MOBILE COMPUTING DEVICE WITH MOVEABLE HOUSING SEGMENTS

• US 20090176542A1
• Filed: 01/08/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsuoka, Yoshimichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,150,482 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/575.400
• 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 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A mobile computing device includes a first housing segment and a second housing segment. The first housing segment includes a display surface on a front exterior face. The second housing segment that is slideably coupled to the first housing segment to move between an extended position and a contracted position. The second housing segment includes a keypad provided on a surface that is exposed for use when the device is in the extended position. The first housing segment and the second housing segment are coupled so that a path of motion followed by one of the first housing segment or second housing segment when moving between the extended position and the contracted position is continuously arced.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device comprising:

a front housing segment that includes a display surface on a front exterior face; and

a back housing segment that is slideably coupled to the front housing segment to move between an extended position and a contracted position, wherein the back housing segment includes a keypad provided on a surface that is exposed for use when the device is in the extended position;

wherein the front housing segment and the back housing segment are coupled so that a path of motion followed by one of the front housing segment or back housing segment when moving between the extended position and the contracted position is continuously arced.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein all of the front exterior face is smooth and seamless.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 2, wherein substantially all, but not an entirety of the front exterior face is smooth and seamless.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 3, wherein the front exterior face includes a set of one or more mechanical interface features provided on a designated region.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 3, wherein the front exterior face includes only a single interface feature that protrudes from the exterior surface.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the display surface of the front housing segment occupies an area on the front exterior face that occupies at least a substantial majority of an overall area of the front exterior face.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the display surface of the front housing segment includes a length or a width that occupies at least a substantial majority of a corresponding overall width or length of the front exterior face.

8. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the front exterior face includes a plurality of soft-user interface features that are provided apart from the display surface.

9. The mobile computing device of claim 8, wherein the display surface is rounded and convex on the first housing segment.

10. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the display surface is smooth and seamlessly provided on the front exterior face.

11. The mobile computing device of claim 10, wherein the exterior face is rounded and convex.

12. The mobile computing device of claim 10, wherein the front segment includes a touch-sensitive area that at least partially overlaps the display surface.

13. The mobile computing device of claim 12, wherein the touch-sensitive area encompasses all of the display surface.

14. The mobile computing device of claim 12, wherein the front segment houses a liquid crystal display (LCD) component that generates the display surface on the front exterior face.

15. The mobile computing device of claim 12,

wherein the front segment includes a translucent shell that extends over the LCD component to provide the display surface, and

wherein one or more touch sensors are provided with or in operational vicinity of the translucent shell to provide the touch-sensitive area.

16. The mobile computing device of claim 15, wherein the translucent shell is shaped to have a convex contour.

17. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the keypad is provided on a surface of the back housing segment that is recessed or contoured inward, wherein a depth of the recessed or contoured surface accommodates a thickness of the keypad.

18. The mobile computing device of claim 17, wherein the keypad corresponds to a keyboard.

19. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the front housing segment includes a backside, and wherein a portion of the backside is exposed when the front and back housing segments are moved towards the extended position, and where the portion of the backside that is exposed is smooth.

20. A mobile computing device comprising:

a front housing segment that includes a display surface on a front exterior face; and

a back housing segment that is slideably coupled to the front housing segment to move between an extended position and a contracted position, wherein the back housing segment includes a keypad provided on a surface that is exposed for use when the device is in the extended position;

wherein substantially all of the front exterior face is smooth and seamless.

21. The computing device of claim 20, wherein the display surface of the front housing segment occupies a majority of an overall area of a front exterior face of the front housing segment.

22. The computing device of claim 20, wherein the front housing segment and the back housing segment are slideably coupled to move between the extended and contracted positions along a path of motion that is continuously arced.

23. A housing assembly for a computing device, the housing assembly comprising:

a front housing segment for a display surface on a front exterior face; and

a back housing segment that is slideably coupled to the front housing segment to move between an extended position and a contracted position, wherein the back housing segment is structured to provide a keypad provided on a surface that is exposed for use when the device is in the extended position;

wherein the front housing segment and the back housing segment are coupled so that a path of motion followed by one of the front housing segment or back housing segment when moving between the extended position and the contracted position is continuously arced.