unit according to claim 1, wherein said picture taking device is disposed on the rear face of a flat portion of said case main body.

3. The portable terminal unit according to claim 1, wherein said picture taking device is disposed on a side face of said case main body.

4. The portable terminal unit according to claim 1 further comprising:

an operating device for selecting a menu item by moving a cursor on the menu displayed on said display and determining an item by pressing, wherein

a picture taking mode for taking a picture is selected by operating said operating device and the picture taking action by said picture taking device is carried out by pressing said operating device.

5. The portable terminal unit according to claim 4 further comprising an image encoding/decoding device for encoding a taken picture to generae an encoded image.

6. The portable terminal unit according to claim 5 further comprising a data transmitting device for transmitting said encoded image.

7. The portable terminal unit according to claim 4 further comprising an image encoding/decoding device for encoding a taken picture to generate an encoded image and storing said encoded image in a memory.

8. The portable terminal unit according to claim 7, wherein an image to be transmitted is selected by operating said operating device.

9. The portable terminal unit according to claim 8, wherein the selected image is displayed on said display prior to transmission.

10. The portable terminal unit according to claim 9, wherein the selected image is read out from said memory as an encoded image encoded by said encoding/decoding device and a decoded image is displayed on said display after decoding said encoded image.