Sliding portable telephone

• US 20070270180A1
• Filed: 07/26/2007
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Takagi, Hisamitsu
• Granted Patent: US 8,423,097 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.100
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 11/00 Arrangements of electric cables or lines between relatively-movable parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0237 Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• 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

Abstract

A sliding portable telephone in which a second display section is provided on a surface exposed when an upper housing is slid, enabling self-shooting by a built-in camera. Further, in the telephone, a mechanism for stopping the upper housing before a fully opened position is provided so that, when a fingerprint sensor is built-in in an end section of a lower housing, fingerprint authentication is enabled without fully opening the telephone. Also, a recess is formed between sliding surfaces of the upper and lower housings, a flexible circuit board is received in the recess, the flexible circuit board is inserted and led through a slit that is provided only in one end surface of the recess, the insertion section is sealed, and as a result, there is no problem even if water droplets are splashed on the sliding portable telephone in an extended state.

Claims

1. A sliding portable telephone in which an upper housing and a lower housing overlap each other through sliding rails and an overlapping face is gradually exposed when the upper housing and the lower housing are slid from each other,

the sliding portable telephone comprising:

an operating portion having keys provided on a face of the lower housing which is exposed at the time of sliding;

a first display portion provided on a face of the upper housing which is exposed at all times; and

a second display portion provided on a face of the upper housing which is exposed at the time of sliding.

2. The sliding portable telephone of claim 1, further comprising a lens of a camera built in the telephone provided on a face of the lower housing exposed at all times.

3. The sliding portable telephone of claim 1, further comprising:

a finger recess portion for sliding the upper housing, provided on a side of the upper housing;

side walls and groove portions corresponding to the side walls extended in a sliding direction of the overlapping face of the upper housing and the lower housing, arranged at positions on both sides of the overlapping face of the upper housing and the lower housing; and

a sliding assisting member made of a low friction material for receiving a thrust force given in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction and for reducing abrasion caused by friction generated in the sliding direction, the sliding assisting member being arranged in a primary portion of one of the side walls and the groove portions.

4. The sliding portable telephone of claim 1, further comprising:

a recess portion for accommodating a flexible cable to connect the upper housing with the lower housing, provided on the overlapping face of the upper housing and the lower housing, the recess portion on the overlapping face of the upper housing being formed from a central portion onto a side opposite to the sliding direction by a predetermined length, the recess portion on the overlapping face of the lower housing being formed from a central portion in a sliding direction of the upper housing by a predetermined length; and

a through-hole into which the flexible cable is inserted, formed at a front end portion in the sliding direction of the upper housing of the recess portion, wherein

the through-hole is water-tightly sealed by a sealing member under the condition that the flexible cable is inserted into the through-hole inside the upper housing and the lower housing.

5. The sliding portable telephone of claim 1, further comprising:

lock mechanisms arranged at both end portions and an intermediate portion of the sliding rails; and

a fingerprint sensor arranged in a portion of the lower housing exposed when the upper housing is slid and locked in the intermediate portion.

6. The sliding portable telephone of claim 5, wherein the upper housing and the lower housing are combined with each other by a sliding module having sliding rails, a sliding member moving along these sliding rails and a sliding spring for pushing the sliding member to the sliding rails,

the locking mechanism includes an intermediate locking protrusion provided in an area of a central portion of the sliding rail and also includes an engaging portion for engaging with the intermediate locking protrusion, provided in a portion of the sliding spring, and

the intermediate locking protrusion is engaged with a portion of the sliding spring only once while the upper housing is fully slid with respect to the lower housing.

7. The sliding portable telephone of claim 6, wherein

the sliding rail further includes an open locking protrusion for holding an open state in which the upper housing and the lower housing are fully slid and also includes a closed locking protrusion for holding a state in which the upper housing and the lower housing are closed,

two intermediate locking protrusions are arranged in both side portions in the width direction of the sliding rail so that a locking groove can be formed between the two intermediate locking protrusions,

a first engaging portion having a width of engaging with the locking groove and the open locking protrusion is provided at a front end portion in the sliding direction of the sliding spring, and

a second engaging portion having a width of engaging only with the closed locking protrusion, provided at a rear end portion in the sliding direction of the sliding spring.

8. The sliding portable telephone of claim 1, further comprising:

a recess portion, on which a finger is put so as to push the upper housing in the sliding direction, provided in a lower end portion in the sliding direction of the upper housing; and

a fingerprint sensor provided on a bottom face of the recess portion.

9. The sliding portable telephone of claim 8, wherein finger authentication is made with the fingerprint sensor before the upper housing is fully slid with respect to the lower housing.

17. The sliding portable telephone of claim 3, further comprising a fingerprint sensor arranged on a bottom face of the recess portion for putting a finger.

10. A sliding portable telephone in which an upper housing and a lower housing overlap each other through sliding rails and an overlapping face is gradually exposed when the upper housing and the lower housing are slid on each other, comprising:

a lens of a camera built in the telephone is provided on a face of the lower housing exposed at all times.

11. A sliding portable telephone in which an upper housing and a lower housing overlap each other through sliding rails and an overlapping face is gradually exposed when the upper housing and the lower housing are slid on each other, comprising:

side walls extended in a sliding direction and groove portions corresponding to the side walls which are provided on both sides in the sliding direction of an overlapping face of the upper housing and the lower housing; and

a strengthening member made of material of low friction for receiving a force given in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction and reducing abrasion caused by friction in the sliding direction, the strengthening member being arranged in a primary portion of one of the side walls and the groove portion.

12. A sliding portable telephone in which an upper housing and a lower housing overlap each other through sliding rails and an overlapping face is gradually exposed when the upper housing and the lower housing are slid on each other, comprising:

recess portions provided on an overlapping face of the upper housing and the lower housing, the recess portion provided in the upper housing being formed by a predetermined length from a central portion of the upper housing in an opposite direction of the sliding direction, the recess portion provided in the lower housing being formed by a predetermined length from a central portion of the lower housing in a direction of sliding of the upper housing; and

through-holes, into which the flexible cable is inserted, provided at the front end portions of the recess portions in the sliding direction of the upper housing, wherein

the through-holes are water-tightly sealed by sealing members inside the upper housing and the lower housing is in a state in which the flexible cable is inserted.

13. A sliding portable telephone in which an upper housing and a lower housing overlap each other through sliding rails and an overlapping face is gradually exposed when the upper housing and the lower housing are slid on each other, comprising:

a lock mechanism arranged at both end portions and an intermediate portion of the sliding rail; and

a fingerprint sensor arranged in a portion of the lower housing exposed when the upper housing is slid and locked in the intermediate portion.

14. The sliding portable telephone of claim 13, wherein

the upper housing and the lower housing are combined with each other by a sliding module including a sliding rail, a sliding member moving along the sliding rail and a sliding spring for pushing the sliding member to the sliding rail,

the lock mechanism includes an intermediate lock protrusion provided in an area of a central portion of the sliding rail and also includes an engaging portion engaged with the intermediate lock protrusion, arranged in a portion of the sliding spring, and

while the upper housing is being fully slid with respect to the lower housing, the intermediate lock protrusion is engaged with the portion of the sliding spring only once.

15. The sliding portable telephone of claim 14, wherein

the sliding rail further includes an open lock protrusion for holding an open state in which the upper housing and the lower housing are fully slid on each other and also includes a closed lock protrusion for holding a closed state in which the upper housing and the lower housing are closed to each other,

two intermediate lock protrusions are respectively arranged on both side portions in the width direction of the sliding rail so that a lock groove can be formed between them,

a first engaging portion for engaging with the lock groove and the open lock protrusion is provided in a front end portion in the sliding direction of the sliding spring, and

a second engaging portion, the width of which is engaged only with the closed lock protrusion, is provided in a rear end portion in the sliding direction of the sliding spring.

16. A sliding portable telephone in which an upper housing and a lower housing overlap each other through sliding rails and an overlapping face is gradually exposed when the upper housing and the lower housing are slid on each other, further comprising:

a recess portion for pushing the upper housing in the sliding direction with the thumb, provided in a lower end portion in the sliding direction of the upper housing; and

a fingerprint sensor provided on a bottom face of the recess portion.

18. The sliding portable telephone of claim 16, wherein

fingerprint authentication is made with the fingerprint sensor before the upper housing is fully slid with respect to the lower housing.