JP2005051417A - Portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an undesired operation if a key on the matching surface of each of casings is unexpectedly pressed while sliding the casings, in a sliding portable communication terminal consisting of the two casings. <P>SOLUTION: A first casing 1 having a sub-key operating section 4 on its front surface 1a and a second casing 2 having a key operating section 3 on its front surface 2a are slidably connected with each other so that the rear surface of the first casing 1 is mated with the front surface 2a of the second casing 2 by engagement between a convex section 11 and a concave section 12. A locking button 9 and a locking claw 9a for locking the terminal in a housing state in which the first casing 1 is overlapped on the second casing 2 are provided, and a locking releasing operation is detected to prohibit the acceptance of key input from the operating sections 4 and 3. Also, after locking is released, when a sensor 10 senses that the first casing 1 and the second casing 2 are slid for a predetermined stroke and are in an extended state, the prohibition of acceptance of the key input is released. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal in which two casings each having a key operation unit are slidably connected.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Recently, mobile terminals such as mobile phones are mainly composed of two housings as represented by a folding type. On the other hand, the functions of mobile terminals have also improved dramatically, and the use of PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) from a simple mobile phone has come to be regarded as important. In that case, in the folding type, when folded (stored), the display LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) faces the mating surface side of the two housings, and the display surface becomes invisible. Yes. In response to lifestyle changes such as using a mobile phone as a PDA, the mobile terminal is changing from a folding type to a structure in which a display LCD is exposed on the surface even when stored. .
[0003]
Conventionally, in a folding-type or slide-type mobile terminal, a technique for preventing a button from being unexpectedly pressed and malfunctioning in a scene not intended by the user has been proposed. For example, when two thin casings are bent by an external force during storage, the operation keys on the mating surfaces of the two casings are prevented from being accidentally pressed. . In addition, there is a technology that discloses a technology relating to a simple key lock of a telephone.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-41245 [0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described technique, in the case of the slide type, there is a problem that the operation keys arranged in the two casings may be unexpectedly pressed while the casing is being slid during the opening / closing operation.
Also, when sliding a slide-type mobile device, usually place your finger on the surface of the upper housing and slide it by pushing or pulling the finger. Sometimes the key was accidentally pressed. In this case, there is a problem that it becomes troublesome such as inputting a character by mistake, moving the cursor, or going off-hook.
[0006]
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to prevent malfunctions caused by unexpected key operations during a slide.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a mobile terminal according to the present invention is a mobile terminal in which an upper housing having a first key operation means and a lower housing having a second key operation means are configured to be slidable. Locking means for locking and unlocking both housings in a storage state in which the housing and the lower housing are stacked, unlocking detecting means for detecting unlocking operation of the locking means, and detection of the unlocking detecting means And an input prohibiting means for prohibiting reception of key input from at least the first key operating means.
[0008]
The portable terminal according to the present invention is a portable terminal in which an upper casing having a first key operation means and a lower casing having a second key operation means are configured to be slidable. In accordance with the detection of the lock release detecting means, the lock release detecting means for detecting the unlocking operation of the lock means, and the lock release detecting means for detecting the unlocking operation of the lock means. Input prohibiting means for prohibiting reception of key input from at least the first key operating means is provided.
[0009]
Therefore, according to the present invention, when the upper casing and the lower casing are locked in the storage state, when the unlocking operation is detected and the slide starts from the storage state to the extended state, at least the first key operation is performed. Since the acceptance of the key input from the means is prohibited, it is safe because the key input can be invalidated even if the key is accidentally pressed during the slide.
[0010]
According to the present invention, when the upper casing and the lower casing are locked in the extended state, when the unlocking operation is detected and the slide starts from the extended state to the retracted state, at least the first key operation is performed. Since the acceptance of the key input from the means is prohibited, it is safe because the key input can be invalidated even if the key is accidentally pressed during the slide.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a storage state of a sliding portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an extended state.
1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a first casing (upper casing) of the mobile terminal, and 2 denotes a second casing (lower casing) slidably connected to the first casing 1. When the first housing 1 is slid in the arrow A direction from the storage state of FIG. 1, the extended state of FIG. 2 is obtained. By sliding the first housing 1 in the arrow B direction from this extended state, FIG. 1 is stored.
[0012]
On the surface 1a of the first housing 1, an incoming display unit 7, a receiving speaker 8, a display unit 6, a sub key operation unit 4, and the like are arranged. A key operation unit 3, a microphone unit 5, a lock claw 9a, a sensor 10 for detecting the extended state (slide stroke end), and the like are disposed on the surface 2a of the second housing 2, and a lock button is provided on the side surface. 9 is provided.
[0013]
As a mechanism for sliding the first and second housings 1 and 2, in the present embodiment, a convex portion 11 is provided at the end of the front surface 2a of the second housing 2 and the back surface of the first housing 1 is not shown. A concave portion 12 is provided on the rear surface (the rear surface with respect to the front surface 1a), and is slidable in the directions of arrows A and B by fitting these irregularities. In addition, the specific structure of this slide mechanism is not limited to this, For example, other structures, such as a fitting with a protruding item | line and a groove | channel, may be sufficient.
[0014]
In FIG. 1, the lock claw 9a (FIG. 2) of the second housing 2 engages with a lock claw receiving portion (not shown) provided on the corresponding surface of the first housing 1, thereby One housing 1 is locked in the stored state. Further, in this locked state, when the lock button 9 provided on the side surface of the second housing 2 is pushed in, the lock claw 9a moves in conjunction with the lock button 9 and is released from the lock claw receiving portion to be unlocked. It becomes a slidable state. When the maximum stroke is slid from this state and reaches the slide end, the extended state shown in FIG. 2 is obtained. Although not shown, it is assumed that a lock mechanism for locking and releasing this extended state is provided. The extended locking mechanism may be a simple click mechanism.
[0015]
The key operation unit 3 is for performing various operation instructions, and is provided with at least various buttons and operation keys such as a numeric keypad necessary for inputting a telephone number and text, a call incoming / outgoing button, and a function selection key (function key). . The sub key operation unit 4 is provided with various operation keys that are mainly required in the stored state. For example, when it is desired to receive an incoming call even in the stowed state, an incoming call button can be arranged, a jog key for selecting a menu item with a cursor can be arranged, or a key function can be assigned on the user side as necessary.
[0016]
The display unit 6 includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and displays a telephone number and a menu screen. The incoming display unit 7 is lit / flashed when an incoming call is received to notify the user of the incoming call. The incoming display unit 7 is provided at a position where the user can notice any surface of the portable terminal as much as possible when there is an incoming call.
[0017]
Considering that the slide-type portable terminal having such a structure changes the overall shape when it is slid, the storage state in FIG. 1 is a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) -like usage based on the premise of handwriting input. The extension state in FIG. 2 is practically used as a mobile phone.
[0018]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the portable terminal according to the present embodiment.
In FIG. 3, 21 is a CPU that controls the whole, 22 is a communication unit that communicates with the outside, 23 is a mobile phone PDA function unit having functions of a normal mobile phone and PDA, 24 is a ROM that stores a program, etc. A memory including a working RAM and the like. Reference numeral 25 denotes an operation unit including the key operation unit 3 and the sub key operation unit 4, and 26 denotes a lock mechanism including the lock button 9, the lock claw 9a and the lock claw receiving unit, and a lock mechanism including the lock mechanism in the extended state. Reference numeral 27 denotes a lock / release detection unit that detects the locked state of 27 and the release thereof, and 28 denotes a key input reception prohibition unit that prohibits the reception of the key operation input and releases it based on the operation of the lock mechanism 27 or the sensor 10.
[0019]
This portable terminal needs to be operable in either the housed state or the extended state. In particular, the sub key operation unit 4 is used in the stored state. However, in order to slide the first case 1 with a finger, the sub key operation unit 4 is easily put on the finger in order to slide the first case 1 with the finger. It is assumed that an erroneous operation is performed when a key is pressed, and erroneous operations such as input and selection are caused. Further, there is a possibility that the back surface of the first housing 1 or the user's finger may unexpectedly press the key of the key operation unit 3 while sliding from the retracted state to the extended state and from the extended state to the retracted state.
[0020]
In order to prevent such a malfunction due to an erroneous operation of the key, in this embodiment, the movement of the lock button 9 or the lock claw 9a when the lock button 9 is pushed to release the lock is detected. 3. The key input acceptance from the sub key operation unit 4 is prohibited. Further, the key input prohibition is canceled by detecting the extended state by the sensor 10 provided in the second housing 2, and the key input from the key operation unit 3 and the sub key operation unit 4 is accepted.
[0021]
It should be noted that the input of the key operation unit 3 and the sub key operation unit 4 may be received after a predetermined time after detecting the operation of the lock button 9 or the lock claw 9a instead of the sensor 10, or these may be used in combination. Is possible. Furthermore, it is conceivable to provide a click mechanism that informs the extension state sensuously. In that case, a sensor such as a switch that interlocks with the click mechanism may be provided as a lock / release detection means. In the case of the slide structure, once the key is accidentally pressed, it may be pushed until it is stretched or may be pushed even after being stretched. Therefore, it is possible to prevent erroneous input by prohibiting the input for a predetermined time.
[0022]
Conversely, when sliding from the extended state to the retracted state, the slide operation is detected by detecting that the sensor 10 of the second housing 2 is not in the extended state, and the key operation unit 3 and the sub key operation unit 4 are input. Prohibit reception. When the click mechanism is provided, the switch or the like is provided, so that the input acceptance of the key operation unit 3 and the sub key operation unit 4 can be prohibited by detecting this.
[0023]
Further, the second casing 2 and the first casing 1 are locked when the storage state is reached. The operation of the lock button 9 or the lock claw 9a at this time is detected, and the keys of the key operation unit 3 and the sub key operation unit 4 are detected. Cancel the prohibition of input acceptance. Alternatively, the prohibition of key input acceptance may be canceled a predetermined time after the sensor 10 detects that it is not in the extended state. The predetermined time has the same effect as described above.
[0024]
In the present embodiment, the first casing 1 and the second casing 2 slide linearly in the directions of arrows A and B, but the first casing 1 and the second casing 2 May be applied to a structure that is pivotably slidable using a pivot. Even in this case, the housed state and the extended state can be obtained. Furthermore, in the case of a rotating slide structure, it is often the case that the key is pressed shorter than the key is continuously pressed, so it is preferable to shorten the input prohibition time. Further, although the key input reception of the key operation unit 3 and the sub key operation unit 4 is prohibited, only the key input reception of the sub key operation unit 4 with many erroneous inputs may be prohibited. Also, in the slide structure, once the key is pressed, it is not released until it is retracted and extended. Therefore, once the key is pressed during the key input acceptance prohibition period, the input may be accepted after the key is released. .
[0025]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, there is no malfunction even if a key is accidentally pressed when a finger is slid on the first housing 1 on the movable side, and in that case, there is no need for the user. It is possible to provide a mobile communication terminal that does not require a key lock operation.
[0026]
According to the present invention, when the upper housing and the lower housing are unlocked from the stored state, at least the upper housing is prohibited from accepting key input, so the movable upper housing is pushed with a finger. There is no malfunction even if the key is accidentally pressed when sliding from the retracted state to the extended state. Also, malfunctions can be prevented with natural operations without requiring the user to perform key lock operations.
[0027]
In addition, it is possible to prohibit the reception of the key input from the unlocked state of the housed state until the extended state.
Further, it is possible to prohibit the acceptance of the key input until a predetermined time after the unlocked state of the housed state without providing an extended sensor.
[0028]
Also, when unlocked from the extended state of the upper and lower housings, at least the upper housing is prohibited from accepting key input, so pull the movable upper housing with your finger to There is no malfunction even if a key is accidentally pressed when sliding to the stowed state. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent malfunctions by natural operations without requiring the user to perform a key lock operation.
[0029]
Further, it is possible to prohibit the acceptance of the key input from the unlocked state of the extended state until the storage state is reached.
In addition, it is possible to prohibit the acceptance of the key input until a predetermined time after unlocking the extended state without providing a sensor in the retracted state.
[0030]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a mobile communication terminal that does not malfunction even when a key is accidentally pressed when a finger is slid against the movable first housing 1 and slid. .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a storage state of a sliding portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an extended state of the sliding portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the sliding portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1: first housing, 2: second housing, 3: key operation unit, 4: sub key operation unit, 9: lock button, 9a: lock claw, 10: sensor, 11: convex portion, 12: concave portion, 21 : CPU, 22: communication unit, 23: mobile phone PDA function unit, 25: operation unit, 26: lock / release detection unit, 27: lock mechanism, 28: key input acceptance prohibition unit

Claims (6)

In a portable terminal configured such that an upper housing having a first key operating means and a lower housing having a second key operating means are slidable,
Lock means for locking and unlocking both housings in a storage state in which the upper housing and the lower housing are stacked;
Unlock detection means for detecting the unlocking operation of the lock means;
A portable terminal comprising: input prohibiting means for prohibiting reception of key input from at least the first key operating means in response to detection by the unlock detection means. Providing an extension state detecting means for detecting that the upper case and the lower case are in an extended state in which a predetermined stroke is slid from the stored state;
The input prohibiting means prohibits reception of key input from at least the first key operating means until the extended state is detected by the extended state detecting means after the unlocking of the stored state is detected. The mobile terminal according to claim 1. Equipped with a time measuring means for measuring a predetermined time,
The input prohibiting means prohibits at least reception of a key input from the first key operating means until detection of unlocking of the stored state until the timing means counts the predetermined time. Item 2. A portable terminal according to Item 1. In a portable terminal configured such that an upper housing having a first key operating means and a lower housing having a second key operating means are slidable,
Lock means for locking and releasing the two housings in an extended state in which the upper housing and the lower housing are slid by a predetermined stroke;
Unlock detection means for detecting the unlocking operation of the lock means;
A portable terminal comprising: input prohibiting means for prohibiting reception of key input from at least the first key operating means in response to detection by the unlock detection means. A storage state detecting means for detecting that the upper housing and the lower two housings are in a stored state;
The input prohibiting means prohibits reception of key input from at least the first key operating means until the retracted state is detected by the retracted state detecting means after the unlocking of the extended state is detected. The mobile terminal according to claim 4. Equipped with a time measuring means for measuring a predetermined time,
The input prohibiting unit prohibits reception of key input from at least the first key operating unit until the time measuring unit counts the predetermined time after the unlocking of the extended state is detected. Item 5. A portable terminal according to Item 4.

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