Portable communication device

• US 20020050981A1
• Filed: 06/25/2001
• Published: 05/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Nuovo, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 6,781,925 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/169
• 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 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0254 comprising one or a plurality of mechanically detachable modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7246 by connection of exchangeable housing parts

Abstract

A communication device including control circuitry with transceiver capabilities, input keys coupled to the circuitry for entering information, a display coupled to the circuitry for visual presentation of information, a chassis for securely holding the circuitry and the display, a sound generation unit coupled to the circuitry for providing audio presentation of information, and an interface unit including a speaker unit and an antenna unit, wherein the interface unit is removable. The interface unit can be removed and replace with other interface units including various other functions and features, such as multimedia, gaming, storage, and interface specific activation of devices.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

a chassis;

control circuitry secured to the chassis, wherein the circuitry includes transceiver capabilities;

input keys coupled to the circuitry for entering information,

a display coupled to the circuitry for visual presentation of information;

a sound generation unit coupled to the circuitry for generating audible sound, wherein the sound generating unit moves from a first position to a second position; and

an interface unit removably secured to the chassis, wherein the interface unit includes a speaker unit and an antenna unit.

2. The communication device of claim 1 further comprising a retaining unit secured to the chassis for releasable retaining the sound generation unit in the inactive position, wherein the retaining unit is operated by a button such that pressing the button causes the retaining unit to disengage from and release the sound generation unit thereby allowing the sound generation unit to move from the inactive position to the active position.

3. The communication device of claim 2 wherein the inactive position is in a first plane and the active position is in a second plane, such that the first and second planes intersect.

4. The communication device of claim 2, further comprising a locking mechanism coupled to the button for retaining the sound generation unit in the active position.

5. The communication device of claim 2 wherein the sound generation unit is rotatebly and pivotally deployed from the inactive position to the active position.

6. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the interface unit further comprises a multimedia device coupled to the circuitry capable of reading from and storing data onto an external storage device

7. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the sound generation unit comprises:

a slide including a hinge movable retained in a first plane by the chassis; and

a speaker unit secured to the slide, wherein the slide is partially deployed and then moves about the hinge to the active position in a second plane.