Keyboard of a personal digital assistant

• US 6,976,799 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2003
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Young-ki, Cha, Kwang-hwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirshfeld, Andrew H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hamdan, Wasseem H.
• Application Number:
  US10/385,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20040005184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 400/472, 400/83, 361/681, 361/680, 361/683, 345/168, 345/169, 345/82, 341/22, 439/638, 439/31, 162/61, 162/54, 163/03
• US Class Current: 400/472
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1618 the display being foldable up to the back of the other housing with a single degree of freedom, e.g. by 360° rotation over the axis defined by the rear edge of the base 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 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683

Abstract

A keyboard attached to a personal digital assistant (PDA) set having: a hinge unit including a connector to transfer a keyboard input signal to the PDA, and upper and lower hinge covers; a connection unit placed inside of the hinge unit, and can be attached in the front direction or the back direction to the PDA; and a keyboard body connected with the hinge unit, folded and unfolded about the hinge unit, having a typing board on an upper side and a front panel controller (FPC) keypad to input a key pressed on the typing board. Therefore, the keyboard of the PDA can not only be attached in the front direction or the back direction to the PDA, but also separated from the PDA, thus making the usage and maintenance of the keyboard convenient.

Claims

1. A keyboard attached to a personal digital assistant (PDA) set, comprising:

hinge means having a connector to transmit a keyboard input signal to the PDA, and upper and lower hinge covers;

a connection unit placed inside of the hinge means and attachable in a front direction and a back direction to the PDA such that the PDA can face toward or away from the keyboard; and

a keyboard body connected with the hinge means, folded and unfolded about the hinge means, having a typing board on an upper side and a keypad formed therein to input a key pressed on the typing board, the hinge means being detachably disposed within the PDA between projections on opposite ends of a side of the PDA opposite the keyboard body and directly connected to the keyboard body, a portion of the keyboard body being rounded so that the keyboard body is folded against a screen of the PDA when attached in the front direction, and against a back of the PDA when attached in the back direction.

2. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the connection unit comprises:

a bracket hinge inserted into the PDA in order to fix the hinge means;

a spring to elastically bias the bracket hinge toward a side so that the bracket hinge is automatically locked to the PDA when the bracket hinge is inserted into the PDA; and

an ejector to release the lock of the bracket hinge by compressing the spring.

3. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the connector is a pin contact connector connected with the keypad.

4. The keyboard of claim 3, further comprising a pipe hinge to prevent the keyboard body from being worn by the friction with the fixed hinge means when the keyboard is folded and unfolded about the hinge means.

5. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the upper hinge cover has a guide protrusion to inform an attaching position to the PDA.

6. The keyboard of claim 5, further comprising a pipe hinge to prevent the keyboard body from being worn by the friction with the fixed hinge means when the keyboard is folded and unfolded about the hinge means.

7. The keyboard of claim 1, further comprising a pipe hinge to prevent the keyboard body from being worn by the friction with the fixed hinge means when the keyboard body is folded and unfolded about the hinge means.

8. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the keyboard body further comprises an arm extending towards the PDA to support the PDA above the keyboard when the PDA is in use, the hinge unit-means being disposed within the arm.

9. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the keyboard and the PDA set rotate relative to each other about a single axis parallel to a face of the screen.