JP2005352740A - Portable information device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To protect a display in time of folding, and to hold and input by one hand palm in use, in a folding portable information terminal device having the large display. <P>SOLUTION: This portable information terminal device has a part installed with the display of size of 3.5 in. or above, and a part installed with an input key, and has a structure wherein both the parts are folded. The part installed with the input key is so large as to cover the display in time of the folding, and has a hole or cutout for fingers penetrating the input key installation part. By folding the portable information terminal device, the display is protected. By inserting two fingers to four fingers among the second finger to the fifth finger through the hole or the cutout for the fingers, the portable information terminal device is held by only the fingers or the fingers and a thumb, and the easy input by the thumb or the like while grasping an input key portion becomes possible. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable information terminal device (PDA) excellent in operability that can be operated with one hand, and also to a portable information terminal device that also serves as a mobile phone having high portability while having a large display.

  As of the year 2003, the folding type of mobile phones is the prime. For this reason, it has become possible to incorporate a slightly larger LCD screen than before. However, the size is limited in order to grasp and use the input key portion, and the installed display is limited to about 2 inches at most.

  Mobile phones tend to be equipped with cameras with a large number of pixels, and require a larger display than ever before. In addition, a large display is required to provide various types of IT functions such as GPS and Internet compatible fighting games and to effectively display a large amount of accompanying information.

  Many efforts have been made to enlarge the display in mobile phones. There is an application (Patent Document 1) in which the display is simply enlarged without considering its function, but many applications have been made. For example, a method for mounting a video projector is proposed, but a separate screen is required, and portability is sacrificed (Patent Document 2).

  Similarly, a method of connecting and displaying a connectable external display has been proposed, but portability is still sacrificed by requiring a separate display (Patent Document 3).

  Further, a method of enlarging and viewing the display through a built-in concave mirror or convex lens has been proposed. However, even if it is enlarged using a convex lens or concave mirror, the position of the eye looking at the display is limited to a narrow range, and the image fluctuates due to a slight shift or fine movement of the positional relationship between the display and the eye, so it can be used completely. (Patent Document 4).

  A liquid crystal display device that can be folded in half when carried and opened and used in use has been proposed, but the structure for folding is complicated, and the display is divided into two by the frame of each liquid crystal display device, so it is difficult to see In addition, it is difficult to use (Patent Document 5).

  In addition, a method has been proposed in which the display is rotated 90 degrees to be horizontally long when used (Patent Document 6). In general, the display of a mobile phone is vertically long, but the horizontally long is more convenient for describing character information, and thus rotates. However, the problem of a narrow display area cannot be solved. As described above, many attempts have been made to enlarge the display while maintaining the portability of the mobile phone, but no practical use has been developed.

  On the other hand, a conventional portable information terminal has a large display of 3 to 4 inches (a unit indicating a size of a general display, a diagonal length expressed in inches, the claims and the same applies to the following). For the keys, an extremely small key like a keyboard of a personal computer is arranged, or a touch panel having a key function of a similar arrangement is incorporated in a part of the display. However, these input keys are too small to be input.

  Moreover, in the conventional portable information terminal, since a two-hand operation is required to input with the other hand while supporting the main body with one hand, the place and method of use are limited. For example, it cannot be operated in a train car while holding a hanging leather with one hand or holding a commuter bowl with one hand. It is also impossible to input and output data in parallel while adjusting the machine / device with one hand.

  In conventional portable information terminals, the overall size has been reduced, and portability has been improved significantly without doubt. However, as described above, the operability and convenience in consideration of the place and method of use are not necessarily satisfactory. It was not a thing.

  Furthermore, wireless communication of information networks is progressing due to PHS, IEEE802.11, Bluetooth, etc., and functions of portable information terminals are becoming closer to mobile phones as wireless terminals. If a device having a large display can be quickly input by one-hand operation like a mobile phone, the mobile phone and the portable information terminal having a large overlap of functions are integrated, and the mobile IT environment changes completely.

  The present inventor has invented a technique that allows key input of various types of characters quickly with one hand in a cellular phone or the like (Patent Document 7). The present invention is a technology for integrating a mobile phone and a portable information terminal device in that a complicated key input can be performed by one-hand operation in a mobile phone-like device.

  However, in the above invention, the input key portion must be held at the same time while holding the input key portion with the finger and palm of one hand, including the thumb ball (the raised portion of the muscle at the base of the first finger (thumb)) There remains a problem that the degree of freedom of each part of the finger is restricted.

  In addition, since the input key arrangement portion is a thin size that can be grasped with one hand, there remains a problem that if the display is enlarged, the display cannot be protected during folding.鞄 When carrying in a handbag or pocket, the larger the display, the more important it is to protect the display.

  In a device having a large display, if the method of Patent Document 7 can be used without any problem as a one-handed input method, it is possible to easily input many kinds of characters, and further integration of a mobile phone and a portable information terminal is possible. As a result, the mobile IT environment can change dramatically.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-199067 JP 2002-199060 A JP 2001-268180 A JP 2001-217908 A JP 2001-175609 A JP 2001-156893 A Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-142215

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is that a portable information terminal device having a foldable structure has a large display, while protecting the display surface when folded, and holding the device firmly with one hand palm when inputting with one hand However, in order to facilitate the input operation with the finger of the same one-handed palm, the degree of freedom of the finger is increased.

  Furthermore, it is intended to provide portability as a mobile phone while having a large display, and to serve as a mobile phone and a portable information terminal device.

  The present invention provides a portable information terminal device having a structure in which both a part A in which a display is installed and a part B in which an input key is installed are folded with the display installation surface and the input key installation surface inside. A large display is installed in part A, and the size of part B is large enough to cover the large display when folded, and a finger is inserted through part B and a finger notch is provided. Thus, it is possible to input while holding and holding the input key setting portion of the B part with one hand.

 The size of the display should be at least 3 inches if a function equivalent to a personal computer is expected as a portable terminal. Preferably, it is an area that allows the number of dots of 320 DPI × 240 DPI or more used in a commercially available portable terminal, or an area that allows the number of dots of 640 DPI × 480 DPI or more, which is the VGA standard of a personal computer, but substantially About 3.5 to 5 inches.

  Since the A part incorporates the display, and the B part has a function of covering the display when folded, it needs to be slightly larger than the display. Therefore, even if the display is arranged vertically, the width exceeds about 70 mm.

  Since it has such a width, it is difficult to input while holding the B part with one hand. However, by providing a finger piercing hole or / and a finger piercing notch penetrating the B part and passing the finger, it is possible to input while grasping and holding the input key setting part of the B part with one hand. Further, as a result, even when the method of Patent Document 7 is used, it is possible to protect the display and to secure the degree of freedom of the finger when inputting.

  Moreover, it is good to give the function as a mobile telephone by incorporating a bone conduction speaker and a microphone in the folded outer surface of A part or B part. The device of the present invention becomes quite large when opened, and if it is attempted to secure an appropriate distance between the normal speaker and the microphone (distance between the ear and the mouth) in a normal telephone, the layout becomes difficult because the speaker overlaps the display.

  Furthermore, even if the layout is possible, if the device of the same size as that of the present invention is actually opened and used, the total length becomes 15 Cm to 20 Cm, which satisfies the general customer requirements related to portability as a mobile phone. difficult. On the other hand, with the apparatus folded, it is difficult to secure an appropriate distance between the normal speaker and the microphone.

  However, when a bone conduction speaker is used, listening becomes possible when the cheekbone comes into contact, and the distance can be easily secured. For this reason, it can be used as a cellular phone while being folded, and the integration of the cellular phone and the portable information terminal device can be effectively advanced.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the above-described means allows the input operation with one hand while having a large display in terms of form and function. It became possible to serve as both. Hereinafter, the details of the present invention will be described with reference to examples.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram of Embodiment 1 of the apparatus of the present invention. The numbers in the figure are as follows: 1 is the A part where the display is installed, 2 is the B part where the input key is installed, 3 is the display, 4 is the finger penetration hole through the B part, 5 is the A part and B The part represents a hinge part that is folded with the display installation surface and the input key installation surface inside. In the apparatus of the present invention, the B part can cover the display of the A part when folded.

  Furthermore, 6 is a key for operating with the 2nd finger (index finger) thru | or the 5th finger (little finger) which passed through the finger penetration hole. These keys are usually four, and as shown in Patent Document 7, it enables multi-character input such as Japanese syllabary.

  7 is a numeric key, which corresponds to 12 numeric buttons for inputting “0” to “9”, “#” and “*” of the mobile phone, and the arrangement is the same as the buttons of the mobile phone. It may be more convenient.

  8 is a trackball for moving the cursor and pointer, 9 is a key for scrolling the screen, and 10 is a command key that is frequently used. For example, a return key, an escape key, a backspace key, a camera shutter, etc. Assign it. Furthermore, reference numeral 11 denotes a function key for giving the convenience of a personal computer.

  The keys of 8, 9, 10, and 11 are not essential requirements in the claims of the present invention, but in particular, when 8, 9, and 10 are within the range that can be operated with the thumb, it is possible to approach the use form of a personal computer. Therefore, it is preferable.

  Reference numeral 12 denotes a camera lens, and 13 denotes a camera body. Although these are not essential requirements in the claims of the present invention, they indicate that they can be incorporated in the present invention. By rotating the camera body with respect to the longitudinal axis, Indicates that shooting is possible.

  In the portable information terminal device of the present invention, the display size is preferably 3.5 inches or more. If it is smaller than this, sufficient information cannot be displayed on the display.

  Assuming that the size of the display is 4 inches, when a VGA standard display of 640 dots × 480 dots is used in a vertically long form, the width is approximately 60 mm or more. Therefore, the width of the A part and the B part is about 70 to 80 mm. If it is intended to grasp and input such a key input portion with one hand, it becomes possible only with a finger penetration hole (or a notch described later) as shown in FIG.

  If possible, it is preferable to pass four fingers from the second finger to the fifth finger.

  Since the width of the key arrangement portion (portion grasped by the palm) in FIG. 1 is about 40 to 50 mm and the width of the finger penetration hole is about 15 to 25 mm, the remaining portion can be secured about 10 to 15 mm. It is also possible to incorporate the above-described highly flexible camera.

  FIG. 2 shows the portable information terminal device of the present invention shown in FIG. The numbers in the figure are the same as those in FIG. 20 indicates a palm, 21 indicates a first finger (thumb), 22 indicates a second finger, 23 indicates a third finger, 24 indicates a fourth finger, and 25 indicates a fifth finger. Reference numeral 26 denotes a thumb ball.

  When using an existing mobile phone to input while grasping with one hand, hold the main body with the required fingers and thumb ball from the second finger to the fifth finger, and press the button with the tip of the first finger that becomes free Press to enter. However, since the thumb ball is used to hold the main body, the degree of freedom of the metacarpal bone of the first finger and the first finger is significantly limited. For this reason, button arrangements have been repeatedly studied in order to facilitate input with a nonfree first finger.

  In the present invention, it is possible to hold the whole body by pressing the finger passed through the finger penetration hole against the inner edge in a different direction inside the finger penetration hole regardless of the depressed state of the finger. It is released from the role of holding and the degree of freedom of the first finger is secured.

  In the present invention, when a telephone function is given without folding like an existing mobile phone, the total length becomes 15 Cm to 20 Cm, which is inferior in portability. In addition, when trying to secure the distance between the ear and the mouth, the microphone and the speaker overlap with the display and the key arrangement, and it is difficult to obtain a preferable arrangement.

  FIG. 3 shows the portable information terminal device of the present invention folded. Numbers 1, 2, and 5 in the figure are the same as those in FIG. 30 is a bone conduction speaker, 31 is a microphone, 32 is a telephone display, and 33 is a telephone key (redial, telephone directory call, etc.).

  A typical example of the folded state of the device of the present invention is about 75 mm wide and 80 mm to 100 mm long, which is larger than a mobile phone, but is a little longer than a portable MD player. As small as possible.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the bone conduction speaker 30 and the microphone 31 are placed opposite to each other on the folded outer surface of the device of the present invention, the distance L between the speaker and the microphone can be secured only about 100 mm. However, since the bone conduction speaker can be heard by pressing it against the cheekbone, it can be given a telephone function while being folded small.

  FIG. 4 shows the finger penetration hole 4 in FIG. 1 replaced with a finger penetration notch. The numbers in the figure are the same as those in FIG. 1 except for 40, and 40 indicates a notch for finger penetration.

  When the user's finger is thick and large, the whole of the finger penetration hole may become large. In this case, it can be dealt with by making a notch for finger penetration. In this case, if titanium or CFRP is used, even if the cantilever structure is used, insufficient strength does not occur.

  Of course, a combination in which a part is a finger penetration hole and the other part is a finger penetration notch is also possible.

  It seems that a part of the function of covering the display is lacking because of the finger hole or the finger notch, but the function is sufficient because the periphery of the display is almost covered. If someone feels inadequate, the anxiety can be resolved by simply covering the finger hole or / and the finger notch.

  Since the device of the present invention is used as a mobile phone, it naturally has a telephone function. However, in order to have a function as a personal computer, it has IEEE802.11, IEEE802.3, USB, IEEE1394, etc. as an interface. Is preferred.

  The mobile computer has the same portability as a mobile phone, and also has the functions of a mobile phone, so the mobility of information functions will be greatly improved and it will be possible to use it in a wide range of business activities and personal situations.

(Example 1) of the Example of the apparatus of this invention with a finger penetration hole. It is a figure which shows the state which hold | gripped and hold | maintained the apparatus of Example 1 with the palm. It is a figure which shows the state which the apparatus of Example 1 folded. (Example 2) of the Example of the apparatus of this invention with a notch for finger penetration.

Explanation of symbols

1 Part A with display 2 Part B with input key 3 Display 4 Finger penetration hole through B part 5 Hinge 6 To operate with second or fifth finger through finger penetration Keys 7 numeric keys 8 trackball 9 keys for scrolling 10 command keys 11 function keys 12 camera lens 13 camera body 20 palm to grasp 21 first finger 22 second finger 23 third finger 24 fourth finger 25 fifth finger 26 Ball Bulb 30 Bone Conduction Speaker 31 Microphone 32 Telephone Display 33 Telephone Key 40 Finger Puncture Notch

Claims (5)

A portable information terminal device having a structure in which both the A part where the display is installed and the B part where the input key is installed are folded with the display installation surface and the input key installation surface inside. A portable information terminal device characterized in that the B part sometimes covers the display of the A part and has a finger penetration hole or / and a finger penetration notch penetrating the B part. The finger penetration hole or / and the finger penetration notch are a through hole or / and a finger penetration notch through which any finger from the second finger to the fifth finger can pass, and the first finger and the through hole or 2. The portable information terminal device according to claim 1, wherein an input key is disposed at a part B that is grasped by another finger that has passed through a notch for finger penetration. 3. The key according to claim 1, further comprising a key that can be pressed by any finger from the second finger to the fifth finger through the finger penetration hole and / or the finger penetration notch. A portable information terminal device to be described. 4. The portable information terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the size of the display is 3.5 inches or more. 5. The portable information terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising a bone conduction speaker and a microphone on a folded outer surface.

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