Folding mobile communication terminal

• US 7,705,903 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2006
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Kawasaki, Hideji, Kiyota, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan; Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRABHAKHER, PRITHAM DAVID
• Application Number:
  US11/451,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20070103576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 4555501-5753, 382296-297, 34833301-33313, 348/376, 345619-659, 345/169
• US Class Current: 348/333.01
• 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 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals

Abstract

A portable communication terminal having an image-taking function is composed of a camera unit that takes an image of a subject through a photographic lens, and two displays, the first display being positioned on same a front surface of housing of the portable communication terminal as the photographic lens and being visible in a same view as the photographic lens, and the second display being positioned on a back surface of the housing. The mobile communication terminal has a function of having the image taken by the camera unit displayed on at least one of the displays.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal having a photography function, comprising:

a housing unit that is composed of a top housing and a bottom housing that are connected via a connection unit such that the housing unit is able to open and close;

a first display that is positioned on an outer surface of one of the top housing and the bottom housing and is visible when the housing unit is in a closed state;

a camera unit for taking an image of a subject through a camera lens that is positioned on one of the outer surface and an inner surface of one of the top housing and the bottom housing;

a display instruction monitoring unit operable to monitor input of an instruction to display the image of the subject taken by the camera unit on the first display;

a judgment unit operable to judge whether the housing unit is in an open state or a closed state; and

a display control unit operable to, when the judgment unit judges that the housing unit is in the closed state and when the display instruction monitoring unit detects input of at least the instruction, have non-image-taking information, which is an image unrelated to the image of the subject taken by the camera unit, displayed on the first display in a predetermined display direction, and when the judgment unit judges that the housing unit is in the open state and the display instruction monitoring unit detects input of at least the instruction, have the taken image displayed on the first display in an opposite direction to the predetermined display direction.

2. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a second display that is on an inner surface of one of the top housing and the bottom housing, and is not visible when the housing unit is in a closed state,

wherein the camera lens is positioned on one of the inner surface and the outer surface of one of the top housing and the bottom housing, so as to be visible in a same view as one of the displays when the housing is in the open state.