Sliding/swing-type portable apparatus having self-retaining function

• US 7,369,882 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2005
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hwang, Chang-Hwan, Kim, Young S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord; Marceau
• Application Number:
  US11/122,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20050250532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 455/90.3, 455/575.1, 455/575.3, 455/575.4, 455/575.8, 455/573, 455/571, 379/433.12, 379/433.13, 361/681, 361/683
• US Class Current: 455/575.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0225 Rotatable telephones, i.e. the body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• 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 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts

Abstract

A sliding/swing-type portable apparatus having a self-retaining function includes a main body; a battery cover coupled to the bottom surface of the main body in a predetermined position so that it can rotate about a first hinge axis toward or away from the main body and provided with a folding force, at less than a first angle relative to the bottom surface of the main body, in such a direction that it is folded on the main body, an unfolding force at the first angle or more, and a retaining force at a second angle for retaining the main body in an upright position, at a slant; and a battery pack attached to and detached from the battery cover.

Claims

1. A portable apparatus comprising:

a main body;

a battery cover coupled to a bottom surface of the main body in a predetermined position so that it can rotate about a first hinge axis toward or away from the main body and provided with a folding force, at less than a first angle relative to the bottom surface of the main body, in such a direction that it is folded on the main body, an unfolding force at between the first angle and a second angle, the second angle being greater than the first angle, and a retaining force at the second angle for retaining the main body in an upright position at a slant;

a sliding/swing housing positioned on an upper surface of the main body, the sliding/swing housing adapted to slide along a longitudinal direction of the main body while being parallel to and continuously facing the main body and adapted to swing about a second hinge axis, which is spaced from and perpendicular to the first hinge axis and which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, while being parallel to and continuously facing the inner surface, the inner surface being opposite to the bottom surface; and

a battery pack removably attached to the battery cover.

2. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main body has a slot formed on the bottom surface thereof to receive the battery pack.

3. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a hinge device positioned along a lower end of the bottom surface of the main body to rotatably connect the main body and the battery cover to each other.

4. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the hinge device comprises:

a pair of side hinge arms formed on both corners of an outer periphery of the bottom surface of the main body, and

a center arm formed on the battery cover with both ends thereof being coupled between the pair of side hinge arms.

5. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery cover has a connection unit for connection to the battery pack and the battery pack is adapted to be moved along the inner surface of the battery cover to be attached to and detached from the connection unit.

6. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second angle is a retaining angle and is smaller than 90°

.

7. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery cover has at least one rubber member positioned on an outer surface thereof.

8. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main body is longer than the sliding/swing housing in the longitudinal direction.

9. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the main body has on its upper surface a pair of stereo speaker devices, a first keypad adjacent to the pair of stereo speaker devices, and a microphone device adjacent to the first keypad and the sliding/swing housing has, on its upper surface, a single key, a display device adjacent to the single key, and a second keypad composed of an array of a number of keys adjacent to the display device.

10. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first and second keypads are directly adjacent to each other in a first position wherein the sliding/swing housing is fully slid and the pair of stereo speaker devices and the display device are directly adjacent to each other in a second position wherein the sliding/swing housing is fully swung.

11. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main body has a camera lens and a lighting device adjacent to the camera lens positioned on an upper portion of the bottom surface thereof.

12. A portable apparatus comprising:

a main body;

a sliding/swing housing positioned on an upper surface of the main body, the sliding/swing housing adapted to slide along a longitudinal direction of the main body while being parallel to and continuously facing the main body and adapted to swing about a second hinge axis, which is spaced from and perpendicular to a first hinge axis and which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, while being parallel to and continuously facing the upper surface, the upper surface being opposite to the bottom surface;

a first keypad composed of an array of a number of keys mounted on the upper surface of the main body;

a pair of stereo speaker devices mounted on the upper surface of the main body;

a microphone device mounted on the upper surface of the main body;

a battery cover coupled to the bottom surface of the main body in a predetermined position so that the battery cover rotates about the first hinge axis toward or away from the main body and provided with a folding force, at less than a first angle relative to the bottom surface of the main body, in such a direction that it is folded on the main body, an unfolding force at between the first angle and a second angle, the second angle being greater than the first angle, and a retaining force at the second angle for retaining the main body in an upright position at a slant; and

a battery pack removably attached to the battery cover.

13. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the pair of stereo speaker devices are adjacent to the first keypad and the first keypad is adjacent to the microphone device.

14. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the battery pack is integrally moved together with the battery cover.

15. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the main body and the sliding/swing housing have different lengths.

16. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the battery cover has a connection unit for connection to the battery pack and the battery pack is adapted to be moved along the inner surface of the battery cover to be attached to and detached from the connection unit.

17. A portable apparatus comprising:

a main body;

a sliding/swing housing positioned on an upper surface of the main body, the sliding/swing housing adapted to slide alone a longitudinal direction of the main body while being parallel to and continuously facing the main body and adapted to swing about a second hinge axis, which is spaced from and perpendicular to a first hinge axis and which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, while being parallel to and continuously facing the upper surface;

a battery cover coupled to a lower end of a bottom surface of the main body in such a manner the battery cover rotates about the first hinge axis toward or away from the main body, the upper surface being opposite to the bottom surface;

a battery housing integrally provided on an inner surface of the battery cover to be received on the bottom surface of the main body;

a self-retaining means mounted on the bottom surface of the main body along the longitudinal direction to support the main body at a slant; and

a battery pack removably attached to the battery housing.

18. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the self-retaining means comprises:

a reception groove recessed from the bottom surface of the main body along the longitudinal direction;

a rod-type member received in the reception groove with an end thereof guided to slide along the groove and act as the first hinge axis, and an other end thereof released from the reception groove to contact the outer surface of the battery housing and support the main body at the slant;

and a number of retaining grooves formed on an outer surface of the battery housing.

19. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the end of the rod-type member has a spherical shape and can rotate in both horizontal and vertical directions while being coupled to the reception groove and the other end thereof is made of rubber material for maximized friction force.

20. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the reception groove comprises a first reception groove and a second reception groove having width and depth larger than those of the first reception groove.

21. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the battery housing has a slot to receive the battery pack and a detachment button adjacent to the slot to detach the battery pack.

22. A portable apparatus comprising:

a main body;

a sliding/swing housing positioned on an upper surface of the main body, the sliding/swing housing adapted to slide alone a longitudinal direction of the main body while being parallel to and continuously facing the main body and adapted to swing about a second hinge axis, which is spaced from and perpendicular to a first hinge axis and which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, while being parallel to and continuously facing the upper surface;

a speaker device mounted on the upper surface of the main body and exposed or hidden according to whether the sliding/swing housing is swung or not;

a battery pack coupled to a bottom surface of the main body in a predetermined position, the bottom surface being opposite to the upper surface, so that it can rotate about a the battery pack rotates about the first hinge axis and provided with a folding force at less than a first angle in such a direction that it is folded on the main body, an unfolding force at between the first angle and a second angle, the second angle being greater than the first angle, and a retaining force at the second angle for retaining the main body with a slant on its own; and

a first holding device positioned between the battery pack and the bottom surface of the main body to easily maintain the seating position of the battery pack during seating.

23. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the holding device comprises:

at least one holding protrusion provided on the battery pack and

a holding opening provided on the bottom surface of the main body to be coupled to the holding protrusion.

24. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein at least one pair of holding protrusions protrude from the lateral end of the battery cover away from it, respectively, and the holding opening is formed on a reception space of the bottom surface of the main body and corresponds to the holding protrusions.

25. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the holding device has a semi-conical shape.

26. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 22, further comprising a second holding device positioned between the bottom surface of the main body and the battery pack to support the received battery pack.

27. The portable apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein the second holding device comprises:

a protrusion formed on the upper surface of the battery pack; and

,

a holding groove formed on the reception space to be coupled to the protrusion.