Portable telephone equipment for biasing a switching member to a normally neutral position

• US 5,703,947 A
• Filed: 05/23/1996
• Issued: 12/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Imazaki, Kazunori, Hino, Ichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US08/569,202
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 379/419, 379/433, 379/428, 379/456, 379/447, 379/450, 379/434, 379/354, 379/396, 379/368, 379/367, 455/90, 455/575, D14/138, 381/109, 381/107
• US Class Current: 379/419
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2019/146 Roller type actuators
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 21/24 biased to return to normal position upon removal of operating force
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/233 including a pointing device, e.g. roller key, track ball, rocker switch or joystick constructional details of pointing devices per se G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

A communication terminal equipment includes a body formed in a substantially parallelepiped form, housing communicating and receiving means therein. In this communication terminal equipment, a linear portion forming a side surface of the body and a projecting outwardly portion projected from the side surface are formed to be contiguous to each other. A single operation member which can be caused to undergo a movement operation in a forward direction and in a reverse direction constituting an operation mechanism for carrying out input to and switching of the communicating and receiving means housed within the body is provided at the projected portion. Only the single operation member is subjected to movement operation in the forward and reverse directions and makes it possible to carry out input to the communicating and receiving means and switching thereof. In addition, the single operation member includes a rotational operation member rotatably provided with respect to the body and the operation mechanism for carrying out input to and switching of the communicating and receiving means includes a switch mechanism controlled by the rotational operation member. Thus, miniaturization of the operation mechanism is realized.

Claims

1. A communication terminal equipment comprising:

a rigid body formed into a substantially parallelepiped shape and accommodating communicating means and receiving means therein, the rigid body having a projected portion bulging outwardly from a substantially linear portion of a side surface of the rigid body, the linear portion and the projected portion being contiguous with each other; and

operation means provided at the projected portion of the rigid body for carrying out one of input operations to the communicating means and the receiving means and switching operations of the communicating means and the receiving means, the operation means including a single operation member movable in a forward direction and in a reverse direction, and biasing means for biasing the switching member to a normally neutral position such that when the switching member is returned to the neutral position by the biasing means the rotational operation member is returned to a neutral position.

2. A communication terminal equipment as set forth in claim 1, wherein the projected portion has a periphery with a circular arc form bulging outwardly from the side surface of the body.

3. A communication terminal equipment as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the single operation member comprises a rotational operation member rotatably provided with respect to the body, and

the operation means further includes switch means controlled by the rotational operation member.

4. A communication terminal equipment as set forth in claim 3, wherein

the projected portion has a periphery with a circular arc form bulging outwardly from the side surface of the body, and

the rotational operation member is disposed on the projected portion of the body proximate a boundary portion contiguous with the linear portion, the rotational operation member being located at a distal point relative to the side surface of the rigid body.

6. A communication terminal equipment as set forth in claim 2, wherein

the single operation member is comprised of a rotatable movement operation member provided on the side surface of the body, and

the operation means further includes switch means operated by movement of the movement operation member.

5. A communication terminal equipment comprising:

a rigid body formed into a substantially parallelepiped shape and accommodating communicating means and receiving means therein, the rigid body having a projected portion bulging outwardly from a substantially linear portion of a side surface of the rigid body, the linear portion and the projected portion being contiguous with each other; and

operation means provided at the projected portion of the rigid body for carrying out one of input operations to the communicating means and the receiving means and switching operations of the communicating means and the receiving means, the operation means including a single operation member movable in a forward direction and in a reverse direction and having a rotational operation member rotatably provided with respect to the body and switch means controlled by the rotational operation member, wherein the switch means includes

a switching member rotatably attached to the body such that rotating the rotational operation member actuates the switch means, and

biasing means for biasing the switching member to normally neutral position such that when the switching member is return to the neutral position by the biasing means the rotational operation member is returned to a neutral position.

7. A portable telephone equipment comprising:

communicating and receiving means;

display means for displaying information based on a transmitting operation and a receiving operation by the communicating and receiving means;

a plurality of input keys for carrying out an input operation to go the communicating and receiving means;

a rigid body having a substantially parallelepiped shape and accomodating the communicating and receiving means therein, wherein the display means and the plurality of keys are disposed on a front surface of the rigid body, and having on a side surface of the rigid body a projected portion that protrudes outwardly from the side surface of the rigid body; and

operation means provided at the projected portion the rigid body for carrying out input operations to the communication means and receiving means and for carrying out switching operations of the communicating and receiving means, the operation means provided with a single operating member movable in a forward direction and in a reverse direction, and the operation means further includes biasing means for biasing the switching member to a normally neutral position such that when the switching member is returned to the neutral position by the biasing means the rotational operation member is returned to a neutral position.

8. A portable telephone equipment as set forth in claim 7, wherein the projected portion has a periphery with a circular arc form, and the projected portion protrudes outwardly from the side surface of the rigid body.

9. A portable telephone equipment as set forth in claim 8, wherein

the single operation member is comprised of a rotational operation member rotatably provided with respect to the rigid body, and

the operation means further includes switch means actuated by the rotational operation member.

10. A portable telephone equipment as set forth in claim 9, wherein the rotational operation member is disposed at a position on the rigid body such that an outer circumferential portion of the rotational operation member is substantially in correspondence with the periphery of the projected portion having the circular arc form.

12. A portable telephone equipment as set forth in claim 8, wherein

the single operating member is comprised of a movement operation member movably provided with respect to the rigid body along the side surface of the rigid body, and

the operation means includes switch means operated by movement of the movement operation member.

11. A portable telephone equipment comprising:

communicating and receiving means;

display means for displaying information based on a transmitting operation and a receiving operation by the communicating and receiving means;

a plurality of input keys for carrying out an input operation to the communicating and receiving means;

a rigid body having a substantially parallelepiped shape and accommodating the communicating and receiving means therein, wherein the display means and the plurality of keys are disposed on a front surface of the rigid body, and having on a side surface of the rigid body a projected portion that protrudes outwardly from the side surface of the rigid body, the projected portion having a circular arc form; and

operation means provided at the projected portion of the rigid body for carrying out input operations to the communication and receiving means and for carrying out switching operations of the communicating and receiving means, the operation means provided with a single operating member movable in a forward direction and in a reverse direction and including a rotational operation member rotatably provided with respect to the rigid body and switch means actuated by the rotational operation member, wherein

the switch means comprises a switching member rotatably attached to the rigid body and controlled by the rotational operation member such that rotating the rotational operation member actuates the switching member, and

the operation means further includes biasing means for biasing the switching member to a normally neutral position such that when the switching member is returned to the neutral position by the biasing means the rotational operation member is returned to a neutral position.