Sliding/swing-type portable digital communication apparatus

• US 20050090298A1
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hyun, Sang-Min, Park, Bum-Soo, Lee, Jong-Seong
• Granted Patent: US 7,092,747 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/575.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0225 Rotatable telephones, i.e. the body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera

Abstract

A sliding/swing-type portable digital communication apparatus is disclosed. A first housing extends in a longitudinal direction and includes a camera lens housing mounted on its bottom surface and at least one speaker unit positioned adjacent to the camera lens housing. A second housing is adapted to slide/swing while continuously facing a top surface of the first housing and is disposed parallel to the first housing along the longitudinal direction. A cover is coupled to a portion of the bottom surface of the first housing and is adapted to slide along the longitudinal direction. An opening is formed on the cover to selectively expose or hide the camera lens housing or the first speaker units according to whether or not the cover has been slid.

Claims

1. A sliding/swing-type portable digital communication apparatus comprising:

a first housing extending in a longitudinal direction and including a camera lens housing mounted on its bottom surface and at least one first speaker unit positioned adjacent to the camera lens housing;

a second housing adapted to slide/swing while continuously facing a top surface of the first housing and being disposed parallel to the first housing along the longitudinal direction;

a cover coupled to a portion of the bottom surface of the first housing and adapted to slide along the longitudinal direction; and

at least one opening formed on the cover to selectively expose or hide the camera lens housing or the first speaker unit according to a position of the cover.

2. A sliding/swing-type portable digital communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first housing is provided with, on a top surface, a first key array composed of a number of keys and a second key array composed of a number of keys disposed adjacent to the first key array;

the number of keys of the first key array being smaller than the number of keys of the second key array;

the first key array being composed of keys associated with the camera lens; and

the second key array being composed of a keyboard including numeric keys, character keys and function keys.

3. A sliding/swing-type portable digital communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first housing is provided with, on a bottom surface, a battery pack and a locking knob adapted to be exposed or hidden according to a position of the cover.

4. A sliding/swing-type portable digital communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first speaker unit comprises a pair of speakers to provide stereo sound and are spaced from each other along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

5. A sliding/swing-type portable digital communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the camera lens housing has a hinge axis oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first housing and is provided with a camera lens and a lighting unit disposed adjacent to the camera lens along the hinge axis.

6. A sliding/swing-type portable digital communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first housing is provided with openings disposed in each of its top and bottom surfaces and for positioning the camera lens housing therein and, according to direction in which the camera lens housing is rotated, the camera lens housing is exposed facing the top surface or the bottom surface.

7. A sliding/swing-type portable digital communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second housing is provided with, on a top surface, a second speaker unit, a display unit disposed adjacent to the second speaker unit, and a third key array composed of a number of keys disposed adjacent to the display unit.

8. A sliding/swing-type portable digital communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cover opening includes a first opening adapted to selectively expose the first speaker units or the camera lens housing depending on the position of the cover, and a second opening adapted to expose/hide the first speaker unit only depending on the position of the cover;

the first and second openings being disposed adjacent to each other.

9. A sliding/swing-type portable digital communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cover opening extends in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

10. A sliding/swing-type portable digital communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when the cover is in a closed position, the first opening exposes the first speaker unit only and, when the cover is in an open position, the cover opening exposes both the first speaker units the camera lens housing.

11. A sliding/swing-type portable digital communication apparatus comprising:

a first housing extending in a longitudinal direction and having camera lens openings formed on predetermined areas of each of its top and bottom surfaces;

a rotatable camera lens housing positioned in the camera lens openings and having a camera lens adapted to be visibly exposed toward the top or bottom surfaces;

a pair of stereo speaker units mounted on the bottom surface of the first housing and disposed adjacent to the rotatable camera lens housing;

a cover coupled to a portion of the bottom surface of the first housing and adapted to slide along the longitudinal direction;

a first opening formed on the cover to selectively expose the rotatable camera lens housing or the stereo speaker unit according to whether or not the cover has been slid; and

a second opening formed by the cover adjacent to the first opening to expose/hide the stereo speaker unit only.

12. A sliding/swing-type portable digital communication apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first housing is provided with, on its top surface, a first key array composed of a number of keys and a second key array composed of a number of keys disposed adjacent to the first key array, the number of keys of the first key array being smaller than number of keys of the second key array.

13. A sliding/swing-type portable digital communication apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the rotatable camera lens housing has a hinge axis oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first housing and is provided with a lighting unit disposed adjacent to the camera lens along the hinge axis.

14. A sliding/swing-type portable digital communication apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first opening extends in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

15. A sliding/swing-type portable digital communication apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein, when the cover is closed, the first opening exposes the first stereo speaker unit only and, when the cover is open, the first opening exposes the the rotatable camera lens housing and the second opening exposes the stereo speaker unit.