Cellular communication handsets having variable appearance housings and methods therefor

• US 7,142,190 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2002
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Martinez, Nelson F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Osorio, Ricardo
• Application Number:
  US10/084,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20030160741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,734 Days
• Field of Search: 345/49, 345/105, 345/106, 359265-274, 348/817, 455/90
• US Class Current: 345/106
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/15165 Polymers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0283 for providing a decorative aspect, e.g. customization of casings, exchangeable faceplate

Abstract

A wireless communication handset (100), or other electrical device, having a housing disposed about electrical communications circuitry. At least a portion of the housing, for example a bezel (144) or keypad area (148) comprising a variable input responsive variable appearance portion, for example an electro-chromic material. A user operable control circuit coupled to the electro-chromic material portion of the housing, whereby a color of the electro-chromic material portion of the housing is variable by the color control circuit.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

electrical hardware;

a housing disposed about at least a portion of the electrical hardware,

at least a portion of the housing comprising a variable input responsive variable appearance portion,

a control circuit having a user variable output coupled to the variable input responsive variable appearance portion of the housing,

whereby the variable input responsive variable appearance portion of the housing changes appearance in response to the user variable output of the control circuit.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, the variable input responsive variable appearance portion of the housing is a light emitting polymer material.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, the variable input responsive variable appearance portion of the housing is an electro-chromic material, the control circuit having a variable voltage output coupled across the electro-chromic material.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, the electro-chromic material is an electro-chromic polymer.

5. The electronic device of claim 3, the electro-chromic material includes an anodically coloring polymer layer and a cathodically coloring layer separated by a solid-state gel electrolyte layer, the anodically and cathodically coloring layers disposed between first and second transparent conducting layers.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, the electro-chromic material includes first and second transparent insulating layers, the first and second transparent conducting layers disposed between the first and second insulating layers.

7. The electronic device of claim 5, the control circuit having a first output coupled to the first transparent conducting layer, the control circuit having a second output coupled to the second transparent conducting layer by a variable resistance element.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, the electro-chromic material includes an anodically coloring polymer layer and a cathodically coloring layer separated by a solid-state gel electrolyte layer, the anodically and cathodically coloring layers disposed between first and second transparent conducting layers.

9. A method in a wireless communications handset having an outer housing with a variable input responsive variable appearance property portion, comprising:

providing a user variable input to the wireless communication handset;

varying a variable appearance property of the variable input responsive variable appearance property portion of the housing in response to the user variable input applied to the wireless communication handset.

10. The method of claim 9, providing the user variable input by selecting a voltage applied by an electrical control circuit having a variable voltage output coupled to an electro-chromic portion of the housing.

11. The method of claim 9, varying the variable appearance property by changing a color of the electro-chromic portion of the housing in response to a variable voltage applied thereto.