Hand-held radiotelephone having a detachable display

• US 6,009,336 A
• Filed: 07/10/1996
• Issued: 12/28/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harris, Daryl R., Williams, Daniel L., Walczak, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WYCHE, MYRON
• Application Number:
  US08/677,478
• Time in Patent Office: 1,266 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556, 455/566, 455/346, 345/146, 348/14
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0227 Rotatable in one plane, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0233 Including a rotatable display body part
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0243 using the relative angle between housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0256 wherein the modules are operable in the detached state, e.g. one module for the user interface and one module for the transceiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display

Abstract

A communication device (104) includes two housings (108, 110), each containing circuitry (114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 122, 123) for operating the communication device (104) in different modes (700, 702, 704, 706, 730, 732). The communication device (104) includes a latch (112) for detachably coupling the two housings (108, 110) and rotating one housing (110/108) with respect to the other (108/110). The communication device (104) switches between the different modes (700, 702, 704, 706, 730, 732) based on the attachment or detachment and the relative position of the housings (108, 110).

Claims

1. A hand-held radiotelephone having a plurality of different operating modes, the hand-held radiotelephone comprising:

a housing;

an antenna;

a transceiver housed in the housing and coupled to the antenna;

a speaker housed in the housing and coupled to the transceiver;

a microphone housed in the housing and coupled to the transceiver; and

a display housed in the housing and coupled to the transceiver, the display selectively attachable to and detachable from the housing, the display, when attached to the housing, configured to facilitate a first one of the plurality of different operating modes of the hand-held radiotelephone, and the display, when detached from the housing, configured to facilitate a second one of the plurality of different operating modes of the hand-held radiotelephone.

2. A hand-held radiotelephone according to claim 1 further comprising a camera mounted to the display to travel with the display upon detaching of the display from the housing, the camera coupled to the transceiver.

3. A hand-held radiotelephone according to claim 2 wherein the camera is mounted to the display via a swivel, the swivel facilitating rotation of the camera greater than 180 degrees.

4. A hand-held radiotelephone according to claim 2 wherein

the first one of the plurality of different operating modes is a telephone mode for facilitating telephonic communication between the hand-held radiotelephone and a remote device,

the second one of the plurality of different operating modes is a video conferencing mode,

the display, during the video conferencing mode, configured to display an image of a user of the remote device, and

the camera, during the video conferencing mode, configured to capture an image of a user of the hand-held radiotelephone.

5. A hand-held radiotelephone according to claim 2 wherein the display and the camera are coupled to the transceiver via a wireless data communication link.

6. A hand-held radiotelephone according to claim 2 further comprising a touchscreen housed in the housing and coextensive with the display, the touchscreen to travel with the display upon detaching of the display from the housing, the touchscreen coupled to the transceiver.

7. A hand-held radiotelephone according to claim 6 wherein

the first one of the plurality of different operating modes is a telephone mode for facilitating telephonic communication between the hand-held radiotelephone and a remote device,

the second one of the plurality of different operating modes is a note-taking mode,

the display, during the note taking mode, configured to display a tablet area, and

the touchscreen, during the note taking mode, configured to capture a note written at the tablet area.

8. A hand-held radiotelephone according to claim 6 wherein the display, when attached to the housing, is configured to display a telephone keypad so as to facilitate telephonic communication between the hand-held radiotelephone and a remote device.

9. A hand-held radiotelephone for communicating with a remote device, the hand-held radiotelephone comprising:

a first housing having first and second sides;

a first transceiver housed in the first housing, the first transceiver to receive communication signals from the remote device and to transmit communication signals to the remote device;

a speaker positioned behind at least one opening in the first side of the first housing, the speaker coupled to the first transceiver;

a microphone positioned behind at least one opening in the first side of the first housing, the microphone coupled to the first transceiver;

a second transceiver housed in the first housing, the second transceiver coupled to the first transceiver;

a first latch portion carried on the second side of the housing;

a second housing;

a second latch portion carried on the second housing, the second latch portion to detachably mate the first latch portion and, thereby, selectively attach and detach the first and second housings;

a third transceiver housed in the second housing, the third transceiver to communicate with the second transceiver;

a display housed in the second housing and coupled to the third transceiver, the display, when the first housing is attached to the second housing, viewable from the second side of the first housing, and the display, when the second housing is detached from the first housing, viewable from any one of the first and second sides of the first housing; and

a camera mounted to the second housing and coupled to the third transceiver, the camera, when the first housing is attached to the second housing, stowed on the second side of the first housing, and the camera, when the second housing is detached from the first housing, free to rotate and capture images from any one of the first and second sides of the first housing.

10. A hand-held radiotelephone according to claim 9 wherein

the hand-held radiotelephone, when the second housing is attached to the first housing, operable in a telephone mode during which the display displays a telephone keypad to facilitate telephonic communication between the hand-held radiotelephone and the remote device, and

the hand-held radiotelephone, when the second housing is detached from the first housing during the telephone mode, operable in a video conferencing mode during which the display displays an image of a user of the remote device and the camera captures an image of a user of the hand-held radiotelephone.

11. A hand-held radiotelephone according to claim 9 wherein

the first transceiver is a radio frequency transceiver,

the second transceiver is an infrared (IR) transceiver comprising an IR emitter and an IR detector, and

the third transceiver is an IR transceiver comprising an IR emitter and an IR detector.

12. A hand-held radiotelephone according to claim 9 further comprising:

a first battery housed in the first housing;

a first set of battery terminals carried on the first latch portion, the first set of battery terminals coupled to the first battery;

a second battery housed in the second housing; and

a second set of battery terminals carried on the second latch portion, the second set of battery terminals coupled to the second battery;

wherein

the first and second batteries power the hand-held radiotelephone when the second housing is attached to the first housing,

the first battery solely powers the first and second transceivers when the second housing is detached from the first housing, and

the second battery solely powers the display, the camera and the third transceiver when the second housing is detached from the first housing.

13. A hand-held radiotelephone according to claim 9 further comprising a touchscreen housed in the second housing and coextensive with the display, the touchscreen coupled to the third transceiver.

14. A hand-held radiotelephone according to claim 13 wherein

the hand-held radiotelephone, when the second housing is attached to the first housing, operable in a telephone mode during which the display is configured to display a telephone keypad and the touchscreen is configured to capture touches made at the telephone keypad, and

the hand-held radiotelephone, when the second housing is detached from the first housing during the telephone mode, operable in a note taking mode during which the display is configured to display a tablet area and the touchscreen is configured to capture a note written at the tablet area.

15. A hand-held radiotelephone for communicating with a remote device, the hand-held radiotelephone comprising:

a first housing;

radio circuitry housed in the first housing, the radio circuitry to receive communication signals from the remote device and to transmit communication signals to the remote device, the communication signals comprising at least one of image data, speech data and control data;

a speaker housed in the first housing and coupled to the radio circuitry, the speaker to output audible voice signals converted from the received speech data;

a microphone housed in the first housing and coupled to the radio circuitry, the microphone to receive audible voice signals for conversion into speech data for transmission;

image circuitry housed in the first housing and coupled to the radio circuitry, the image circuit to decompress received image data and to compress image data for transmission;

a first data transceiver housed in the first housing and coupled to the image circuitry, the first data transceiver to transmit decompressed received image data and to receive image data for compression;

a first latch portion housed in the first housing;

a controller housed in the first housing and coupled to the radio circuitry, the image circuitry, the first data transceiver and the first latch portion, the controller to control operation of the hand-held radiotelephone;

a second housing;

a second latch portion housed in the second housing, the second latch portion to detachably mate the first latch portion and, thereby, selectively attach and detach the first and second housings;

a second data transceiver housed in the second housing to communicate with the first data transceiver, the second data to receive the decompressed received image data and to transmit the image data for compression;

a display housed in the second housing and coupled to the second data transceiver; and

a camera housed in the second housing and coupled to the second data transceiver;

wherein

the controller controls the hand-held radiotelephone to operate in a telephone mode when the first and second latch portions are mated, and controls the hand-held radiotelephone to operate in a video conferencing mode when the first and second latch portions are detached,

the display, during the video conferencing mode, displaying decompressed received image data, and

the camera, during the video conferencing mode, capturing images and generating image data for compression therefrom.

16. A hand-held radiotelephone according to claim 15 further comprising a swivel housed in the second housing, the swivel facilitating rotation of the camera greater than 180 degrees.

17. A hand-held radiotelephone according to claim 15 further comprising:

a first battery housed in the first housing;

a first set of battery terminals carried in the first latch portion, the first set of battery terminals coupled to the first battery;

a second battery housed in the second housing; and

a second set of battery terminals carried on the second latch portion, the second set of battery terminals coupled to the second battery;

wherein

the first and second batteries power the hand-held radiotelephone when the second housing is attached to the first housing,

the first battery solely powers the first and second transceivers when the second housing is detached from the first housing, and

the second battery solely powers the display, the camera and the third transceiver when the second housing is detached from the first housing.

18. A hand-held radiotelephone according to claim 15 wherein

the first data transceiver comprises a first infrared (IR) detector, a first IR emitter and a first IR channel modem coupled to the first IR detector, the first IR emitter, the image circuitry and the controller, and

the second data transceiver comprises a second infrared (IR) detector, a second IR emitter and a second IR channel modem coupled to the second IR detector, the second IR emitter, the display and the camera.

19. A hand-held radiotelephone according to claim 15 wherein

the radio circuitry comprises an antenna, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver coupled to the antenna and a channel modem digital signal processor (DSP) coupled to the RF transceiver and the controller, and

the image circuitry comprises an image compression/decompression DSP coupled to the channel modem DSP, the controller and the first data transceiver.

20. A hand-held radiotelephone according to claim 15

further comprising a touchscreen housed in the second housing and coupled to the second data transceiver, the touchscreen overlying the display;

and

wherein the controller controls the hand-held radiotelephone to operate in a note-taking mode when the first and second latch portions are detached during the telephone mode, the controller, during the note-taking mode, communicating control data to the display to configure the display as a tablet, and to the touchscreen to configure the touchscreen to capture a note written at the display and generate image data for compression therefrom.