Slide-type portable communication apparatus

• US 7,792,557 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2002
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Nagai, Michio, Mizuta, Masatomo, Fujii, Mika, Shimamura, Masaki, Kohayakawa, Kiyoshi, Ohtsuta, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard; Patrick N
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHUONG, DAI
• Application Number:
  US10/279,978
• Publication Number:
  US 20030171133A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,874 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/556.1, 455/566, 455/567, 455/90.3, 455/575.1
• US Class Current: 455/575.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/13 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• 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 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A portable communication apparatus includes a main housing having at least a display section and an operation section and a movable housing that is engaged with the main housing slidably in a longitudinal direction between a retracted state and an extended state. The main housing and the movable housing are urged in an extension direction and are releasably locked in the retracted state. A portion of the display section is covered and protected by the movable housing when retracted. An optical aperture for optical function is provided in the main housing and its optical function is made operable when extended.

Claims

1. A portable communication apparatus comprising:

a main housing having at least a display section and an operation section;

a movable housing engaged with the main housing so that said movable housing is freely slidable in a longitudinal direction between a retracted state and an extended state;

an urging member for urging said main housing and said movable housing in an extension direction;

a releasable lock mechanism for releasably locking said main housing and said movable housing in the retracted state, wherein the locking is released by a predetermined operation; and

a display controller for divisionally driving the display section depending on a position of the movable housing with respect to the main housing such that the covered portion of the display section is not driven,

wherein said movable housing is sheath-shaped such that the display section of said main housing and its side and back surfaces corresponding to the display section are covered with said movable housing when said main housing and said movable housing are in the retracted state, and

wherein a portion of said display section of said main housing is covered and protected by said movable housing when said main housing and said movable housing are in the retracted state.

2. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said movable housing is allowed to be stopped at a desired one of a plurality of stop positions with respect to the main housing and the retracted state.

3. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

an input operation controller for enabling an input operation of the operation section depending on a position of the movable housing with respect to the main housing.

4. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the input operation controller enables one of an input operation of at least one predetermined key and an input operation of all keys of the operation section depending on the position of the movable housing, and wherein setting data is preset to determine said at least one predetermined key.

5. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said main housing further includes a telephone-transmitter provided at a predetermined position thereof and said movable housing includes a telephone-receiver provided at a predetermined position thereof.

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

an input operation controller for enabling an input operation of the operation section depending on a position of the movable housing with respect to the main housing.

7. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the input operation controller enables one of an input operation of at least one predetermined key and an input operation of all keys of the operation section depending on the position of the movable housing, and wherein setting data is preset to determine said at least one predetermined key.

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

a touch panel mechanism provided on the display section.

9. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a touch panel controller for enabling a function of the touch panel mechanism depending on a position of the movable housing with respect to the main housing.

10. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said movable housing is allowed to be stopped at a desired one of a plurality of stop positions with respect to the main housing and the retracted state, and wherein the touch panel controller changes a touch panel function enabled area of the touch panel mechanism depending on a stop position of the movable housing.

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

a touch panel mechanism provided on the display section; and

a touch panel controller for enabling a function of the touch panel mechanism depending on a position of the movable housing with respect to the main housing.

12. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

an input operation controller for enabling an input operation of the operation section depending on the position of the movable housing with respect to the main housing.

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

an extension detector for detecting an extension state of said main housing and said movable housing.

14. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said extension detector comprises:

a magnetic field generator provided at a predetermined position in said movable housing;

a magnetic field detector provided at a predetermined position within said main housing; and

an extension determiner for determining the extension state of said main housing and said movable housing based on a detection signal of said magnetic field detector.

15. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a displaying mode of the display section switches depending on which one of the extended state and the retracted state the main housing and the movable housing are set to.

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

an alert device for alerting 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 the main housing and the movable housing are shifted to a predetermined extension state.

17. 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 the main housing and the movable housing are shifted to a predetermined extension state for normal communication, and on-hook when the main housing and the movable housing are shifted to the retracted state after completing communication.

18. A portable communication apparatus comprising:

a main housing having at least a display section and an operation section;

a movable housing engaged with the main housing so that said movable housing is freely slidable in a longitudinal direction between a retracted state and an extended state;

an urging member for urging said main housing and said movable housing in an extension direction;

a releasable lock mechanism for releasably locking said main housing and said movable housing in the retracted state, wherein the locking is released by a predetermined operation;

a backlighting lamp for illuminating the display section; and

a display controller for divisionally driving the display section and the backlighting lamp depending on a position of the movable housing with respect to the main housing such that a portion of the backlighting lamp corresponding to the covered portion of the display section is not driven,

wherein said movable housing is sheath-shaped such that the display section of said main housing and its side and back surfaces corresponding to the display section are covered with said movable housing when said main housing and said movable housing are in the retracted state, and

wherein a portion of said display section of said main housing is covered and protected by said movable housing when said main housing and said movable housing are in the retracted state.

19. A portable communication apparatus comprising:

a main housing having at least a display section and an operation section;

a movable housing engaged with the main housing so that said movable housing is freely slidable in a longitudinal direction between a retracted state and an extended state;

an urging member for urging said main housing and said movable housing in an extension direction;

a releasable lock mechanism for releasably locking said main housing and said movable housing in the retracted state, wherein the locking is released by a predetermined operation; and

at least one optical function section, each of which has an aperture section thereof, wherein said aperture section is provided on a surface of said main housing that is covered and protected by said movable housing when said main housing and said movable housing are in the retracted state, wherein said at least one optical function section is usable only when said aperture section is exposed by extending the said main housing and said movable housing and at least one aperature of said at least one optical function section is mounted on a surface of said main housing that is opposite to a surface upon which said display is visible,

wherein said movable housing is sheath-shaped such that the display section of said main housing and its side and back surfaces corresponding to the display section are covered with said movable housing when said main housing and said movable housing are in the retracted state.

20. The portable communication apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said at least one optical function section comprises at least one of a fingerprint authentication device and an electronic image pickup device.