Folding portable communications device

• US 5,991,644 A
• Filed: 11/29/1995
• Issued: 11/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ogawa, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WYCHE, MYRON
• Application Number:
  US08/563,944
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• Field of Search: 379/58, 379/433, 455/89, 455/351, 455/556, 455/566, 455/575, D14/138
• US Class Current: 455/566
• 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 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets

Abstract

A folding portable communications device which has a first housing 1 to which a second housing 2 and a third housing 4 are connected in a foldable manner, with a display section 11, a receiver section 13 and a keyboard section 14 provided in the housings, respectively. The second housing 2 and the third housing 4 are folded on the first housing 1 when not in use. When the third housing 4 is unfolded for use as a telephone, information of higher precedence is displayed on part of the display section 11. When the second housing 2 and the third housing 4 are unfolded for use as a data transmitter/receiver, the entire display section 11 extending almost over the inner surface of the first housing 1 is used. Selection of functions as telephone or data transmitter/receiver may be easily carried out with a select switch 16.

Claims

1. A folding portable communications device for use as a telephone and/or a data transmitter/receiver, comprising:

a first housing having a top, a bottom, and an inner side surface, and a display section disposed on the inner surface for displaying received data;

a second housing connected to the top of said first housing in a foldable manner to define a folded state and an unfolded state, said second housing having inner and outer surfaces, said inner surface of said second housing facing and being positioned adjacent to said inner surface of said first housing and overlapping a first portion of the display section when the second housing is in its folded state, said second housing further having a receiver section disposed on its outer surface which faces away from said first housing when the second housing is in its folded state, to enable usage of the device as a telephone when the second housing is in its folded state; and

a third housing connected to the bottom of said first housing in a foldable manner to define a folded state and an unfolded state, said third housing having inner and outer surfaces, said inner surface of said third housing having a keyboard disposed thereon which faces and is positioned adjacent to the inner surface of said first housing and overlaps a second portion of the display section when the third housing is in its folded state, said third housing further having a transmitter disposed thereon;

wherein the communications device operates as a telephone when the second housing is in its folded state, and operates as a data transmitter/receiver when the second and third housings are in their unfolded states.

2. A folding portable communications device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitter is disposed on the outer surface of the third housing which faces away from said first housing in the folded state of the third housing, to enable usage of the device as a telephone in the folded state of the third housing.

3. A folding portable communications device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitter is disposed on the inner surface of the third housing which faces away from said first housing in the folded state of the third housing, to enable usage of the device as a telephone in the folded state of the third housing.

4. A folding portable communications device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a transmitter is provided on both the inner surface and the outer surface of the third housing, such that the device can be used as a telephone when the third housing is in its folded state or when the third housing is in its unfolded state.

5. A folding portable communications device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display section is provided over a major portion of the inner surface of the first housing.

6. A folding portable communications device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display section is provided over substantially the entire inner surface of the first housing.

7. A folding portable communications device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second housing and the third housing have slanted end surfaces which are positioned parallel to each other when the second housing and the third housing are in their folded states, wherein the slanted end surface of the third housing increases the surface area of the third housing on which the keyboard is disposed.

8. A folding portable communications device as claimed in claim 1, further including switching means for switching between the functions of a telephone and a data transmitter/receiver.

9. A folding portable communications device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the switching means detects whether the second housing is in its folded state or not, and the device selects the function of a telephone or a data transmitter/receiver respectively in response to a signal from the switching means indicating that the second housing is respectively in its folded state or its unfolded state.

10. A folding portable communications device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the switching means is provided on the region of the inner surface of the first housing adjacent to which the second housing is positioned in its folded state, or on the inner surface of the second housing.

11. A folding portable communications device as claimed in claim 1, which displays information on the display section in separate modes, depending upon its usage as a telephone or as a data transmitter/receiver.

12. A folding portable communications device as claimed in claim 1, which, when used as a telephone, displays information of higher precedence on the region of the display section which is not covered by the second housing, and displays information of lower precedence or no information on the region of the display section which is covered by the second housing.

13. A folding portable communications device as claimed in claim 1, which, when used as a telephone, displays information of higher precedence on the display section successively, starting at the side of the bottom of the first housing.

14. A folding portable communications device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the entire display section is used as a region for displaying information during transmission or reception of data.

15. A folding portable communications device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display section is demarcated into a first region which is covered by the second housing in its folded state and a second region, and when the portable communications device is used as a telephone, the first region and the second region of the display section are separately controlled for display of data.