JP2007124715A - Mobile terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology of improving the operability of a mobile terminal configured foldable by a moving part turned to a main body part. <P>SOLUTION: In the mobile terminal including: the main body part 11 having a plurality of first operation keys including ten-keys 16 and gripped in the operation; and the moving part 12 turnably connected to the main body part 11 via a hinge 13, wherein a display section 28 is provided to a moving part inner face 25 of the moving part 12 and second operation keys are provided between the display section 28 of the moving part inner face 25 and the hinge 13, a recessed part 41 is provided between the display section 28 and the hinge 13, and only the second operation keys 40 with a one-touch transmission function are provided in the recessed part 41. Further, a rear side display section 30 is provided to a moving part outer face 26 of the moving part 12, and the rear side display section 30 is configured to be located at a position in the moving part outer side 26 upper than a position corresponding to the second operation keys 40 and at a position corresponding to the display section 28 provided to the moving part inner face 25. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile terminal device, and more particularly to a mobile terminal device configured to be foldable by rotating a movable portion with respect to a main body portion.

  In recent years, various types of mobile phones, which are a type of mobile terminal device, have been provided. Among them, a mobile phone of a type (hereinafter referred to as a foldable type) that can be folded along the main body portion when being carried by rotating the movable portion with respect to the main body portion is widely used. It is becoming.

  This folding type mobile phone has a microphone, numeric keypad, cursor key, power key, telephone key, etc. disposed in the main body, and a speaker, a liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as LCD display), etc. in the movable part. It is arranged. The movable portion is pivotally connected to the main body portion via a hinge portion, whereby the movable portion is configured to be foldable with respect to the main body portion.

  The folding-type mobile phone configured as described above has an advantage that each key is automatically sandwiched between the movable portion and the main body when folded when being carried, thereby preventing erroneous operation. In addition, the folding-type mobile phone has an overall length longer than that of other types of mobile phones (for example, a straight type) by making the movable portion open with respect to the main body during a call. For this reason, the microphone position and the speaker position can be separated from each other. Therefore, the microphone position can be positioned near the operator's (caller's) mouth and the speaker can be positioned near the operator's ear. There is an advantage that it is easy. In view of these points, folding-type mobile phones have been widely used in recent years.

  On the other hand, mobile phones are becoming more and more multifunctional, and accordingly, the number of operation keys used for operating them tends to increase. Specifically, in addition to the conventional operation keys such as the numeric keys and cursor keys described above, there are provided one-touch transmission keys for making calls and registration keys for registering mail destinations. It has become like this.

  Usually, in the above-described folding type mobile phone, a mobile phone operator who makes a call grips the main body with the palm of one hand and operates various operation keys by operating the thumb. For this reason, conventional numeric keys, cursor keys, and the like have been configured to be all disposed in the main body portion that allows easy finger operation.

However, as described above, when the number of operation keys is increased with the increase in the number of functions of the mobile phone, it is impossible to arrange all the operation keys with the main body alone. For this reason, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, it has been proposed to arrange operation keys not only on the main body but also on the movable part.
JP 2002-176476 A

  However, the mobile phone disclosed in the above publication has a configuration in which operation keys are provided in the vicinity of the speaker of the movable part. That is, the operation keys provided on the movable part are arranged at positions far away from the main body part.

  For this reason, when an operation key located near the speaker far from the main body is to be operated, the operation cannot be performed while the main body is held. For this reason, it is necessary to change the body part so that the finger reaches the operation key, or to use the hand opposite to the hand holding the body part and operate the operation key using both hands. As described above, the conventional mobile phone has a problem that the operability of a large number of operation keys is poor.

  Further, the operation keys provided on the conventional movable part are provided so as to protrude from the inner surface of the movable part (the surface that faces the main body when folded). For this reason, when an ear is put on the speaker during a call, there is a possibility that the operation key is erroneously operated. Further, since the operation key protrudes from the facing surface, when the movable part is folded, the protruded operation key is pressed against the main body part, which may cause an erroneous operation. was there.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a portable terminal device that can improve operability.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is characterized by the following measures.

The invention described in claim 1
A main body having a plurality of first operation keys including a numeric keypad and gripped during operation;
A display unit provided on the inner surface of the movable unit, and a second operation provided between the display unit and the hinge unit on the inner surface of the movable unit. A mobile terminal device having a movable part provided with a key,
A recess is provided between the display unit and the hinge, and only the second operation key having a function of transmitting by one touch is provided in the recess;
A rear display portion is provided on the outer surface of the movable portion of the movable portion, and the rear display portion is provided on the inner surface of the movable portion at a position above the position corresponding to the second operation key in the outer surface of the movable portion. It is provided at a position corresponding to the display unit.

The invention according to claim 2
It is a portable terminal device of Claim 1, Comprising:
The second operation key is provided such that the upper surface thereof is lower than the inner surface of the movable part.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent an operation key from being erroneously operated and to improve the operability of the operation key.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 3 show a mobile terminal device (hereinafter referred to as a mobile terminal device) according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, the overall configuration of the mobile phone 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The cellular phone 10 generally includes a main body part 11, a movable part 12, a hinge part 13, and the like.

  The movable part 12 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the main body part 11 via the hinge part 13. The mobile phone 10 shown in FIG. 1 shows a state in which the movable portion 12 is rotated to the open position opened with respect to the main body portion 11. In this state, the operator operates various operation keys, which will be described later, to make a call or execute various functions of the mobile phone 10. The mobile phone 10 shown in FIG. 2 shows a state where the movable portion 12 is rotated to a folding position where the movable portion 12 faces the main body portion 11 (hereinafter referred to as a folded state). The mobile phone 10 is carried in this folded state.

  Hereinafter, the details of the main body part 11, the movable part 12, and the hinge part 13 constituting the mobile phone 10 will be described.

  In the main body 11, a large number of keys such as a numeric keypad 16, a power key 17, a call key 18, a menu key 19, a telephone book key 20, and a cursor key 21 are arranged on the inner surface 14 of the main body facing the movable portion 12 in the folded state. Has been. Further, a microphone 22 is disposed at a position farthest from the hinge portion 13 of the main body portion 11. Furthermore, an earphone jack 24 is disposed on the side surface of the main body 11, and an external speaker 23 is disposed on the outer surface 15 of the main body 11.

  Various operation keys 16 to 21 arranged in the main body 11 are basic operation keys as the mobile phone 10 and are conventionally provided. Further, these operation keys 16 to 21 are arranged at high density on the inner surface 14 of the main body 11 of the main body 11 as shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, the movable portion 12 has a liquid crystal display element 28 (hereinafter referred to as an LCD display element) and a speaker 31 on the inner surface 25 of the movable portion facing the movable portion 12 in a folded state, and an antenna 27 is disposed on the upper portion. ing. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1C and 2A, a rear liquid crystal display element 30 (hereinafter referred to as a rear LCD) is provided on the movable portion outer surface 26 of the movable portion 12.

  As described above, by providing the back LCD 30 on the outer surface 26 of the movable part, it is possible to recognize that the back LCD 30 has received a call or mail even when the mobile phone 10 is in a folded state. A volume key 29 for adjusting the volume is provided on the side of the movable unit 12.

  Further, the cellular phone 10 according to the present embodiment is configured such that the operation key 40 is provided on the movable portion 12. This operation key 40 is, for example, a one-touch transmission key for making a call, a registration key for registering a mail destination, and the like, and is a key provided by making the mobile phone 10 multifunctional.

  Here, attention is paid to the arrangement position of the operation key 40. In the present embodiment, the operation key 40 is provided on the inner surface 25 of the movable portion of the movable portion 12. The operation key 40 is provided at a position between the hinge portion 13 and the position where the LCD display element 28 of the movable portion 12 is disposed. That is, the operation key 40 is configured to be disposed on the movable portion inner surface 25 at a position close to the main body portion 11.

  Thus, by providing the operation key 40 on the movable portion inner surface 25 of the movable portion 12, the operation key 40 is also located between the main body portion 11 and the movable portion 12 in the folded state, like the other operation keys 16 to 21. It will be located (refer FIG. 2 (B)). That is, the operation key 40 is in a state of facing the main body 11.

  Therefore, it is impossible to operate the operation key 40 when the movable portion 12 is in the folded position, and it is possible to reliably prevent the operation key 40 from being erroneously operated when the mobile phone 10 is not used when being carried. . By preventing erroneous operation in this way, it is possible to suppress the consumption of excess power, to reduce standby time, and to prevent erroneous transmission.

  Further, as described above, the operation key 40 is provided at a position close to the main body section 11 (a position between the hinge section 13 and the position where the LCD display element 28 is disposed). The arrangement position of the operation key 40 is set to be within a range in which a finger can be operated when the operator holds the main body 11.

  When an operator operates the mobile phone 10, the operator generally operates with the main body 11 held with one hand. The operation keys 16 to 21 are normally operated using the thumb. The present embodiment is characterized in that the operation key 40 is provided in a range in which the operator can operate the finger on the movable portion 12 in the normal gripping state of the mobile phone 10 (the gripping state similar to the conventional state) as described above. Yes.

  Thereby, even if the operation key 40 is provided on the movable part 12, the operator can operate the operation key without changing the main body part 11 and using both hands, and thus the operability of the operation key 40 is improved. be able to. In this embodiment, the operation keys 40 are function keys such as a frequently operated one-touch transmission key, a registration key, or a setting key for setting various functions. However, by providing the operation key 40 in the range where the finger can be operated as described above, it is possible to prevent the user from being burdened (for example, the finger is tired) even if the operation key 40 is frequently operated.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when the number of operation keys increases due to the multi-functionalization of the mobile phone 10, the operation keys 40 are provided on the movable portion 12 within a range where the operator can operate the fingers. High operability can be maintained. That is, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to achieve both the multi-functionality of the mobile phone 10 and high operability.

  Here, paying attention to the height relationship between the operation key 40 and the inner surface 25 of the movable part, description will be given below. FIG. 4 shows a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. As shown in the figure, the operation key 40 is provided in a recessed portion 41 formed in the movable portion inner surface 25 (movable portion 12).

  A plurality of (in this embodiment, three) operation keys 40 are each composed of a switch knob 42 and a switch body 43. The switch body 43 is disposed on a substrate (not shown) disposed in the movable portion 12, and the switch knob 42 is disposed on the upper portion thereof.

  An opening 45 is formed in the bottom surface 41 a of the recess 41, and the switch knob 42 is configured to protrude into the recess 41 from the opening 45. Then, when the switch knob 42 is pressed, the switch body 43 is configured to perform ON / OFF electrical switching. The flange portion 44 is provided to prevent the switch knob 42 from being detached from the inner surface 25 of the movable portion.

  In the above configuration, attention is paid to the depth h1 of the recessed portion 41 from the inner surface 25 of the movable portion and the protrusion amount h2 of the switch knob 42 from the bottom surface 41a of the recessed portion 41. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the depth (h1) of the indented portion 41 is set to be larger than the protrusion amount (h1) of the switch knob 42 (operation key 40) (h1> h2).

  With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the operation key 40 from interfering with the main body portion 11 even when the movable portion 12 is rotated to the folding position as shown in FIG. Therefore, the operation key 40 can be prevented from being erroneously operated by the folding operation of the movable portion 12 or in the folded state (that is, when the mobile phone 10 is not used or carried). Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the consumption of excess power and prevent the standby time from being shortened, and to prevent erroneous transmission. In addition, since the gap due to the operation key 40 is eliminated between the main body part 11 and the movable part 12, the mobile phone 10 can be thinned.

  In the present embodiment, the one-touch transmission key for making a call and the registration key for registering mail destinations have been described as examples of the operation keys, but other keys can be operated by the finger of the movable unit 12. It is good also as a structure provided in. At this time, the keys provided on the movable portion 12 are not necessarily limited to the operation keys newly provided due to the multi-function, but a conventional operation key is provided on the movable portion 12 and the newly provided operation keys are provided on the main body portion 11. It is good also as a structure to arrange.

1A and 1B show a mobile phone as a mobile terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a front view of a movable portion opened, and FIG. 1B is a side view of a movable portion opened. FIG. 4C is a rear view of the movable portion in the opened state. 2A and 2B show a mobile phone as a mobile terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 2A is a front view of a movable portion in a folded state, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the movable portion in a folded state. (C) is a rear view with a movable part folded. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of the operation keys. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Mobile phone 11 Main body part 12 Movable part 13 Hinge part 14 Main body part inner surface 15 Main body part outer surface 16 Numeric keypad 21 Cursor key 22 Microphone 23 External speaker 24 Earphone jack 25 Movable part inner surface 26 Movable part outer surface 28 LCD display element 40 Operation key 41 Recessed part 41a Bottom face 42 Switch knob 43 Switch body 44 Gutter part 45 Opening part

Claims (2)

A main body having a plurality of first operation keys including a numeric keypad and gripped during operation;
A display unit provided on the inner surface of the movable unit, and a second operation provided between the display unit and the hinge unit on the inner surface of the movable unit. A mobile terminal device having a movable part provided with a key,
A recess is provided between the display unit and the hinge, and only the second operation key having a function of transmitting by one touch is provided in the recess;
A rear display portion is provided on the outer surface of the movable portion of the movable portion, and the rear display portion is provided on the inner surface of the movable portion at a position above the position corresponding to the second operation key in the outer surface of the movable portion. A portable terminal device provided at a position corresponding to a display unit. It is a portable terminal device of Claim 1, Comprising:
The portable terminal device, wherein the second operation key is provided such that an upper surface thereof is lower than an inner surface of the movable part.

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