Folding portable information terminal with fold-position-based recording control

• US 7,440,003 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2003
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Shimamura, Masaki, Fujii, Mika, Nagai, Michio, Ootuta, Kazuo, Kohayakawa, Kiyoshi, Mizuta, Masatomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ometz, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): DURNFORD GESZVAIN, DILLON
• Application Number:
  US10/358,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20030153372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,084 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.02, 455/556.1
• US Class Current: 348/14.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0212 with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, i.e. folding around a first axis and rotating around a second axis perpendicular to the first
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0243 using the relative angle between housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/656 for recording conversations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras

Abstract

This invention relates to a folding portable information terminal including an upper unit having a display section on one surface, a lower unit having an operating section on one surface, and a movable joining member which openably and pivotally couples the upper and lower units to each other or openably couples the units to each other at one end of each of the units. This portable information terminal includes an upper unit posture detecting unit for detecting opening-closing and/or pivoting operation of the upper unit, an information recording section which records at least one of predetermined voice information, still image information, and moving image information, and an information recording control unit for setting the information recording section in a mode of recording selected predetermined information when the upper unit posture detecting unit detects a shift of the upper unit to a predetermined posture or a shift of the upper unit from a predetermined posture during voice communication or a standby period.

Claims

1. A folding portable information terminal including an upper unit having a display section on one surface, a lower unit having an operating section on one surface, and a movable joining member which openably and pivotally couples the upper and lower units to each other, the terminal comprising:

upper unit posture detection means for detecting a pivoting movement of the upper unit;

an information recording section that records voice information;

information recording control means for setting said information recording section in a voice recording mode during voice communication by the terminal when said upper unit posture detection means detects a pivoting movement of the upper unit to a first pivot position, and for setting said information recording section in the voice recording mode during a terminal standby condition when said upper unit posture detection means detects a pivoting movement of the upper unit to the first pivot position, and for inputting a recording time associated with a respective recording in the voice recording mode, and for cancelling the voice recording mode when said upper unit posture detection means detects a counter pivoting movement from the first pivot position; and

a click mechanism that indicates the first pivot position.

2. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein, during voice communication by the terminal, said information recording section records voice information received through a communication line in the terminal.

3. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein, during the terminal standby condition, said information recording section records voice information received through a microphone in the terminal.

4. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein said information recording section records at least one of still and moving images, and said information recording control means sets said information recording section in a mode of recording the at least one of still and moving images in response to a predetermined movement of the upper unit detected by said upper unit posture detection means.

5. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein said information recording control means causes said information recording section to record information corresponding to a predetermined storage capacity when said upper unit posture detection means detects a movement of the upper unit to or from a predetermined position.

6. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein said upper unit posture detection means comprises a plurality of magnets (or magnetic field detectors) arranged in predetermined positions inside the upper unit or the lower unit, a magnetic field detector (or a magnet) placed in a predetermined position inside the other unit in correspondence with the plurality of magnets (or magnetic field detectors), and a position determining circuit which determines a position of the upper unit on the basis of an output from the magnetic field detector which corresponds to distances to the magnets and is obtained in accordance with an open/closed state and pivot position of the upper unit with respect to the lower unit.