Mobile communication terminal with multi orientation user interface

• US 7,181,251 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2003
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Stohr, Josef, Franke, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANOHARAN, MUTHUSWAMY GANAPATHY
• Application Number:
  US10/690,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20050090288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/550.1, 379/368
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• 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 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion

Abstract

The invention relates to a mobile communication terminal comprising a user interface with a display and a keypad for supporting various functions. According to the invention, the orientation of the content of a hard label or a soft label of at least one of the keys can changed so that the key can be used with the terminal in different orientations. The content of the display may also be readable in different orientations by changing the display direction. The mobile terminal may be provided with an orientation sensor allowing automatic changing of the display direction of the soft labels and the rest of the display content. The labeling of the hard keys may be changeable by operating a handle or by mechanical arrangements or optical effects.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal having a user interface comprising:

a display for showing information,

a keypad including a plurality of hard keys,

at least one of the hard keys being formed by at least a partially transparent key body that allows objects under the key to be seen through the top of the key,

a pair of polarized films mounted, one over the other, for movement relative to one another under the keypad,

labels disposed beneath the polarized films for viewing through the polarized films, said labels including textual and or graphical content relating to the function of the hard key through which said label is viewed,

whereby the textual and/or graphical content of the label can be read in at least two different orientations depending on the relative orientation of the polarized films to one another.

2. A mobile communication terminal having a user interface comprising:

a display,

a keypad having a function confirming key and a function rejection key and a plurality of hard keys, the plurality of hard keys preferably includes a

group of alphanumerical keys and/or one or more navigation keys and

wherein at least one of the hard keys is provided with a hard label that can be read in at least two different orientations,

a function to be confirmed or to be rejected being controlled by a controller unit and being displayed in a predetermined area of said display, and

an orientation sensor within the mobile terminal adapted to signal the controller unit to change the orientation in which the function is displayed when the orientation of the mobile communication terminal is changed; and

wherein the orientation of hard label is changed by rotating a polarized film relative to another polarized film.

3. A terminal according to claim 2, wherein the controller unit changes the orientation of the soft label without changing the position of the predetermined area relative to the at least one softkey.

4. A terminal according to claim 2, wherein the controller unit changes the orientation of the soft label in response to a state change of the terminal or a upon a user entered command.

5. A terminal according to claim 2, wherein the controller unit changes the orientation of the soft label in response to a signal from an orientation sensor in the terminal.

6. A terminal according to claim 2, wherein the controller unit applies the same orientation changes to information on the display as to the soft label.

7. A terminal according to claim 2, wherein the soft label includes textual content.

8. A terminal according to claim 2, wherein the soft label includes graphical content.

9. A terminal according to claim 2, wherein the controller unit changes the orientation of the function to be confirmed or to be rejected without changing the position of the predetermined area relative to the confirming key and rejection key.

10. A terminal according to claim 2, wherein the controller unit changes the orientation of the function to be confirmed or to be rejected in response to a state change of the terminal or upon a user entered command.

11. A terminal according to claim 2, wherein the controller unit changes the orientation of the function to be confirmed or to be rejected in response to a signal from an orientation sensor in the terminal or in response to a manually activated switch.

12. A terminal according to claim 2, wherein the controller unit applies the same orientation changes to information on the display as to the function to be confirmed or to be rejected.

13. A terminal according to claim 2, wherein the function to be confirmed or to be rejected is represented by textual content.

14. A terminal according to claim 2, wherein the function to be confirmed or to be rejected is represented by graphical content.

15. A terminal according to claim 2, wherein the hard label is formed by a hologram.