JP2002323952A - Portable terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable terminal equipment, with which input operation itself is easy and the configuration of a main body of portable terminal can be simplified. SOLUTION: This equipment is provided with a touch panel 4 provided on a main body 2 of portable terminal, an input pen 3 for performing inputting while being abutted to the touch panel 4 and a protecting cover 5 overlaying the touch panel 4. The input pen 3 is freely attachably and detachably fitted to the main body 2 of portable terminal and has an axial form internally having a storage space and the protecting cover 5 is stored in the storage space to freely appear/disappear.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable terminal device having input / output means such as a touch panel, and more particularly to a portable terminal device for inputting commands and characters by contacting the touch panel with an input pen.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a portable terminal device having input / output means such as a touch panel, an input pen for inputting commands and characters comes into contact with the touch panel. However, this touch panel has a large number of contact electrodes. Therefore, by covering the touch panel with a protective cover, it is possible to prevent the touch panel from being scratched when being carried. Conventionally, this kind of protective cover covers the touch panel and display unit and is detachable from the mobile terminal body, protects the entire mobile terminal body, and further protects the touch panel and display unit by opening and closing. There are things to do,
The input pen has been thinned and stored in the portable terminal body.

However, these input pens and protective covers are attached to the portable terminal body when not in use, and must be removed when using the portable terminal body (when using the input pen). A complicated operation was required before reaching. In addition, when the protective cover is opened, there are disadvantages that the portable terminal body becomes difficult to hold and that the layout of the switches of the terminal body is restricted so as not to interfere with the protective cover. further,
There was a possibility that the removed protective cover could be misplaced or difficult to store on the go.

Therefore, as a technique for solving this problem, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-22521 has been provided. In this technology, the protective cover of the touch panel is detachably provided to the portable terminal device, and this protective cover has the function of an input pen. In addition, the operation performed when the input operation is started can be simplified. Further, in this technique, by eliminating the input pen from the configuration of the apparatus, the configuration of the portable terminal body can be simplified, and a small and inexpensive configuration is realized.

[0005]

However, the conventional portable terminal device as described above has the following problems. The integration of the protective cover and the input pen facilitated the operation up to input, but the input pen was plate-shaped, making it difficult to grasp and making the input operation itself difficult. .

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to provide a portable terminal device in which the input operation itself is easy and the structure of the portable terminal body can be simplified.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention employs the following constitution. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal device includes a touch panel provided on the mobile terminal body, an input pen that contacts the touch panel to perform input, and a protective cover that covers the touch panel. The input pen is detachably attached to the main body of the mobile terminal, has a shaft shape having a storage space inside, and the protection cover is stored in the storage space so as to be freely retractable. It is.

Therefore, in the portable terminal device of the present invention, the input operation can be performed by storing the protection cover inside the input pen and detaching the input pen from the main body of the portable terminal. In addition, the protection cover can be prevented from being left behind. In addition, since the input pen has a shaft shape, it is easy to grasp and the input operation itself is also easy. Since the input pen that houses the protective cover is detachable from the portable terminal body, the input pen can be omitted from the configuration of the device, and the configuration of the portable terminal body can be simplified.

[0009] The portable terminal device according to the second aspect is the first aspect.
In the portable terminal device described above, the protection cover is formed in a flexible band shape, and the input pen has a winding mechanism for winding the protection cover into the storage space.

Therefore, in the portable terminal device of the present invention, input operation can be performed by winding the protective cover into the storage space, and by pulling out the wound protective cover, the touch panel can be covered and protected. .

[0011] The portable terminal device according to the third aspect is the second aspect.
In the portable terminal device described in the above, the winding mechanism,
An urging member for urging the protective cover in a winding direction is provided, and the protective cover is provided with a hook member for hooking the portable terminal body.

Therefore, in the portable terminal device of the present invention, the touch panel can be covered by pulling out the protective cover from the input pen and suspending the retaining member on the portable terminal body.
By releasing the hanging member from the portable terminal body, the protection cover can be automatically stored inside the input pen.

[0013] The portable terminal device according to the fourth aspect is the first aspect.
4. The portable terminal device according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the input pen is formed to have substantially the same thickness as the portable terminal body.

Therefore, in the portable terminal device of the present invention, when the input pen is attached to the portable terminal body, the sense of unity between the portable terminal body and the input pen and the adhesion between the touch panel and the protective cover when the protective cover is attached are improved. be able to.

[0015] The portable terminal device according to the fifth aspect is the first aspect of the invention.
5. The mobile terminal device according to any one of items 1 to 4, wherein a concave groove is formed on one of the input pen and the mobile terminal main body, and the other of the input pen and the mobile terminal main body is inserted into and extracted from the concave groove. It is characterized in that a protrusion that fits freely is provided.

Therefore, in the portable terminal device of the present invention, the input pen can be attached to the portable terminal body by inserting and fitting the protrusion into the groove, and by removing the protrusion from the groove. The input operation can be started by releasing the input pen from the portable terminal body.

[0017] The portable terminal device according to claim 6 is a portable terminal device according to claim 5.
In the portable terminal device described in the above, the input pen is provided with the protrusion at a position separated from a grip.

Therefore, in the portable terminal device of the present invention, the input operation can be performed easily and smoothly without hindering the grip of the input pen by the protrusion.

[0019] The portable terminal device according to the seventh aspect is characterized by the first aspect.
7. The portable terminal device according to any one of items 1 to 6, wherein the protective cover has a wiping function on a surface side facing the touch panel.

Therefore, in the portable terminal device of the present invention, when the protective cover is attached or detached, the touch panel can be cleaned by sliding the surface facing the touch panel.

[0021] The portable terminal device according to the eighth aspect is the first aspect.
8. The portable terminal device according to any one of items 1 to 7, wherein the protective cover is exchangeably mounted on the input pen.

Therefore, in the portable terminal device of the present invention, the appearance of the protective cover can be adjusted to the user's preference, and when the protective cover has the wiping function, the wiping function can be maintained by replacement.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a portable terminal device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG.
In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a portable terminal device according to the present invention.
The portable terminal device 1 has a portable terminal body 2 having a function of the information terminal device and a thickness (shaft diameter: 1) substantially the same as the portable terminal body 2.
And an input pen 3 having a shaft shape formed to be approximately 0 to 15 mm). The mobile terminal body 2 is provided with a transparent touch panel 4 on a display screen for displaying image information and character information, and commands and characters are input when the input pen 3 contacts the touch panel 4.

As the touch panel 4, for example, two transparent sheets having flexibility are vertically opposed to each other, a large number of transparent contact electrodes are provided on the facing surface, and the transparent contact electrodes are vertically overlapped via a spacer. The contact electrodes facing up and down can be in contact with and separated from each other.
The switching can be performed by contacting the contact electrodes vertically facing each other by the contact force of the contact. A protective cover 5 is provided to cover and protect the touch panel 4.

The protective cover 5 is formed in a flexible sheet-like (strip-like) shape, the back side facing the touch panel 4 is formed of a nonwoven fabric having a wiping effect, and the outside is formed of leather, cloth, vinyl, or the like. It has a two-layer structure. At one end in the length direction of the protective cover 5, a fixing hook (hook member) 6 is formed, which is formed of a hard material such as plastic or the like in accordance with the shape of the side surface 2 a of the portable terminal main body 2 and hooks on the side surface 2 a. ing. The fixed hook 6 is formed such that its tip does not protrude from the back surface (bottom surface) 2b of the portable terminal body 2 when hooked on the side surface 2a. So that it does not float up or come off.

As shown in FIG. 3, the input pen 3 has a storage space 7 in which an end opposite to the pen tip 8 is opened, and has a bottomed cylindrical shape having a substantially D-shaped cross section. It is roughly composed of a pen body 9, a bearing cap 10 fitted and fixed to the pen body 9 so as to close the opening of the storage space 7, and a winding mechanism 11 that is stored in the storage space 7 and winds the protective cover 5. ing.

The pen body 9 is formed with a slit 9a which is longer than the width of the protective cover 5 and has an opening larger than the thickness of the protective cover 5 along the longitudinal direction of the pen body 9. The slit 9a is formed at a position where the input pen 3 is opened at substantially the same height as the upper surface 2c of the mobile terminal main body 2 (that is, the surface of the touch panel 4) when the input pen 3 is mounted on the mobile terminal main body 2 (see FIG. 1 and 2). Further, on the side surface 9b which forms a D-shaped linear portion of the pen body 9, a key (projecting portion) which is located on both sides of the holding portion 9c while being separated from the holding portion 9c held when the input pen 3 is used. ) 14 are provided. Each key 14 is formed along the length direction of the input pen 3, and has a cross-sectional shape (see FIG. 2) whose diameter gradually increases as the distance from the pen body 9 increases. A key groove (concave groove) 15 into which the key 14 can be inserted and removed is formed along a length direction of the side surface 2d on the side surface 2d facing the side surface 2a of the portable terminal body 2.

The take-up mechanism 11 has a take-up shaft 12 on which the end of the protective cover 5 opposite to the end provided with the fixing hook 6 is fixed and the protective cover 5 is wound. And a reel 13 supporting one end thereof. The other end of the winding shaft 12 is supported by a bearing cap 10. The protective cover 5 can be removed by removing the winding shaft 12 from the bearing cap 10 and the reel 13.
The input pen 3 can be exchanged freely. Reel 13
Is a so-called spring (biasing member) in which the force of pulling out the protective cover 5 wound around the winding shaft 12 is stored as a winding force (biasing force) in a direction in which the protective cover 5 is wound. It has an auto reel structure.

The procedure for using the input pen 3 and the protective cover 5 in the portable terminal device 1 having the above configuration will be described below. As shown in FIG. 1, the input operation is started in a state where the input pen 3 is attached to the mobile terminal main body 2, the fixing hook 6 is hooked on the side surface 2 a of the mobile terminal main body 2, and the protective cover 5 covers the touch panel 4. When performing the operation, first, the fixing hook 6 is detached from the mobile terminal body 2. At this time, the force when the protective cover 5 is pulled out is stored in the spring as a winding force on the reel 13, and the protective cover 5 is fixed to the fixed hook 6.
And is fixed to the portable terminal main body 2 only by this hoisting force. Therefore, when the hook of the fixed hook 6 is released, the protective cover 5 is wound around the winding shaft 12 by the winding force of the reel 13 and is stored inside the input pen 3. At this time, the protective cover 5 cleans the surface of the touch panel 4 when the nonwoven fabric slides on the touch panel.

After the protective cover 5 is wound up, the key 14 is pulled out of the key groove 15 by moving the input pen 3 along its length direction, and the input pen 3 is detached from the portable terminal body 2. . Then, the operator can perform an input operation by gripping the grip portion 9c of the input pen 3.

On the other hand, when the operation of the portable terminal main body 2 is completed, the input pen 3 is mounted on the portable terminal main body 2 by first inserting the key 14 into the key groove 15 and fitting the same in the reverse operation to the above. Next, the protective cover 5 is pulled out against the winding force of the spring of the reel 13, and the fixing hook 6 is hooked on the side surface 2 a of the portable terminal body 2. Thus, the protective cover 5 can be attached to and fixed to the portable terminal main body 2 while covering the touch panel 4 by the winding force of the reel 13. In addition, even when the protective cover 5 is pulled out, the surface of the touch panel 4 is cleaned by the nonwoven fabric slidingly contacting the touch panel.

As described above, in the portable terminal device of the present embodiment, the protective cover 5 is provided inside the input pen 3 having the axial shape.
Is stored so that it can be freely taken up and pulled out, so that it is not necessary to place the protective cover 5 or forget it, and by having the storage space 7 for storing the protective cover 5, the shaft shape having a certain shaft diameter can be obtained. Since the input pen 3 is gripped, the input operation itself can be easily performed. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the protective cover 5 can be stored by the winding force of the reel 13, the operation up to input can be facilitated. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the touch panel 4 can be set so as to cover the touch panel 4 with the protection cover 5 with a simple operation of hooking the fixing hook 6 to the portable terminal body 2, so that the operation at the end of input can be easily performed. Can be.

Moreover, in the present embodiment, since the shaft diameter of the input pen 3 is substantially the same as the thickness of the portable terminal main body 2, the portable terminal main body 2 and the input pen 3 when the protective cover 5 is attached are provided. The feeling of unity and the adhesion between the touch panel 4 and the protective cover 5 can also be enhanced. In particular, since the slit 9a of the input pen 3 for allowing the protective cover 5 to protrude and retract is formed so as to open at a position substantially at the same height as the touch panel 4, the protective cover 5 pulled out from the input pen 3
Is not bent or bent, and the life of the protective cover 5 can be extended.

In the present embodiment, the key groove 15 is provided in the portable terminal body 2 in order to attach the input pen 3 in a detachable manner.
, The layout of the switches is not restricted as in the case where the input pen 3 is housed inside the mobile terminal main body 2, and the configuration of the mobile terminal main body 2 can be simplified. In addition, by disposing the key 14 provided on the input pen 3 at a position separated from the grip 9c,
Even when the input pen 3 is gripped, the key 14 is not in the way,
An easy and smooth input operation becomes possible.

Further, in the present embodiment, the protective cover 5
Since the surface facing the touch panel 4 has a wiping function, the touch panel 4 can be cleaned when the protective cover 5 is attached and detached, and the appearance can be maintained. In addition, since the protective cover 5 is replaceable with respect to the input pen 3, the appearance such as the design on the front side can be adjusted to the taste of the user, and the versatility can be improved. It is possible to maintain the wiping function by replacement even when the value has decreased.

In the above embodiment, the mounting portion of the input pen 3 and the hook portion of the fixing hook 6 are used as the portable terminal body 2.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a side surface in the length direction (vertical direction) of the portable terminal body 2. Further, in the above embodiment, the input pen 3 is provided with the key 14 and the portable terminal body is provided with the key groove 15, but the key groove is provided on the input pen 3 and the portable terminal body is provided with the key groove. May be provided, and if the input pen 3 is detachably attached to the portable terminal body 2, a configuration other than the key and the key groove may be adopted.

The configuration in which the protective cover 5 described in the above embodiment is housed inside the input pen 3 is merely an example, and another configuration can be selected as long as the protective cover 5 is housed so as to be freely retractable. . Further, a material other than the nonwoven fabric may be provided on the back surface of the protective cover 5 as long as it has a wiping function.

[0038]

As described above, the portable terminal device according to the first aspect has a configuration in which the protective cover is detachably attached to the portable terminal main body and is housed in the input pen having a shaft shape so as to be able to protrude and retract. Has become. Thereby, in this portable terminal device, the operation up to the input and the input operation itself can be easily performed without trouble of placing the protective cover or forgetting it, and the configuration of the portable terminal body can be simplified. It works.

The portable terminal device according to the second aspect is configured such that a flexible belt-shaped protective cover is wound into a storage space. As a result, in this portable terminal device, the protective cover can be stored by winding it up, and the operation up to input and the input operation itself can be easily performed without having to put the protective cover in place or forgetting it. To play.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable terminal device in which the winding mechanism is provided with an urging member for urging the protective cover in a direction in which the protective cover is wound, and the protective cover is provided with a hook member for hooking the portable terminal body. It has become. Thus, in this portable terminal device, the protective cover can be attached and detached with a simple operation, so that the operation up to the start of input and the operation at the end of input can be easily performed.

The portable terminal device according to the fourth aspect is configured such that the input pen is formed to have substantially the same thickness as the portable terminal body. As a result, this portable terminal device has an effect that the sense of unity between the portable terminal body and the input pen when the protective cover is attached and the adhesion between the touch panel and the protective cover can be improved.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a groove is formed on one of the input pen and the portable terminal body, and a projection is provided on the other of the input pen and the groove so as to be freely inserted into and removed from the groove. . Thus, the portable terminal device has an effect that the configuration of the portable terminal body can be simplified.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the portable terminal device has a configuration in which the protrusion is provided at a position separated from the grip portion of the input pen. Thereby, in this portable terminal device, there is an effect that the projection does not become an obstacle even when the input pen is gripped, and an easy and smooth input operation can be performed.

In the portable terminal device according to the present invention, the surface of the protective cover facing the touch panel has a wiping function. Thereby, in this portable terminal device, there is an effect that the aesthetic appearance can be maintained by cleaning the touch panel when attaching and detaching the protective cover.

The portable terminal device according to claim 8 is configured such that the protective cover is exchangeably mounted on the input pen. As a result, in this portable terminal device, the appearance of the protective cover can be adjusted to the user's preference, and the effect of improving versatility can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and is an external perspective view of a portable terminal device in which a touch panel is covered with a protective cover pulled out from an input pen.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the portable terminal device.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of an input pen constituting the portable terminal device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mobile terminal device 2 Mobile terminal main body 3 Input pen 4 Touch panel 5 Protective cover 6 Fixing hook (Hanging member) 7 Storage space 9c Grasping part 11 Winding-up mechanism 14 Key (projection)

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A mobile terminal device comprising: a touch panel provided on a mobile terminal main body; an input pen for making an input by contacting the touch panel; and a protective cover for covering the touch panel. A portable terminal device having a shaft shape detachably attached to the portable terminal body and having a storage space therein, wherein the protective cover is stored in the storage space so as to be freely retractable. 2. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the protection cover is formed in a flexible band shape, and the input pen has a winding mechanism for winding the protection cover into the storage space. A portable terminal device characterized by the above-mentioned. 3. The portable terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the winding mechanism is provided with an urging member that urges the protective cover in a direction in which the protective cover is wound. A mobile terminal device, comprising: a hook member for hooking. 4. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the input pen is formed to have substantially the same thickness as the main body of the mobile terminal. 5. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein a concave groove is formed in one of the input pen and the mobile terminal main body, and wherein the input pen and the mobile terminal main body are connected to each other. The other end is provided with a protruding portion which is fitted into the concave groove so as to be freely inserted and removed. 6. The mobile terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the input pen is provided with the protrusion at a position separated from a grip. 7. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the protective cover facing the touch panel has a wiping function. 8. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the protective cover is exchangeably mounted on the input pen.