Folding mobile communication terminal

• US 20020142810A1
• Filed: 03/22/2002
• Published: 10/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kiyota, Kenji, Kawasaki, Hideji
• Granted Patent: US 7,173,665 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0245 using open/close detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals

Abstract

A portable communication terminal having an image-taking function is composed of a camera unit that takes an image of a subject through a photographic lens, and two displays, the first display being positioned on same a front surface of housing of the portable communication terminal as the photographic lens and being visible in a same view as the photographic lens, and the second display being positioned on a back surface of the housing. The mobile communication terminal has a function of having the image taken by the camera unit displayed on at least one of the displays.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal, comprising:

a camera unit for taking an image of a subject through a camera lens;

two displays, the first display being positioned on a same front surface of a body of the mobile communication terminal as the lens so as to be visible in a same view as the lens, and the second display being positioned on a back surface of the body; and

display control means for having the image taken by the camera unit displayed on at least one of the two displays.

2. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein

the first display is fixed on the front surface of the body and the second display is fixed on the back surface of the body.

3. The mobile communication terminal of claim 2, being a mobile telephone that includes numeric keys for receiving an input of a telephone number, the numeric keys being on a same surface as one of the first display and the second display.

4. The mobile communication terminal of claim 3, wherein

the camera unit includes:

an emission sub-unit for emitting visible light from a position adjacent to the lens, so as to provide a guide showing a position of the lens, and

the display control means includes;

an instruction receiving unit for receiving from a user (a) a preparation instruction for having images of a subject displayed on at least one of the displays successively after each image has been taken, and (b) a still image taking instruction for having a still image of the subject displayed on at least one of the displays, and

the display control means, on reception of the preparation instruction by the instruction receiving unit, has the emission sub-unit emit the visible light, and, on reception of the still image taking instruction by the instruction receiving unit, has the emission sub-unit stop emitting the visible light.

5. The mobile communication terminal of claim 3, wherein

the first display includes:

a light emission unit for emitting light,

the display control means includes;

an instruction receiving unit for receiving a still image taking instruction for having a still image of a subject displayed on at least one of the displays, directly after the still image has been taken, and

the display control means, on reception of the still image taking instruction by the instruction receiving unit, has the light emission unit emit light.

6. The mobile communication terminal of claim 3, wherein

the display control means has the taken image of the subject displayed on only one of the two displays,

the display control means includes:

a user instruction reception unit for receiving from a user a display selection instruction for switching over the display displaying the taken image, and

the display control means, on receiving the display selection instruction, turns off the display performing image display, and has the image displayed on the selected display.

7. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

storage means for storing data of the taken image of the subject;

electronic mail receiving means for receiving from the user an input of an electronic mail address; and

transmission means for transmitting the stored image data to a mail server specified by the electronic mail address.

8. A foldable mobile communication terminal, comprising:

a housing unit that is composed of a top housing and a bottom housing that are connected via a connection unit that acts as a pivot so that the housing unit is foldable and unfoldable;

two displays, the first display being positioned on an outer surface of one of the top housing and the bottom housing and being visible when the housing unit is in a folded state, and the second display being positioned on an inner surface of one of the top housing and the bottom housing and not being visible when the housing unit is in the folded state;

a camera unit for taking an image of a subject through a camera lens that is positioned on one of the outer surface and the inner surface of one of the top housing and the bottom housing, so as to be visible in a same view as one of the displays when the housing is in an unfolded state;

judgement means for judging whether the housing unit is in the unfolded state or the folded state; and

display control means for having, when the judgement means judges that the housing unit is in the unfolded state, the taken image of the subject displayed on at least one of the displays directly after the image has been taken.

9. The mobile communication terminal of claim 8, wherein

the first display is fixed on the outer surface of the housing unit, and the second display is fixed on the inner surface of the housing unit.

10. The mobile communication terminal of claim 9, being a foldable mobile telephone that includes numeric keys for receiving an input of a telephone number, the numeric keys being on a same surface as one of the first display and the second display.

11. The mobile communication terminal of claim 10, wherein

the display control means further, when the judgement means judges that the housing unit is in the folded state, has the taken image of the subject displayed on the first display.

12. The mobile communication terminal of claim 10, wherein

the lens is positioned on a different outer surface of the housing unit to the first display, and

the display control means, when the judgment means judges that the housing unit is in the unfolded position, has the image displayed on the first display in a direction that is upside-down compared to a direction in which images are displayed when the judgement step judges that the housing unit is in the folded position.

13. The mobile communication terminal of claim 10, wherein

the camera unit includes:

an emission sub-unit for emitting visible light from a position adjacent to the lens, and

the display control means includes;

an instruction receiving unit for receiving from a user (a) a preparation instruction for having images of a subject displayed on at least one of the displays successively after each image has been taken, and (b) a still image taking instruction for having a still image of the subject displayed on at least one of the displays, and

the display control means, on the instruction receiving unit receiving the preparation instruction, has the emission unit emit the visible light, and, on the instruction receiving unit receiving the still image taking instruction, has the emission unit stop emitting the visible light.

14. The mobile communication terminal of claim 10, wherein

the first display includes:

a light emission unit for emitting light, and

the display control means includes;

an instruction receiving unit for receiving a still image taking instruction for having a still image of a subject displayed on at least one of the two displays, directly after the still image has been taken.

15. The mobile communication terminal of claim 10, wherein

the display control means has, when the judgement means judges that the housing unit is in the unfolded state, the taken image of the displayed on one of the displays,

the display control means further includes:

a user instruction receiving unit for receiving a display selection instruction for switching over the display to perform image display, and

the display control means, on the user instruction receiving unit receiving the display selection instruction, has the display performing image display turned off and the image displayed on the selected display.

17. The mobile communication terminal of claim 16, wherein

the first display is fixed on the outer surface of the housing unit, and the second display is fixed on the inner surface of the housing unit.

18. The mobile communication terminal of claim 17, being a foldable mobile telephone that includes numeric keys for receiving an input of a telephone number, the numeric keys being on a same surface as one of the first display and the second display.

20. The display control method of claim 19, wherein

the first display is fixed on the front surface of the housing and the second display is fixed on the back surface of the housing, and

the mobile information terminal is a mobile telephone that includes a numeric key pad for inputting a telephone number, the numeric key pad being on a same surface as one of the first display and the second display.

21. The display control method of claim 20, wherein

the lens is positioned on a different outer surface of the housing to the first display, and

the display control step, when the judgment step judges that the housing is in the unfolded position, has the image displayed on the first display in a direction that is upside-down compared to a direction in which images are displayed when the judgement step judges that the housing unit is in the folded position.

22. The display control method of claim 20, wherein

the camera unit includes an emission sub-unit for emitting visible light from a position adjacent to the lens, and

the display control step includes:

an instruction receiving sub-step for receiving from a user (a) a preparation instruction for having images of a subject displayed on at least one of the displays successively after each image has been taken, and (b) a still image taking instruction for having a still image of the subject displayed on at least one of the displays, and

the display control step, on reception of the preparation instruction, has the emission unit emit the visible light, and, on reception of the still image taking instruction, has the emission unit stop emitting the visible light.

23. The display control method of claim 20, wherein

the first display has a light emission unit for emitting light, and

the display control step includes:

an instruction receiving sub-step for receiving a still image taking instruction for having a still image of a subject displayed on at least one of the two displays, directly after the still image has been taken, and

the display control step, on the instruction receiving sub-step receiving the still image taking instruction, has the light emission unit emit light.

24. The display control method of claim 20, wherein

the display control step, when the judgement step judges that the housing is in the unfolded state, has an image displayed on one of the displays directly after the image has been taken.

16. A foldable mobile communication terminal, comprising:

a housing unit that is composed of a top housing and a bottom housing that are connected via a connection unit that acts as a pivot so that the housing unit is foldable and unfoldable;

two displays;

a camera unit for taking an image of a subject through a camera lens that is positioned on an outer surface of a same of the top housing and the bottom housing as the first display, so as to be visible in a same view as the first display when the housing is in an unfolded state,

instruction receiving means for, when the housing is in the folded state, receiving from a user (a) a preparation instruction for having images of a subject displayed on at least one of the displays successively after each image has been taken, and (b) a still image taking instruction for having a still image of the subject displayed on at least one of the displays, and

display control means for having images displayed successively on the first display, on the instruction receiving means receiving the preparation instruction, and having the still image displayed on the first display, on the instruction receiving means receiving the still image taking instruction.

19. A display control method for a foldable mobile communication terminal that includes (a) a top housing and a bottom housing that are connected via a connection unit that acts as a pivot so that the housing unit is foldable and unfoldable, (b) two displays, the first display being positioned on an outer surface of one of the top housing and the bottom housing and being visible when the housing unit is in a folded state, and the second display being positioned on an inner surface of one of the top housing and the bottom housing and not being visible when the housing unit is in the folded state, and (c) a camera unit for taking an image of a subject through a camera lens that is positioned on one of the outer surface and the inner surface of one of the top housing and the bottom housing, so as to be visible in a same view as one of the displays when the housing is in an unfolded state, the display control method comprising:

a judgement step for judging whether the housing is in the unfolded state or in the folded state; and

a display control step, when the judgement step judges that the housing unit is in the unfolded state, for having the taken image displayed on at least one of the two displays.