Slide-type portable communication apparatus

• US 7,376,449 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2002
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Nagai, Michio, Mizuta, Masatomo, Fujii, Mika, Shimamura, Masaki, Kohayakawa, Kiyoshi, Ohtsuta, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Pablo N.
• Application Number:
  US10/261,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20030064688A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,057 Days
• Field of Search: 455/90.3, 455/575.1, 455/575.3, 455/575.4, 455/575.8, 455/550.1, 379428-433, 379/433.12, 379/433.13
• US Class Current: 455/575.3
• 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 1/0237 Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0245 using open/close detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

A portable communication apparatus includes a first unit having at least a display section and a second unit having at least a main operation section, which are coupled by a slide coupling and are freely slidable in a longitudinal direction between a retracted state and an extended state. The first unit and the second unit are urged by an urging member in an extension direction and are releasably locked by a releasable lock mechanism in the retracted state. The locking is released by a predetermined operation. An optical aperture for optical function is provided in one of surfaces of the first and second units that face one another in the retracted state. The optical function section is made operable when the first and second units are positioned in the extended state.

Claims

1. A portable communication apparatus comprising:

a first unit including a display section;

a second unit including a main operation section;

a slide coupling that couples said first unit with said second unit such that said first and second units are freely slidable in a longitudinal direction between a retracted state and an extended state;

a coil spring urging member that urges said first unit away from said second unit in an extension direction toward said extended state; and

a releasable lock mechanism that releasably locks said first unit and said second unit in the retracted state, the lock mechanism being releasable by a predetermined operation;

wherein said releasable lock mechanism comprises a stop spring on said second unit that engages a stop recess portion within said first unit, wherein a stop-release operation member biases said stop spring to be released from said stop recess portion in the retracted state to thereby cause said first unit to slide in the longitudinal direction toward the extended state.

2. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said main operation section of said second unit is exposed allowing operations of said main operation section when said first unit and said second unit are positioned in the extended state.

3. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said first unit further includes a secondary operation section.

4. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said secondary operation section comprises a touch panel mounted on said display section.

5. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first unit further includes a telephone-receiver section and said second unit further includes a telephone-transmitter section, wherein said second unit comprises:

a first housing; and

a second housing rotatably coupled to a lower end portion of the first housing, wherein said telephone-transmitter section is provided to the second housing.

6. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said first unit includes an inner space into which said second unit that is in a straight state is allowed to slide.

7. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a bending detector that detects a bent state of said first housing and said second housing of said second unit.

8. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said first unit further includes a secondary operation section, and

said portable communication apparatus further comprises:

a bending detector that detects a bent state of said first housing and said second housing of said second unit;

an extension detector that detects an extension state of said first unit and said second unit; and

an input operation controller controlling at least one of said main operation section and said secondary operation section such that an operation of at least one of said main operation section and said secondary operation section is changed depending on at least one of the bent state detected by said bending detector and the extension state detected by the extension detector.

9. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said first unit further includes a secondary operation section, and

said portable communication apparatus further comprises:

a bending detector that detects a bent state of said first housing and said second housing of said second unit.

10. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

an input operation controller controlling at least one of said main operation section and said secondary operation section such that an input operation is one of enabled and disabled depending on the bent state detected by said bending detector.

11. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said input operation controller further changes an operation of at least one of said main operation section and said secondary operation section depending on the bent state detected by said bending detector.

12. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a bending detector that detects a bent state of said first housing and said second housing of said second unit; and

a function controller enabling a predetermined function when the bending detector detects a predetermined bent state of said first housing and said second housing.

13. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said function controller disables said predetermined function when the bending detector detects another predetermined bent state of said first housing and said second housing.

14. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first unit further includes a secondary operation section.

15. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said secondary operation section comprises a touch panel mounted on said display section.

16. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

an extension detector that detects an extension state of said first unit and said second unit; and

a touch panel controller controlling said touch panel such that a touch panel function is one of enabled and disenabled depending on the extension state detected by the extension detector.

17. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

an extension detector that detects one of a plurality of extension states of said first unit and said second unit; and

a touch panel controller controlling said touch panel such that an enabled area of a touch panel function is changed depending on which one of said plurality of extension states is detected by the extension detector.

18. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said touch panel controls such that an enabled area of said touch panel function is set to a maximum area when the extension state is the retracted state and a minimum area when it is the extended state.

19. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

an extension detector that detects an extension state of said first unit and said second unit.

20. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

an input operation controller controlling at least one of said main operation section and said secondary operation section such that an input operation is one of enabled and disabled depending on the extension state detected by said extension detector.

21. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first unit includes an inner space into which said second unit is allowed to slide.

22. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an extension detector that detects an extension state of said first unit and said second unit.

23. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said extension detector comprises:

a magnetic field generator provided at at least one predetermined position in one of said first unit and said second unit;

a magnetic field detector provided at a predetermined position in the other of said first unit and said second unit; and

an extension determiner that determines the extended state of said first unit and said second unit based on a detection signal of said magnetic field detector.

24. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising:

an input operation controller controlling said main operation section such that an input operation is one of enabled and disabled depending on the extension state detected by said extension detector.

25. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an alert device that alerts by at least one of sound, vibration, light emitting, and displaying; and

an alert controller controlling said alert device such that said alert device is driven when an incoming call occurs and is stopped alerting when said first and second units are shifted to a predetermined extension state.

26. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a call arrival and termination controller controlling such that an operation state of said portable communication apparatus is set to off-hook when an incoming call occurs and said first and second units are shifted to a predetermined extension state for normal communication, and on-hook when said first and second units are shifted to the retracted state after completing communication.

27. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first unit covers said main operating section of said second unit when said slide coupling is in said retracted state, and said first unit uncovers said main operating section of said second unit when said slide coupling is in said extended state.

28. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said urging member comprises an extension coil spring.

29. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a first end of said urging member is attached to said first unit and a second end of said urging member is attached to said second unit.

30. A portable communication apparatus comprising:

a first unit including a display section and a secondary operation section;

a second unit including a main operation section;

a slide coupling that couples said first unit with said second unit such that said first and second unit are freely slidable in a longitudinal direction between a retracted state and an extended state;

a coil spring urging member that urges said first unit away from said second unit in an extension direction toward said extended state;

a releasable lock mechanism that releasably locks said first unit and said second unit in the retracted state, the lock mechanism being releasable by a predetermined operation; and

an input operation controller controlling said main operation section and/or said secondary operation section such that an input operation switches between an enabled state and a disabled state when said first and second units are shifted to a predetermined extension state,

wherein said releasable lock mechanism comprises a stop spring on said second unit that engages a stop portion on said first unit, wherein a stop-release operation member biases said stop spring to release from said stop portion in the retracted state to thereby cause said first unit to slide in the longitudinal direction toward the extended state.

31. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 30, wherein said first unit covers said main operation section of said second unit when said slide coupling is in said retracted state, and said first unit uncovers said main operation section of said second unit when said slide coupling is in said extended state.

32. A portable communication apparatus comprising:

a first unit including a display section;

a second unit including a main operation section;

a slide coupling that couples said first unit with said second unit such that said first and second units are freely slidable in a longitudinal direction between a retracted state and an extended state;

a coil spring urging member that urges said first unit away from said second unit in an extension direction toward said extended state; and

a releasable lock mechanism that releasably locks said first unit and said second unit in the retracted state, the lock mechanism being releasable by a predetermined operation,

wherein said releasable lock mechanism comprises a stop spring on said second unit that engages a stop portion on said first unit, wherein a stop-release operation member biases said stop spring to release from said stop portion in the retracted state to thereby cause said first unit to slide in the longitudinal direction toward the extended state.