Portable communication device
09785189 · 2017-10-10
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
H04M1/03
ELECTRICITY
H04M2250/22
ELECTRICITY
H04M1/0216
ELECTRICITY
International classification
Abstract
A portable communication device for multimedia applications including upper and lower parts connected by a joint element for moving the parts relative to each other between closed and various open positions. The upper part includes a display which is on the outside of the closed device. The joint element enables pivoting the upper part along a horizontal axis disposed below the plane of the display in a position that is shifted parallel outward or inward relative to the upper part as well as rotational motion of the parts relative to each other about a rotational axis which is tilted relative to the plane of the display, the motion being made when the rotational axis comes to a position perpendicular to the horizontal axis as a result of the pivoting motion. Optimum display and keypad size for PC use, slimmer design, and additional space for multimedia components are attained.
Claims
1. A portable communication device for multimedia applications, comprising: a shell-shaped upper part including a frame, said upper part being adapted to receive components of the communication device and the device being configured so that when the device is in a closed position it has an outside face in the form of a display which defines a display plane; a lower part adapted to receive an electronic module, said lower part comprising at least a keypad, a frame section and a bottom shell; and a joint element for connecting the upper part and the frame section of the lower part at a longitudinal side of said upper part and said frame section, wherein said joint element is pivotably disposed in bearings situated in a bottom side of the frame section providing a horizontal pivot axis of the joint element laying along a periphery of the lower part such that the horizontal pivot axis is in a position which is spaced outward from said upper part, said frame of said shell-shaped upper part comprises a pivot pin, said pivot pin protrudes from said frame in the direction of said lower part and in the direction of said joint element at a tilt angle of up to 90 degrees relative to the display plane, said pivot pin is rotably disposed in a pin seat provided in said joint element and thereby provides a rotational axis for said upper part, and said joint element and said pivot pin are configured to permit a pivoting of the upper part about the horizontal pivot axis from a closed position of said upper part, at which the inside of said upper part lies on the keypad of the lower part, to a first open position or from the first open position back to the closed position, and to permit a pivoting of the upper part from the first open position about the rotational axis within an angular range of at least 180 degrees to a second open position, so that in the second open position the display and the keypad are on a same side of the communication device.
2. The portable communication device according to claim 1, wherein: the frame of the upper part comprises, at least adjacent the joint element, an incline portion which inclines downwardly in a direction from an inner periphery to an outer periphery of the incline portion; the pivot pin is rotatably disposed, without play in an axial direction of the pivot pin, in the pin seat provided in the joint element; and protrusions are provided at the joint element, stops being provided for the protrusions at a recess in the frame section of the lower part, the stops limiting pivoting motion to the first open position having a first predetermined opening angle where the frame of the upper part can rotate about the pivot pin until another protrusion provided at the joint element engages in a depression provided in the incline portion for purpose of limiting the rotation, whereby after completion of the rotation the display comes to lie in the second open position having a second predetermined opening angle in which the keypad and the display are in a working position relative to one another.
3. The portable communication device according to claim 2, wherein a tilt angle of the incline portions of the frame are up to 90°, relative to the plane of the display.
4. The portable communication device according to claim 2, wherein the first predetermined opening angle is 45° to 65°.
5. The portable communication device according to claim 2, wherein the second predetermined opening angle is from 135° to 180°.
6. The portable communication device according to claim 1, wherein the upper part comprises a frame having a peripheral edge which encloses a peripheral protrusion formed on the frame section of the lower part, whereby the communication device is enclosed in a form-fitted manner for the protection thereof.
7. The portable communication device according to claim 2, wherein: the joint element is configured eccentrically and comprises cogged ends; the joint element further comprises at least a main body and a bearing part, the main body and the bearing part being fastened together by screw connections and forming a holding space for a first permanent magnet, an entry space in which a flexible cable is received, and, adjacent the pin seat, an annular chamber which connects with the entry space, the annular chamber allowing the routing of the flexible cable; and bearings for rotatably holding cylindrical shaft ends at a bottom side of the frame section are formed at the cogged ends of the joint element in alignment with the pivot axis.
8. The portable communication device according to claim 7, wherein the flexible cable electrically connects electronic equipment in the lower part with electronic equipment in the upper part by way of the entry space in the joint element via the annular chamber and the pivot pin seat in a plurality of loops around the pivot pin, whereby data can be exchanged between the electronic equipment in the lower part and the electronic equipment in the upper part.
9. The portable communication device according to claim 7, wherein the protrusion for limiting the rotational motion from the first open position to the second open position is disposed at one of the cogged ends of the joint element directly next to the holding space for the permanent magnet and approximately perpendicularly above one of the cylindrical shaft ends.
10. The portable communication device according to claim 7, wherein each of the protrusions for limiting the pivoting motion to the first open position is disposed parallel to the pivot axis at a side of the cogged ends of the joint element facing away from the cylindrical shaft ends.
11. The portable communication device according to claim 7, wherein the bearing part is provided with a guide notch which aligns with the protrusions and the pivot axis in a direction of the recess and which holds a multiply bent spring clamp, wherein the spring clamp exerts a spring force on the upper part when spring ends of the spring clamp are supported by tension at the contact points of the spring ends at brackets fastened to the frame section of the lower part, whereupon the upper part and the display thereof can be brought to a third open position having a third predetermined opening angle.
12. The portable communication device according to claim 11, wherein the third predetermined opening angle is up to 30°.
13. The portable communication device according to claim 2, wherein a holding space for a second permanent magnet is provided in the incline portion of the frame of the upper part, the holding space being so disposed that the first and the second permanent magnets lie along a common vertical axis relative to one another with the poles thereof so arranged that the magnets fix the display in each of the three open positions.
14. The portable communication device according to claim 7, wherein the pivot pin is operatively connected with a compression spring one end of which is fixed in a blind hole of the pivot pin and the other end of which is fixed at the main body of the joint element so that a restoring force of the spring assists or automatically executes the rotation to the second open position after the first open position has been reached.
15. The portable communication device according to claim 7, wherein: the bearings for holding the shaft ends are disposed opposite one another in alignment with the horizontal pivot axis of the joint element at the recess in the frame section of the lower part: the bearings are each formed from a first half-shell formed in the bottom side of the frame section of the lower part and a second half-shell formed in respective brackets fastened to the frame section of the lower part; each of said first half-shells comprises a rear stop which prevents an axial shifting of the shaft ends; and each of the brackets is fastened to a respective one of the second half-shells by screws so that each of the second half-shells lies atop a respective one of the first half-shells to form a respective one of the bearings.
16. The portable communication device according to claim 1, wherein: the frame of the upper part is made of metal or plastic, the pivot pin is made of metal or plastic and the frame section and the bottom shell of the lower part are made of plastic; and the pivot pin is either integrally bonded with or is form-fitted to the frame of the upper part.
17. The portable communication device according to claim 1, wherein components of the communication device are disposed in the lower part.
18. The portable communication device according to claim 17, wherein: the components comprise a loudspeaker disposed in a depression that is formed in the bottom side of frame section of the lower part; and a first sound outlet opening located at the outer back edge of frame section and directing sound toward the display, and a second sound outlet opening at the upper edge of bottom shell are provided for the loudspeaker.
19. The portable communication device according to claim 17, wherein: the components comprise a first loudspeaker for listening other than to a ringtone and a second loudspeaker provided for listening to a ringtone; and the first loudspeaker is connected to a first sound outlet opening through a closed channel and the second loudspeaker is connected to a second sound outlet opening.
20. The portable communication device according to claim 17, wherein the components comprise at least two microphones to suppress secondary noises during speech recordings.
21. The portable communication device according to claim 17, wherein the components comprise a camera in the form of a camera module comprising a digital camera with a flash device.
22. The portable communication device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: the keypad lies on the frame section of the lower part and can be replaced from the outside; the keypad comprises a mechanical keypad with a touchscreen function; the keys of the keypad are arranged in a matrix of 5×11 fields and the cursor key takes up four fields and the space key takes up two fields so that a total of 51 other fields are available for 51 other keys; and an ESC, Tab, small/caps switch and CTRL keys are arranged vertically in a first column of the matrix, wherein these keys are available directly and with great convenience.
23. The portable communication device according to claim 1, wherein: the upper part further comprises a switch button adjacent and above a lower end of the upper part for operating a multimedia application and a switch button for the electronic module; two multimedia buttons are provided at a longitudinal side of the upper part remote from the joint element; and the frame section and the bottom shell of the lower part comprise recesses at both longitudinal sides of the lower part for receiving additional buttons.
24. The portable communication device according to claim 1, wherein the device is a smart phone, cell phone or cell phone PC.
25. The portable communication device according to claim 3, wherein the tilt angle is 45°.
26. The portable communication device according to claim 17, wherein the components comprise one or more of a loudspeaker, microphone and camera.
27. The portable communication device according to claim 21, wherein the camera module is removable from the bottom shell of the lower part.
28. The portable communication device according to claim 23, wherein the display shows function of at least one of the multimedia buttons.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
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(27) The upper part 1 has a frame 8 that is formed as a peripheral edge 9 that is rounded upward. Placed in the frame 8 is a base 10 that is held thereon in a form-fitted manner, such that the edge 9 and frame form a depression 11 for the purpose of holding the display 3.
(28) Above the lower end STU of the upper part 1 are switch buttons 12 and 13, which are for operating a multimedia application, such as a cell phone or smart phone, and the electronic module 4.
(29) The frame 8 and the base 10 form an edge 14 at the bottom side US of the upper part 1, the edge protruding peripherally downward and being interrupted by an outwardly-extending incline 15 at the longitudinal side LS associated with the joint element 7.
(30) A pivot pin 16 extends from the incline 15 in the center of the longitudinal side L in the direction of the lower part 6. The tilt angle α and that of the pivot pin 16 relative to vertical can be up to 90°, preferably 45° (see
(31) The upper part 1 with pivot pin 16 is preferred to be made of metal, for example a light metal alloy such as AlMg, or is made of steel. However, it can also be made of impact-resistant plastic.
(32) In the case where the pivot pin 16 is made of metal, it is connected to the frame 8 in form-fitted fashion. If the upper part 1 and the pivot pin 16 are made of plastic, the frame 8 and the pivot pin 16 can be bonded into one material piece through a molding-on process.
(33) The lower part 6 substantially comprises the electronic module 4, the keypad 5, a frame section 17, a bottom shell 18 and a cover, which is not shown. The frame section 17 and the bottom shell 18 are made of plastic and are held together by way of screwed connections (see
(34) The frame section 17, as shown in
(35) A recess 21 is made in the frame section 17 and the bottom shell 18 on the longitudinal side L associated with the joint element 7, the size of said recess being tailored to the dimensions of the joint element 7.
(36) The width and length of the peripheral protrusion 19 is matched with the partially bordering edge 14 on the upper part 1, such that the edge 14 can encompass the protrusion 19 in the closed position, so that the keypad 5 with the electronic module 4 is protected against impacts and blows. The longitudinal side L of the frame section 17 has an incline AS that corresponds with the angular position of the incline 15 of the frame 8.
(37) As illustrated in
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(39) The main body 27 is able to rotate about an off-centered longitudinal axis by way of shaft ends 29 and 30, which are formed at the cogged ends 31 and 32 of the main body 27.
(40) The cogged ends 31 and 32 have protrusions 33 and 34, which face stops 23, which are at the recess 21 on frame section 17 of the lower part 6, in the direction of the joint element 7, which is installed on the frame 8 of the upper part 1.
(41) The bearing part 28 has an incorporated guide notch 35, which is aligned with the protrusions 33 and 34 parallel to recess 21, the notch serving to hold and act as a counterbearing to a spring clamp 36 (see
(42) The bearing part 28 and the main body 27 are fastened together through screwed connections 37, and form a holding space 38 for a permanent magnet 39, an entry space 40 for a flexible cable 41, and a pin seat 42 for the pivot pin 16, wherein an annular chamber 43 is formed in the pin seat 42, the chamber being connected to the entry space 40 so that the flexible cable 41 can be led through (see
(43) The main body 27 and the bearing part 28 are matched such that the pin seat 42 is divided into two equally sized halves, so that when the bearing part 28 is placed into the main body 27, the pin seat 42 forms.
(44) The pivot pin 16 (see
(45) This comes with the extraordinary advantage that during installation, the main body 27 is easily mounted on the pivot pin 16, and, after placing and fastening the bearing part 28 on the main body 27, the pivot pin 16 is safely seated in the pin seat 42 in a form-fitted manner without play.
(46) There is a blind hole 47 located on the back end of the pivot pin 16 into which is placed a compression spring 48, one end of which dampens the rotational motion of the pivot pin. The other end of the compression spring 48 sits fixed against the main body 27.
(47) The main body 27 and bearing part 28 are made of metal, preferably a light metal alloy such as AlMg.
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(49) The shaft ends 29 and 30, which lie in the bearing half-shells 24 and 25, are secured by way of brackets 51 and 52. Corresponding bearing half-shells 53 and 54 are formed in the brackets 51 and 52, the dimensions of said half-shells corresponding with bearing half-shells 24 and 25. Brackets 51 and 52 are fastened to the bottom side USR of frame section 17 using screws 78 (see
(50) Stops 26, previously described herein, prevent horizontal shifting of the shaft ends 29 and 30.
(51) Brackets 51 and 52 are made of plastics and thereby provide for a low-wear and low-friction mounting of the shaft ends 29 and 30 in bearings 49 and 50.
(52) The functioning of the opening and closing processes will now be described with reference to
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(54) In
(55) To limit the rotation or turn of the upper part 1 and the display 3 about rotational axis X-X to 180°, the main body 27 is provided with a protrusion 55 that is located right next to holding space 38 for permanent magnet 39 and that is approximately perpendicular above rotational axis Y-Y near the cogged end 31 of joint element 7. Two depressions 56 are associated with this protrusion 55 in incline 15, the depressions providing a stop after a rotation of 180°, respectively, has been made. Moreover, a permanent magnet 57 is placed into the incline 15 right next to one of the depressions 55 in a seat 77, the magnet cooperating with permanent magnet 39 of joint element 7 in such a way that the permanent magnets 39 and 57 lie along a common axis, wherein each of the magnets exerts a fixing force onto the rotational motion in the N-S direction thereof toward the other magnet, respectively (see
(56) To describe the third open position, reference is made to
(57) Spring clamp 36 lies in the middle of the guide groove 35 of bearing part 28 and is supported in the groove 35 near the point of maximum extension of the clamp. The ends 58 and 59 of spring clamp 36 lie directly against the stops 23 and are held in position by brackets 51 and 52 (see
(58) This is illustrated by
(59) To close the upper part 1 and display 3, which are in the working position in the third open position, upper part 1 is pushed back to the second open position by the user through a pivot motion about pivot axis Y-Y against the pressure force that is applied by spring clamp 36. The upper part then reaches the angular position for making the rotational motion about rotational axis X-X; in other words, tilt angle γ of pivot pin 16 and rotational axis X-X coincide and are positioned perpendicular on pivot axis Y-Y.
(60) The user effects the rotational motion of upper part 1 by 180°, wherein display 3, in turn, becomes the outside of upper part 1 and thereby reaches the first open position in which upper part 1 can be closed to its closed position.
(61) Shown in
(62) To make the available area for display 3 optimally useful, the components of the communication device, such as the loudspeakers 60 and 61, microphones (not shown) and/or a camera 62 (see
(63) As shown in
(64) An alternative to this is shown in
(65) Shown in
(66) The keys in keypad 5 are arranged in a matrix of 5×11 fields, wherein the cursor key 67 takes up four fields and the space key 68 takes up two fields, so that a total of 51 keys are available. In the first column of the matrix, the ESC, the tab, small type/capitals switch and CTRL keys are arranged vertically. Keypad 5, then, has the dimensions of 50 mm×121 mm.
(67) Camera 62 is kept in the bottom shell 18 of lower part 6, the camera consisting of a digital camera 69 and a flash device 70. This camera 62 is designed such that it can be removed from bottom shell 18 (see
(68) Moreover, display 3 comprises two multimedia buttons 71, 72 at a longitudinal side L opposite joint element 7, and the function of the buttons that can be shown on display 3 depends on the need and the application. Recesses 73 are made in the longitudinal sides L of frame section 17 and bottom shell 18 in order to hold other buttons, such as buttons for games (see
(69) To provide better informational capacity of the communication device according to the invention, a touch pen chamber 74 for holding a touch pen 75 is located in bottom shell 18, wherein the touch pen chamber 74 is provided with an attached or vapor-deposited internal antenna 76 for receiving radio and/or DVBT television by way of a TV receiver part kept in the bottom shell (see
(70) Alternatively, the touch pen 75 can also be designed as an antenna, wherein the latter can be designed to be telescopic (see
(71) The advantages of the communication device according to the invention are that:
(72) because by moving the horizontal pivot axis in a position, which is shifted parallel outward or inward relative to the upper part and which is below the plane of the display, and because the inclined position of the pivot pin, the display area of the display and the keypad area are enlarged, a smaller design height can be achieved for the upper and the lower parts;
(73) the visual angle can be optimized relative to the display without the need for adjustment;
(74) a compact design is possible in which the components, such as loudspeakers, camera, microphones, or receiver part for radio and television, are kept in the base part, which saves space; and
(75) optimum protection of the communication device against impact and blows can be guaranteed by way of form-fitted overlapping of the lower part by the upper part.