Information terminal

• US 6,662,244 B1
• Filed: 07/31/2000
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): ELAMIN, ABDELMONIEM I
• Application Number:
  US09/629,726
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: 710/14, 379/433.07, 455/90, 455/567, 455/566
• US Class Current: 710/14
• 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: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit

Abstract

An information terminal made up of a first housing 2 having a display section 5 and a second housing 3 having an input/display section 11 and can be made very small when said first housing 2 and said second housing 3 are folded relative to each other. An enhanced degree of operability in terms of inputting characters and displaying a large volume of data is provided.

Claims

1. An information terminal comprising:

a first housing having a display section for displaying information;

a second housing;

state shifting means including a hinge for rotatably linking said first and second housings and for selectively shifting the state of said information terminal between an open state wherein said first housing and said second housing are arranged such that said display section is not covered by said second housing and a closed state wherein said first housing and said second housing overlap each other such that said display section is covered by said second housing;

an input/display section arranged in said second housing such that it is visible and operable in said open state so that information is input by manipulating said input/display section and displayed thereon; and

control means for controlling said input/display section so as to make said input/display section transparent in said closed state so that said display section is visible though said input/display section.

2. The information terminal according to claim 1, wherein said input/display section comprises a transparent liquid crystal display unit and a transparent touch panel.

3. The information terminal according to claim 1, wherein said input/display section operates in one of:

an all input mode wherein the entire area of said input/display section operates as an input section; and

an all display mode wherein the entire area of said input/display section operates as a display section; and

a partial input mode wherein a portion of the area of said input/display section operates as an input section; and

said control means controls the operation of selecting said all input mode, said all display mode, and said partial input mode.