Detection and function of seven self-supported orientations in a portable device

• US 8,095,191 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2009
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Gorsica, John J., Cholewin, Erik A., Lombardi, Michael J., Prochnow, Natalie J., Snyder, Ian M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zewdu, Meless N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lu, William
• Application Number:
  US12/497,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20110003616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556.2, 455/556.1, 455/566, 455/550.1, 455/575.1, 455/575.3, 455/90.3, 455/344, 455/347, 455/349, 455/345, 345156-158
• US Class Current: 455/575.3
• 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: 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 1/0243 using the relative angle between housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/18 including more than one keyboard unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

An improved mobile electronic device 100 with a unique thin and cost-effective form and design can have a large display 170 in the outward surface of a flip 102, a large full qwerty keypad 138 in the outward surface of a base 108, and a touchpad 186 in the inward surface of the flip. Advantageously, the mobile electronic device is movable to seven different orientations for providing different modes in partially open positions. The mobile electronic device can have a single accelerometer 206, such as located in the flip, or two accelerometers 130 with one accelerometer in the flip and one in the base, to accurately detect the orientation, flip angle, and mode of the mobile electronic device.

Claims

1. A mobile electronic device, comprising:

a base providing a transceiver housing;

a flip pivotably connected to said base by a hinge and pivotable from a closed position, to different partially open positions, and to a fully open position and vice versa;

said base and said flip each having an outward surface, inward surface, longitudinal sides providing edges, and lateral ends;

a keypad on the outward surface of said base, said keypad comprising an imager and an illumination source;

said illumination source being selected from a group consisting of a camera flash, a camera flash light-emitting diode, a xenon flash, a light-emitting bulb and a projector;

a display on the outward surface of said flip;

a touchpad on the inward surface of said flip;

said mobile electronic device detecting the orientation of said mobile device and being movable to different orientations for providing different modes of operation in said partially open positions, said modes comprising;

mode 1 wherein the mobile electronic device is standing on one end of said lateral end;

mode 2 wherein the mobile electronic device is standing on the other end of said lateral end in an upside down mode;

mode 3 wherein the inward side of said base is placed down on a flat surface and said display hangs over an edge of the flat surface;

mode 4 wherein the mobile electronic device is placed in a generally inverted L-shaped orientation with the keypad positioned substantially vertically and the display positioned substantially horizontally on a user'"'"'s side in a landscape orientation with the hinge facing generally upwardly so that the mobile electronic device is flipped up to view the display;

mode 5 wherein an edge in said edges of the base and an edge of the flip support the mobile electronic device in the landscape orientation in a generally upside down V-shaped configuration;

mode 6 wherein the flip is placed with the display down and the transceiver housing is positioned so that the imager can be used as a webcam or the illumination source can be used as flashlight;

mode 7 wherein the base is placed with the keypad side down and the flip is positioned in the landscape orientation.

2. The mobile electronic device in accordance with claim 1 wherein modes 5 and/or 7 comprise an alarm clock mode.

3. The mobile electronic device in accordance with claim 1 wherein modes 1 and/or 2 comprise a camera tripod mode for capturing images in a self-standing portrait orientation where the mobile electronic device can go into an imager timer mode and the flash can visibly count the time to image capture.

4. The mobile electronic device in accordance with claim 1 wherein mode 6 is selected from a group consisting of:

a webcam mode in a self-standing landscape orientation where the mobile electronic device links to a computer or other device as a webcam and the touchpad on the flip can be used for zoom functionality and/or screen capture;

a projector mode in a self-standing landscape orientation wherein said illumination source is a projector which projects an image from the mobile electronic device and said touchpad on said flip can be used for mouse cursor or zoom functionality;

and a flashlight mode in a self-standing landscape orientation wherein the mobile electronic device is placed on the display side down in the partially open position and the illumination source enters a torch mode.

5. The mobile electronic device in accordance with claim 1 wherein mode 4 can comprise a holster mode wherein the mobile electronic device is placed on a user'"'"'s side in a landscape orientation with the hinge facing generally upwardly and the mobile electronic device is flipped up to view the display without unholstering.

6. The mobile electronic device in accordance with claim 1 wherein modes 3, 5 and/or 7 are selected from a group consisting of:

a global positioning system (GPS) mode, music player mode, video player mode, phone mode, slide show mode, alarm clock mode, speakerphone mode, videoconference mode, video camera mode, and any combination of the preceding.

7. The mobile electronic device in accordance with claim 1 including an accelerometer in said flip or said base for detecting said orientation and mode.

8. The mobile electronic device in accordance with claim 1 comprising two accelerometers to replace the typical use of a magnetic sensor wherein one accelerometer resides in said flip and another accelerometer resides in said base and algorithms are used to detect the difference in position of the two accelerometers and thus the orientation and flip position of the device.

9. The mobile electronic device in accordance with claim 8 comprising two accelerometers for detecting said orientation, mode and flip angle without the need for magnetic sensors.

10. The mobile electronic device in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said display comprises a touchscreen display;

said imager is selected from a group consisting of a camera, camera lens, zoom lens, and web cam;

said mobile electronic device is selected from a group of consisting of a flip phone, portable networking device, internet communications device, clamshell device, radio telephone, cellular phone, mobile phone, smart phone, portable gaming device, personal digital assistant, wireless e-mail device, two-way pager, handheld electronic device, and combinations thereof; and

said mobile electronic device is of a compact size for readily fitting in a shirt pocket, pants pocket, suit pocket, and/or purse.

11. A mobile electronic device comprising:

a base providing a transceiver housing and defining a compartment for containing a battery;

a flip pivotably connected to said base by a hinge and pivotable from a closed position, to various partially open positions and to a fully open position and vice versa;

said base and said flip each having an outward surface and an inward surface;

a keypad on the outward surface of said base, said keypad comprising an imager and an illumination source, said keypad selected from a group consisting of a qwerty keypad, capacitive keypad, recessed keypad, keyboard, alphanumeric keys, and a base touch screen, said keypad facing downwardly when said flip is in said partially open position, said imager being selected from a group consisting of a camera, camera lens, zoom lens, and web cam;

said illumination source being selected from a group consisting of a camera flash, a camera flash light-emitting diode, a xenon flash, a light-emitting bulb and a projector;

a display on the outward surface of said flip, said display being positioned opposite to said keypad when said flip is in said closed position, said display facing upwardly with and in proximity to said keypad when said flip in said fully open position, and said display being positioned at an angle of inclination when said flip is in the partially open positions;

a touchpad on the inward surface of said flip and positioned transversely opposite of said display, and said touchpad being substantially hidden and inaccessible when said flip is in said closed position;

said mobile electronic device detecting the orientation of said mobile device and being movable to different orientations for providing different modes of operation in said partially open positions, said modes comprising;

mode 1 wherein the mobile electronic device is standing on one end of said lateral end;

mode 2 wherein the mobile electronic device is standing on the other end of said lateral end in an upside down mode;

mode 3 wherein the inward side of said base is placed down on a flat surface and said display hangs over an edge of the flat surface;

mode 4 wherein the mobile electronic device is placed in a generally inverted L-shaped orientation with the keypad positioned substantially vertically and the display positioned substantially horizontally on a user'"'"'s side in a landscape orientation with the hinge facing generally upwardly so that the mobile electronic device is flipped up to view the display;

mode 5 wherein an edge in said edges of the base and an edge of the flip support the mobile electronic device in the landscape orientation in a generally upside down V-shaped configuration;

mode 6 wherein the flip is placed with the display down and the transceiver housing is positioned so that the imager can be used as a webcam or the illumination source can be used as flashlight;

mode 7 wherein the base is placed with the keypad side down and the flip is positioned in the landscape orientation.

12. The mobile electronic device in accordance with claim 11 including an accelerometer in said flip or said base for detecting said orientation and mode.

13. The mobile electronic device in accordance with claim 11 comprising two accelerometers to replace the typical use of a magnetic sensor wherein one accelerometer resides in said flip and another accelerometer resides in said base and algorithms are used to detect the difference in position of the two accelerometers and thus the orientation and flip position of the device.

14. The mobile electronic device in accordance with claim 11 wherein:

the modes 5 and/or 7 comprise an alarm clock mode;

the modes 1 and/or 2 comprise a camera tripod mode for self-standing portrait orientation in which the mobile electronic device is an imager timer mode and the camera flash visibly counts down the time to image capture;

the mode 6 comprises a webcam mode in a self-standing landscape orientation wherein the mobile electronic device links to a computer as a webcam and said touchpad on said flip can be used for zoom functionality and/or screen capture;

or the mode 6 comprises a projector mode in a self-standing landscape orientation wherein said illumination source is a projector which projects an image from the mobile communication device and said touchpad on said flip can be used for mouse cursor or zoom functionality;

or the mode 6 comprises a flashlight mode in a self-standing landscape orientation wherein the mobile electronic device is placed display side down in a partially open position and the illumination source enters a torch mode;

mode 4 comprises a holster mode wherein the mobile electronic device is placed on a user'"'"'s side in a landscape orientation with the hinge facing generally upwardly and the mobile electronic device is flipped up to view the display without unholstering.

15. The mobile electronic device in accordance with claim 11 wherein the modes 3, 5 and/or 7 are selected from a group consisting of a global positioning system (GPS) mode, music player mode, video player mode, phone mode, slide show mode, alarm clock mode, speakerphone mode, videoconference mode, video camera mode, and any combination of the preceding.

16. A mobile electronic device comprising:

a base providing a transceiver housing and defining a compartment for containing a battery;

a flip pivotably connected to said base by a hinge and pivotable from a closed position, to partially open positions and to a fully open position and vice versa;

said base and said flip each having an outward surface, an inward surface, longitudinal sides providing edges, and lateral ends;

said flip being positioned at a flip angle relative to said base, said flip angle consisting of an angle of inclination of said flip relative to said base and ranging from zero to about 190 degrees;

a keypad on the outward surface of said base, said keypad selected from a group consisting of a qwerty keypad, capacitive keypad, recessed keypad, keyboard, alphanumeric keys, and a base touchscreen, said keypad facing downwardly when said flip is in said partially open position in a media viewing mode;

an imager in said keypad, said imager comprising a camera for video conferencing or still image photography;

a camera flash in proximity to said imager in said keyboard, said camera flash being selected from a group consisting of a camera flash light-emitting diode, light-emitting bulb, xenon flash and an illumination source;

a touchscreen display on the outer surface of said flip, said display being positioned opposite to said keypad when said flip is in a closed position in a tablet mode, said display facing upwardly with and in proximity to said keypad when said flip is in said fully open position in a text entry mode, and said display being positioned at the angle of inclination when said flip is in the partially open positions;

a capacitive touchpad on the inward surface of said flip and positioned transversely opposite of said display, and said touchpad being substantially hidden and inaccessible when said flip is in said closed position;

an accelerometer in said flip or said base for detecting device orientation and mode;

said mobile electronic device detecting the orientation of said mobile device and being movable to different orientations for providing different modes of operation in said partially open positions, said modes comprising;

mode 1 wherein the mobile electronic device is standing on one end of said lateral end;

mode 2 wherein the mobile electronic device is standing on the other end of said lateral end in an upside down mode;

mode 3 wherein the inward side of said base is placed down on a flat surface and said display hangs over an edge of the flat surface;

mode 4 wherein the mobile electronic device is placed in a generally inverted L-shaped orientation with the keypad positioned substantially vertically and the display positioned substantially horizontally on a user'"'"'s side in a landscape orientation with the hinge facing generally upwardly so that the mobile electronic device is flipped up to view the display;

mode 5 wherein an edge in said edges of the base and an edge of the flip support the mobile electronic device in the landscape orientation in a generally upside down V-shaped configuration;

mode 6 wherein the flip is placed with the display down and the transceiver housing is positioned so that the imager can be used as a webcam or the illumination source can be used as flashlight;

mode 7 wherein the base is placed with the keypad side down and the flip is positioned in the landscape orientation.

17. The mobile electronic device in accordance with claim 16 comprising two accelerometers to replace the typical use of a magnetic sensor wherein one accelerometer resides in said flip and another accelerometer resides in said base and algorithms are used to detect the difference in position of the two accelerometers and thus the orientation and flip position of the device.

18. The mobile electronic device in accordance with claim 16 comprising two accelerometers for detecting said orientation and mode and the flip angle without the need for magnetic sensors.

19. The mobile electronic device in accordance with claim 16 wherein:

said mobile electronic device is selected from a group of consisting of a flip phone, portable networking device, internet communications device, clamshell device, radio telephone, cellular phone, mobile phone, smart phone, portable gaming device, personal digital assistant, wireless e-mail device, two-way pager, handheld electronic device, and combinations thereof;

said mobile electronic device is of a compact size for readily fitting in a shirt pocket, pants pocket, suit pocket, and/or purse;

said modes 5 and/or 7 comprise an alarm clock mode wherein the mobile electronic device acts as an alarm clock;

said modes 1 and/or 2 comprise a camera tripod mode for self-standing portrait orientation wherein the mobile electronic device is in an imager timer mode and the flash visibly counts down the time to image capture;

said mode 6 is selected from a group consisting of a webcam mode in a self-standing landscape orientation wherein the mobile electronic device links to a computer as a webcam and the touchpad is used for zoom functionality and/or screen capture; and

a flashlight mode in a self-standing landscape orientation wherein the mobile electronic device is placed display side down in a partially open position and the flash automatically enters a torch mode;

said mode 4 comprises a holster mode wherein the mobile electronic device is placed on a user'"'"'s side in a landscape orientation with the hinge facing generally upwardly and the mobile electronic device flipped up to view the display without unholstering;

and said modes 3, 5 and/or 7 are selected from a group consisting of a global positioning system (GPS) mode, music player mode, video player mode, phone mode, slide show mode, alarm clock mode, speakerphone mode, videoconference mode, video camera mode, and any combination of the preceding.