Mobile device having an adjustable length to selectively expose a surface component

• US 7,474,298 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Lam, Lawrence, Nguyen, Huy
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh; Duc Q
• Application Number:
  US10/159,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20030222847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,412 Days
• Field of Search: 345/169, 345/168, 345/179, 345/901, 345/905, 345/156, 345/158, 345/173, 358/909.1, 396/342, 348/207, 348/373, 348/374, 348/375, 348/376, 361/679, 361/686, 455/556, 455/556.1, 455/550
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1632 Pen holder integrated in the computer
• 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 2250/52 including functional features of a camera

Abstract

A handheld computer is provided having a variable length and exposable surface component. The component is operable at a designated length of the handheld computer. A housing of the handheld computer may be adjusted to that the component is exposed or enclosed. When exposed, an application associated with the component may be launched by a processor of the handheld computer.

Claims

1. A mobile device comprising:

a housing comprising a first housing segment and a second housing segment, wherein the first housing segment and the second housing segment are moveable relative to each other so that the housing telescopes between a contracted position having a minimum length and an extended position having a maximum length, wherein the second housing segment has a perimeter that is contained within the first housing segment in both the extended position and the contracted position;

a lens at least partially disposed on a first interior surface of the housing so that (i) the lens is at least partially exposed when the housing is adjusted to have a first length that is greater than the minimum length, and (ii) the lens is hidden when the housing is adjusted to have a second length that is less than the first length;

a plurality of user-interface mechanisms, the plurality of user-interface mechanisms including a display provided on one of the first housing segment or the second housing segment, wherein the plurality of user-interface mechanisms do not include the lens;

wherein the first segment and the second segment combine to form a continuous interior volume that is defined by both the first segment and the second segment, the continuous interior volume containing a plurality of components, including a processor;

wherein the first interior surface on which the lens is disposed at least partially defines the interior volume in both the extended and contracted positions;

wherein the processor is configured to either enable, or automatically launch, an application for enabling a user to capture images with the mobile device, in response to the housing being adjusted to have at least the first length, wherein the application enables a user to operate the lens through interaction with one or more of the plurality of user-interface mechanisms; and

an actuation mechanism that is actuable by a user to cause the processor to use the lens to capture an image, wherein the actuation mechanism is positioned on a second interior surface so that the actuation mechanism is exposed when the housing is adjusted to have at least the first length.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the second interior surface is oriented in an opposite direction from the first interior surface.

3. The mobile device of claim 2, further comprising a display that is oriented in a same direction as the actuation mechanism.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the first housing segment and the second housing segment combine to define a continuous interior volume that contains the processor.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the second housing segment has a cross-section along a length of the second housing segment that has a perimeter that is completely contained within the first housing segment in both the extended position and the contracted position.

6. A mobile device comprising:

a first housing segment;

a second housing segment that is slideable and moveably coupled to the first housing segment so that a perimeter of the second housing segment is contained substantially within the first housing segment in both a contracted position and an extended position and is moveable relative to the first housing segment between the contracted position and the extended position;

wherein the second housing segment, in combination with the first housing segment, defines an interior volume of a housing;

wherein the first housing segment includes sidewalls that extend to encompass side regions of the second housing segment, and wherein the first housing segment and the second housing segment combine to define a continuous interior volume that contains a processor;

a lens at least partially disposed on one of the first housing segment or the second housing segment to overlay the interior volume of the housing, wherein the lens is positioned to be exposed and operable when the first or second housing segment is adjusted so that the component is at least a first a distance from the contracted position, and wherein the lens is positioned to be hidden when the first or second housing segment is adjusted so that the lens is less than the first distance from the contracted position;

a plurality of user-interface mechanisms, the plurality of user-interface mechanisms including a display provided on one of the first housing segment or the second housing segment, wherein the plurality of user-interface mechanisms do not include the lens;

wherein the processor is configured to operate, when the second housing segment is adjusted so that the component is the first distance from the contracted position, by either enabling or automatically launching an application for use with the lens, wherein the application enables a user to operate the lens through interaction with one or more of the plurality of user-interface mechanisms;

wherein the second housing segment has a cross-section along a length of the second housing segment that has a perimeter that is completely contained within the first housing segment in both the extended position and the contracted position; and

an actuation mechanism that is actuable by a user to cause the processor to use the lens to capture an image, wherein the actuation mechanism is positioned on a second interior surface so that the actuation mechanism is exposed when the housing is adjusted to have at least the first length.

7. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the processor and lens are configured to cooperate in order to capture a still image in a digital format.

8. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the processor and lens are configured to cooperate in order to capture video.

9. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the lens is not operable when the second housing segment is adjusted so that the lens is less than the first distance from the contracted position.

10. A mobile device comprising:

a housing comprising an interior volume that is defined by both of a first housing segment and a second housing segment, wherein the first housing segment and the second housing segment are moveable relative to each other, and wherein the second housing segment has a cross-section along a length of the second housing segment that has a perimeter that is completely contained within the first housing segment in both the extended position and the contracted position to enable the housing to telescope between a contracted position having a minimum length and an extended position having a maximum length;

a lens at least partially disposed on a first surface to overlay the interior volume of the housing, the lens being disposed so that (i) the lens is at least partially exposed when the housing is adjusted to have a first length that is greater than the minimum length, and (ii) the lens is hidden when the housing is adjusted to have a second length that is less than the first length;

a plurality of user-interface mechanisms, the plurality of user-interface mechanisms including a display provided on one of the first housing segment or the second housing segment, wherein at least some of the plurality of user-interface mechanisms are positioned to be hidden from use when the housing is adjusted to the minimum length; and

a processor configured to either enable, or automatically launch, an application for enabling a user to capture images with the mobile device, in response to the housing being adjusted to have at least the first length, wherein the application enables a user to operate the lens through interaction with at least one of the plurality of user-interface mechanisms;

wherein the at least one of the plurality of user-interface mechanisms for enabling the user to operate the lens is actuatable to signal the processor and the lens to capture images when the device is positioned to have at least the first length but not the second length.

11. The mobile device of claim 10, further comprising a display provided on at least one of the first housing segment or the second housing segment.

12. The mobile device of claim 10, further comprising a keyboard provided on at least one of the first housing segment and the second housing segment.

13. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to automatically launch an application associated with the lens being exposed.

14. A mobile device comprising:

a housing comprising an interior volume that is defined by a first housing segment and a second housing segment, wherein the first housing segment and the second housing segment are moveable relative to each other so that the housing telescopes between a contracted position having a minimum length and an extended position having a maximum length, wherein the second housing segment has a cross-section along a length of the second housing segment that has a perimeter that is completely contained within the first housing segment in both the extended position and the contracted position;

a lens at least partially disposed on a first interior surface to overlay the interior volume of the housing, the lens being disposed so that (i) the lens is at least partially exposed when the housing is adjusted to have a first length that is greater than the minimum length, and (ii) the lens is hidden when the housing is adjusted to have a second length that is less than the first length;

a plurality of user-interface mechanisms, the plurality of user-interface mechanisms including a display provided on one of the first housing segment or the second housing segment wherein one or more of the interface mechanism are exposed for use when the housing is adjusted to have the first length;

a processor configured to enable, or automatically launch, an application for enabling a user to capture images with the mobile device, in response to the housing being adjusted to have at least the first length, wherein the application enables a user to operate the lens through interaction with one or more of the plurality of user-interface mechanisms; and

wherein at least one of the user-interface mechanisms provides an actuation mechanism for enabling input to be entered for the application for capturing images, the actuation mechanism being enabled only when the housing is adjusted to have at least the first length.