Mobile information terminal equipment and portable electronic apparatus

• US 6,535,749 B1
• Filed: 03/08/1999
• Issued: 03/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwata, Yuji, Sato, Hideki, Saito, Hiroshi, Matsuura, Kazumi, Shinoda, Kazuhisa, Owada, Minoru, Mochizuki, Yasuyuki, Orita, Michio
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, LANA N
• Application Number:
  US09/263,957
• Time in Patent Office: 1,471 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575, 455/553, 455/90, 455/351, 455/66, 455/344, 455/556, 455/566, 379/428, 379/447, 379/433, 345/173, 345/168, 345/169, 345/905
• US Class Current: 455/556.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1634 Integrated protective display lid, e.g. for touch-sensitive display in handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• 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 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0237 Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0245 using open/close detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27453 Directories allowing storage of additional subscriber data, e.g. metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/275 implemented by means of portable electronic directories
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/56 Arrangements for indicating or recording the called number at the calling subscriber's set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs

Abstract

The objective of the present invention is to have a desired screen displayed with shortened waiting time in using functions for the electronic note, etc., while engaging in telephone talk. Another prime objective of the present invention is to achieve an easy-to-use mobile information terminal equipment which also functions as an electronic note, word processor, personal computer, and so on. In transitting from telephone mode (cover closed status) to information terminal mode (cover opened status), the screen to be displayed is determined to be either a historical information, talk log information, or user setting screen. This enables the user to obtain the desired screen with fewer number of operations and with less waiting time.

Claims

1. A mobile information terminal having a body, comprising:

a display unit having a touch screen;

a door having a display window on part of the display unit and at least one switch button;

a door opening/closing detector for detecting door opened/closed status;

a first software module for providing a user interface when using the mobile information terminal as a telephone set in the door closed status, wherein characters and pictographs are displayed on the display unit, being viewable through the display window, in the direction easier to see when the body is held vertically; and

a second software module for providing a user interface when using the mobile information terminal as an information processor in the door opened status, wherein characters and pictographs are displayed on the display unit in the direction easier to see when the body is held horizontally.

2. The mobile information terminal of claim 1, wherein the first and second software modules share information for a telephone operation.

3. The mobile information terminal of claim 1, further comprising a third software module for providing a function to access the shared data.

4. The mobile information terminal of claim 3, wherein the mobile information terminal can be used as a telephone set in the door closed status by the same operation as that for a mobile telephone with the switch button.

5. The mobile information terminal of claim 1,

wherein the touch screen is located under the door and touched by pressing the at least one switch button of the door in the door closed status, and a touch input is mapped with each switch button of the door.

6. The mobile information terminal of claim 1,

wherein the touch screen can be directly touched in the door opened status, and wherein a personal management information function, telephone, and data transmission are enabled by graphic user interface (GUI) using a display screen.

7. The mobile information terminal of claim 1,

wherein a touch input is mapped with the graphic user interface in the door opened status.

8. The mobile information terminal of claim 1, further comprising a microphone and a speaker,

and wherein the input sensitivity to the microphone and the output level from the speaker are adjustable so that the user can use the body in hand-free condition with ear and mouth released from the body when the door is opened from the door closed status.

9. The mobile information terminal of claim 1, further comprising a microphone, a voice signal switch unit, a radio unit, and a modem, and a control unit for controlling the microphone, the voice signal switch unit, the radio unit, and the modem, and

wherein the control unit instructs the voice signal switch unit to temporarily shut a path from the microphone to the radio unit during talk to validate a path from the modem to the radio unit, so as to switch the line used for the telephone to the modem to allow the user to halt the talk being conducted with hand-free condition and to transmit the data including the information written using the personal management function, and then resume the talk upon completion of the data transmission.

10. A mobile information terminal, comprising:

a door opening/closing detector for detecting door opened/closed status;

a first software module for providing a user interface for using the mobile information terminal as a telephone set when a door closed status is detected; and

a second software module for providing a user interface for using the mobile information terminal as an information processor when a door opened status is detected,

wherein the input sensitivity to a microphone and the output level from a speaker are controlled so as to be increased when a transition from the door closed status to the door opened status is detected during talk, so that the user can continue to talk with ear and mouth released from a body of the mobile information terminal.

11. A mobile information terminal comprising:

a door opening/closing detector for detecting door opened/closed status;

a software module for providing a user interface according to the detected door opened/closed status; and

a control unit for controlling a microphone, a voice signal switch unit, a radio unit, and a modem,

wherein, in response to a data transmission request during talk, the control unit instructs the voice signal switch unit to temporarily shut down a path from the microphone to the radio unit to validate a path from the modem to the radio unit, so as to switch the line used for the telephone to the modem to transmit the data, and then resume the talk upon completion of the data transmission.

12. A mobile information terminal equipment comprising:

a cover for opening or closing part of a surface of the mobile information terminal equipment;

a display unit for displaying information on a display area in part of the surface of the mobile information terminal equipment;

a detector for detecting a position of the cover whether the cover is in a open position or a closed position; and

a display switch for changing a size of the display area for displaying information according to the position of the cover detected by the detector.

13. A mobile information terminal equipment comprising:

a cover for opening or closing part of a surface of the mobile information terminal equipment;

a display unit for displaying information on a display area in part of the surface of the mobile information terminal equipment;

a detector for detecting a position of the cover whether the cover is in an open position or a closed position; and

a display switch for changing a displaying direction of information according to the position of the cover detected by the detector.