JP3644034B1 - Mobile phone - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a protective cover for a display unit such as a liquid crystal while keeping the size and mass of a flip in a conventional mobile phone flip.
SOLUTION: A flip is a mobile phone holding mechanism that doubles as a self-supporting stand, and slides in a longitudinal direction on a guideway provided with a display unit on the main body with the display unit overlapping the operation unit. A structure is provided so that the flip becomes a protective cover of the display portion when stored.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

  The present invention relates to a mobile phone having a flip mechanism, and relates to a multi-functional flip function.

The original purpose of flipping a mobile phone having a flip mechanism covering the operation unit was to prevent unintended operation button malfunctions and to improve the efficiency of collecting sound into a microphone during a call. In addition to these functions, an invention in which the flip functions as a stand for allowing the mobile phone body to stand on its own is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 4-276957 and 11-275193. As an invention for further adding a function, Japanese Patent No. 3448775 by the applicant of the present application “a gripping mechanism of a mobile phone that also serves as a self-supporting stand” is disclosed.

Further, JP-A-5-30166 discloses an invention in which not only the operation button part but also the liquid crystal display part is protected by flipping. A mobile phone with a sliding mechanism is known and disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-110675.

In the present invention, in the multi-function of the flip, in addition to the gripping mechanism that also serves as a self-supporting stand of the above-mentioned patent No. 3448775 by the applicant of the present application, it is intended to realize a flip that also serves as a protective cover for a display unit such as a liquid crystal display. It is.

Here, when looking at the positional relationship between the operation unit and the display unit in a general mobile phone, the operation unit is positioned in front and the display unit is positioned in front of it. The flip is at the front, and the hinge unit rotating shaft is located at the front end. In JP-A-5-30166, the flip is extended so as to cover the display portion. However, although the purpose of covering the display portion is achieved with this, it is difficult to realize “light and quick movement” that is originally required for a flip due to an increase in mass accompanying an increase in the area of the flip.

Conventionally, a hinge unit that converts the elastic force of the spring into a rotational motion has been employed to realize the flip motion.

In order to realize the “light and quick movement”, the mass of the flip is small and the torque of the hinge unit is increased. When the mass of the flip increases, the torque needs to be further increased. However, in a mobile phone that is required to be small and light, the same requirement is made for the hinge unit. That is, there is a limit to the torque generated by the hinge unit, and an excessive torque cannot be expected. This means that the size and mass of the flip are naturally limited.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to keep the size and mass of the flip, which is a constraint in order to maintain “light and quick movement”, and to achieve the protective cover function of the display unit. To do.

Means to solve the problem

As a means for this, in the present invention, the lower end portion of the main body has a flip mechanism that covers the operation button portion by being hinge-coupled by a hinge unit that holds an opening angle with respect to the main body every time the rotational force is generated and rotated by 180 degrees. A mobile phone, wherein the flip can be turned to an angle exceeding 270 degrees from the closed state, and is locked with a biasing force acting at the back of the body at a turning angle of at most 300 degrees. In a mobile phone in which the flip has a substantially L-shape and is capable of self-supporting, the cross section in the rotation axis direction of the flip is rounded or chamfered at both ends facing outward in the closed state, It forms a gripping mechanism that is convex in the direction and the flip can be held between the middle finger and the ring finger, or between the ring finger and the little finger, and the display unit operates on the guide way provided with the display unit of the mobile phone on the main body Part Slidably houses longitudinally in a manner overlying said flip is one that was set to the protective cover of the display unit at the time of storage.

In the present invention, it is also preferable that the flip is made of a transparent resin.

In the present invention, it is also preferable to provide a viewing window on the flip.

Furthermore, in the present invention, a preferable effect can be obtained by mounting a camera at least on the display surface side.

The invention's effect

In the present invention, the means for covering the display unit with the flip is configured not to extend the flip but to slide the display unit so as to overlap the upper surface of the operation unit. It will be. For this reason, it is possible to add a protective cover function of a new display unit in addition to the conventional function without any trouble in promoting the multi-function of the flip.

Further, according to the present invention, by forming the flip with a transparent resin, it is possible to visually recognize an incoming call display without opening the flip when the telephone is in a standby state with the flip closed.

Further, according to the present invention, even when the flip is made of an opaque resin or a light alloy such as a magnesium alloy, the display portion in a closed state can be visually recognized by providing the flip with a window portion.

In the folding method which is currently the mainstream in the market, a sub liquid crystal display unit is further provided on the back surface for visual confirmation of an incoming call display in a closed state, but this is not necessary in the present invention. In addition, it is an advantage that does not increase the thickness of the mobile phone.

Although the mobile phone itself is required to be downsized, its display portion tends to be upsized. For this reason, the area of the operation unit is reduced, resulting in deterioration of operability. In the present invention, even when the operation unit is pushed to the lower end and the area is reduced, the flip becomes a gripping mechanism, and thus there is an advantage that a stable input operation can be performed with a reliable holding.

Although there are many slide-type mobile phones in which the main body and the display unit simply slide in the market, they do not have a self-supporting function. In the present invention, since the flip acts as a self-supporting stand, a simple and stable conversation under an image becomes possible. It can also function as a table clock.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each of the drawings, the flip mechanism is the same as that of Japanese Patent No. 3448775 by the applicant of the present application, and therefore this description is omitted. In FIG. 1, a display unit 2 having a display element 3 is provided on a guideway provided in the main body 1 so that the display unit 2 overlaps with an operation unit 6 so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction. FIG. 1 shows that the operation unit is exposed to the maximum, the flip 4 is rotated and locked on the back of the main body 1, the flip 4 is sandwiched between the middle finger and the ring finger of the hand 8, and input is performed with secure holding. It shows the state of being.

2 and 3 show the closed state of the present invention, and the flip 14 is made of a transparent resin. Therefore, the display element is visible even when the flip is closed.
The transparent resin may be colorless and transparent, and may be colored and transparent.

The flip 4 in FIG. 4 is an embodiment in which a window 13 for visual recognition is provided in the case of an opaque resin or a magnesium light alloy. In order to increase the area of the window, it is necessary to consider the physical strength when functioning as a freestanding stand.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show only the flip opened from the closed state of the present invention, and it is possible to make a received call in this state.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are the flips of FIGS. 5 and 6 further rotated to the back side of the main body 1. The flip 4 contacts the lower end of the main body 1 to form an L-shape and function as a self-supporting stand. It shows how it is. In this state, the videophone function by the camera 7 can be obtained with a stable image by placing it on a table or the like.

9 and 10 are views in which the display unit 2 is slid from the state of FIGS. 5 and 6 to expose the operation unit 6. In this state, transmission and reception can be started, and input via the operation unit is possible.

FIG. 11 shows the flip 14 in a state where it can stand by itself and in a state where it can be gripped, and shows a convenient form at the time of a videophone call or when inputting an e-mail or the like shown in FIG.

It is a perspective view which shows the time of use of this invention. It is a top view in the closed state of a transparent resin flip. It is a side view of the closed state of a transparent resin flip. It is a top view of the closed state of the flip which provided the window. It is a top view of the state which opened the flip provided with the window. It is a side view of the state which opened the flip which provided the window. It is a top view of the state made to become independent. It is a side view of the state made to stand by itself. The top view of the state which opened the flip and slid the display part and exposed the operation part. The side view of the state which opened the flip, slid the display part, and exposed the operation part. The side view of the self-supporting state which rotated the flip to the main body back, slid the display part, and exposed the operation part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, Main body 2, Display part 3, Display element 4, Flip 5, Guide way 6, Operation part 7, Camera 8, Hand 9, Operation button 10, 20, Hinge unit rotating shaft part 11, Receiving part 12, Sending part 13. Window part 14, transparent resin flip

Claims (4)

A mobile phone having a flip mechanism that covers the operation button unit by being hinged to the lower end of the main body by a hinge unit that holds the opening angle with respect to the main body every time generation of rotational force and rotation of 180 degrees, The flip can be rotated from the closed state to an angle exceeding 270 degrees, and is locked in the state where the urging force is applied at the position of the main body at a rotation angle of up to 300 degrees, and the main body and the flip are substantially L-shaped. In the cellular phone that is shaped and can be self-supported, the cross section in the rotation axis direction of the flip is rounded or chamfered on both side ends facing outward in the closed state, and is generally convex outward. The flip forms a gripping mechanism that can be held between the middle finger and the ring finger, or the ring finger and the little finger, and the display unit overlaps the operation unit on the guideway provided on the display unit of the mobile phone. In the longitudinal direction Slidably houses, the flip is characterized in that the protective cover of the display unit when receiving the mobile telephone. The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the flip is made of a transparent resin. 2. The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein a viewing window is provided on the flip. 4. The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein a camera is mounted at least on the display unit side.

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