Mobile device featuring 90 degree rotatable front cover for covering or revealing a keyboard

• US 6,813,143 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2002
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Makela, Aarre
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, YEAN HSI
• Application Number:
  US10/278,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20040075973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679-681, 361/683, 361/686
• US Class Current: 361/679.08
• 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

Abstract

A mobile device has a housing having a keyboard, a front cover having a display and at least one corner, and a hingeable mounting assembly for rotatably coupling the front cover to the housing for covering or revealing entirely the keyboard. The hingeable mounting assembly couples the at least one corner of the front cover to the housing so that the front cover can be turned 90 degrees to cover or reveal the keyboard. The mobile device includes a connection for providing signals between the housing and the front cover. The connection may be an electrical connection and may include flex technology. The front cover may include soft keys, display function keys, an earpiece or a combination thereof.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising a housing having a keyboard, a front cover having a display and one or more corners, and a hingeable mounting assembly for rotatably coupling the front cover to the housing about an axis substantially perpendicular to planes of respective faces of the keyboard and the display for covering or revealing the keyboard, characterized in that

the hingeable mounting assembly couples one corner of the front cover to the housing so that the front cover can be turned 90 degrees to cover or reveal entirely the keyboard.

2. A mobile device according to claim 1, characterized in that the mobile device includes a connection for providing signals between the housing and the front cover.

3. A mobile device according to claim 2, characterized in that the connection is an electrical connection.

4. A mobile device according to claim 3, characterized in that the electrical connection includes flex technology.

5. A mobile device according to claim 1, characterized in that the front cover includes soft keys, display function keys, an earpiece, or a combination thereof.