Portable game/communication device

• US 20050148395A1
• Filed: 09/09/2004
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hong, Yun-Jung, Kim, Jong-Woo, Yoon, Young-Seok
• Application Number:
  US10/937,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20050148395A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/46
• 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 1/1622 with enclosures rotating around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define or with ball-joint coupling, e.g. PDA with display enclosure orientation changeable between portrait and landscape by rotation with respect to a coplanar body enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1666 Arrangements for reducing the size of the integrated keyboard for transport, e.g. foldable keyboards, keyboards with collapsible keys G06F1/1664 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1688 the I/O peripheral being integrated loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0216 Arrangements for ergonomically adjusting the disposition of keys of a keyboard for keyboards integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/1664
• 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 1/0231 Including a rotatable keypad body part
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0233 Including a rotatable display body part
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264

Abstract

A portable game/communication device that includes a first housing having a first sliding side surface, a first swinging housing having a second sliding side surface, the second sliding side surface corresponding to the first sliding side surface, the first swinging housing being connected to one side of the first housing while being rotated about a first hinge axis, a second swinging housing having a third sliding side surface, the third sliding side surface corresponding to the first sliding side surface, the second swinging housing being connected to the other side of the first housing and being rotatable about a second hinge axis, the second hinge axis being spaced apart from the first hinge axis, and a second housing rotatably connected to the first housing such that the second housing is rotatable near to and away from the first housing.

Claims

1. A portable game/communication device, comprising:

a first housing including a first sliding side surface having a prescribed radius of curvature;

a first swinging housing including a second sliding side surface having a prescribed radius of curvature, the second sliding side surface corresponding to the first sliding side surface, the first swinging housing being connected to one side of the first housing and being rotatable about a first hinge axis;

a second swinging housing including a third sliding side surface having a prescribed radius of curvature, the third sliding side surface corresponding to the first sliding side surface, the second swinging housing being connected to the other side of the first housing and being rotatable about a second hinge axis, such that the second swinging housing moves near to and away from the first swinging housing, the second hinge axis being spaced apart from the first hinge axis; and

a second housing rotatably connected to the first housing by means of a hinge unit, such that the second housing is moveable near to and away from the first housing about the hinge unit.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first housing includes a first key array on a surface thereof, the first swinging housing includes a second key array on a surface thereof, and the second swinging housing includes a third key array on a surface thereof.

3. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second housing includes a battery pack mounted on a surface thereof, and a single speaker unit and a display unit mounted an opposite surface thereof.

4. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first and second swinging housings include elastic members formed in prescribed shapes, respectively, at the outer edges thereof.

5. The device as set forth in claim 4, wherein the elastic members are made of rubber.

6. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the hinge unit includes a camera lens.

7. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the device is arranged in the shape of an inverted “

Y”

when the first swinging housing, the second swinging housing, and the second housing are fully rotated away from the first housing.

8. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first swinging housing and the second swinging housing each include at least one speaker unit mounted on a surface thereof.

9. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first swinging housing and the second swinging housing are symmetrical to each other.

10. The device as set forth in claim 9, wherein the first swinging housing and the second swinging housing are arranged in a shape of an inverted “

V”

when the first swinging housing and the second swinging housing are fully rotated about the first and second hinge axes from the first housing, respectively.

11. A portable game/communication device comprising:

a first housing including a first sliding side surface having a prescribed radius of curvature;

a first swinging housing including a second sliding side surface having a prescribed radius of curvature, the second sliding side surface corresponding to the first sliding side surface, the first swinging housing being connected to one side of the first housing and being rotatable about a first hinge axis;

a second swinging housing including a third sliding side surface having a prescribed radius of curvature, the third sliding side surface corresponding to the first sliding side surface, the second swinging housing being connected to another side of the first housing and being rotatable about a second hinge axis, such that the second swinging housing is moveable near to and away from the first swinging housing, the second hinge axis being spaced apart from the first hinge axis;

a connection member having one end connected to a hinge unit, the connection member being rotated about a hinge axis of the hinge unit, such that the connection member is rotatable near to and away from the first housing about the hinge axis of the hinge unit; and

a rotary housing rotatably connected to another end of the connection member and being opposite to the other end of the connection member, such that the rotary housing is rotated about another hinge axis perpendicular to the hinge axis of the hinge unit.

12. The device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the first housing includes a first key array on a surface thereof, the first swinging housing includes second key array on a surface thereof, and the second swinging housing includes third key array on a surface thereof.

13. The device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the rotary housing includes a first speaker unit and a display unit mounted on the bottom surface thereof.

14. The device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the first swinging housing and the second swinging housing include elastic members formed in prescribed shapes, respectively, at prescribed areas of the side surfaces thereof.

15. The device as set forth in claim 14, wherein the elastic members are made of rubber.

16. The device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the hinge unit includes a camera lens.

17. The device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the device is arranged in a shape of an inverted “

Y”

when the first swinging housing, the second swinging housing, and the rotary housing are fully rotated away from the first housing.

18. The device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the first swinging housing and the second swinging housing each include at least one speaker unit mounted on a surfaces thereof.

19. The device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the first swinging housing and the second swinging housings are symmetrical to each other.

20. The device as set forth in claim 19, wherein the first swinging housing and the second swinging housing are arranged in a shape of an inverted “

V”

when the first swinging housing and the second swinging housing are fully rotated about the first and second hinge axes from the first housing, respectively.

21. A portable game/communication device comprising:

a first housing including a first top surface, a second top surface, which is stepped from the first top surface, and a first sliding side surface disposed between the first and second top surfaces, the first sliding side surface having a prescribed radius of curvature;

a first swinging housing that is slidable and opposite to the second top surface of the first housing, the first swinging housing including a second sliding side surface having a prescribed radius of curvature, the second sliding side surface corresponding to the first sliding side surface, the first swinging housing being connected to one side of the first housing and being rotatable about a first hinge axis;

a second swinging housing that is slidable and opposite to the second top surface of the first housing, the second swinging housing including a third sliding side surface having a prescribed radius of curvature, the third sliding side surface corresponding to the first sliding side surface, the second swinging housing being connected to the other side of the first housing and being rotatable about a second hinge axis such that the second swinging housing is moveable near to and away from the first swinging housing, the second hinge axis being spaced apart from the first hinge axis; and

a second housing rotatably connected to the first housing by means of a hinge unit, such that the second housing is rotatable near to and away from the first housing about the hinge unit.

22. The device as set forth in claim 21, wherein the first housing includes a first key array on a surface thereof, the first swinging housing includes a second key array on a surface thereof, and the second swinging housing includes a third key array on a surface thereof.

23. The device as set forth in claim 22, wherein the first housing includes at least one speaker unit on the second top surface thereof.

24. The device as set forth in claim 22, wherein the speaker units are disposed while being opposite to each other for generating stereophonic sound.