Moveable housing of a mobile communications device

• US 9,154,592 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2010
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Siddiqui, Kabir, Morris, Quintin R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kasraian, Allahyar
• Application Number:
  US12/701,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20110195752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,069 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575.4, D14/138.AD
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1622 with enclosures rotating around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define or with ball-joint coupling, e.g. PDA with display enclosure orientation changeable between portrait and landscape by rotation with respect to a coplanar body enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0208 characterized by the relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0212 with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, i.e. folding around a first axis and rotating around a second axis perpendicular to the first
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0216 Foldable in one direction, 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 1/0235 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 1/0237 Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0295 Mechanical mounting details of display modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Mobile communications devices having moveable housings are described. In an implementation, a mobile communications device includes a first housing that includes a display device; and a second housing that includes a keyboard. At least one of the first or second housings are moveable between a first configuration in which the first housing substantially covers the second housing so the keyboard is covered and the display device is viewable and a second configuration in which the keyboard is exposed and positioned such that an outer plane of the keyboard is positioned in a substantially similar plane to that of an outer surface of the display device.

Claims

1. A mobile communications device comprising:

a first housing that includes a display device;

a second housing that includes a keyboard;

a third housing movably attached to the first housing and the second housing by a first linkage, the first linkage attached to the first housing via at least a channel and attached to the second housing via a first fixed pivot, the third housing further movably attached to the second housing by a second linkage, the second linkage attached to the second housing via a second fixed pivot; and

at least one of the first or second housings are moveable between;

a first configuration in which;

the first housing substantially covers the second housing so the keyboard is covered and the display device is viewable; and

the third housing is on a separate plane than the first housing and the second housing;

a second configuration in which the keyboard is exposed and positioned by;

pivoting the first housing in relation to the third housing by sliding the first linkage along the channel in the first housing;

pivoting the second housing in relation to the third housing by rotating the first and second linkages about the first and second fixed pivots, respectively, such that an outer plane of the keyboard is positioned along a matching plane to that of an outer surface of the display device; and

maintaining a position of the third housing on the separate plane; and

when moving between the second configuration and the first configuration, the second housing moves faster than the first housing to enable the first housing to slide over the second housing.

2. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein the outer plane of the keyboard is not positioned along the plane to that of the outer surface of the display device in the first configuration.

3. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein the first housing is moveable:

to be positioned along the plane in the second configuration; and

is not positioned along the plane in the first configuration.

4. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein the second housing is moveable:

to be positioned along the plane in the second configuration; and

is not positioned along the plane in the first configuration.

5. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein movement of at least one of the first housing or the second housing includes sliding.

6. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein movement of at least one of the first housing or the second housing includes pivoting.

7. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein a bottom of the first housing contacts a top of the second housing in the second configuration.

8. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein the display device is viewable in both the first and second configurations.

9. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein a plurality of keys of the keyboard is arranged accordingly to a QWERTY configuration.

10. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the first and third housings at least partially surrounding the second housing in the first configuration.

11. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, further comprising one or more modules that are configured to provide telephonic functionality.

12. A mobile communications device as described in claim 11, wherein the telephonic functionality is configured to be accessed by a user when in the first configuration and when in the second configuration.

13. A method comprising:

moving at least one of a first housing or a second housing of a mobile communications device, the first housing movably attached to a third housing by a linkage via at least a channel and the second housing movably attached to the third housing by the linkage via at least a fixed pivot, the moving including moving the second housing faster than the first housing to enable the first housing to slide over the second housing, to arrange a first configuration in which;

the third housing is on a separate plane than the first housing and the second housing;

a display device of the first housing is viewable; and

a keyboard of the second housing is covered; and

moving both the first housing and the second housing of the mobile communications device in a similar direction to arrange a second configuration in which;

the keyboard is exposed and positioned such that an outer plane of the keyboard is positioned along a matching plane to that of an outer surface of the display device by pivoting the first housing in relation to the third housing by sliding the linkage along the channel in the first housing and pivoting the second housing in relation to the third housing by rotating the linkage about the fixed pivot;

the third housing is maintained on the separate plane;

the display device is viewable; and

the first housing does not cover the second housing.

14. A method of claim 13, wherein the second configuration is assumed by raising the second housing in relation to the first housing.

15. A method of claim 13, wherein the second configuration is assumed by movement that includes sliding the first housing.

16. A method of claim 13, wherein the second configuration is assumed by lowering the first housing in relation to the second housing.

17. A mobile communications device comprising:

a first housing that includes a display device;

a second housing that includes a keyboard; and

a third housing movably attached to the first housing and the second housing by a linkage, the linkage attached to the first housing via at least a channel and attached to the second housing via at least a fixed pivot;

the first and second housings are moveable between;

a first configuration in which;

the first housing substantially covers the second housing so the keyboard is covered; and

the third housing is on a separate plane than the first housing and the second housing; and

a second configuration in which the keyboard is exposed by;

pivoting the first housing in relation to the third housing by sliding the linkage along the channel in the first housing;

pivoting the second housing in relation to the third housing by rotating the linkage about the fixed pivot, such that an outer plane of the keyboard is positioned along a matching plane to that of an outer surface of the display device; and

maintaining a position of the third housing on the separate plane.

18. A mobile communications device as described in claim 17, wherein the linkage causes the second housing to be raised in response to the sliding of the linkage.

19. A mobile communications device as described in claim 17, wherein a bottom of the first housing contacts a top of the second housing in the second configuration.

20. A mobile communications device as described in claim 17, wherein the outer plane of the keyboard is not positioned along the plane to that of the outer surface of the display device in the first configuration.