Foldable type portable terminal

• US 20060211457A1
• Filed: 12/01/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Otsuka, Katsuhiro
• Application Number:
  US11/292,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20060211457A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/575.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/162 changing, e.g. reversing, the face orientation of the screen with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, e.g. for folding into tablet PC like position or orienting towards the direction opposite to the user to show to a second user
• 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 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1683 for the transmission of signal or power between the different housings, e.g. details of wired or wireless communication, passage of cabling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/022 The hinge comprising two parallel pivoting axes

Abstract

In a portable terminal, the hinge portion (3) includes an intermediate case (31) having a plate-like shape, a first hinge (32) for rotatably coupling the vicinity of one end of a lower case (1) with the vicinity of one end of the intermediate case (31) about a first axis, and a second hinge (33) for rotatably coupling an upper case (2) with the intermediate case (31) about a second axis parallel to the first axis. The second hinge (33) couples the other end of the intermediate case (31) with the rear surface of the upper case (2).

Claims

1. A portable terminal comprising:

a lower case having a plate-like shape and being provided on a front surface with an operational button;

an upper case having a plate-like shape and being provided on a front surface with a display portion; and

a hinge portion for rotatably coupling said lower case and said upper case;

said hinge portion including;

an intermediate case having a plate-like shape;

a first hinge for rotatably coupling the vicinity of one end of said lower case with the vicinity of one end of said intermediate case about a first axis; and

a second hinge for rotatably coupling said upper case with said intermediate case about a second axis parallel to said first axis;

said portable terminal being capable of taking a first opened/closed state where said front surface of said lower case opposes said front surface of said upper case, a second opened/closed state where said front surface of said lower case and said front surface of said upper case extend in parallel, and a third opened/closed state where said front surface of said lower case opposes a rear surface of said upper case;

said second hinge coupling the other end of said intermediate case with said rear surface of said upper case.

2. The portable terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first printed board incorporated in said lower case;

a second printed board incorporated in said upper case; and

a flexible board for coupling between said first printed board and said second printed board;

said flexible board being passed through internal spaces of said first hinge, said intermediate case, and said second hinge.

3. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein the width of said second hinge Is subequal to the width of said upper case.

4. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein the widths of said first hinge, said intermediate case, said second hinge, and said upper case are subequal to the width of said lower case, respectively.

5. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein said intermediate case includes a proximal portion including said one end and a main portion including said the other end;

said main portion being larger than said proximal portion in length perpendicular to width and thickness directions of said intermediate case;

said proximal portion and said main portion of said intermediate case being coupled with each other through a bendable portion parallel to said first axis;

in the third opened/closed state, said lower case, said main portion of said intermediate case, and said upper case being superposed on one another in parallel.

6. The portable terminal according to claim 5, wherein, in the first opened/closed state, said lower case, said upper case, and said main portion of said intermediate case are superposed on one another in parallel, and said front surface of said lower case faces said front surface of said upper case.

7. The portable terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a camera mounted on a rear surface of said lower case.