Portable telephone apparatus including electronic notebook function

• US 5,337,346 A
• Filed: 09/25/1992
• Issued: 08/09/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Uchikura, Takao
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): CUMMING, WILLIAM D
• Application Number:
  US07/951,455
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/61, 379/155, 379/354, 379/355, 379/434, 370/29, 361/391
• US Class Current: 455/556.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/006 Call diverting means
• 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 1/0245 using open/close detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/275 implemented by means of portable electronic directories
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device

Abstract

In a portable telephone apparatus equipped with an electronic notebook function, a telephone operation key such as a dialing key is mounted on an upper surface of an openable/closable member mounted on an upper surface of a case body, whereas electronic notebook operation keys such as a character input key are provided at a region of a surface of the case body covered by the openable/closable member, and also at a rear surface of the openable/closable member. The portable telephone apparatus further includes a switch for detecting an opening/closing state of the openable/closable member, and a mode selecting unit for selecting a telephone mode and an electronic notebook mode in response to a detection signal derived from the detecting signal. Furthermore, a search key for searching storage data about the electronic notebook is employed on this upper surface of the openable/closable member. When this search key is operated, electronic notebook data such as telephone directory data constructed of one pair of a telephone number and a name, may be displayed on a display unit.

Claims

1. A portable telephone apparatus having an electronic notebook function, comprising:

a body casing having an openable member pivotally journaled thereto, the openable member being pivotable between an open position and a closed position;

a radio-communication circuit unit and an electronic-notebook circuit unit, both held within said body casing;

mounted-in memory means, held within said body casing, for storing electronic-notebook data;

a display unit mounted on said body casing;

a plurality of telephone-operation keys provided on an outer surface of said openable member;

a plurality of electronic-notebook operation keys provided on an inner surface of said openable member and a surface of said body casing so as to be concealed by said openable member when said openable member is pivoted to the closed position, said electronic-notebook operation keys including search key means;

said search key means being provided on the outer surface of said openable member, for searching through said mounted-in memory means for desired electronic-notebook data stored therein;

first power-source means for supplying power to said radio-communication circuit unit;

second power-source means for supplying power to the telephone apparatus excluding said radio-communication circuit unit;

judging means for detecting whether said openable member is at the open position or the closed position;

switch-control means including;

first means for setting an operation mode of the telephone apparatus to a telephone mode and for causing said first power source means to supply power to said radio-communication circuit unit, when said judging means determines that said openable member is at the closed position, and

second means for setting the operation mode of the telephone apparatus to an electronic-notebook mode and for causing said first power source means to stop supplying power to said radio-communication means, when said judging means determines that said openable member is at the open position; and

display-control means for causing said display unit to display data in the telephone mode when said openable member is at the closed position, with said data being produced from the electronic-notebook data stored in said mounted-in memory means in response to operation of said search key means.

2. A portable telephone apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said switch-control means switches the operation mode of the telephone apparatus to the electronic-notebook mode when said search key means is operated in the telephone mode, and returns the operation mode of the telephone apparatus to the telephone mode when said search key means is operated in the electronic-notebook mode.

3. A portable telephone apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation mode of the telephone apparatus is settable to a schedule mode, and said switch-control means switches the operation mode of the telephone apparatus to the electronic-notebook mode when said search key means is operated in the telephone mode, switches the operation mode of the telephone apparatus to the schedule mode when said search key means is operated in the electronic-notebook mode, and returns the operation mode of the telephone apparatus to the telephone mode when said search key means is operated in the schedule mode.

4. A portable telephone apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said body casing further comprises receiving means for detachably receiving card-type memory means for expanding a memory capacity of said mounted-in memory means held within said body casing.

5. A portable telephone apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said body casing further comprises receiving means for detachably receiving card-type memory means for recording audio data.

6. A portable telephone apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display-control means causes said display unit to display data in a predetermined display state in the electronic-notebook mode, with said data being searched from the electronic notebook data stored in said mounted-in memory means in response to said plurality of electronic-notebook operation keys, and causes said display unit to display data in another display state in the telephone mode when said openable member assumes the closed position, with said data being searched from the electronic-notebook data stored in said mounted-in memory means in response to operation of said search key means.

7. A portable telephone apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising externally-operable transmitting means for transmitting a phone number when operated, said phone number being searched in response to operation of said search key means from the electronic notebook-data stored in said mounted-in memory means in the telephone mode when said openable member assumes the closed position and when said display unit displays said searched telephone-number.

8. In a portable telephone apparatus with a telephone function and an electronic-notebook function, comprising a body casing having an openable member pivotally journaled thereto, the openable member being pivotable between an open position and a closed position;

radio-communication circuit means for performing the telephone function, an electronic-notebook circuit unit and a memory for storing electronic-notebook data, all mounted within the body casing;

a plurality of telephone-operation keys provided on an outer surface of the openable member;

a plurality of electronic-notebook operation keys including search key means provided on an inner surface of the openable member and a surface of the body casing so as to be concealed with the openable member when the openable member assumes the closed position; and

a search key provided on the outer surface of the openable member, for searching through the electronic-notebook data stored in the memory for desired data,

a method of switching an operation mode of the telephone apparatus comprising the steps of;

judging whether the openable member is at the open position or the closed position;

setting an operation mode of the telephone apparatus to a telephone mode when it is judged that the openable member is at the closed position;

setting the operation mode of the telephone apparatus to an electronic-notebook mode when it is judged that the openable member is at the open position;

supplying power to the radio-communication circuit means when the operation mode of the telephone apparatus is set to the telephone mode, and stopping the supply of power to the radio-communication circuit means when the operation mode is set to the electronic-notebook mode;

searching, by means of the search key, through the electronic-notebook data stored in the memory for a desired data in the telephone mode when the openable member is at the closed position;

displaying the searched desired data on the display unit in the telephone mode when the openable member is at the closed position; and

transmitting a telephone number by a predetermined operation in the telephone mode when the openable member is at the closed position, the telephone number corresponding to the searched data displayed on the display unit.