Portable information terminal and control method of portable information terminal

• US 20050190482A1
• Filed: 02/09/2005
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Shimomura, Kazuhito
• Application Number:
  US11/053,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20050190482A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 360/69
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
• 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 1/0245 using open/close detection

Abstract

An open/closed state detecting unit detects in which one of an open state, a closed state, and an intermediate state a portable information terminal is, and the operation of a magnetic disk is controlled based on the detection result. Opening/closing a cover relative to a main body generates an impact. Since this impact occurs when the cover shifts from the intermediate state to the open state or to the closed state, detecting the open/closed state of the cover by the open/closed state detecting unit and controlling the magnetic disk according to the detection result makes it possible to protect the magnetic disk from the impact.

Claims

1. A portable information terminal, comprising:

a main body;

a cover openable/closable relative to said main body;

a magnetic disk device having a magnetic disk;

an open/closed state detecting unit that detects in which one of an open state, a closed state, and an intermediate state said cover is relative to said main body; and

a controller controlling an operation of said magnetic disk device based on a result of the detection by said open/closed state detecting unit.

2. The portable information terminal as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said open/closed state detecting unit comprises:

a first detector that detects whether or not said cover is in the open state relative to said main body; and

a second detector that detects whether or not said cover is in the closed state relative to said main body.

3. The portable information terminal as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said controller permits read/write of information from/to said magnetic disk when said open/closed state detecting unit detects that said cover is in one of the open state and the closed state, while prohibiting the read/write of the information from/to said magnetic disk when said open/closed state detecting unit detects that said cover is in the intermediate state.

4. The portable information terminal as set forth in claim 1, further comprising

a memory,

wherein, when said open/closed state detecting unit detects that said cover is in the intermediate state, said controller controls such that information is read/written from/to said memory instead of said magnetic disk.

5. The portable information terminal as set forth in claim 1,

wherein said controller controls such that the information of said memory is written to said magnetic disk when said open/closed state detecting unit detects that said cover has shifted from the intermediate state to one of the open state and the closed state.

6. The portable information terminal as set forth in claim 1, further comprising

a hinge revolvably connecting said cover to said main body.

7. The portable information terminal as set forth in claim 1, further comprising

a sliding mechanism slidably connecting said cover to said main body.

8. A control method of a portable information terminal that comprises:

a main body;

a cover openable/closable relative to the main body; and

a magnetic disk device having a magnetic disk, and

the control method, comprising;

detecting in which one of an open state, a closed state, and an intermediate state the cover is relative to the main body; and

controlling an operation of the magnetic disk device based on a result of the detection.

9. The control method of the portable information terminal as set forth in claim 8,

wherein said detecting includes:

detecting whether or not the cover is in the open state relative to the main body; and

detecting whether or not the cover is in the closed state relative to the main body.

10. The control method of the portable information terminal as set forth in claim 8,

wherein said controlling includes permitting read/write of information from/to the magnetic disk when the result of the detection indicates one of the open state and the closed state, while prohibiting the read/write of the information from/to the magnetic disk when the result of said detection indicates the intermediate state.

11. The control method of the portable information terminal as set forth in claim 8,

wherein the portable information terminal further includes a memory, and

wherein said controlling includes performing control such that the information is read/written from/to the memory instead of the magnetic disk when the result of said detection indicates the intermediate state.

12. The control method of the portable information terminal as set forth in claim 8,

wherein said controlling includes performing control such that the information of the memory is written to the magnetic disk when the result of said detection indicates a shift from the intermediate state to one of the open state and the closed state.

13. The control method of the portable information terminal as set forth in claim 8,

wherein the portable information terminal further includes a hinge revolvably connecting the cover to the main body.

14. The control method of the portable information terminal as set forth in claim 8,

wherein the portable information terminal further includes a sliding mechanism slidably connecting the cover to the main body.