Cellular phone

• US 20040072589A1
• Filed: 10/09/2003
• Published: 04/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Yoshitaka, Hamamura, Hiroyasu
• Granted Patent: US 7,346,376 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3877 Arrangements for enabling portable transceivers to be used in a fixed position, e.g. cradles or boosters
• 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 1/0218 The hinge comprising input and/or output user interface means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0245 using open/close detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device
• 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 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders

Abstract

A plurality of operation portions are arranged at a surface on a sub-display side of a cellular phone with a camera so that various kinds of setting, selection and control can be performed without opening the cellular phone in its folded state, and the cellular phone can achieve improved operability and convenience. Cellular phone includes a first display portion at a surface of a first body opposed to a second body in the folded state, and includes a second display portion, an image taking portion and a plurality of operation portions arranged at a rear surface of the first body remote from the first display portion.

Claims

1. A cellular phone comprising:

a first body;

a second body;

a coupling portion coupling said first body and said second body together,

said coupling portion allowing folding of said first body and said second body with respect to each other;

a first display portion arranged on a surface of said first body opposed to said second body in the folded state;

a second display portion arranged on a rear surface of said first body remote from said first display portion;

an image taking portion arranged on said rear surface; and

a plurality of operation portions arranged on said rear surface for use in the folded state of said cellular phone.

2. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein

said second display portion displays an image taken by said image taking portion.

3. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein

one of said operation portions is a shutter button.

4. The cellular phone according-to claim 1, wherein

said operation portion is a control button for controlling shooting conditions.

5. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein

said operation portion is an operation button for operating display by said second display portion.

6. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein

said operation portion functions as a control button for controlling shooting conditions and an operation button for controlling display by said second display portion.

7. The cellular phone according to claim 1, further comprising:

an illumination portion located on the same surface as said image taking portion, wherein

when said operation portion is pressed for a short time, said illumination portion emits light only during the pressing, and

when said operation portion is continuously pressed for a time longer than a predetermined time, said illumination portion changes into a continuous-on mode.

8. The cellular phone according to claim 1, further comprising:

an illumination portion emitting light in a variable light color and arranged on the same surface as said image taking portion, wherein

the light color changes when said operation portion is pressed for a short time, and

said illumination portion changes into a continuous-on mode when said operation portion is continuously pressed for a time longer than a predetermined time.

9. The cellular phone according to claim 1, further comprising:

an illumination portion; and

an illumination light amount control portion, wherein

said operation portion is a light amount control button for controlling an amount of light of said illumination portion.

10. The cellular phone according to claim 1, further comprising:

an illumination portion having a plurality of LEDs of different colors; and

a light color changing portion for changing the LEDs emitting light in said illumination portion, wherein

said operation portions are light color changing buttons for changing the light color of said illumination portion.

11. The cellular phone according to claim 1, further comprising:

an incoming call record storing portion for storing an incoming call record, wherein

said operation portion changes the incoming call displayed on said second display portion to another incoming call.

12. The cellular phone according to claim 1, further comprising:

a control portion for displaying contents of a received mail on the second display portion, wherein

said operation portion selects and displays contents of another received mail.

13. The cellular phone according to claim 1, further comprising:

an antenna receiving television broadcast waves;

a television tuner; and

a television signal processing portion, wherein

said second display portion displays video signals subjected to signal processing by said television signal processing portion, and

said operation portion is a channel selector button for changing a receive frequency of the television broadcast wave.

14. The cellular phone according to claim 1, further comprising:

an audio data storing portion for storing audio data; and

an audio reproduction portion for reproducing the audio data, wherein

said operation portion can be operated to reproduce the audio data in said audio data storing portion.

15. The cellular phone according to claim 1, further comprising:

a speaker, wherein

said operation portion is a volume button for controlling a volume of the speaker.

16. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein

said operation portions include a control item selecting portion and a control magnitude selecting portion.

17. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein

said second display portion displays contents of a received mail, and

said plurality of operation portions include a scroll button for longitudinally or laterally scrolling the contents of the mail displayed on said second display portion, and a selector button for selecting and displaying contents of another received mail.

18. The cellular phone according to claim 1, further comprising:

an antenna;

a television tuner; and

a television signal processing portion, wherein

said second display portion displays television pictures, and

said plurality of operation portions include a channel button for selecting television signal waves displayed by said second display portion, and a volume button for controlling a sound volume.

19. The cellular phone according to claim 1, further comprising:

an audio data storing portion storing audio data; and

a reproducing portion reproducing the audio data, wherein

said plurality of operation portions include a reproduction operation portion for performing an operation of reproducing said audio data, and a volume button for controlling a sound volume.

20. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein

said second display portion visually displays a control magnitude changeable by a user.

21. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of operation portions attain a control mode to control shooting conditions in a camera shooting mode.

22. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of operation portions attain a processing mode to process taken images before saving the images in a camera shooting mode.

23. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of operation portions include a first decision button, a second decision button and a third decision button.

24. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of operation portions include a decision button, a right button and a left button.

25. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of operation portions include a first decision button, a second decision button, a third decision button, a fourth decision button and a fifth decision button.

26. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of operation portions include a decision button, an up button, a down button, a right button and a left button.

27. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein

said image taking portion, said second display portion and said plurality of operation portions are arranged at the rear surface of said first body remote from said first display portion, and are located in this order starting from a position near said coupling portion.

28. The cellular phone according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of numeric buttons and a plurality of operation buttons arranged on a surface of said second body opposed to said first body in the folded state.