Communication device with two modes of operation

• US 6,047,196 A
• Filed: 05/29/1996
• Issued: 04/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1995
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Soini, Veli-Matti, Lehtonen, Arto, Makela, Jarmo, Ronkka, Risto, Siitonen, Lasse
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Daniel S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thuan T.
• Application Number:
  US08/654,846
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: 455/90, 455/128, 455/556, 455/566, 455/552, 455/575, 455/557, 379/433, 379/434, 379/438, 379/447, 379/428, 379/440
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1692 the I/O peripheral being a secondary touch screen used as control interface, e.g. virtual buttons or sliders
• 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 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/58 including a multilanguage function
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation methods for entering alphabetical characters per se G06F3/0237

Abstract

The invention relates to a mobile station which comprises two separate user interfaces and an outer covering (10, 11) which can be unfolded. The device has the appearance and the size of a common mobile phone when the outer covering (10, 11) is closed, whereby available is a first user interface being substantially a telephone user interface. When the outer covering (10, 11) of the device is unfolded it exposes a second user interface having a relatively large-sized display (12) and an alphanumeric keypad (15). Alphanumeric messages and graphical information can be transmitted and received using the second user interface.

Claims

1. A portable communication device (4) for transmitting information in electrical form between a user and a certain data communication system, characterized in that it comprises:

an outer covering (10,

     11) including upper and lower halves which can be moved between a folded condition and an unfolded condition by actions of the user, said lower half (11) containing the heaviest structural parts of said portable communication device including a microphone (5), a speaker (6), and sound channelling means for directing sound to the microphone from the speaker, said lower half (11) being substantially heavier than said upper half (10); and

in order to realize the interaction between said communication device (4) and the user, as separate items;

a first user interface in said lower half (11) with first input means (5, 7,

     8) and first indicator means (9); and

a second user interface in said upper half (10) with second input means (13, 14, 15, 16,

     17) and second indicator means (12);

of which said first user interface comprises parts (5, 6, 7, 8,

     9), which are located substantially on the outer surface of said outer covering (10,

     11), so that they can be used when said upper and lower halves are in the folded condition, and of which said second user interface comprises parts (12, 13, 14, 15, 16,

     17), which are located substantially inside said outer covering (10,

     11), so that they can be used when said upper and lower halves are in the unfolded condition, said portable communication device being balanced for firm placement of said lower half (11) of said outer covering on a substantially flat level surface, with said upper half (12) of said outer covering positioned such that the included angle between said lower half and said higher half is less than 180°

.

2. A communication device (4) according to claim 1, characterized in that said first and second user interfaces can be used independently of each other.

3. A communication device (4) according to claim 1, characterized in that said first user interface is substantially a telephone user interface for the two-way transmission of speech and comprises sound channelling means (5, 6) for directing sound to a microphone and from a speaker, and keys (7, 8) to control the operation of the device (4) and to enter data into the device.

4. A communication device (4) according to claim 3, characterized in that said outer surface of said outer covering comprises a first side and a second side, and said sound channelling means (5, 6) are located on said first side and said keys (7, 8) are located on said second side.

5. A communication device (4) according to claim 1, characterized in that said outer covering (10, 11) comprises a first part (10) and a second part (11) which are substantially equally large in cross section and connected to each other by a hinge joint, so that they are located substantially against each other when said outer covering is closed, an so that in order to unfold said outer covering they are turned apart around the rotational axis of said hinge joint.

6. A communication device (4) according to claim 1, characterized in that said second user interface comprises a display (12) for the presentation of alphanumeric and/or graphical information, and keys (13, 14, 15, 16, 17) to control the operation of the device and to enter data into the device.

7. A communication device (4) according to claim 6, characterized in that said first part (10) comprises said display (12), and that said second part (11) comprises the largest part of said keys (15, 16, 17).

8. A communication device (4) according to claim 6, characterized in that said second user interface comprises at least one scrolling key (13) for scrolling the information in said display (12).

9. A communication device (4) according to claim 6, characterized in that said second user interface comprises at least one command key (14) for entering commands to the device with the depression of one key.

10. A communication device (4) according to claim 6, characterized in that it comprises means for the execution of application programs and that said second user interface comprises application keys (16) for the selection of a certain application program with the depression of one key.

11. A communication device (4) according to claim 6, characterized in that it comprises a fax modem for transmitting and receiving telefaxes through said communication system.

12. A communication device (4) according to claim 6, characterized in that said display (12) comprises means for the communication of graphical information to the device (4) by touching said display (12) at a specified position.

13. A communication device (4) according claim 1, characterized in that said second user interface comprises about 30 character keys (15), which are arranged substantially according to a certain established keyboard order.

14. A portable communication device (4) for transmitting information in electrical form between a user and a certain data communication system, characterized in that it comprises separate first and second user interfaces in order to realize the interaction between said communication device (4) and the user, of which said first user interface is substantially a telephone user interface for the two-way transmission of speech and comprises sound channelling means for directing sound to a microphone (5) and from a speaker (6), and first input means (7, 8) to control the operation of the device (4) and to enter data into the device and first indicator means (9), and of which the second user interface comprises second input means (13, 14, 15, 16, 17) and second indicator means (12) and further including an outer covering (10, 11) including upper and lower halves which can be unfolded by actions of the user, said lower half (11) containing the heaviest structural parts of said portable communication device including a microphone (5), a speaker (6), and sound channelling means for directing sound to the microphone from the speaker, said lower half (11) being substantially heavier than said upper half (10), said portable communication device being balanced for firm placement of said lower half of said outer covering on a substantially flat level surface, with said upper half of said outer covering positioned such that the included angle between said lower half and said higher half is less than 180°

.

15. A communication device (4) according to claim 14, characterized in that it comprises an outer covering (10, 11) which can be unfolded by actions of the user, and that said first user interface comprises parts (5, 6, 7, 8, 9), which are located substantially on the outer surface of said outer covering (10, 11), so that they can be used without unfolding said outer cover, and that said second user interface comprises parts (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17), which are located substantially inside said outer covering (10, 11), so that they can be used when said outer covering is unfolded.

16. A communication device (4) according to claim 15, characterized in that said sound channelling means (5, 6) are located in a first part of said outer covering and said first input means (7, 8) are located in a second part of said outer covering.

17. A communication device (4) according to claim 14, characterized in that said first and second user interfaces can be used independently of each other.