Multi-panel sliding cover for a device

• US 8,289,687 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2006
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cinco, Alfredo, Marc Chase Weinstein
• Original Assignee: Cinco, Alfredo, Marc Chase Weinstein
• Inventors: Weinstein, Marc Chase, Cinco, Alfredo
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, Adrian S
• Application Number:
  US11/608,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20070136405A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,136 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.21, 361/679.23, 361/679.26, 361/679.3, 361/679.55, 4555751-5754, 455/575.8
• US Class Current: 361/679.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1666 Arrangements for reducing the size of the integrated keyboard for transport, e.g. foldable keyboards, keyboards with collapsible keys G06F1/1664 takes precedence
• 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 15/0216 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 1/0237 Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing a multi-panel cover component for a multi-panel body component nested within the cover component. The cover component is moveable with respect to the body component, so as to provide an image or functional change in the component being presented to a user of the apparatus, when the user moves the cover component, so as to cover or uncover the body component.

Claims

1. Apparatus, comprising:

a cover component formed as spatially separated multiple panels having a fixed positional relationship therebetween, for providing a first function to a user of the apparatus,

a body component formed as spatially separated multiple panels having a fixed positional relationship therebetween, for providing a second function to the user, where multiple panels of both of the cover and body components are each formed on a different spatial plane, and

a coupling structure for slidingly coupling together the spatially separated multiple panels of the cover and body components in an interleaved manner so that the spatially separated multiple panels of each of the cover and body components maintain their respective fixed positional relationship as the multiple panels of one of the cover and body components are simultaneously moveable as a group with respect to multiple panels of the other of the cover and body components between a first and a second position, wherein

in the first position multiple panels of the cover component at least partially cover multiple panels of the body component, and in the second position multiple panels of the cover component at least partially uncover multiple panels of the body component, and wherein

said at least partial covering and uncovering provides said first and said second functions, respectively, to the user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in the first position, the first function presented to the user is one of either a first visual image, a storage compartment or a first electronic device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein in the second position, the second function presented to the user is one of either a second visual image, a storage compartment or a second electronic device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in the first position, the first function presented to the user is a visual image, and in the second position, the second function presented to the user is an electronic device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in the first position, the first function presented to the user is a first visual image, and in the second position, the second function presented to the user is a second visual image.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in the first position, the first function presented to the user is an electronic device, and in the second position, the second function presented to the user is a visual image.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in the first position, the first function presented to the user is a first electronic device, and in the second position, the second function presented to the user is a second electronic device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first and second electronic devices each comprise one or more of a cell phone, a personal audio player, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a computer, a calculator, an electronic game, a camera, and a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multiple panels of both of the cover component and the body component are formed on different spatial planes.

10. A multi-state structure comprising:

a first portion having as a first state, a first function provided on a first set of multi-level sub-portions having a fixed positional relationship therebetween;

a second portion having as a second state, a second function provided on a second set of multi-level sub-portions having a fixed positional relationship therebetween;

said respective first and second sets of multi-level sub-portions each being arranged in differing spatial planes; and

a coupling structure for slidingly coupling together the sets of multi-level sub-portions of the first and second portions in an interleaved manner, so that sets of multi-level sub-portions of each of the respective first and second portions maintain their respective fixed positional relationship during sliding movement therebetween, said coupling structure enabling the first and second portions to be moveable from a first position to a second position, and when so moved, the multi-level sub-portions of each of said first and second sets of multi-level sub-portions maintain their respective fixed positional relationship so as to simultaneously pass each other in overlying relation as a group so that said structure exposes said first function in said first position and said second function in said second position, and thereby provides to a user of said structure either said first state or said second state, respectively.

11. The structure of claim 10, wherein in the first position, the first function presented to the user is a visual image, and in the second position, the second function presented to the user is an electronic device.

12. The structure of claim 10, wherein in the first position, the first function presented to the user is a first visual image, and in the second position, the second function presented to the user is a second visual image.

13. The structure of claim 10, wherein in the first position, the first function presented to the user is an electronic device, and in the second position, the second function presented to the user is a visual image.

14. The structure of claim 10, wherein in the first position, the first function presented to the user is a first electronic device, and in the second position, the second function presented to the user is a second electronic device.

15. A multi-state structure comprising:

a first portion having a first function and comprising a first plurality of sub-portions having a fixed positional relationship therebetween;

a second portion comprising a second plurality of sub-portions having a fixed positional relationship therebetween that collectively comprise an electronic device;

a coupling structure for slidingly coupling together the first and second plurality of sub-portions of the first and second portions in an interleaved manner, so that the first and second plurality of sub-portions of each of the respective first and second portions maintain their respective fixed positional relationship during sliding movement therebetween, said coupling structure enabling the first and second portions to be from a first position to a second position, and when so moved, said first and second pluralities of sub-portions maintain their respective fixed positional relationship so as to simultaneously pass each other in overlying relation as a group so that said structure exposes said first function in said first position and said electronic device in said second position.

16. The structure of claim 15, wherein the first function is a visual image.

17. The structure of claim 15, wherein the first function is also an electronic device.

18. The structure of claim 15, wherein the electronic device comprises one or more of a cell phone, a personal audio player, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a camera, a computer, a calculator, an electronic game, and a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

19. The structure of claim 17, wherein the electronic devices comprise one or more of a cell phone, a personal medial player, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a camera, a computer, a calculator, an electronic game, and a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

20. The structure of claim 15, wherein the plurality of sub-portions of at least one of the first and second portions are formed on a different spatial plane.

21. The structure of claim 15, wherein the plurality of sub-portions of both of the first and second portions are formed on a different spatial plane.

22. The structure of claim 21, wherein the first function is an electronic device.

23. The structure of claim 22, wherein the electronic devices of said first and second functions comprises one or more of a cell phone, an audio playing device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a camera, a computer, a calculator, an electronic game, and a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

24. The structure of claim 22, wherein the first function is cell phone and the second function is a media playing device.

25. The structure of claim 22, wherein the first function is cell phone and the second function is a calculator.

26. The structure of claim 22, wherein the first function is cell phone and the second function is a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

27. The structure of claim 22, wherein the first function is a media playing device and the second function is a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

28. The structure of claim 22, wherein the first function is a cell phone and the second function is a computing device.

29. The structure of claim 22, wherein the first function is cell phone and the second function is a video gaming device.