PORTABLE DEVICE

• US 20140063712A1
• Filed: 07/12/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: CHUNG, Won-seok, KWON, Zion, LEE, Chang-ho, JI, Han-kyung, OH, Se-hun, YUN, Yeo-wan
• Granted Patent: US 9,715,251 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.09
• 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 1/162 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 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1679 for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA G06F1/1681 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1683 for the transmission of signal or power between the different housings, e.g. details of wired or wireless communication, passage of cabling

Abstract

A portable device includes a keyboard unit; a display unit; a connection unit which is connected to each of the keyboard unit and the display unit, moves relatively with respect to each of the keyboard unit and the display unit, and supports the display unit so that the display unit covers or uncovers the keyboard unit; and a controller which is placed inside the connection unit and controls operation of the portable device.

Claims

1. A portable device comprising:

a keyboard unit;

a display unit;

a connection unit configured to be connected to each of the keyboard unit and the display unit, to move relatively with respect to each of the keyboard unit and the display unit, and to support the display unit so that the display unit covers or uncovers the keyboard unit; and

a controller disposed inside the connection unit and to control operations of the portable device.

2. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the display unit is placed in a first arrangement to cover the keyboard unit or a second arrangement to uncover the keyboard unit depending on user selection.

3. The portable device of claim 2, wherein

a touch screen is equipped in a front surface of the display unit, and

when the display unit is placed in the first arrangement and the second arrangement, the touch screen is maintained in a viewable state.

4. The portable device of claim 3, wherein

the connection unit is connected to the keyboard unit and can be rotated around a first rotation axis, and

the display unit is connected to the connection unit and can be rotated around a second rotation axis parallel to the first rotation axis.

5. The portable device of claim 4, wherein

the connection unit is hinge-connected to the keyboard unit, and

the display unit is hinge-connected to the connection unit.

6. The portable device of claim 4, wherein when the display unit is placed in the second arrangement, the connection unit is placed inclinedly with respect to the keyboard unit so that external surfaces of the connection unit are exposed externally.

7. The portable device of claim 4, wherein the keyboard unit comprises a receiving groove to receive the connection unit when the connection unit is placed in the first arrangement.

8. The portable device of claim 4, wherein the keyboard unit comprises a receiving hole which receives the connection unit when the connection unit is placed in the first arrangement and has open top and bottom surfaces.

9. The portable device of claim 4, wherein a top surface of the keyboard unit comprises at least one fixing groove in which a lower end of the display unit is inserted when the display unit is placed in the second arrangement.

10. The portable device of claim 9, wherein the at least one fixing groove comprises:

a first fixing groove in which a left lower end of the display unit is inserted; and

a second fixing groove in which a right lower end of the display unit is inserted.

11. The portable device of claim 9, wherein

the keyboard unit is divided into a first area and a second area in a direction parallel to the keyboard unit and vertical to the first rotation axis, the first area is equipped with input keys of the keyboard unit, and the second area is not equipped with the input keys, and

the at least one fixing groove is placed at a boundary area between the first area and the second area.

12. The portable device of claim 4, wherein

the second arrangement of the display unit comprises

a front viewing arrangement in which the touch screen can be viewed from a front side of the portable device, and

a rear viewing arrangement in which the touch screen can be viewed from a rear side of the portable device.

13. The portable device of claim 12, wherein

when the display unit is switched from the front viewing arrangement to the rear viewing arrangement or when the display unit is switched from the rear viewing arrangement to the front viewing arrangement, the controller reverses the top and bottom of an image that is being displayed on the touch screen.

14. The portable device of claim 12, wherein

when the display unit is placed in the rear viewing arrangement, a rear surface of the display unit is in contact with a rear surface of the connection unit.

15. The portable device of claim 4, wherein

one end of the connection unit is connected to an end of the keyboard unit, and the other end of the connection unit is connected to a center portion of a rear surface of the display unit.

16. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises:

an interface unit configured to perform interfacing with the keyboard unit and the display unit;

a storage unit configured to store programs required for the operations of the portable device; and

a calculation unit configured to execute the programs to control the operations of the portable device.

17. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the connection unit comprises at least one input and output port to send and receive data with at least one external device.