Interchangeable covering additions to a mobile communication device for display and key reorientation

• US 6,999,804 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2003
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Smart Skins LLC
• Original Assignee: Wildseed Ltd. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zatloukal, Peter, Engstrom, G. Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): APPIAH, CHARLES NANA
• Application Number:
  US10/346,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20030224831A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575.1, 455/575.3, 455/575.8, 455/566, 455/90.3, 455/550.1, 345/581, 345/158, 345/169, 345/168, 379/433.01, 379/43
• US Class Current: 455/575.3
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/245 with means for shaping the antenna pattern, e.g. in order to protect user against rf exposure
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3838 Arrangements for reducing RF exposure to the user, e.g. by changing the shape of the transceiver while in use
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0283 for providing a decorative aspect, e.g. customization of casings, exchangeable faceplate
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 by connection of exchangeable housing parts

Abstract

A mobile communications device including an interchangeable covering addition for display and key reorientation is provided. A body encases a first set of electronic components. A display screen with a default display orientation and a first plurality of input keys are disposed on the body and are coupled to the first set of electronic components. Each of the input keys has a default function and is designed to be used in a default input orientation complementary to the default display orientation. An interchangeable covering is designed to at least partially cover the body. The interchangeable covering has a second plurality of input keys and a second set of electronic components. Data and/or logic stored in the second set of electronic components is to at least facilitate redefining of the function of at least one of the first input keys and re-orienting the display and the first inputs keys to second complementary orientations.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first set of at least one electronic component;

a body encasing said first set of at least one electronic component;

a display screen disposed on said body and coupled to said first set of at least one electronic component;

a first plurality of input keys disposed on said body and coupled to said first set of at least one electronic component, each of said plurality of input keys having a default function, and designed to be used in a default input orientation complementary to a default display orientation for displaying information on the display screen, with the first input keys and the display screen having a first operational relative disposition;

an interchangeable cover, designed to at least partially cover said body including at least one of said first plurality of input keys, the interchangeable cover having a second set of at least one electronic component embedded within said interchangeable cover, and at least data stored in said second set of at least one electronic component to at least facilitate in part, in redefining the function of at least one of said first input keys, and re-orienting the display of information on the display screen and the first input keys to a second complementary orientation, with the first input keys and the display screen having a second operational relative disposition that is different from the first operational relative disposition; and

wherein either said first plurality of input keys comprise a numeric keypad including 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, *, 0, and # keys, effectively redefined and reoriented to be #, 0, * 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 keys after attachment of the interchangeable cover, or

said first plurality of input keys comprise a first, a second, a third, and a fourth row of input keys implementing a “

QWERT . . . ”

, a “

ASDF . . . ”

, a “

ZXCV . . . ” and

a space bar row of a QWERTY keyboard, which are effectively redefined to implement the space bar row, the “

ZXCV . . . ”

, the “

ASDF . . . ” and

the “

QWERT . . . ”

row of the QWERTY keyboard after attachment of the interchangeable cover.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the default input orientation of the first plurality of input keys complements the default display orientation of displaying information on the display screen from beneath, and the first input keys are effectively re-oriented to complement the displaying of information on the display screen from above after attachment of the interchangeable dover.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the default input orientation of the first plurality of input keys complements the default display orientation of displaying information on the display screen from above, and the first input keys are effectively re-oriented to complement the displaying of information on the display screen from beneath after attachment of the interchangeable cover.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the default input orientation of the first plurality of input keys complements the default display orientation of displaying information on the display screen from a left side of the display screen, and the first input keys are effectively re-oriented to complement the displaying of information on the display screen from a right side of the display screen, after attachment of the interchangeable cover.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the default input orientation of the first plurality of input keys complements the default display orientation of displaying information on the display screen from a right side of the display screen, and the first input keys are effectively re-oriented to complement the displaying of information on the display screen from a left side of the display screen, after attachment of the interchangeable cover.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the default input orientation of the first plurality of input keys complements the default display orientation of displaying information on the display screen from beneath, and the first input keys are effectively reoriented to complement the displaying of information on the display screen from above after attachment of the interchangeable cover.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the default input orientation of the first plurality of input keys complements the default display orientation of displaying information on the display from above, and the first input keys are effectively reoriented to complement the displaying of information on the display screen from beneath after attachment of the interchangeable cover.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the default input orientation of the first plurality of input keys complements the default display orientation of displaying information on the display screen from a left side of the display, and the first input keys are effectively reoriented to complement the displaying of information on the display screen from a right side of the display after attachment of the interchangeable cover.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the default input orientation of the first plurality of input keys complements the default display orientation of displaying information on the display screen from a right side of the display screen, and the first input keys are effectively reoriented to complement the displaying of information on the display screen from a left side of the display screen, after attachment of the interchangeable cover.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interchangeable cover further comprises a plurality of key caps corresponding to the first plurality of keys, the plurality of key caps having labels that facilitate said redefinitions and reorientations.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interchangeable cover further comprises a second plurality of keys correspondingly superseding the first plurality of keys, to facilitate said redefinitions and reorientations.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a coupler to facilitate exchange of said data between said first set of at least one electronic component and said second set of at least one electronic component embedded within said interchangeable cover.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interchangeable cover further comprises an opening corresponding to the display screen to enable the display screen to be visible even after attachment of the interchangeable cover.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interchangeable cover further comprises another display screen to supersede the display screen.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second set of at least one electronic component embedded within said interchangeable covering comprises at least one of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an application specific standard product (ASSP), a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a subscriber identity module (SIM) and an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM).

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a selected one of a wireless mobile phone and a personal digital assistant.

17. A wireless mobile phone comprising:

a first set of at least one electronic component;

a body encasing said first set of at least one electronic component;

a display screen disposed on said body and coupled to said first set of at least one electronic component;

a first plurality of input keys disposed on said body and coupled to said first set of at least one electronic component, each of said plurality of input keys having a default function, and designed to be used in a default input orientation complementary to a default display orientation of displaying information on the display screen, with the first input keys and the display screen having a first operational relative disposition;

an interchangeable cover, designed to at least partially cover said body including at least one of said first plurality of input keys, the interchangeable cover having a second set of at least one electronic component embedded within said interchangeable cover, and at least data stored in said second set of at least one electronic component, to at least facilitate in part, in redefining the function of at least one of said first input keys, and re-orienting the display of information on the display screen, and the first input keys to a second complementary orientation, with the first input keys and the display screen having a second operational relative disposition that is different from the first operational relative; and

wherein either said first plurality of input keys comprise a numeric keypad including 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, *, 0, and # keys, which definitions are effectively redefined to be #, 0, *, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 keys after attachment of the interchangeable cover, or

said first plurality of input keys comprise a first, a second, a third, and a fourth row of input keys implementing a “

QWERT . . . ”

, a “

ASDF . . . ”

, a “

ZXCV . . . ” and

a space bar row of a QWERTY keyboard, which are effectively redefined to implement the space bar row, the “

ZXCV . . . ”

, the “

ASDF . . . ” and

the “

QWERT . . . ”

row of the QWERTY keyboard.

18. The wireless mobile phone of claim 17, wherein the default input orientation of the first plurality of input keys complements the default display orientation of displaying information on the display screen from beneath, and said interchangeable cover reorients the first input keys to complement the displaying of information the display screen from above.

19. The wireless mobile phone of claim 17, wherein the default input orientation of the first plurality of input keys complements the default display orientation of displaying information on the display screen from above, and said interchangeable cover reorients the first input keys to complement the displaying of display information on the display screen from beneath.

20. The wireless mobile phone of claim 17, wherein the interchangeable cover further comprises a plurality of key caps corresponding to the first plurality of keys, the plurality of key caps having labels that facilitate said redefinitions and reorientations.

21. The wireless mobile phone of claim 17, wherein the interchangeable cover further comprises a second plurality of keys correspondingly superseding the first plurality of keys to facilitate said redefinitions and reorientations.

22. The wireless mobile phone of claim 17, wherein said wireless mobile phone comprises a plurality of body portions, and said body is a first of said body portions.

23. An interchangeable cover comprising:

a non-card type cover body;

an electronic component disposed on a surface of the cover body, having data or logic to at least contribute to causing one or more input keys of a mobile communication device mated with the interchangeable cover to be redefined and reoriented to complement displaying of information on a display of the wireless communication device in a reoriented manner, the one or more input keys and the display having a first operational relative disposition, prior to attachment of the interchangeable cover, and having a second operational relative disposition that is different from the first operational relative disposition, after attachment of the interchangeable cover; and

wherein either said one or more keys comprise 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, *, 0, and # keys. and said data or logic of said electronic component at least contributes to redefining and reorienting said 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, *, 0, and # keys to #, 0, *, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 keys, or

said one or more keys comprise a first, a second, a third, and a fourth row of input keys implementing a “

QWERT . . . ”

, a “

ASDF . . . ”

, a “

ZXCV . . . ” and

a space bar row of a QWERTY keyboard, and said data or logic of said component at least contributes to redefining and reorienting the first, the second, the third and the fourth row to implement the space bar row, the “

ZXCV . . . ”

, the “

ASDF . . . ” and

the “

QWERT . . . ”

row of the QWERTY keyboard.

24. The interchangeablecover of claim 23, wherein the electronic component comprises data or logic to at least contribute to redefining and reorienting the one or more input keys to complement displaying of infonnation on the display from an initial beneath orientation to a reoriented above orientation.

25. The interchangeable cover of claim 23, wherein the electronic component comprises data or logic to at least contribute to redefining and reorienting the covered one or more input keys to complement displaying of information on the display from an initial above orientation to a reoriented beneath orientation.

26. The interchangeable cover of claim 23, wherein the electronic component comprises data or logic to at least contribute to redefining and reorienting the covered one or more input keys to complement displaying of information on the display from an initial left side of the display to a reoriented right side of the display.

27. The interchangeable cover of claim 23, wherein the electronic component comprises data or logic to at least contribute to redefining and reorienting the one or more input keys to complement displaying of information on the display from an initial right side of the display to a reoriented left side of the display.

28. The interchangeable cover of claim 23, wherein the cover body is substantially U-shaped.

29. The interchangeable cover of claim 23, wherein the cover body is a selected one of a non-card type front plate and a non-card type back plate.