MULTIDISPLAY PORTABLE DEVICE

• US 20120147535A1
• Filed: 10/24/2011
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: AHN, Sung-Ho, PARK, Ji-Hoon
• Granted Patent: US 9,274,552 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1615 with several enclosures having relative motions, each enclosure supporting at least one I/O or computing function constructional details of portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts H04M1/0206
• 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 1/1618 the display being foldable up to the back of the other housing with a single degree of freedom, e.g. by 360° rotation over the axis defined by the rear edge of the base enclosure
• 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 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 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

Abstract

Provided is a portable communication device including a first housing, a second housing rotatably coupled with the first housing, and a hinge portion provided between the first housing and the second housing to stepwise rotate the second housing toward or away from the first housing, in which display units are disposed on inner and outer sides of the first housing and the second housing, respectively, such that the display units on the inner and outer surfaces of the housings may be used independently or in conjunction to provide for larger display screens.

Claims

1. A portable communication device comprising:

a first housing;

a second housing rotatably coupled with the first housing; and

a hinge portion provided between the first housing and the second housing to stepwise rotate the second housing with respect to the first housing, wherein display units are disposed on outer sides of the first housing and the second housing, respectively, said display units operating separately or in conjunction to form a single large screen.

2. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein input/output devices are disposed on inner sides of the first housing and the second housing.

3. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the input/output devices comprise at least one of a display unit, a touch screen, a keypad, a keyboard, a navigation key, and QWERTY keys, and at least one of a speaker device, a microphone device, a camera module.

4. A portable communication device comprising:

a first housing comprising a first display unit and a second display unit provided on an outer side and an inner side, respectively, of the first housing;

a second housing comprising a third display unit and a fourth display unit provided on one of an inner side and an outer side, respectively, of the second housing unit; and

a hinge portion provided between the first housing and the second housing to stepwise rotate the second housing with respect to the first housing,

wherein the first housing and the second housing, when in a closed state show the first display unit and the fourth display unit provided on the outer sides of the first housing and the second housing, respectively,

the first housing and the second housing, when in an open state show the first display unit, the second display unit, the third display unit, and the fourth display unit, the first display unit and the fourth the display unit, and the third display unit, and the second display unit being positioned in parallel, and

the first housing and the second housing, when rotated to a position between the open state and the closed state selectively show the first display unit and the fourth display unit or the second display unit and the third display unit.

5. The portable communication device of claim 4, wherein the first display unit and the fourth display unit are provided on the outer sides of the first housing and the second housing, respectively,

input/output devices and at least one of a speaker device, a microphone device, a camera module, and a battery pack are disposed in the inner sides of the first housing and the second housing, and

the input/output devices comprise at least one of a display unit, a touch screen, a keypad, a keyboard, a navigation key, and QWERTY keys.

6. The portable communication device of claim 4, wherein the second display unit and the third display unit are provided on the inner sides of the first housing and the second housing, respectively,

input/output devices and at least one of a speaker device, a microphone device, a camera module, and a battery pack are disposed in the outer sides of the first housing and the second housing, and

the input/output devices comprise at least one of a display unit, a touch screen, a keypad, a keyboard, a navigation key, and QWERTY keys.

7. The portable communication device of claim 4, wherein the first display unit and the fourth display unit are provided on the outer sides of the first housing and the second housing, respectively,

the second display unit is provided on the inner side of the first housing,

input/output devices and at least one of a speaker device, a microphone device, a camera module, and a battery pack are disposed in the inner side of the second housing, and

the input/output devices comprise at least one of a display unit, a touch screen, a keypad, a keyboard, a navigation key, and QWERTY keys.

8. The portable communication device of claim 4, wherein the second display unit and the third display unit are provided on the inner sides of

the first housing and the second housing, respectively,

the first display unit is provided on the outer side of the first housing, input/output devices and at least one of a speaker device, a microphone device, a camera module, and a battery pack are disposed in the outer side of the second housing, and

the input/output devices comprise at least one of a display unit, a touch screen, a keypad, a keyboard, a navigation key, and QWERTY keys.

9. The portable communication device of claim 4, wherein the first display unit, the second display unit, the third display unit, and the fourth display unit comprise at least one of:

touch screens or input/output devices.

10. The portable communication device of claim 4, wherein the first display unit and the fourth display unit, and the second display unit and the third display unit are used together as a large-size screen.

11. The portable communication device of claim 4, wherein the first display unit and the fourth display unit display the same screen or different screens, and the second display unit and the third display unit display the same screen or different screens.

12. The portable communication device of claim 4, wherein the first housing and the second housing comprises a space between the first display unit, the second display unit, the third display unit, and the fourth display unit, input/output devices and at least one of a speaker device, a microphone device, a camera module, and a battery pack are disposed in the space, and the input/output devices comprise at least one of a display unit, a touch screen, a keypad, a keyboard, a navigation key, and QWERTY keys.

13. The portable communication device of claim 4, wherein the first housing and the second housing comprise a plurality of Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) and a plurality of battery packs which are selectively disposed on the first housing and the second housing.

14. The portable communication device of claim 4, wherein the hinge portion is a dual-axis hinge portion that provides a first hinge axis and a second hinge axis provided on both sides of the first housing and the second housing to rotate the second housing with respect to the first housing.

15. The portable communication device of claim 14, wherein the dual-axis hinge portion comprises:

a first gear shaft comprising a first gear portion and a first gear cam, the first gear shaft being engaged with a first hinge connection portion connected with the first housing;

a second gear shaft comprising a second gear portion rotatably engaged with the first gear portion, and a second gear cam, the second gear shaft being engaged with a second hinge connection portion connected with the second housing;

a hinge cam coupled with the first gear shaft and the second gear shaft by allowing the first gear shaft and the second gear shaft to pass therethrough, to correspond to the first gear cam and the second gear cam of the first gear shaft and the second gear shaft;

elastic members coupled with the first gear shaft and the second gear shaft wherein the first gear shaft and the second gear shaft pass through the elastic members, the elastic member providing a pressure to another end portion of the hinge cam; and

a gear hinge housing for receiving the first gear shaft, the second gear shaft, the hinge cam, and the elastic members.

16. The portable communication device of claim 15, wherein an end portion of the first gear shaft is connected by a rivet by the first hinge connection portion screw-coupled with the first housing and another end thereof is engaged with an E-ring.

17. The portable communication device of claim 15, wherein an end 15 portion of the second gear shaft is connected by a rivet by the second hinge connection portion screw-coupled with the second housing and another end thereof is engaged with an E-ring.

18. The portable communication device of claim 15, wherein the first gear shaft and the second gear shaft comprise a shaft guide portion for guiding the first gear shaft and the second gear shaft between the elastic members and the E-rings.

19. The portable communication device of claim 15, wherein the gear hinge housing comprises at least one arrangement hole for passing a Flexible Printed Circuit Board (FPCB) and a cable therethrough.

20. The portable communication device of claim 15, wherein the gear hinge housing comprises a housing cover which comprises a stopper portion that contacts stopper protrusions formed on the first gear cam and the second gear cam to restrict rotation of the dual-axis hinge portion.

21. The portable communication device of claim 15, wherein the first gear portion and the second gear portion form roller portions, and the first gear portion and the second gear portion comprise a link portion for connecting the first gear portion and the second gear portion with each other to restrict rotation of the first gear portion and the second gear portion.

22. The portable communication device of claim 15, wherein the hinge cam comprises at least one male thread portion and female thread portion which correspond to at least one male thread portion wherein the corresponding female thread portion is formed in the first gear cam and the second gear cam to allow rotation of the second housing.

23. The portable communication device of claim 14, wherein the dual-axis hinge portion stepwise rotate the second housing by a discrete number of degrees.

24. The portable communication device of claim 4, wherein the hinge portion is an integrated dual-axis hinge portion which provides a first hinge axis and a second hinge axis, that is provided in a center portion of the first housing and the second housing, and is integrally connected with first and second hinge connection portion screw-engagement with the first housing and the second housing to stepwise rotate the second housing with respect to the first housing

25. The portable communication device of claim 4, wherein the hinge portion is a hinge module which provides a first hinge axis and is provided on one end of the first housing and the second housing to rotate the second housing.

26. The portable communication device of claim 25, wherein the hinge module comprises:

a hinge housing received in a center hinge arm of the second housing, the hinge housing comprising a receiving space, a side of which is open in a longitudinal direction, and a through-hole;

a hinge shaft rotatably received in an end portion of the receiving space of the hinge housing and comprises, on said end portion, a hinge protrusion which protrudes from outside of the hinge housing through a through-hole of the hinge housing to a second end portion, said shaft including a male thread portion;

a hinge cam comprising an end portion thereof, including a female thread portion corresponding to the male thread portion to linearly reciprocate in the receiving space;

an elastic member provided on a second end portion of the hinge cam to provide an elastic force for urging the hinge cam and the hinge shaft to closely contact with each other; and

a coupling cam coupled with the hinge protrusion to be received in side hinge arms of the first housing.

27. The portable communication device of claim 4, wherein rotation of the first housing and the second housing, around a first hinge axis and a second hinge axis, occurs in one of a lateral direction and a longitudinal direction.