Folding portable communications device

• US 20080026799A1
• Filed: 07/19/2007
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Imai, Kimiaki, Makino, Minoru
• Granted Patent: US 7,957,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• 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 1/0227 Rotatable in one plane, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0233 Including a rotatable display body part
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts

Abstract

A folding mobile phone (folding portable communications device) includes a first housing including a liquid crystal display part (display part) provided at a surface thereof, a second housing including an operating part provided at a surface thereof, and a hinge connecting the first and second housings to allow the first and second housings to be freely opened and closed in their folded form. A cam mechanism (support mechanism) supports the liquid crystal display part switchably between a vertical position and a horizontal position and to allow the liquid crystal display part to turn both clockwise and counterclockwise as viewed from the front.

Claims

1. A folding portable communications device including:

a first housing including a display part provided at a surface thereof;

a second housing including an operating part provided at a surface thereof; and

a hinge connecting the first and second housings to allow the first and second housings to be freely opened and closed in their folded form;

the display part being supported to the first housing through a support mechanism switchably between a vertical position and a horizontal position, wherein

the support mechanism comprises a cam mechanism, and

the cam mechanism supports the display part to allow the display part to turn both clockwise and counterclockwise as viewed from the front.

2. The folding portable communications device of claim 1, wherein the cam mechanism is configured to guide and support the display part to allow the display part to switch between the vertical position and the horizontal position so that a lower right corner of the display part moves along the hinge when the display part is switched in position while turning clockwise as viewed from the front and that a lower left corner of the display part moves along the hinge when the display part is switched in position while turning counterclockwise as viewed from the front.

3. The folding portable communications device of claim 1, wherein the lateral middles of the display part in the vertical and horizontal positions are each located substantially in the lateral middle of the first housing.

4. The folding portable communications device of claim 1, wherein the cam mechanism includes a first guide groove formed in the first housing and including continuous left and right sections, a second guide groove formed in the first housing away from the first guide groove, a first guide pin disposed on the back face of the display part to slidingly engage in the first guide groove, and a second guide pin disposed on the back face of the display part to slidingly engage in the second guide groove.

5. The folding portable communications device of claim 4, wherein the cam mechanism includes a resilient member fixed at one end to the first guide pin, fixed at the other end to the first housing and urging the display part into at lease one of the vertical and horizontal positions.

6. The folding portable communications device of claim 5, wherein the resilient member comprises:

a first resilient member acting on the first guide groove when the first guide pin is in the left section of the first guide groove; and

a second resilient member acting on the first guide groove when the first guide pin is in the right section of the first guide groove.

7. The folding portable communications device of claim 6, wherein the resilient members are torsion coil springs.

8. The folding portable communications device of claim 7, wherein one ends of the first and second resilient members towards the first guide pin are formed in a substantially U-shape.

9. The folding portable communications device of claim 4, wherein the second guide groove extends in a direction inclining with respect to the axis of the hinge.

10. The folding portable communications device of claim 4, wherein the second guide groove extends substantially orthogonally to the axis of the hinge.

11. The folding portable communications device of claim 4, wherein the second guide groove has a curved shape.

12. The folding portable communications device of claim 4, configured to be put on a place with the first housing opened from the second housing and the second housing resting on the place whether the display part is in the vertical position or in the horizontal position.

13. The folding portable communications device of claim 4, wherein the folding portable communications device is a mobile phone.