Portable folding communication unit

• US 7,460,887 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2001
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US09/853,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20010044319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,763 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575.1, 455/575.3, 455 901- 3, 4555561- 2, 455566-567, 455/557, 4555691- 2, 455/550.1, 455/3, 37943301- 7, 37943311- 13, 379/433.1, 345/156, 345/158, 345/168, 345/169, 345/204, 345/205, 345/206, 345/214
• US Class Current: 455/566
• 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 1/0245 using open/close detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit

Abstract

A folding portable communication unit is composed an upper cabinet, a lower cabinet, and a hinge for so supporting the upper and lower cabinets that they are rotational around the hinge. A simplified LCD and a simplified key unit are provided for a rear cover of the upper cabinet or the lower cabinet, and thereby a user can watch the simplified LCD or operate the simplified key unit, even when the upper and lower cabinets are folded. Information is displayed on either of a LCD or the simplified LCD depending on whether the upper and lower cabinets are folded or not and on the kind of information to be displayed.

Claims

1. A folding portable communication unit, comprising:

a first cabinet;

a second cabinet, the first cabinet and the second cabinet being supported by a hinge so as to be rotatable around the hinge;

a first key unit situated on an obverse surface of the first cabinet or the second cabinet and from which a user inputs first data;

a second key unit situated on a rear cover of the first or second cabinet and from which the user inputs second data in a case that the first cabinet and the second cabinet are folded in a closed position;

a first display situated on an obverse surface of the first cabinet and which displays first information;

a second display, smaller than the display, situated on a rear surface of the first cabinet or the second cabinet and which displays second information, the second information being viewable by the user in a case that the first cabinet and the second cabinet are folded in the closed position;

a common display driver operable to drive both the first display and the second display, the second display and the common display driver being mounted on one side of a substrate and the first display being mounted on the other side of the substrate; and

a control unit operable to make the common display driver decide which of the first display and the second display is to be used,

wherein the folding portable communication unit is operable to permit verbal telephone communication only in a case that the first cabinet and the second cabinet are in an open position.

2. The folding portable communication unit according to claim 1, wherein:

the control unit is operable to make the common display driver display the first data inputted from the first key on the first display in a case that the first cabinet and the second cabinet are in the open position, and to make the common display driver the second data inputted from the second key on the second display in a case that the first cabinet and the second cabinet are in the closed position.

3. The folding portable communication unit according to claim 1, wherein:

the control unit is operable to make the common display driver decide which of the first display and the second display to display input information depending on a kind of the input information.

4. The folding portable communication unit according to claim 3, wherein:

the input information is displayed on the first display in case that the input information is pictorial information.

5. The folding portable communication unit according to claim 1, wherein:

the control unit comprises a means for detecting whether or not the first cabinet and the second cabinet are folded, and is operable to decide on which of the first display and the second display to display input information, depending on a result of detection performed by the detecting means.

6. The folding portable communication unit according to claim 1, wherein:

the control unit is operable to display input information on the second display when it is detected that the first cabinet and the second cabinet are folded.

7. The folding portable communication unit according to claim 1, wherein the first and second displays are provided on the rear surface and the obverse surface of the same cabinet.

8. A folding portable communication unit, comprising:

a first cabinet;

a second cabinet, the first cabinet and the second cabinet being supported by a hinge so as to be rotatable around the hinge;

a first key unit situated on an obverse surface of the first cabinet or the second cabinet and from which a user inputs first data;

a second key unit situated on a rear cover of the first or second cabinet and from which the user inputs second data in a case that the first cabinet and the second cabinet are folded in a closed position;

a first display situated on an obverse surface of the first cabinet and which displays first information;

a second display situated on a rear surface of the first cabinet or the second cabinet and which displays second information, the second information being viewable by the user in a case that the first cabinet and the second cabinet are folded in the close position;

a common display driver operable to drive both the first display and the second display; and

a control unit operable to make the common display driver decide which of the first display and the second display is to be used,

wherein the folding portable communication unit is operable to permit verbal telephone communication only in a case that the first cabinet and the second cabinet are in an open position, wherein;

the control unit is operable to make the common display driver decide which of the first display and the second display to display input information depending on a kind of the input information, and

wherein;

the control unit comprises a means for displaying the input information on the second display in accordance with an instruction of the user.