Electronic device having a movable keypad

• US 6,996,426 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2001
• Issued: 02/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Richard Granberg
• Original Assignee: Richard Granberg
• Inventors: Granberg, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUANG, WEN WU
• Application Number:
  US10/181,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20030112225A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,842 Days
• Field of Search: 455/90.3, 455/550.1, 455/575.1, 455/575.4, 455/575.8, 361679-680, 200/544, 345/173, 345/169
• US Class Current: 455/575.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0237 Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0245 using open/close detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

An electronic device such as a mobile telephone has a large touch screen display (1). On top of the display a flexible keypad (11) can be pulled up to more or less cover it. The keys (19) of the keypad act at their bottom against the surface of the display and produce, when depressed by the fingers of a user, a pressing force on the surface of the display, that by electronic circuits in the device is translated to a corresponding input figure or letter. The keypad can be the Venetian blind type and comprise lamellae (13) hinged to each other, so that each depressible key is placed completely on a single lamella. Guides (15) for the keypad are arranged at two opposite edges of the display, not allowing any part of the keypad to project outside the general profile of the device when moving the keypad. Such a movable keypad can be easily handled, is robust and not apt to be broken.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a touch screen display and associated electronic circuits in a housing for displaying symbols and/or images on the display, and for receiving input for a localized pressure force against a surface of the display;

a keypad arranged to be moved over the display to bring, when manually depressing keys on the keypad, the keys to act on the surface of the display and thereby produce a corresponding input of figures or letters corresponding to the keys; and

a pair of U-shaped guides extending around a rear end of the housing of the electronic device,

wherein the keypad is flexible and has a size adapted to a size of the display, the keypad being arranged to be moved by a user of the electronic device to different positions, including a first position to cover all of the touch screen display, a second position to cover a portion of the touch screen display, or a third position to cover no portion of the touch screen display, and

wherein the keypad is connected to the device by said pair of U-shaped guides allowing a sliding movement of the keypad in such a way, that when moving the keypad to the different positions, the keypad maintains a shape of the surfaces of the electronic device, and/or is located along a perimeter of the electronic device when seen in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement of the keypad and parallel to a surface of the touch screen display.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the guides are arranged at opposite sides of the display and extend around rear edges of the housing of the electronic device to have a shape seen in the direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the keypad and parallel to a surface of the touch screen display, substantially agreeing with or being parallel to the outline of the electronic device seen in said direction.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the guides arranged at opposite sides of the display and extending around rear edges of the housing of the electronic device, so that when moving the keypad away from the touch screen display, part of the keypad will be located at a bottom side of the electronic device.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the guides are arranged so that when moving the keypad totally away from the touch screen displays, part of the keypad will be located at the rear end of the electronic device.

5. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the guides are arranged so that when moving the keypad totally away from the touch screen display, part of the keypad will be located at a rear end of the electronic device.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, in wherein the keypad comprises a plurality of lamellae hinged to each other, the guides for the keypad being arranged at opposite sides of the display for slidably receiving the lamellae.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein each of the keys is placed on a single lamella.

8. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein at least some of the plurality of lamellae of the keypad include upper and lower strips, wherein the upper and lower strips are spaced apart at positions corresponding to the keys.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the guides extend along opposite top sides of the display of the housing by a distance substantially equal to a distance that the guides extend along opposite bottom sides of the housing.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the keypad includes localized convex-shaped portions under the keys of the keypad.

11. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the keypad comprises a plurality of lamellae hinged to each other, the guides for the keypad being arranged at the opposite sides of the housing for slidably receiving the lamellae.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein each of the keys is placed on a single lamella.

13. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein at least some of the plurality of lamellae of the keypad include upper and lower strips, wherein the upper and lower strips are spaced apart at positions corresponding to the keys.

14. An electronic device comprising:

a touch screen display and associated electronic circuits in a housing for displaying symbols and/or images on the display, and for receiving input for a localized pressure force against a surface of the display;

a keypad arranged to be moved over the display to bring, when manually depressing keys on the keypad, the keys to act on the surface of the display and thereby produce a corresponding input of figures or letters corresponding to the keys; and

a pair of U-shaped guides extending by substantially equal distances along top and bottom side edges on opposite sides of the housing of the electronic device,

wherein the keypad is flexible and has a size adapted to a size of the display, the keypad being arranged to be moved by a user along the guides to different positions, including a first position to cover all of the touch screen display, a second position to cover a portion of the touch screen display, or a third position to cover no portion of the touch screen display, and

wherein the keypad slides along the guides on opposite side edges of the housing in such a way, that when moving the keypad to the different positions, the keypad moves along the opposite top side edges, opposite rear edges, and the opposite bottom side edges of the electronic device when seen in a direction perpendicular to a direction of movement of the keypad and parallel to a surface of the touch screen display, whereby the keypad maintains a shape of the surfaces of the electronic device.

15. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein the keypad includes localized convex-shaped portions under the keys of the keypad.