Multi-function telecommunication device

• US 6,424,843 B1
• Filed: 04/05/2000
• Issued: 07/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Oyj (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Nieminen, Hannu, Reitmaa, Ilpo, Va̅isa̅nen, Mika, Kimmel, Jyrki, Tappura, Kirsi, Kolehmainen, Timo
• Primary Examiner(s): TO, DORIS HA
• Application Number:
  US09/403,458
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575, 455/90, 455/66, 455/351, 455/347, 455/566, 455/550, 379/428.01, 379/428.02, 379/433.01, 379/433.04
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0208 characterized by the relative motions of the body parts
• 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 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/236 including keys on side or rear faces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

The telecommunication device comprises a speaker (32) and a microphone (33) in order to use the telecommunication device as a telephone. Further it comprises a camera (91, 1101) having a certain photographing direction, and a display (38, 1102) having a certain displaying direction, in order to use the telecommunication device as an image generating means. The photographing direction is substantially different from the displaying direction.

Claims

1. A mobile telecommunication device (30), which has an elongated form and comprises a first end, a second end, a speaker (32) and a microphone (33), of which said speaker (32) is located in that part of the telecommunication device which is at said first end and said microphone (33) is located in that part of the telecommunication device which is at the second end and the location of the speaker and microphone is so dimensioned that in a normal operational position of said telecommunication device on the side of the head of a human user said speaker is next to the ear of the user and said microphone is close to the mouth area of the user;

said telecommunication device further comprising a camera (91, 1101) having a certain photographing direction and a display (38, 1102) having a certain displaying direction, characterised in that said display (38, 1102) is arranged to be located in the field of vision of the user in said normal operational position on the side of the head of the user, and said camera (91, 1101) is coupled to said telecommunication device so that said photographing direction in said normal operational position on the side of the head of the user is substantially in the same direction in which the user is looking, said direction being opposite to said displaying direction.

2. A telecommunication device according to claim 1, characterised in that the camera is fixedly contained in the telecommunication device.

3. A telecommunication device according to claim 1, characterised in that the camera is located in a camera part (93), which can be mechanically connected to the telecommunication device with the aid of a detachable connection.

4. A telecommunication device according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises means (101) for directing the image generated by said camera to said display (38, 108).

5. A telecommunication device according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a frame part (31) and a display part (36) which are movable in relation to each other, whereby said display (38) is located in said display part (36) and said speaker (32) is located in said frame part (31).

6. A telecommunication device according to claim 5, characterised in that said display part (36) is connected to said frame part (31) by a rotating joint (37), in relation to which the display pan can be rotated between two extreme positions, of which in the first extreme position it acts as an extension of the frame part so that the direction of the external surfaces of the display pan does not essentially deviate from the direction of the external surfaces of the frame part, and in the second extreme position the display part is directed in a lateral direction which is substantially perpendicular to the direction of the maximum dimension of the frame part.

7. A telecommunication device according to claim 5, characterised in that the display part (36) contains a display element (61) for generating an image and optics (64) for directing the image into the user'"'"'s field of vision so that the user perceives the image to be larger than in reality and farther away than in reality.

8. A telecommunication device according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises means for rotating the image displayed in said display by 180 degrees around the centre of the image as a response to information about the position of the telecommunication device in relation to the user'"'"'s head, and means for generating said information with the aid of a switch, which is one the following:

an automatic switch, a manual switch.

9. A telecommunication device according to claim 1, characterised in that said camera is arranged to operate at another wavelength range than that of visible light.

10. A telecommunication device according to claim 9, characterised in that it further comprises means for illuminating an object to be photographed at said other wavelength range than that of visible light.

11. A telecommunication device according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises means (101) for displaying in said display (38, 108) other graphical information than the image generated by said camera, simultaneously and superimposed on the image generated by said camera.

12. A telecommunication device according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises means (110, 101, 102, 103) for transmitting the image generated by said camera in an electrical form via a data transmission network to a receiver, whereby said electrical form is one of the following:

a still picture file, a continuous video stream.

13. A telecommunication device according to claim 1, characterised in that it further comprises a meter of the magnetic field in order to convey via said display to the user information relating to the position of the telecommunication device regarding the points of the compass.

14. A telecommunication device according to claim 1, characterised in that it further comprises a control device (39, 71, 72, 81) for generating display control instructions on the basis of a mechanical motion made by the user.

15. A telecommunication device according to claim 14, characterised in that in order to generate display control instructions on the basis of such a motion where the user moves a certain part of his hand in relation to the telecommunication device said control device is one of the following:

a ball mouse (39), a touch pad mouse (71), a navigation key (72).

16. A telecommunication device according to claim 15, characterised in that said telecommunication device has a flat form, defining a first wide side surface and a second wide side surface opposite each other, and said control device (39, 71, 72) is located on said wide second side surface in that part of the telecommunication device which is at said first end.

17. A telecommunication device according to claim 14, characterised in that in order to generate display control instructions on the basis of such a motion where the user moves the entire telecommunication device said control device is a device measuring the rotation around at least one axis, particularly an inertia sensor (81).

18. A telecommunication device according to claim 17, characterised in that it comprises means to generate by calculation an invisible pseudo image (83) and to display a certain part (82, 83a) of said invisible pseudo image in said display on the basis of the measuring results which are provided by said inertia sensor (81) and which represent the position and that motion state of the telecommunication device.