Folding type telephone containing a wound electrical connection

• US 5,027,394 A
• Filed: 09/30/1988
• Issued: 06/25/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ono, Kenji, Iribe, Hajime
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Jin F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): McGeary, III, M. Nelson
• Application Number:
  US07/251,399
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 379/434, 379/413, 379/419, 379/428, 379/429, 379/433, 379/438, 379/440, 379/441, 379/442, 379/61, 439/31, 16/222, 16/386, 16/387
• US Class Current: 379/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0216 Foldable in one direction, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge

Abstract

In a folding type telephone apparatus of folding type comprising a first housing and a second housing rotatably connected by a hinge, electric components and printed circuit boards of respective housings are connected by an electrical connecting member of a tape shaped flexible printed circuit which is wound at least two times around a shaft of the hinge. Using the wound electrical connecting member maintains a reliable electrical connection between the housings even after the telephone apparatus has been used for a long time.

Claims

1. A telephone apparatus comprising:

a first housing having electrical and electronic components including a speaker;

a second housing having electrical and electronic components including a microphone;

a hinge having a shaft, an outer sleeve, and a space between the outside of said shaft and the inside of said outer sleeve for rotatably connecting said first housing to said second housing, said hinge having the ability to rotate about 180°

; and

an electrical connecting member for electrically connecting said electrical and electronic components of said first housing to said electrical and electronic components of said second housing, said electrical connecting member being wound at least two times around said shaft of said hinge.

2. A telephone apparatus that operates using electrical power from a battery comprising:

a first housing having electrical and electronic components including a speaker;

a second housing having electrical and electronic components including a microphone;

a hinge for rotatably connecting said first housing to said second housing, said hinge having a shaft with a cylindrical hollow space for holding said battery to supply electrical power to said electrical and electronic components, said hinge having the ability to rotate about 180°

; and

an electrical connecting member for electrically connecting said electrical and electronic components of said first housing said electrical and electronic components of said second housing, said electrical connecting member being wound at least two times around said shaft in an area between an outside of said shaft and the inside of said outer sleeve.

3. A telephone apparatus comprising;

a first housing having electrical and electronic components including a speaker;

a second housing having electrical and electronic components including a microphone;

a hinge having a shaft, an outer sleeve, and a space between the outside of said shaft and the inside of said outer sleeve for rotatably connecting said first housing to said second housing, said hinge having the ability to rotate about 180°

; and

an electrical connecting member for electrically connecting said electrical and electronic components of said first housing to said electrical and electronic components of said second housing using a soldered connection, said electrical connecting member being wound at least two times around said shaft of said hinge to prevent breakage of said soldered connection between said electrical connecting member and said first and second housings during repeated rotation of said hinge.