Handheld electronic device with reconfigurable keypad

• US 8,031,182 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2008
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Griffin, Jason T., Ladouceur, Norman M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala; Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abebe; Sosina
• Application Number:
  US12/049,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20080158163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,296 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345168-169, 345/172, 345/173, 36167908-67917, 361/679.56, 455/433.07, 455/433.01, 455/433.04, 455/433.06, 455/433.11, 455/433.12, 455/556.2, 455/566, 463 37- 38, 379/433.04, 379/433.11
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 1/1666 Arrangements for reducing the size of the integrated keyboard for transport, e.g. foldable keyboards, keyboards with collapsible keys G06F1/1664 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• 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

Abstract

An improved handheld electronic device has a display and a keypad, with the keypad being movable among a number of configurations that enable the “real estate” occupied by the keypad to be increased or decreased, and to correspondingly enable the viewable area of the display to be relatively decreased and increased, respectively.

Claims

1. A keypad assembly for a handheld electronic device of a type having a display, the keypad assembly comprising:

a keypad, the keypad being moveable from a first position to a second position; and

a flexible sheet-like piece of covering material formed out of a reduced reflectivity material and being structured to overlie the display, the covering material being a glare-reducing covering that is at least partially translucent and is structured for use in bright light conditions to reduce ambient light,

the covering material being connected to the keypad such that the covering material is moveable in response to movement of the keypad,

the covering material being in a deployed position when the keypad is in the first position, in the deployed position the covering material overlies a first portion of the display,

the covering material being in a retracted position when the keypad is in the second position, in the retracted position the covering material overlies one of none of the display and a second portion of the display, the second portion being smaller than the first portion.

2. The keypad assembly of claim 1 wherein:

at least a portion of the keypad being structured to overlie a first portion of the display when the keypad is in the second position; and

when the keypad is in the first position, the at least portion of the keypad is structured to overlie one of;

none of the display; and

a second portion of the display wherein at least a portion of the first portion and at least a portion of the second portion are non-coextensive.

3. The keypad assembly of claim 1 wherein the keypad comprises a first keypad portion, a second keypad portion, and a connection extending between the first and second keypad portions, at least a portion of the first keypad portion and at least a portion of the second keypad portion being disposed substantially coplanar when the keypad is in the first position, the at least portion of the first keypad portion and the at least portion of the second keypad portion being disposed noncoplanar when the keypad is in the second position.

4. A handheld electronic device comprising a display and a keypad assembly, the keypad assembly comprising:

a keypad, the keypad being moveable from a first position to a second position; and

a flexible sheet-like piece of covering material formed out of a reduced reflectivity material and being structured to overlie the display, the covering material being a glare-reducing covering that is at least partially translucent and is structured for use in bright light conditions to reduce ambient light,

the covering material being connected to the keypad such that the covering material is moveable in response to movement of the keypad,

the covering material being in a deployed position when the keypad is in the first position, in the deployed position the covering material overlies a first portion of the display,

the covering material being in a retracted position when the keypad is in the second position, in the retracted position the covering material overlies one of none of the display and a second portion of the display, the second portion being smaller than the first portion.

5. A method of protecting a handheld electronic device of a type that includes a housing, an input apparatus, and an output apparatus, the input apparatus comprising a keypad assembly that comprises a keypad connected together with a flexible sheet-like piece of covering material formed out of a reduced reflectivity material, the covering material being a glare-reducing covering that is at least partially translucent and is structured for use in bright light conditions to reduce ambient light, the output apparatus comprising a display, the method comprising:

moving the keypad between a first position to a second position;

in response to the keypad moving to the first position, moving the covering material to a deployed position in which the covering material overlies a first portion of the display,

in response to the keypad moving to the second position, moving the covering material to a retracted position in which the covering material overlies one of none of the display and a second portion of the display, the second portion being smaller than the first portion.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein in the retracted position at least some of the piece of covering material is disposed within an interior of the housing.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least a portion of the keypad overlies a first portion of the display when the keypad is in the first position and when the keypad is in the second position, the keypad overlies one of:

none of the display, and

a second portion of the display wherein at least a portion of the first portion and at least a portion of the second portion are non-coextensive.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising resisting reflection of electromagnetic radiation from the at least portion of the piece of covering material.