Cellular telephone having a touch screen user interface

• US 6,775,560 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2002
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Resource Consortium Limited, LLC
• Original Assignee: LavaFlow LLP
• Inventors: King, Christina J., King, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US10/307,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20040067770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/575.3, 455/575.1, 455/550.1, 455/73, 455/403, 455/558, 455/415, 455/569.1, 455/90.3, 455/556.1, 455/556.2
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1622 with enclosures rotating around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define or with ball-joint coupling, e.g. PDA with display enclosure orientation changeable between portrait and landscape by rotation with respect to a coplanar body enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• 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 1/236 including keys on side or rear faces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser 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 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 : Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices

Abstract

A cellular telephone having a touch screen user interface is disclosed. The cellular telephone comprises a touch screen element positioned on a surface of the cellular telephone; display positioned above the touch screen element; and a keypad positioned below the touch screen element.

Claims

1. A cellular telephone having a touch screen user interface, said cellular telephone comprising:

a first body portion;

a second body portion coupled to said first body portion by a hinge, said second body portion being movable between a closed position and an open position;

a touch screen user interface positioned on a first side of said first body portion adjacent to said hinge;

a first plurality of user interface actuator keys positioned on said first side of said first body portion below said touch screen user interface;

a numeric keypad positioned on said first side of said first body portion below said first plurality of user interface actuator keys;

a display positioned on said second body portion and responsive to said touch screen user interface, wherein said numeric keypad and said touch screen user interface are exposed when said second body portion is in said open position;

a user interface keypad positioned on said second body portion; and

a battery, separate from said touch screen user interface, accessible on a second side of said first body portion.

2. The cellular telephone of claim 1 wherein said first plurality of user interface actuator keys comprises soft keys.

3. The cellular telephone of claim 1 wherein said user interface keypad comprises a plurality of hard keys having predetermined functions.

4. The cellular telephone of claim 3 wherein a hard key of said plurality of hard keys enables the selection of a PDA function of said cellular telephone.

5. A cellular telephone having a touch screen user interface, said cellular telephone comprising:

a first body portion;

a second body portion coupled to said first body portion by a hinge, said second body portion being movable between an open position and a closed position;

a touch screen user interface positioned on a first side of said first body portion adjacent to said hinge;

a plurality of user interface actuator keys positioned on said first side of said first body portion below said touch screen user interface;

a numeric keypad positioned on said first side of said first body portion below said plurality of user interface actuator keys;

a user interface actuator positioned on a side of said wireless communication device;

a first display positioned on said second body portion, said first display being responsive to the selection of a function on said touch screen user interface, wherein said numeric keypad and said touch screen user interface are exposed when said second body portion is in said open position; and

a battery, separate from said touch screen user interface, accessible on a second side of said first body portion.

6. The cellular telephone of claim 5 further comprising a user interface keypad positioned on said second body portion.

7. The cellular telephone of claim 6 wherein said user interface keypad on said second body portion comprises a plurality of hard keys enabling the selection of a PDA function of said cellular telephone.

8. The cellular telephone of claim 7 further comprising a voice recognition circuit responsive to said voice signals.

9. A method of enabling the operation of a cellular telephone having a touch screen user interface, said method comprising:

coupling a first body portion to a second body portion by a hinge, said second body portion being movable between an opened position and a closed position;

positioning a numeric keypad on said first body portion;

positioning a first touch screen user interface on said first body portion above said numeric keypad and adjacent to said hinge;

enabling the selection of a function of said cellular telephone by way of said first touch screen user interface; and

positioning a second touch screen user interface on said second body portion, said second touch screen user interface comprising a display which is responsive to said first touch screen user interface.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising a step of enabling the selection of a predetermined function by way of a user interface actuator key of a plurality of user interface actuator keys, wherein said plurality of user interface actuator keys comprises a plurality of hard keys having predetermined functions.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising a step of enabling the selection of a predetermined function by way of a user interface keypad on said second body portion adjacent said second touch screen user interface.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said step of enabling the selection of a predetermined function by way of a user interface keypad comprises positioning a plurality of hard keys having predetermined functions on said second body portion.

13. A method of enabling the operation of a cellular telephone having a touch screen user interface, said method comprising:

coupling a first body portion to a second body portion by a hinge, said second body portion being movable between an opened position and a closed position;

positioning a numeric keypad on said first body portion;

positioning a first touch screen user interface on said first body portion above said numeric keypad and adjacent to said hinge;

positioning a touch screen display on said second body portion, said touch screen display being responsive to said first touch screen user interface; and

enabling the selection of a function of said cellular telephone by way of a user interface keypad on said second body portion adjacent said second touch screen user interface.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of enabling the selection of a function of said cellular telephone by way of a user interface keypad on said second body portion adjacent said second touch screen user interface comprises a step of enabling the selection of PDA functions of said cellular telephone by way of said user interface keypad, wherein said user interface keypad comprises a plurality of hard keys.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising a step of enabling the selection of functions of said cellular telephone by way of said first touch screen user interface.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising a step of providing a voice recognition circuit responsive to voice signals.

17. A method of enabling the operation of a cellular telephone having a touch screen user interface, said method comprising:

coupling a first body portion to a second body portion by a hinge, said second body portion being movable between an opened position and a closed position;

positioning a numeric keypad on said first body portion;

positioning a first touch screen user interface on said first body portion above said numeric keypad and adjacent to said hinge, said first touch screen user interface having a plurality of functional icons;

positioning a second touch screen user interface on said second body portion, wherein said second touch screen user interface comprises a display responsive to the selection of a functional icon of said plurality of functional icons on said first touch screen user interface.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising a step of enabling the selection of a function of said cellular telephone by way of a first plurality of user interface actuator keys positioned on said first body portion below said touch screen user interface.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising a step of enabling the selection of a function of said cellular telephone by way of a user interface keypad on said second body portion.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said step of enabling the selection of a function of said cellular telephone by way of a user interface keypad on said second body portion comprises a step of enabling the selection of a PDA function of said cellular telephone by way of said user interface keypad comprising a plurality of hard keys.