Portable communication terminal for games and user interfacing device thereof

• US 20070188412A1
• Filed: 01/10/2007
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Young
• Granted Patent: US 7,711,397 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/65
• 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 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• 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 1/169 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 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• 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 1/0235 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 1/0237 Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/233 including a pointing device, e.g. roller key, track ball, rocker switch or joystick constructional details of pointing devices per se G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/18 including more than one keyboard unit

Abstract

Provided are a portable communication terminal that is easy to manipulate for games and a user interface device of the portable communication terminal. The portable communication terminal includes a main body, a rotation unit combined with the main body unit with respect to a hinge shaft at a predetermined position of the main body unit to be folded or unfolded and rotating towards or away from a top of the main body unit to open or close the top of the main body unit, and a slide unit combined with the main body unit to move while facing the main body unit and moving on a top of the rotation unit to open or close the rotation unit when the rotation unit is folded to the main body.

Claims

1. A portable communication terminal comprising:

a main body;

a rotation unit rotatably combined with the main body by a hinge shaft at a predetermined position of the main body and rotatable towards or away from a top of the main body to close or open respectively the top of the main body; and

a slide unit slidably combined with the main body so that the slide unit, while facing the main body, is slidable on a top of the rotation unit to open or close the rotation unit when the top of the main body is closed by the rotation unit.

2. The portable communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the rotation unit can rotate only after the slide unit slides a predetermined distance from the main body.

3. The portable communication terminal of claim 2, wherein after the rotation unit rotates a predetermined angle, the top of the main body and a bottom of the rotation unit are disposed at same orientation and at opposite sides of the slide unit.

4. The portable communication terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a first keypad including a plurality of keys on the top of the main body;

a second keypad including a plurality of keys on the top of the rotation unit;

a third keypad including a plurality of keys on a bottom of the rotation unit; and

a display unit disposed on a top of the slide unit.

5. The portable communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the top of the main body is formed in a position stepped down to a first predetermined depth from a bottom of the slide unit and the top of the rotation unit is formed in a position stepped down to a second predetermined depth from the bottom of the slide unit.

6. The portable communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the rotation unit comprises:

a pair of connection arms; and

an opening for receiving the slide unit between the connection arms,

wherein the opening receives one side section of the slide unit or an other side section of the slide unit according to rotation of the rotation unit.

7. The portable communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the hinge shaft is perpendicular to a slide direction of the slide unit.

8. A user interface device of a portable communication terminal, the user interface device comprising:

a first data input unit;

a second data input unit which is rotatably combined with the first data input unit by a hinge shaft at a predetermined position of the first data input unit, and is rotatable towards or away from a top of the first data input unit to close or open respectively the fop of the first data input unit; and

a display unit which is slidably combined with the first data input unit, and, while facing the first data input unit, is slidable to open or close a top of the second data input unit when the top of the first data input unit is closed by the second data input unit.

9. The user interface device of claim 8, wherein the first data input unit includes a first keypad having a plurality of keys on the top of the first data input unit, and the second data input unit includes a second keypad on the top of the second data input unit and a third keypad on a bottom of the second data input unit in opposition to the second keypad.

10. The user interface device of claim 9, wherein each of the first keypad and the third keypad includes a 4-way key.

11. The user interface device of claim 8, wherein the display unit comprises:

a fourth keypad having a plurality of keys; and

a speaker device disposed in an opposite side to the fourth keypad with respect to the display unit.

12. The user interface device of claim 8, wherein the second data input unit further comprises a microphone device at a corner portion on the top thereof.

13. The user interface device of claim 9, wherein after the second data input unit rotates a predetermined angle to move from one first side of the display unit to an other side of the display unit opposite the first side, the first keypad and the third keypad are disposed in opposite sides of the display unit, thereby facilitating a data input operation with both hands.

14. The user interface device of claim 9, wherein the first keypad is disposed in a plane stepped down to a first predetermined depth from a bottom of the display unit, and the second keypad is disposed in a plane stepped down to a second predetermined depth from an outer circumferential portion of the top of the second data input unit, and the second keypad is opened or closed by sliding the display unit.

15. The user interface device of claim 8, wherein the second data input unit comprises:

a pair of connection arms;

an opening for receiving the slide unit between the connection arms,

wherein the opening receives one side section of the display unit or an other side section of the display unit according to rotation of the second data input unit.