Cellular phone

• US 7,596,390 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2005
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: McDonald, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cho; Un C
• Application Number:
  US11/078,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20050215291A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,660 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/575.3, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/557, 359/247, 359/249, 345/747, 379/433.04, 348/369
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• 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 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions

Abstract

The present invention provides a cellular phone which includes a function for changing the viewing angle of the display section according to the specified executing function, when the cellular phone receives a user'"'"'s operation to specify the executable function through the operating section 115. The storage section 120 stores the viewing angle information table which associates the cellular phone'"'"'s function with viewing angle information. The designation to specify the executing function is received from the user through the operating section 115. The viewing angle change control section 10 reads out the viewing angle information corresponding to the specified function from the table, and executes the process of changing viewing angle according to the present viewing angle information in the viewing angle information storage section 1.

Claims

1. A cellular phone comprising a display device with a changeable viewing angle, the cellular phone comprising:

a specifying function section configured to accept specifications of one or more functions executable by the cellular phone;

a viewing angle change control section configured to change the viewing angle of the display device according to a specified function;

a storage section configured to store viewing angle information being associated with the functions which the cellular phone has; and

an update section configured to update the viewing angle information in the storage section,

wherein the viewing angle change control section is further configured to change the viewing angle according to the updated viewing angle information, and

wherein at least one of the one or more functions comprises a main function and a sub-function and the storage section stores the viewing angle information associated with the main function and the sub-function, and

wherein when the sub-function is executed, the viewing angle change control section is configured to determine if the viewing angle information of the sub-function is set in the storage section, and if only the viewing angle information of the main function is set, display all images in the executed sub-function with the same viewing angle set for the main function, and if the viewing angle information of the sub-function is set, display an image for the sub-function with the viewing angle which is set for the sub-function.

2. The cellular phone according to claim 1, wherein the viewing angle change control section comprises:

a change designation receive section configured to receive a designation to change the viewing angle,

wherein the viewing angle is changed in the case that the change designation receive section receives the designation to change the viewing angle.

3. The cellular phone according to claim 2, wherein

the cellular phone can change the viewing angle in a specific direction of the display device, and

the cellular phone further comprises:

a narrow viewing angle direction receive section configured to receive a designation of changing the viewing angle in a specific direction in the change designation receive section, and wherein the viewing angle change control section is configured to change the viewing angle of the display device in the direction which is received by the narrow viewing angle direction receive section.

4. The cellular phone according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display section configured to display a status of the viewing angle of the display device.

5. The cellular phone according to claim 1, further comprising:

an illumination section configured to illuminate a display side of the display device by a backlight; and

a control section configured to control the brightness of the backlight in the illumination section according to the viewing angle changed by the viewing angle change control section.

6. The cellular phone according to claim 1, further comprising:

a clock section configured to indicate a present time; and

a viewing angle change limitation section configured to limit the execution of the viewing angle change control section according to the present time indicated by the clock section.

7. The cellular phone according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display section configured to display an image in either of two directions of the display which are orthogonal on a display side of the display device,

wherein the viewing angle change control section is configured to change the viewing angle according to the direction of the displayed image.

8. A method of controlling a cellular phone comprising a CPU and a memory, and a program to execute a control process, the method comprising:

accepting a specification of one or more functions capable of being performed by the cellular phone;

changing a viewing angle of the display device according to the specification;

storing viewing angle information being associated with the one or more functions; and

updating the stored viewing angle information associated with the one or more functions,

wherein the act of changing the viewing angle comprises changing the viewing angle according to the updated viewing angle information,

wherein at least one of the one or more functions includes a main function and a sub-function and the act of storing comprises storing the viewing angle information associated with the main function and the sub-function, and

wherein when the sub-function is executed, the act of changing the viewing angle comprises determining if the viewing angle information of the sub-function is set in the stored viewing angle information, and if only the viewing angle information of the main function is set, displaying all images in the executed sub-function with the same viewing angle set for the main function, and if the viewing angle information of the sub-function is set, displaying an image for the sub-function with the viewing angle which is set for the sub-function.