Moveable housing of a mobile communications device

• US 9,979,804 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2016
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• 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:
  US15/359,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20170078459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 4555751-5754
• 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 and a second housing. 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 that an outer surface of the second housing is covered and an outer surface of the first housing is viewable, and a second configuration in which said outer surface of the second housing is exposed and positioned such that said outer surface of the second housing is positioned in a substantially similar plane to that of said outer surface of the first housing.

Claims

1. A mobile communications device comprising:

a first housing; and

a second housing that includes an indentation and is movably attached to the first housing by a pivot that is located at a fixed position relative to the first and second housings, the mobile communications device being moveable between;

a first configuration in which the first housing substantially covers the second housing so that an outer surface of the second housing is covered and an outer surface of the first housing is viewable; and

a second configuration in which said outer surface of the second housing is exposed and positioned along a plane with the outer surface of the first housing, the mobile communications device being moveable from the first configuration to the second configuration by rotating the first housing about the pivot and fitting the first housing into an indentation in the second housing.

2. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein in the first configuration the outer surface of the second housing is positioned along a plane that is different from the plane with the outer surface of the first housing.

3. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein the first housing is rotated away from the second housing by ninety degrees prior to fitting into the indentation of the second housing.

4. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein a bottom of the first housing contacts the outer surface of the second housing in the first configuration, the bottom of the first housing corresponding to a surface of the first housing opposite the outer surface of the first housing.

5. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the first housing includes a display device.

6. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the first housing includes a display device that is viewable in both the first and second configurations.

7. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the second housing includes a keyboard having a plurality of keys arranged accordingly to a QWERTY configuration.

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

9. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, further comprising one or more modules that are configured to provide telephonic functionality, wherein the one or more modules are configured to provide telephonic functionality in both the first configuration and in the second configuration.

10. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the second housing includes an input device.

11. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1, wherein fitting the first housing into the indentation of the second housing is caused by a spring force of the pivot.

12. A method comprising:

orienting a mobile communications device in a first configuration, the mobile communications device including a first housing and a second housing that are moveably connected by a pivot having a fixed location relative to the first and second housings, the first configuration oriented such that an outer surface of the first housing is viewable and an outer surface of the second housing is covered by the first housing;

and

orienting the mobile communications device in a second configuration by rotating at least one of the first housing or the second housing of the mobile communications device about the pivot and fitting the first housing into an indentation of the second housing, the second configuration oriented such that the outer surface of the second housing is exposed and positioned along a plane with the outer surface of the first housing.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein rotating at least one of the first housing or the second housing comprises rotating the housing about the pivot by ninety degrees.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the outer surface of the first housing includes a display device and the display device is viewable in both the first and second configurations.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the outer surface of the first hosing includes a display device, the method further comprising rotating a display of the display device in response to rotating at least one of the first housing or the second housing about the pivot to the second configuration.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the outer surface of the second housing is positioned along a plane that is different from the plane with the outer surface of the first housing.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing telephonic functionality, by the mobile communications device, in both the first configuration and in the second configuration.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein a bottom of the first housing contacts the outer surface of the second housing in the first configuration, the bottom of the first housing corresponding to a surface of the first housing opposite the outer surface of the first housing.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the outer surface of the second housing includes an input device.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein fitting the first housing into the indentation of the second housing is caused by a spring force of the pivot.