Radio handset

• US 6,785,386 B1
• Filed: 08/21/1997
• Issued: 08/31/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Mason, Mark Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Chiang, Jack
• Application Number:
  US08/915,995
• Time in Patent Office: 2,567 Days
• Field of Search: 379/433, 379/428, 379/434, 379/433.01, 455/90, 455/575, D14/138, D14/147, D14/245, D14/248
• US Class Current: 379/433.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0281 for providing single handed use or left/right hand conversion

Abstract

A rear cover of a radio handset having a scooped recess for improving the ergonomics of the phone for single-handed operation.

Claims

1. A housing component providing at least part of a rear cover of a radio handset having a front operating face including an earpiece and a keypad, said rear cover being formed with a laterally extending recessed surface area surrounded by peripheral elevated bank areas of the cover with curved walls at a junction of the bank areas with the recessed surface area, said recessed surface area being sized and positioned towards an end of the radio handset containing the earpiece so as to receive and support a plurality of fingers of a user and to properly orient the radio handset during use, wherein said recessed surface area extends across a majority of a width of said rear cover for receiving the plurality of fingers of the user, and wherein said recessed surface area comprises a substantially smooth continuous finger contact surface across said recessed surface area to allow the plurality of fingers to contact the finger contact surface.

2. A housing component according to claim 1 configured such that the recessed area is formed towards one end of the assembled cover.

3. A housing component according to claim 2 configured such that a second recessed area is formed at an end of the cover opposed to said one end.

4. A housing component according to claim 3 wherein the handset includes a battery contained within a battery housing forming part of the rear cover and the housing component is configured such that the second recessed surface area is located adjacent the battery housing.

5. A housing component according to claim 4 wherein the battery housing contains a catch adjacent the laterally extending recessed area.

6. A housing component according to claim 1 wherein the peripheral elevated bank areas surrounding the recessed area, along the sides of the rear cover, inhibit lateral movement of the handset when placed rear cover downward on a generally planar surface.

7. A housing component according to claim 1 wherein a second recessed area is sized and positioned to receive the palm of the user'"'"'s hand.

8. A housing component according to claim 7 wherein a second recessed area is formed partly from the battery housing of the handset.

9. A housing component as in claim 1 wherein said recessed surface area is sized and positioned so that it cannot be seen in side profile of said radio handset thereby providing lateral stability of said handset when placed on a planar surface.

10. A housing component as in claim 1 wherein said elevated bank areas completely surround said recessed surface area.

11. A housing component as in claim 7 wherein said second recessed area is generally wider laterally and shorter longitudinally than said recessed surface area.

12. A housing component as in claim 11 wherein said banks continuously surround said recessed surface area.

13. A housing component as in claim 1 wherein said rear cover does not include a keypad.

22. A housing component as in claim 7 wherein said second recessed area is wider laterally and shorter longitudinally than the recessed surface area.

25. A housing component according to claim 1 wherein said front operating face includes a display and said recess is positioned substantially directly behind the display in a position to comfortably accommodate the user'"'"'s fingers when the earpiece is held to the user'"'"'s ear.

14. A housing component providing at least part of a rear cover of a radio handset having a front operating face including an earpiece and a keypad, said rear cover being formed with a laterally extending recessed surface area surrounded by peripheral elevated bank areas of the cover to form a scoop shaped recess with curved walls at a junction of the bank areas with the recessed surface area, the scoop shaped recess being sized and positioned towards the end of the radio handset containing the earpiece and so as to receive and support multiple fingers of a user and to properly orient the radio handset during use, wherein the scoop shaped recess extends across a majority of width of said rear cover for receiving the multiple fingers of the user, and wherein the scoop shaped recess has a substantially continuous finger contact surface across a width of said scoop shaped recess including said curved walls inside said scoop shaped recess.

15. A housing component as in claim 14 wherein said rear cover does not include a keypad.

16. A housing component providing at least part of a rear cover of a radio handset having a front operating face including an earpiece and a keypad, said rear cover being formed with a laterally extending recessed surface area surrounded by peripheral elevated bank areas of the cover with curved walls inside said recessed surface area at a junction of the bank areas with the recessed surface area, said recessed surface area being sized and positioned towards an end of the radio handset containing the earpiece so as to receive and support at least one finger of a user to properly orient the radio handset during use, said surrounding bank areas being configured to avoid lateral rocking on a flat surface by preventing said recess from being seen in a side profile other than a top side profile, wherein said recessed surface area extends across a majority of a width of said rear cover for receiving the at least one finger of the user, and wherein the recessed surface area comprises a substantially continuous finger contact surface across a width of said recessed surface area between opposite sides of the peripheral elevated bank areas and open for the at least one finger of the user to contact the entire finger contact surface.

17. A housing component as in claim 16 wherein said recess is configured to comfortably accommodate more than one of the users fingers when the earpiece of the handset is held to the users ear.

20. A housing component as in claim 16 wherein said keypad includes a scroll key arranged obliquely relative to a side of said housing component to improve the ergonomics of the handset.

23. A housing component as in claim 16 wherein said recessed surface area is in a flat portion of said rear cover to promote stability of the housing when placed on a flat surface.

26. A housing component according to claim 16 wherein said front operating face includes a display and said recess surface area is positioned substantially directly behind the display in a position to comfortably accommodate the user'"'"'s fingers when the earpiece is held to the user'"'"'s ear.

18. A housing component providing at least part of a rear cover of a radio handset having a front operating face including an earpiece and a keypad, said rear cover being formed with a laterally extending recessed surface area at least partially surrounded by peripheral elevated bank areas of the cover to form a scoop shaped recess with curved walls inside the scoop shaped recess at a junction of the bank areas with the recessed surface area, the scoop shaped recess being sized and positioned towards an end of the radio handset containing the earpiece to receive and support a plurality of fingers of a user to properly orient the radio handset during use, wherein said recessed surface area extends across a majority of a width of said rear cover for receiving the plurality of fingers of the user, and wherein said recessed surface area comprises a substantially smooth finger contact surface across said recessed surface area including said curved walls.

19. A housing component as in claim 18 wherein said recess is configured to comfortably accommodate more than one of the users fingers when the earpiece of the handset is held to the users ear.

21. A housing component as in claim 18 wherein said keypad includes a scroll key arranged obliquely relative to a side of said housing component to improve the ergonomics of the handset.

24. A housing component as in claim 18 wherein said recessed surface area is in a flat portion of said rear cover to promote stability of the housing when placed on a flat surface.

27. A housing component according to claim 18 wherein said front operating face includes a display and said recess surface area is positioned substantially directly behind the display in a position to comfortably accommodate the user'"'"'s fingers when the earpiece is held to the user'"'"'s ear.

28. A housing component providing at least part of a rear cover of a radio handset having a front operating face including an earpiece and a microphone displaced longitudinally, said rear cover being formed with a laterally extending recessed surface at least partially constrained by peripheral banks with curved walls at a junction of the banks with the recessed surface, said recessed surface being sized and positioned towards an end of the radio handset containing the earpiece so as to receive and support a plurality of fingers of the user said recessed surface being sized and positioned to receive and support the plurality of fingers of the user to properly orient the radio handset during a call, wherein said recessed surface extends across a majority of a width of said rear cover for receiving the plurality of fingers, and wherein the recessed surface forms a continuous singular finger contact surface between opposite peripheral banks which is entirely open for contact by the user'"'"'s fingers.

29. A housing component providing at least part of a rear cover of a radio handset having a front operating face including an earpiece and a microphone displaced longitudinally, said rear cover being formed with a laterally extending scoop shaped recess at least partially constrained by peripheral banks with curved walls at a junction of the banks with the recessed surface, said scoop shaped recess being sized and positioned towards an end of the radio handset containing the earpiece so as to receive and support fingers of a user wherein said scoop shaped recess extends across a majority of a width of said rear cover and said recessed surface is sized and positioned to receive and support a plurality of the fingers of the user to properly orient the radio handset during a call, and wherein said recess comprises a finger contact surface bordered by said peripheral banks which extends across an entire width of said scoop shaped recess, the finger contact surface being one substantially continuous surface which is open for the fingers of the user to contact.

30. A housing component providing at least part of a rear cover of a radio handset having a front operating face including an earpiece and a keypad, said rear cover being formed with a laterally extending recessed surface area surrounded by peripheral elevated bank areas of the cover with curved walls at a junction of the bank areas with the recessed surface area, said recessed surface area being sized and positioned towards an end of the radio handset containing the earpiece, wherein said recessed surface area extends across a majority of a width of said rear cover, wherein said recessed surface area is sized and shaped such that a fingers of a user is adapted to be supported in said recessed surface area adjacent said bank areas along either one of two opposite ones of the curved walls to properly orient the radio handset during use, and wherein said recessed surface area comprises a finger contact surface which extends across a majority of a width of the recessed surface area as a continuous surface which is open to allow the fingers of the user to contact any area on the entire finger contact surface.