Mobile terminal device, content distribution system, content distribution method, and program for executing method thereof

• US 20020070910A1
• Filed: 12/12/2001
• Published: 06/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gold Charm Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Fujieda, Ichiro, Ikeda, Yuuzou
• Granted Patent: US 6,771,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/85
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1615 with several enclosures having relative motions, each enclosure supporting at least one I/O or computing function constructional details of portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts H04M1/0206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/00 Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the variable information is permanently attached to a movable support G09F11/00; abacus G06C1/00; slide-rules G06G1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/30 in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell controlling light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. electro-optical or magneto-optical cell, G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/301 flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/302 characterised by the form or geometrical disposition of the individual elements
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/35 being liquid crystals G09F9/302 takes precedence; liquid crystal materials C09K19/00; liquid crystal panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell per se G02F1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/001 using specific devices not provided for in groups G09G3/02 - G09G3/36, e.g. using an intermediate record carrier such as a film slide; Projection systems; Display of non-alphanumerical information, solely or in combination with alphanumerical information, e.g. digital display on projected diapositive as background slide projectors per se G03B23/00 = 42 HP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0268 including a flexible display panel
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit

Abstract

A mobile communication terminal includes a thin AWD (arrayed waveguide display) and a winding device to roll up the display to store the display in a housing. A storage medium on which a content is copied is installed in the mobile terminal. The user pulls the display from the housing to enjoy the content. There is provided a mobile terminal, a content distribution system, a content distribution method, and a program for executing the method thereof. The mobile terminal satisfies a requirement to increase the display area and a requirement to minimize the size of the mobile terminal, and hence can distribute contents using the advantageous features.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal device, comprising:

a thin-film AWD (arrayed waveguide display); and

a winding device for rolling up the display in a housing and storing the display therein.

2. The mobile terminal device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the display comprises:

a light emitting array including a plurality of light emitting elements for emitting light for displaying image by line-by-line basis,

a light guiding array for guiding light from one end to the other end through the light guiding array, and

light extracting means for extracting the light propagating through the light guiding array from an arbitrarily selected area of the light guiding array.

3. The mobile terminal device in accordance with claim 2, wherein the light guiding array is made of a material of polymer.

4. The mobile terminal device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising supporting arms of folding type for supporting the display being extended from the housing.

5. The mobile terminal device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a window through which a partial image of the display is displayed when the display is rolled up in the housing.

6. The mobile terminal device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

a slit in the housing; and

a tab disposed at an end of the display for extending the display through the slit.

7. The mobile terminal device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a position detecting device in the vicinity of the slit for detecting a boundary position of the extended display, between an area of the display in the housing and an area thereof outside the housing.

8. The mobile terminal device in accordance with claim 7, wherein the position detecting device emits light onto a black and white pattern formed on a predetermined area of the display, receives light reflected from the black and white pattern, and detects the boundary position according to the reflected light.

9. The mobile terminal device in accordance with claim 8, further comprising control means for controlling the light extracting means and displaying the image only on the area of the display being extended outside the housing, according to a result of the position detection by the position detecting device.

10. The mobile terminal device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising an extension unit for connecting a predetermined external device and a storage medium for storing a predetermined content.

11. The mobile terminal device in accordance with claim 2, wherein the light emitting array is disposed at an end of the display opposing to the end fixedly attached to a central axis of the rolling device.

12. The mobile terminal device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the housing has a contour of a stick.

14. A content distribution system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the display comprises:

a light emitting array including a plurality of light emitting elements for emitting light for displaying image by line-by-line basis;

a light guiding array for guiding light from one end to the other end through the light guiding array; and

light extracting means for extracting the light propagating through the light guiding array from an arbitrarily selected area of the light guiding array.

15. The content distribution system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the content includes data of a moving picture.

16. The content distribution system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the distributor terminal is a store terminal.

18. The content distribution method in accordance with claim 17, wherein the display comprises:

a light emitting array including a plurality of light emitting elements for emitting light for displaying image by line-by-line basis;

a light guiding array for guiding light from one end to the other end through the light guiding array, and

light extracting means for extracting the light propagating through the light guiding array from an arbitrarily selected area of the light guiding array.

19. The content distribution method in accordance with claim 17, wherein the content includes data of a moving picture.

20. The content distribution method in accordance with claim 17, wherein the distributor terminal is a store terminal.

13. A content distribution system, comprising:

a content server for generating a content and for providing the content via a network;

a distributor terminal for downloading the content from the content server; and

a mobile terminal device including a display of arrayed waveguide for reproducing the content copied into a storage medium at the distributor terminal.

17. A content distribution method, comprising the steps of:

generating a content by content server and providing the content via a network to a distributor terminal;

copying a content, provided by the content server and downloaded by the distributor terminal, onto a storage medium; and

reproducing the content copied onto the storage medium by a mobile terminal including an AWD.

21. A program executing a content distribution method, the program executing the processing of:

generating a content by content server and providing the content via a network to a distributor terminal;

copying a content, provided by the content server and downloaded by the distributor terminal, onto a storage medium; and

reproducing the content copied onto the storage medium by a mobile terminal including an AWD (arrayed waveguide display).

22. The program executing a content distribution method, in accordance with claim 21, wherein the display comprises:

a light emitting array including a plurality of light emitting elements for emitting light for displaying image by line-by-line basis;

a light guiding array for guiding light from one end to the other end through the light guiding array, and

light extracting means for extracting the light propagating through the light guiding array from an arbitrarily selected area of the light guiding array.

23. The program executing a content distribution method in accordance with claim 21, wherein the content includes data of a moving picture.

24. The program executing a content distribution method in accordance with claim 21, wherein the distributor terminal is a store terminal.