JP4797016B2 - Mobile communication terminal - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable communication terminal, and more particularly to an improvement of a portable communication terminal in which a battery pack and a memory card are detachably incorporated in a thin casing.

  Generally, a cellular phone has a battery pack and a SIM card that are detachably incorporated. The battery pack is a power supply unit made of a lithium ion battery or the like, and the SIM (Subscriber Identify Module) card is a memory card that holds subscriber identification information used when the mobile phone is connected to a communication network.

  The mobile phone that is being powered on accesses the SIM card as needed regardless of the user's intention. For this reason, if the user carelessly attaches / detaches the SIM card to / from the mobile phone that is turned on, the SIM card may be destroyed or data in the SIM card may be lost.

  Therefore, some conventional mobile phones are configured such that the SIM card cannot be attached or detached while the battery pack is attached (for example, Patent Document 1). In the mobile phone disclosed in Patent Document 1, a card housing portion that houses a SIM card is formed on the bottom surface of a battery housing portion that houses a battery pack. For this reason, in this mobile phone, the SIM card can be attached / detached only with the battery pack removed, and the SIM card is not attached / detached while the power is turned on.

  In addition, the SIM card has a mounting direction in the card housing portion determined by the arrangement of electrode terminals that are electrically connected to the mobile phone body, and the SIM card is provided with a notch so that the mounting direction can be easily identified. It has been. However, when the SIM card can be reversed or rotated and can be mounted in the card housing unit, the mobile phone does not operate normally due to incorrect mounting of the SIM card, and the user misunderstands that the mobile phone body is defective. There was a case.

Therefore, a mobile phone that can prevent erroneous mounting of a SIM card has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 2). As in the case of Patent Document 1, the mobile phone disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a card housing portion that houses a SIM card on the bottom surface of the battery housing portion that houses the battery pack. The card housing portion is provided with a slide-type card lock that detects erroneous mounting. This card lock is to detect erroneous mounting depending on whether or not the position when the card is slid so as to contact the edge of the SIM card is a predetermined lock position.
JP 2003-338858 A JP 2003-304313 A

  In the above-described conventional mobile phone, the battery pack and the SIM card are stacked and accommodated in the phone casing so that the SIM card can be attached / detached only when the battery pack is removed. Is configured so that it cannot be attached or detached. However, when the battery pack and the SIM card are arranged so as to overlap each other, the phone casing becomes thick and it is difficult to reduce the thickness.

  In addition, the conventional mobile phone tries to prevent the SIM card from being erroneously installed by providing a slide type card lock. However, whether or not the card lock is in the predetermined lock position has to be determined by the user himself / herself, and erroneous mounting cannot be prevented unless the user has read the manual. In addition, in order to provide a slide type card lock, it is necessary that a large opening for exposing the SIM card and the card lock is formed in the card accommodating portion. For this reason, it is necessary to arrange the battery pack and the SIM card so as to overlap each other, or to employ a large lid for closing the opening, and in any case, the phone casing becomes thick, It becomes difficult to reduce the thickness.

  Here, as a method of attaching a memory card to a small electronic device, a tray type and a slot-in type are known. The tray method is a method in which a memory card is placed on a tray pulled out from the device housing and sent into the device housing together with the tray. In the case of the tray method, it is easy to prevent erroneous mounting if the shape of the tray is devised, but the card accommodating portion becomes larger than the slot-in method. On the other hand, the slot-in method is a method in which only a memory card is slid from an elongated insertion slot formed in the device casing, and the card housing portion can be made small.

  Therefore, if the slot-in method is adopted as the SIM card mounting method, it is considered advantageous for reducing the thickness of the telephone casing. However, in this case, it is impossible to prevent the user from inadvertently attaching or detaching the SIM card while the mobile phone is powered on. Also, it is not easy to prevent the SIM card from being erroneously installed so as not to hinder the thinning.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a thin mobile communication terminal that can correctly attach and detach a memory card even to a user who does not have prior knowledge. In particular, it is possible to reduce the thickness of a mobile communication terminal while preventing the memory card from being attached or detached while the mobile communication terminal is powered on, or preventing the memory card from being installed in the wrong mounting direction. With the goal. It is another object of the present invention to reduce the thickness of the mobile communication terminal while preventing the SIM card from being attached / detached or mounted in the wrong mounting direction while the mobile communication terminal is powered on.

A mobile communication terminal according to a first aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication terminal including a thin casing that detachably incorporates a thin battery pack and a memory card, and is formed on the main surface of the thin casing. A battery housing portion for housing the battery pack mounted via the battery mounting opening; a card housing portion for housing the memory card without overlapping the battery pack; and the battery housing facing the end face of the battery pack. And a card insertion slot for inserting the memory card into the card accommodating portion by pressing the rear end of the memory card, and the memory card is mounted in the card accommodating portion. It has a notch for identifying the direction, is inserted from the card insertion slot so that the end side including the notch is the rear end, and the battery pack faces the card insertion slot Erroneous mounting preventing projection which corresponds to the notch of the memory card to the surface are formed, the card insertion opening, by retracting the part of the edge portion of the battery loading port side, unfastened the battery pack Sometimes, the memory card can be removed, and the memory card cannot be removed when the battery pack is installed .

  With such a configuration, the battery pack and the memory card can be accommodated without overlapping, and the casing of the mobile communication terminal can be thinned. In addition, since the memory card cannot be attached or detached after the battery pack is attached, it is possible to prevent the memory card from being attached or detached during power supply from the battery pack. Note that the battery pack and the memory card may be arranged so as to contact each other or face each other with a slight gap so as to achieve such an effect.

Further, when the memory card is mounted in the wrong direction, the battery pack cannot be mounted in the battery housing portion. For this reason, even a user who does not have prior knowledge about the mounting direction can easily recognize that the mounting direction of the memory card is incorrect, and can prevent erroneous mounting. It should be noted that the shape of the battery pack mismounting prevention protrusion is not limited as long as the battery pack is inserted into the notched space of the normally mounted memory card, and is the same shape as the notched portion. There is no need. In addition, by retreating a part of the edge of the card insertion slot, the upper surface of the memory card that is being installed in the card compartment is exposed to a greater extent, and the memory card is prevented from being removed while the battery pack is being installed. can do. In particular, when the memory card has flexibility, it is possible to prevent the memory card from being able to be pulled out obliquely while the battery pack is being attached.

In addition to the above configuration, the mobile communication terminal according to the second aspect of the present invention is configured such that the notch portion of the memory card is visible through the battery mounting opening in a state where the battery pack is mounted. .

  With such a configuration, if the positional relationship between the notch portion of the memory card and the erroneous attachment prevention protrusion of the battery pack can be visually recognized, the user can more easily and clearly recognize that the memory card is installed incorrectly. And can understand the correct mounting direction.

A mobile communication terminal according to a third aspect of the present invention is a SIM card in which, in addition to the above configuration, the memory card holds subscriber identification information used for connection to a communication network. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the SIM card from being destroyed or data in the SIM card from being lost.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, even if it is a user who does not have prior knowledge, the thin portable communication terminal which can attach or detach a memory card correctly is realizable. In particular, it is possible to reduce the thickness of a mobile communication terminal while preventing the memory card from being attached or detached while the mobile communication terminal is powered on, or preventing the memory card from being installed in the wrong mounting direction. Can do. In addition, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the mobile communication terminal while preventing the SIM card from being attached or detached while the mobile communication terminal is powered on or being attached in the wrong mounting direction.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is an external view showing an example of a mobile communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. A mobile phone 1 is shown as an example of a mobile information terminal. The mobile phone 1 is a so-called foldable mobile phone, in which a display housing 100 and an operation housing 200 are connected via a hinge part 300 so that one surface of the display housing 100 and the operation housing 200 faces each other. Can be folded. The display housing 100 and the operation housing 200 are both made of a substantially rectangular thin housing, and can be folded and carried compactly.

  In the display housing 100, a main display unit 101 and a receiver 102 are disposed on the inner main surface that is the inner side when folded, and a sub display unit 103 is disposed on the outer main surface that is the outer side. In addition, the operation casing 200 has a large number of operation keys 201 and a microphone 202 for transmitting on the inner main surface which is the inner side when folded. Therefore, if both housings are expanded, the operation key 201 can be pressed while viewing the display on the main display unit 101.

  2 to 4 are perspective views showing the outer appearance of the operation casing 200 of FIG. 1, and show the outer main surface of the operation casing 200 that is the outer side when folded. 2 shows a state where the lid 204 is removed, FIG. 3 shows a state where the battery pack 4 is taken out, and FIG. 4 shows a state where the battery pack 4 and the SIM card 5 are taken out. 5 and 6 are a perspective view and an orthographic view showing the outer shape of the battery pack 4, and FIG. 7 is a view showing the outer shape of the SIM card 5.

  First, the operation casing 200 and the lid 204 will be described (see FIG. 2). A camera 203 and a lid 204 are respectively disposed on the outer main surface of the operation housing 200. The lid 204 is a part for closing the battery mounting opening 401 and constitutes a part of the outer main surface of the operation housing 200. The lid 204 can be easily attached and detached. When the lid 204 is removed from the operation housing 200, a battery mounting opening 401 for attaching and detaching the battery pack 4 appears. Via this battery insertion slot 401, the user can visually recognize the upper surface of the battery pack 4 being attached and the rear end of the SIM card 5 including the notch 51, and the SIM card 5 is correctly attached. Can be visually confirmed.

  Next, the battery pack 4 will be described (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The battery pack 4 includes a battery casing 40 having a substantially rectangular flat plate shape. On the end face 40e facing the card insertion slot 501, one battery mounting prevention protrusion 41, three fixing protrusions 42, 3 Two electrode terminals 43 are provided.

  The battery housing 40 is made of a hard material such as a resin that does not easily deform, and incorporates a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery. The erroneous mounting prevention protrusion 41 is a convex portion formed at a position facing the notch 51 of the SIM card 5 that is correctly mounted. In this example, it is formed at a position close to the upper surface near the center of the end face 40e. The fixing protrusion 42 is an engaging means for positioning the battery pack 4 in the battery housing portion 400 by engaging with a fixing hole 411 formed on the inner wall of the battery housing portion 400. In this example, three fixing protrusions 42 each having a frustum shape having a tapered side surface are formed at positions near the center of the end surface 40e and the lower surfaces near both ends. The electrode terminal 43 is a terminal that is electrically connected to the spring terminal 412 formed on the inner wall of the battery housing part 400.

  Next, the SIM card 5 will be described (see FIG. 7). The SIM card 5 is a card in which only one of the four vertices of a substantially rectangular shape is cut out, and a cutout portion 51 that is linearly inclined is formed. In the sheet shape thinner than the battery pack 4, the subscriber identification information A non-volatile semiconductor element that holds is incorporated. In addition, a plurality of electrode terminals 52 are formed on one main surface to be electrically connected to the mobile phone. The electrode terminal 52 is formed near the short side where the notch 51 is not formed, that is, on the side opposite to the notch 51 in the longitudinal direction.

  Next, the battery accommodating part 400 is demonstrated (refer FIG. 3). The battery housing part 400 is a recess formed on the outer main surface of the operation housing 200, and can house the battery pack 4 so as to be parallel to the operation housing 200. A wall surface 410 of the battery housing part 400 on the SIM card 5 side is provided with a card insertion slot 501, a fixing hole 411 and a spring terminal 412.

  The card insertion slot 501 is an elongated hole for inserting the SIM card 5 and has a shape extending linearly in parallel with the operation housing 200. The fixing hole 411 is an engaging means for inserting the fixing protrusion 42 of the battery pack 4, and is formed at a position adjacent to the bottom surface near the center and both ends of the wall surface 410. The spring terminal 412 is a terminal that is brought into elastic contact with the electrode terminal 43 of the battery pack 4 to electrically connect the mobile phone body and the battery pack 4.

  Next, the card accommodating part 500 will be described (see FIG. 4). The card storage unit 500 is a slot-in type card holding unit that stores the SIM card 5. The SIM card 5 is inserted into the card insertion slot 501 so that the longitudinal direction is the insertion direction. Below the card insertion slot 501, an inclined surface 502 is formed by inclining the wall surface 410 of the battery housing portion 400 in the direction of inserting the SIM card 5, thereby facilitating the insertion of the SIM card 5. Also, above the card insertion slot 501, edges 510 and 511 that form the card insertion slot 501 together with the inclined surface 502 are formed.

  The card exposure part 512 is formed by retreating a part of the edge part in the card insertion direction in order to expose the upper surface of the SIM card 5 more greatly. In FIG. 4, only the upper middle edge 511 is retracted to form a card exposed portion 512. The SIM card 5 is removed by picking the rear end of the SIM card 5 protruding from the card insertion slot 501 or pulling out the SIM card 5 while holding the rear end with a finger. For this reason, by providing the card exposure part 512, the SIM card 5 can be easily taken out and the SIM card 5 can be easily taken out. On the other hand, the remaining edge portions that are not retracted, that is, the edge portions 510 at both upper ends hold the SIM card 5 firmly, and the SIM card 5 is pulled out diagonally upward or inserted from diagonally upward. Is preventing.

  In the card accommodating portion 500, a spring electrode (not shown) is formed on the back side of the lower surface. For this reason, in order to make the electrode terminal 52 of the SIM card 5 and the spring terminal conductive, it is necessary to insert the electrode terminal 52 with the formation surface of the electrode terminal 52 facing down so that the notch 51 is the rear end. . That is, the SIM card 5 must be inserted so that the card orientation is in a predetermined mounting direction.

  In general, the slot-in type card storage unit 500 has an advantage that the card storage unit can be reduced in size and thickness as compared with the tray type, while the SIM card can be inserted by being reversed or rotated. There are disadvantages. However, in the case of the cellular phone 1, if the mounting direction is incorrect, the position of the notch 51 during card mounting changes, and the battery pack 4 cannot be inserted thereafter. In addition, the positional relationship between the notch 51 and the erroneous mounting prevention protrusion 41 can be visually recognized. For this reason, even a user who does not have prior knowledge about the mounting method of the SIM card 5 can intuitively understand that if the mounting direction of the SIM card 5 is wrong, and immediately understand the correct mounting direction. can do.

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state when the operation casing 200 is cut along the AA cutting line of FIG. In the case of the cellular phone 1, the edges 510 and 511 of the card insertion slot 501 are also the edges of the battery insertion slot 401, and the card insertion slot 501 is formed using the operation housing 200.

  The SIM card 5 is disposed on the bottom surface side of the upper surface of the battery pack 4. For this reason, the SIM card 5 cannot be pulled out while the battery pack 4 is attached. That is, the battery pack 4 functions as a stopper for the SIM card 5.

  Further, the height of the erroneous mounting prevention protrusion 41 of the battery pack 4 is sufficiently larger than the thickness of the SIM card 5, and the rear end of the SIM card 5 and the erroneous mounting prevention protrusion 41 are arranged to face each other. . Therefore, when the SIM card 5 is mounted in the wrong direction, the SIM card 5 and the erroneous mounting detector 41 of the battery pack 4 interfere with each other so that the battery pack 4 cannot be mounted. ing.

  The battery pack 4 is provided with a predetermined clearance between the SIM card 5 and the edge 510 of the card insertion slot. The battery pack 4 needs to be tilted so that the end face 40e side on which the fixing protrusions 42 are formed is lowered when the battery pack 4 is attached to or detached from the battery housing 400. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a predetermined clearance around the battery pack 4 on the SIM card 5 side. However, the clearance is such that the SIM card 5 cannot be pulled out obliquely upward or inserted from obliquely upward. For example, the clearance between the edge portion 510 of the card insertion slot that has not been retracted and the erroneous insertion detection protrusion 41 of the battery pack 4 is adjusted to such a length that the SIM card cannot be attached or detached. In particular, even if the SIM card 5 has flexibility, it is desirable that the SIM card 5 be configured not to be removable while the battery pack 4 is being attached.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state where a SIM card may be mounted by the user. (A) in the figure shows a case where the SIM card 5 is correctly installed. The battery pack 4 can be attached to the battery housing portion 400 by causing the erroneous attachment prevention protrusion 41 of the battery pack 4 to enter the space formed by the cutout portion 51. Each of (b) to (d) shows a case where the SIM card 5 is not correctly attached. (B) shows the case when the SIM card 5 of (a) is turned upside down, and (c) shows the case when the SIM card 5 of (a) is rotated 180 degrees and attached. FIG. 4A shows a case where the SIM card 5 in FIG. In any case, the position of the notch 51 is different from the case of (a), and the battery pack 4 cannot be attached to the battery accommodating part 400.

  In the mobile phone 1 according to the present embodiment, the battery pack 4 and the SIM card 5 are arranged in the thin operation casing 200 without overlapping. For this reason, the operation casing 200 can be further reduced in thickness.

  Further, a card insertion slot 501 for inserting the SIM card 5 is formed on the wall surface 410 of the battery housing portion 400 and is opposed to the end surface 40 e of the battery pack 4. For this reason, unless the battery pack 4 functions as a stopper for the SIM card 5 and the battery pack 4 is removed, the SIM card 5 cannot be attached or detached. As a result, it is possible to prevent the user from attaching or removing the SIM card 5 while the mobile phone 1 is powered on.

  Furthermore, if the battery pack 4 is provided with an erroneous mounting prevention protrusion 41 corresponding to the notch 51 of the SIM card 5 and the SIM card 5 is erroneously mounted, the SIM card 5 and the erroneous mounting prevention protrusion 41 interfere with each other, and the battery pack. 4 cannot be worn. For this reason, even a user who does not have any prior knowledge can immediately understand that the SIM card 5 is erroneously installed, and the user cannot be mistaken for the failure of the mobile phone 1. Moreover, the correct mounting direction can be easily estimated.

  In addition, since the erroneous mounting prevention protrusion 41 of the battery pack 4 can prevent erroneous mounting of the SIM card 5, the slot-in type card housing portion 500 that is advantageous in reducing the size and weight as compared with the tray system is adopted. Therefore, the operation casing 200 can be further reduced in thickness.

  Note that the mobile phone described as an example of the mobile communication terminal in this embodiment is a device that is particularly demanded to be thin, and is suitable as an application target of the present invention. It is not limited. That is, the present invention can be applied to various portable communication terminals for which a thin terminal casing is required.

  In the present invention, the example in which the SIM card 5 is attached / detached has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such a case. That is, the present invention can be applied to various memory cards that can be attached to and detached from the mobile communication terminal.

It is the external view which showed an example of the portable communication terminal by embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view which showed the external appearance of the operation housing | casing 200 of FIG. 1, and the state which removed the cover body 204 is shown. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of the operation casing 200 of FIG. 1 and shows a state where the battery pack 4 is taken out. It is the perspective view which showed the external appearance of the operation housing | casing 200 of FIG. 1, and the state which took out the battery pack 4 and the SIM card | curd 5 is shown. It is the perspective view which showed the external shape of the battery pack 4 of FIG. FIG. 3 is an orthographic view showing the outer shape of the battery pack 4 of FIG. 2. It is the figure which showed the external shape of the SIM card | curd 5 of FIG. It is sectional drawing which showed a mode when the operation housing | casing 200 was cut | disconnected by the AA cutting line of FIG. It is the figure which showed the mounting state of the SIM card | curd 5 which a user may perform.

Explanation of symbols

4 Battery pack 5 SIM card 40 Battery housing 40e End face 41 Mismounting prevention projection 42 Fixing projection 43 Electrode terminal 51 Notch 52 Electrode terminal 100 Display housing 200 Operation housing 204 Lid 300 Hinge portion 400 Battery housing portion 401 Battery Mounting port 410 Wall surface 411 Fixing hole 412 Spring terminal 500 Card housing portion 501 Card insertion port 502 Inclined surface 510,511 Edge 512 Card exposed portion

Claims (3)

In a portable communication terminal consisting of a thin casing that detachably incorporates a thin battery pack and a memory card,
A battery housing portion for housing the battery pack mounted via a battery mounting opening formed on the main surface of the thin casing;
A card accommodating portion for accommodating the memory card without overlapping with the battery pack;
A card insertion slot formed on the wall surface of the battery housing portion facing the end surface of the battery pack, and for inserting the memory card into the card housing portion by pressing the rear end of the memory card;
The memory card has a notch for identifying the mounting direction to the card accommodating portion, and is inserted from the card insertion slot so that an end side including the notch becomes a rear end,
The battery pack has a mis-mounting prevention protrusion corresponding to the notch of the memory card formed on an end surface facing the card insertion slot ,
The card insertion slot allows the memory card to be removed when the battery pack is not installed by retracting a part of the edge on the battery insertion slot side, and the memory card cannot be removed when the battery pack is installed. A portable communication terminal characterized by being made possible . 2. The portable communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the notch portion of the memory card is visible through the battery mounting opening in a state where the battery pack is mounted. 3. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the memory card is a SIM card that holds subscriber identification information used for connection to a communication network.

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