Portable electronic apparatus having partial display function

• US 5,710,576 A
• Filed: 04/18/1995
• Issued: 01/20/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Nishiyama, Toshiro, Kobayashi, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, John W.
• Application Number:
  US08/423,857
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 345/168, 345/169, 345/901, 345/903, 345/905, 340/500, 340/531, 340/539, 340/311.1, 455/347, 455/348, 455/899, 379/419, 379/422, 379/428, 379/434, 379/440, 379/435, 379/433
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/1058 Pager holders or housings casings for electric apparatus H05K5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3827 Portable transceivers
• 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: Y10S 345/901 Electronic book with display
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/905 Display device with housing structure

Abstract

A portable electronic device has a construction in which a first housing and a second housing are capable of being opened and closed and a display is mounted on an inner side of the first housing. A partial display area of the display is in a visible state even if the second housing is closed, and the full display area becomes in a visible state when the second housing is opened. An open/close state of the housings is detected by an open/close detector mounted on the first housing or the second housing. It may be detected by a user operating a predetermined key. According to the detected open/close state, a displaying area of the information is changed between the partial display area and the full display area. At the open state, the information is displayed in the full display area. At the closed state, the information is displayed in the partial display area.

Claims

1. A method for displaying data on a display having a predetermined display area in a portable electronic apparatus which comprises a first housing provided with the display in an inner side of the first housing and a second housing connected to the first housing such that the first housing and the second housing are opened and closed, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a partial display area of the predetermined display area which is visible in a closed state of the first housing and the second housing; and

switching a display area of the display between the predetermined display area and the partial display area.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of switching performed according to a housing state which is one of an open state and the closed state of the first housing and the second housing.

3. A method for displaying data on a display having a predetermined display area in a portable electronic apparatus which comprises a first housing provided with the display in an inner side of the first housing and a second housing connected to the first housing such that the first housing and the second housing are opened and closed, the method comprising the steps of:

determining a partial display area of the predetermined display area which is visible in a closed state of the first housing and the second housing;

detecting a housing state which is one of an open state and the closed state of the first housing and the second housing; and

controlling the display according to the housing state such that the data is displayed in the predetermined display area at the open state and the data is displayed in only the partial display area at the closed state.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the partial display area is determined by a number of characters which are to be displayed on the display.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein:

the predetermined display area is capable of containing a first number of characters;

the partial display area is capable of containing a second number of characters smaller than the first number of characters; and

the data is displayed on the display by the first number of characters at the open state and the data is displayed on the display by the second number of characters at the closed state.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the housing state is detected by a switch for switching on and off depending on the housing state.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the housing state is detected by a predetermined key mounted on an inner side of the second housing.

8. A portable radio apparatus comprising a radio receiver and a display having a predetermined display area, the portable radio apparatus comprising:

a first housing provided with the display in an inner side of the first housing;

a second housing connected to the first housing such that the first housing and the second housing are opened and closed, the second housing having a transparent portion through which a partial display area of the predetermined display area is visible in a closed state of the first housing and the second housing;

storage means for storing a message received by the radio receiver;

switch control means for controlling the storage means and the displays such that a display area of the display switches between the predetermined display area and the partial display area.

9. The portable radio apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the switch control means comprises:

detecting means for detecting a housing state which is one of an open state and the closed state of the first housing and the second housing; and

control means for controlling the storage means and the display according to the housing state such that the message is read out from the storage means to be displayed in the predetermined display area at the open state and the message is read out from the storage means to be displayed in only the partial display area at the closed state.

10. The portable radio apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the detecting means comprises a switch for switching on and off according to the housing state, the switch being mounted on one of the inner side of the first housing and an inner side of the second housing.

11. The portable radio apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the detecting means comprises a key mounted on an inner side of the second housing.

12. The portable radio apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the portable radio apparatus is a selective calling receiver.

13. The portable radio apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the portable radio apparatus is a pager.

14. The portable radio apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the partial display area is determined by a number of characters which are to be displayed on the display.

15. The portable radio apparatus according to claim 14, wherein:

the predetermined display area is capable of containing a first number of characters;

the partial display area is capable of containing a second number of characters smaller than the first number of characters; and

the control means performs a read control such that the message is read from the storage means and is transferred to the display by the first number of characters at the open state and the message is read from the storage means and is transferred to the display by the second number of characters at the closed state.

16. The portable radio apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first housing is provided with at least one basic function key in an outer side of the first housing, the basic function key comprising a display operation key for displaying the data in the partial display area.

17. The portable radio apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the second housing is provided with at least one basic function key in an outer side of the second housing, the basic function key comprising a display operation key for displaying the data in the partial display area.

18. The portable radio apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the second housing is provided with at least one basic function key in an outer side of the second housing, the basic function key comprising a display operation key for displaying the data in the partial display area; and

the second housing is further provided with a plurality of function keys in an inner side of the second housing, the function keys comprising a display operation key for displaying the data in the predetermined display area.

19. The portable radio apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the detecting means comprises a key included in the function keys mounted on the inner side of the second housing.

20. The portable radio apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the transparent portion of the second housing is a window.

21. The portable radio apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the window comprises a transparent plate.

22. The portable radio apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the window comprises an opening.

23. The portable radio apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the transparent portion of the second housing is formed by the second housing which is smaller than the first housing in size.

24. The portable radio apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the portable radio apparatus is a selective calling receiver.

25. The portable radio apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the portable radio apparatus is a pager.

26. An apparatus for displaying data on a display having a predetermined display area, the apparatus comprising:

a first housing provided with the display;

a second housing connected to the first housing such that the first housing and the second housing are opened and closed, the second housing having a transparent portion through which a partial display area of the predetermined display area is visible in a closed state of the first housing and the second housing; and

switching means for switching a display area of the display between the predetermined display area and the partial display area.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the switching means switches the display area of the display between the predetermined display area and the partial display area according to a housing state which is one of an open state and the closed state of the first housing and the second housing.

28. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the first housing is provided with at least one basic function key in an outer side of the first housing, the basic function key comprising a display operation key for displaying the data in the partial display area.

29. The apparatus according to 26, wherein the second housing is provided with at least one basic function key in an outer side of the second housing, the basic function key comprising a display operation key for displaying the data in the partial display area.

30. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein:

the second housing is provided with at least one basic function key in an outer side of the second housing, the basic function key comprising a display operation key for displaying the data in the partial display area; and

the second housing is further provided with a plurality of function keys in an inner side of the second housing, the function keys comprising a display operation key for displaying the data in the predetermined display area.

31. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the transparent portion of the second housing is a window.

32. The apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the window comprises a transparent plate.

33. The apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the window comprises an opening.

34. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the transparent portion of the second housing is formed by the second housing which is smaller than the first housing in size.

35. An apparatus for displaying data on a display having a predetermined display area, the apparatus comprising:

a first housing provided with the display;

a second housing connected to the first housing such that the first housing and the second housing are opened and closed, the second housing having a transparent portion through which a partial display area of the predetermined display area is visible in a closed state of the first housing and the second housing;

detecting means for detecting a housing state which is one of an open state and the closed state of the first housing and the second housing; and

display control means for controlling the display according to the housing state such that the data is displayed in the predetermined display area at the open state and the data is displayed in only the partial display area at the closed state.

36. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the first housing is provided with at least one basic function key in an outer side of the first housing, the basic function key comprising a display operation key for displaying the data in the partial display area.

37. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the second housing is provided with at least one basic function key in an outer side of the second housing, the basic function key comprising a display operation key for displaying the data in the partial display area.

38. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein:

the second housing is provided with at least one basic function key in an outer side of the second housing, the basic function key comprising a display operation key for displaying the data in the partial display area; and

the second housing is further provided with a plurality of function keys in an inner side of the second housing, the function keys comprising a display operation key for displaying the data in the predetermined display area.

39. The apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the detecting means comprises a key included in the function keys mounted on the inner side of the second housing.

40. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the detecting means comprises a switch for switching on and off according to the housing state, the switch being mounted on one of an inner side of the first housing and an inner side of the second housing.

41. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the detecting means comprises a first electrode provided on the first housing and a second electrode provided on the second housing, the first electrode and the second electrode being to come in contact with each other in the closed state.

42. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the detecting means comprises a key mounted on an inner side of the second housing.

43. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the transparent portion of the second housing is a window.

44. The apparatus according to claim 43, wherein the window comprises a transparent plate.

45. The apparatus according to claim 43, wherein the window comprises an opening.

46. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the transparent portion of the second housing is formed by the second housing which is smaller than the first housing in size.