KR101089473B1 - Speaker arrangement for foldable terminals - Google Patents

Abstract

The communication terminal 70 includes a first terminal member 71 and a second terminal member 72, a hinge device 73 connecting the terminal to be folded and unfolded, and a speaker 74. The hinge device defines a cavity 75 that is acoustically connected to the speaker. The speaker may be disposed inside the cavity, thereby optimizing a low bass implementation for the speaker. Alternatively, the speaker is connected to the cavity and resonates within the cavity.

Communication terminal, terminal member, hinge device, speaker, cavity

Description

Speaker device for folder terminals {SPEAKER ARRANGEMENT FOR FOLDABLE TERMINALS}

The present invention relates to a general folder wireless communication terminal including a speaker for delivering sound information to a user of the communication terminal. In particular, the present invention relates to a communication terminal, wherein the speaker uses a cavity formed in the hinge of the folder terminal as a resonance chamber.

The mobile phone industry has significantly developed both the quality of service and the transmission performance, as well as the technology for producing advanced communication terminals. In just 20-30 years, communication systems have changed from analog to digital, while at the same time the size of the communications terminal has changed from the size of a briefcase to the pocket-sized telephone of today. Still today, mobile phones are getting smaller and smaller, and size is generally considered an important factor for getting the end consumer. Advances in electronics have enabled the miniaturization of terminal devices and, at the same time, making terminals capable of more advanced functions and services. The development of a new transmission scheme, called the third-generation mobile system, of the fourth-generation threshold, perhaps ten years later, also offers the possibility of transmitting more advanced data, such as real-time video, to wireless communication terminals.

In order to benefit from the performance of the transmission system, future generations of phones will have wide screen indicators for performing multimedia input and output, and picture quality will be very important. Still, the keypad or keyboard should be large enough for people to press one key. With the development of the performance of communication systems and multimedia functions, the demand for sound quality at the terminals will also increase. In the next generation of terminals using W-CDMA technology, it will be possible to use a wider sound frequency band. The speaker of the terminal may also be used as a hand free speaker embedded in a ringer and telephone instead of the traditional buzzer, single tone or polyphonic bell signal. In general, this function is performed by a second speaker mounted at the back of the telephone, but a speaker combining two or three all these functions may also be used.

The performance of the speaker depends on a high range on the rear volume, ie the acoustic resonance cavity. For best performance, the back side volume should be sealed. In the general case, all phones are used as rear volume, but it is almost impossible to seal the phone. In addition, since typical end users require miniaturized terminals, less space is available for speakers and resonance chambers. In this problem of communication terminal miniaturization, one solution is proposed in WO 00/38475, in which the acoustic resonance chamber of the speaker is arranged completely or partially in the electronic resonance chamber of the antenna. The use of a single acoustic chamber instead of two acoustic chambers makes it possible to produce smaller communication devices. According to the proposed solution, the speaker is arranged outside the resonance chamber and the rear of the speaker is connected to the resonance chamber by one or more acoustic channels. However, the speaker device next to the resonance chamber has some obstacles. First the acoustic channel should preferably be sealed. In addition, both the speaker and the chamber will be included in the thickness of the terminal.

As a result, a general object of the present invention is to provide a small speaker device for a wireless communication terminal. An aspect of this object is to provide a speaker solution to overcome the lack of enumerated terminal technologies. In particular, it is an object to provide a speaker device for a communication terminal capable of reducing the size of an external terminal.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a communication terminal, the communication terminal comprising a first terminal member and a second terminal member, a hinge device and a speaker connected to the terminal member so that the terminal is folded and unfolded. The present invention is divided into a hinge device that defines a cavity to which the speaker is acoustically connected.

In one general embodiment, the speaker is disposed in a cavity. The cavity may be substantially cylindrical.

Preferably, the cavity is sealed in the remainder of the terminal. In one embodiment, a first sound output aperture is formed at the first end of the hinge. Preferably, the speaker is arranged in proximity to the first sound aperture.

The second sound output aperture is also formed at the second end of the hinge opposite the first end.

In one embodiment, the second sound speaker is disposed proximate to the second sound aperture.

In an alternative embodiment, the sound output aperture is formed at the side of the hinge.

Preferably, the speaker is in the form of a thin rod with a rectangular membrane.

In another general embodiment, the speaker is disposed outside of the cavity by a sound aperture connected to the cavity.

Preferably, the sound opening is sealed at the remainder of the terminal.

In one embodiment, the first sound output aperture is formed at the first end of the hinge. In addition, the second sound output aperture may be formed at the second end of the hinge opposite the first end.

In an alternative embodiment, the sound output aperture is formed at the side of the hinge.

In a particular embodiment, the speaker is connected to the cavity through the back portion of the terminal.

In an alternative embodiment, the speaker is connected to the cavity through the side of the terminal.

In one embodiment, the speaker comprises a membrane, a back side of the membrane connected to the cavity and a front side of the membrane connected to the outside of the terminal by the first sound output aperture.

Preferably, the first sound output aperture is arranged next to the hinge and faces out sideways from the terminal parallel to the hinge.

In addition, a second sound output aperture may be formed at the first end of the hinge in proximity to the first sound output aperture.

Advantageously, the speaker is connected to the cavity through a sound opening that provides a connection that is sealed at the remainder of the terminal.

In one embodiment, the cavity operates as a front volume resonator for the speaker.

The communication terminal is preferably configured in a clamshell type design with each terminal member having a user interface portion. Alternatively, the first terminal member is a terminal body having a user interface and the second terminal member is a collapsible protective cover.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings,

1 is a schematic view of a collapsible terminal designed in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention in a folded state,

2 is a schematic view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in an expanded state;

3 is a schematic view of a collapsible terminal designed in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention in a folded state,

4 is a schematic view of the embodiment of FIG. 2 in an expanded state;

5 is a schematic view of a collapsible terminal designed in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention in a folded state,

6 is a schematic representation of the embodiment of FIG. 5, in an unfolded state;

7 is a schematic view of a collapsible terminal designed in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention in a folded state,

8 is a schematic view of the embodiment of FIG. 7 in an expanded state;

9 is a schematic diagram of a hinge device not assembled according to an embodiment of the present invention, applicable to the terminal shown in FIG.

10 is a schematic representation of an embodiment when assembled in FIG. 9,

11 is a schematic view of an unassembled hinge device according to another embodiment of the present invention, applicable to the terminal shown in FIG.

12 is a schematic representation of an embodiment when assembled in FIG. 11,

13 is a schematic diagram of a hinge device not assembled according to another embodiment of the present invention, applicable to the terminal shown in FIG.

14 is a schematic representation of an embodiment when assembled in FIG. 13,

15 is a schematic view of a collapsible terminal designed in accordance with a variant embodiment of FIG. 1 in a folded state;

16 is a modified state schematic diagram of a collapsible terminal designed according to the embodiment of FIG. 15 in a folded state,

17 is a schematic representation of the embodiment of FIG. 15, in an expanded state;

18 is a schematic illustration of a collapsible terminal designed in accordance with a variant embodiment of FIG. 7 in an unfolded state;

The present description relates to a communication terminal which can be folded as a device for satisfying a speaker configuration according to the present invention. The communication terminal includes all foldable telephone devices designed for wireless communication using a radio station, which may also be a phone terminal or a fixed base station, for example. As a result, a "communication terminal" is not only a portable laptop computer designed for wireless communication, for example in a wireless local area network (WLAN), but also a mobile phone, pager, communicator, electronic editor, smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA). ), A medium equipped with a wireless communication device, or the like. The structure and characteristics of the speaker design according to the invention are therefore mainly described here, for example in the implementation in a mobile phone, this is not described except in the implementation of the design in other types of terminals such as those listed above. In addition, when used in this specification and claims to refer to a feature, element, or step that includes the word “comprising” or “comprises,” the word is never described except for other features, elements, or steps of the invention. Should be emphasized.

Typical examples of the state of the mobile phone technology include antennas, power supplies, generally batteries, user interfaces for data, audio and images, possibly video, interactions and communications. The interface often includes a keypad and screen indicators on which limitations are set on how small terminals are possible. The terminal also includes a microphone and a speaker so that it can operate as a standard telephone for voice interaction. Circuits of the telephone, such as wireless transmission and reception, are generally held on a printed circuit board (PWB), which in turn is supported and protected by a cover.

Certain types of terminals called so-called clamshell phones have been on the market for many years. The clamshell design includes two terminal members with hinges at each short end so that the terminal user interface of the terminal can be unfolded to be visible. The cramcell terminal can accommodate a larger user interface, such as a larger display without increasing the total length of the terminal compared to a standard terminal that cannot be folded when the display is closed. With the development of advanced data transfer and presentation capabilities such as images and video, larger screen indicators will be desirable characteristics.

As the mobile telephone becomes smaller, the space for the acoustic transducer and the size of the acoustic transducer are reduced. To address this problem, many speaker suppliers are developing square or elliptical devices to better meet space-saving needs. In today's clamshell phones, the transducer is often placed on top of the clamcell. The reason is that the user can clearly hear through the device, and also the large amount of space at the bottom is often filled by the battery.

In mobile phones, assembling a converter or a speaker requires a lot depending on the surrounding conditions. In order to obtain a low frequency output, the speaker needs to be sealed. In addition, high frequency, ie tripled frequency implementations require a tuned front with speaker-matched front volume and aperture. Cases of PWBs and telephones often have leakage that degrades sound quality and quality.

The present invention provides a solution to this problem by coupling the cavity and speaker in the hinge. This simplifies the acoustic solution for the terminal and enables joint use in a way that is not previously used. In addition, the hinge cavity may be more desirably sealed than the rest of the terminal body, the hinge comprising many parts suitable for the connection of the device, the PWB and the included parts.

In the first general embodiment, the speaker is arranged in one of two halves of the cram cell phone, so that the speaker is connected to the hinge cavity. This allows the speaker to resonate into the hinge cavity. Preferably one end of the hinge, ie the end at the side of the terminal, is equipped with a sound output aperture for emitting sound to the outside world. One end of the speaker membrane is connected to the hinge cavity through the sound aperture. The opposite side of the membrane may be connected to the outside of the terminal via a separating device, which alternatively is simply covered.

In the second general embodiment, preferably a small rectangular membrane device is disposed inside the hinge cavity, since the inside of the hinge is closed and preferably does not integrate with any other element, the membrane device is sealed to optimize bass implementation. It also enables rich low frequency output.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION A detailed description of preferred embodiments consistent with this general embodiment will now be provided with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A first embodiment of a cram cell terminal incorporating the present invention is shown by way of example in FIG. 1. The terminal 10 comprises first and second terminal members connected to each other by a hinge device 13 arranged at the short end of the first terminal member 11. In Fig. 1, the terminal 10 is shown in a folded state, in which the terminal members are arranged close to each other. The hinge 13 is shown schematically schematically in FIGS. 1 to 8, but a detailed solution available for the zero device 13 is disclosed in FIGS. 9 to 14. According to the invention, the hinge device 13 here defines a cavity 15, which is preferably sealed in the remainder of the terminal body 11, 12. A speaker or transducer 14 having a membrane represented by a dotted line is acoustically connected to the cavity at one side of the membrane, so that sound is generated by the speaker 14 propagating into the cavity 15. Although not shown in this very schematic drawing, the sound output aperture is further included at the end of the hinge device 13, such as, for example, the end facing up in the drawing. In an alternative embodiment, the sound output aperture from the cavity 15 is defined at the side as shown downward in the figure. Multiple devices are of course also possible.

2 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 in an unfolded state. When unfolded, an unprotected user interface is revealed. Such a user interface may include a keypad 16 on the lower terminal member 11 and a screen indicator 17 on the upper terminal member 12.

3 and 4 show a variant embodiment of FIG. 1. As before, the terminal 30 comprises a first 31 and a second 32 terminal member connected to each other by a hinge device 33. The hinge device 33 defines a cavity 35 therein, which is preferably sealed. A speaker 34 having a membrane represented by a dotted line is acoustically connected to the cavity 35 on one side of the membrane to propagate the sound generated by the speaker 34 into the cavity 35. One or more sound outputs are further included. 3 and 4 differ in the orientation of the speaker 34 from the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. The embodiment of FIG. 1 comprises a speaker arranged with its membrane in the main plane of the first terminal member 11, and in the embodiment of FIG. 3 the member of the speaker 34 is the main plane of the terminal member 31. Is oriented perpendicular to the hinge cavity 35. According to this solution, the sound opening may be easily sealed, where the speaker 34 and the hinge cavity 35 meet. 4 illustrates the embodiment of FIG. 3 with the user interface such as keypad 36 and screen indicator 37 unfolded to reveal.

5 and 6 show another variant embodiment of FIG. 1. As before, the terminal 50 comprises a first 51 and a second 52 terminal member, which are connected to each other by a hinge device 53. The hinge device 53 defines a cavity 55 such that the cavity 55 is preferably sealed. A speaker 54 having a membrane represented by a dashed line is acoustically connected to the cavity 55 at one side of the membrane to propagate sound generated by the speaker 54 into the cavity 55. One or more sound outputs are further included. 5 and 6 show that the hinge device 53 is substantially disposed on top of the first terminal member 51 so that the second terminal member 52 is substantially straight from the hinge device 53. Stretching is different from the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. The speaker 54 is arranged with its membrane in the main plane of the first terminal member 51 and at the same time directs directly towards the hinge cavity 55. FIG. 6 illustrates the embodiment of FIG. 5 with the user interface such as keypad 65 and screen indicator 57 unfolded to reveal.

15 and 17 show yet another alternative embodiment of FIG. 1. As before, the terminal 150 includes a first 151 and a second 152 terminal member connected to each other by the hinge device 153. The hinge device 153 defines a cavity 155 such that the cavity 155 is preferably sealed. A speaker 154 having a membrane represented by a dotted line is acoustically connected to the cavity 155 at the back of the membrane, propagating sound generated by the speaker 154 into the cavity 155. The speaker is disposed with its membrane from the first terminal member 151 toward the side outward. A sound output aperture 156, shown in grid in the figure, is additionally mounted to the front of the membrane to connect the sound generated by the speaker 154 with air surrounding the terminal. The cavity 155 is preferably completely sealed and only the opening is the connection path with the speaker 154. As such, the cavity 155 acts as a rear volume relative to the speaker 154, representing an optimized low bass implementation. FIG. 17 shows a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 15 with the user interface such as keypad 159 and screen indicator 158 exposed.

FIG. 16 shows a variant embodiment of FIGS. 15 and 17, in which the terminal 160 is shown as a grid in the figure and also has a sound output aperture 161 facing outward from the first terminal member 151. It further includes. Using this design, the cavity 155 will instead act as a bass reflex tube for the speaker 154.

A second embodiment of a cram cell terminal according to the present invention is shown by way of example in FIG. The terminal 70 includes a first 71 and a second 72 terminal member connected to each other by a hinge device 73 arranged at a short end of the first terminal member 71. In Fig. 7, the terminal 70 is shown in a folded state, in which the terminal members are arranged close to each other. The hinge device 73 defines a cavity 75 such that the cavity 75 is preferably sealed in the remaining portions of the terminal bodies 71 and 72. The miniaturized speaker or transducer 74 is disposed inside the cavity 75. Preferably, a small rod-shaped speaker 74 with a vertical membrane (not shown) is used. The membrane extends in the vertical direction of the thin rod-shaped speaker 74 in any preselected direction with respect to the main plane of the terminal member 71. Using this design, the hinge cavity 75 provides an optimized bass implementation for the speaker 74. At least one sound output aperture 76 is formed at the end of the hinge 73, and preferably a speaker is mounted at the end. Other sound output apertures may be formed at opposite ends, ie at the right end facing in FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 illustrates the embodiment of FIG. 7 with the user interface including a keypad 77 in the lower terminal member 71 and a screen indicator 57 in the upper terminal member 72 exposed. The user interfaces 77 and 78 are shown merely shown and may be configured in alternative ways. One example may be that the keypad is replaced by a touch sensitive screen indicator, as is well known in the art.

18 shows a terminal 180, which is a variant of FIGS. 7 and 8 using the same reference numerals for the same elements. However, in addition to FIGS. 7 and 8, the terminal 180 includes a second speaker 181 arranged at opposite ends of the hinge 73. The second sound output aperture 182 is formed at the end of the hinge 73. Preferably, speakers 74 and 181 are operated by a stereo audio device (not shown) so that terminal 180 can provide stereo sound.

9 and 10 show one typical design for the hinge device 100 using the speaker 14 connected to the hinge cavity 108, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As the speaker 14 is shown in FIG. 9, this embodiment can be applied to the terminals of FIGS. 1 and 2. However, the speaker may not be connected to the cavity 108 by the method disclosed in FIGS. 3 and 4, 5 and 6, or 15 to 17. FIG. 9 shows a hinge device 100 using separate terminal members 11 and 12 in an unassembled state, whereas FIG. 10 shows the same hinge device 100 when assembled.

In particular, another embodiment, the designs of FIGS. 9 and 10, are symmetric about a vertical axis passing through the terminal members 11, 12. The hinge device comprises a pair of first ears 103 rigid to the terminal member 11 designed for the concave portion of the second terminal member 12. Each concave portion 104 constitutes a pair of ears, where a through bore is constructed. Matching through bores are formed in each ear 103. The central portion 101 of the hinge device 100 encloses a sealed cavity 108, which is indicated by dashed lines in FIGS. 9 and 10. The cavity 108 is preferably cylindrical and the interior of the cavity is connected to the speaker 14. Although the particular shape of the cavity 108 is not critical, it is important that the cavity be sealed. The sound aperture 109 shown in the form of a repeating slot here is formed in the side portion of the central portion. Preferably, the sound output aperture is disposed on the central portion 101 and is exposed in the folded and unfolded states of the terminal. The pins 107 are designed to be assembled through the bores 105, 106, preferably via a connection into the bore in the central portion 101.

In FIG. 10, the hinge device 100 is assembled by the introduction of the pin 107. The pin 107 can be secured to the hinge device by continuously engaging with one of the terminal members 11 or 12. Alternatively, the pin 107 may not be stuck to the hinge device 100. The central axis of the pin 107, represented by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 10, also defines the axis of rotation relative to the hinge device 100.

11 and 12 show another exemplary design for hinge device 110 using a speaker connected to hinge cavity 117, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, while this embodiment is particularly applicable to the terminal 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2, the speaker is hollow 108 in the manner disclosed in FIGS. 3 and 4, 5 and 6, or 15 to 17. May be associated with). FIG. 11 shows the hinge device 110 in an unassembled state, and FIG. 12 shows the same hinge device 100 when assembled.

The design of FIGS. 11 and 12 uses a protrusion 115 extending along the hinge axis of rotation from the first terminal member 11. A corresponding recessed portion 116 is formed in the second terminal member 12. Assembly of the hinge device 110 is accomplished in the assembled state shown in FIG. 2 by introducing the protrusion 115 into the concave portion 116 in the manner indicated by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 11. The cavity 117 is formed in the hinge device 110, which in this embodiment extends substantially in all directions through the hinge, in particular into the protrusion 115. The cavity 117 is preferably cylindrical, and the interior of the cavity is connected to the speaker 14. The first sound aperture 118 shown here in the form of a repeating slot is formed at the end of the cavity 117. The second sound aperture 119 may be formed at opposite ends of the hinge device 110, as shown in the figure.

In FIG. 12, the hinge device 110 is assembled by the introduction of the protrusion 115 into the recess 116. The terminal members 11, 12 are continuous, for example, between the protrusion 115 and the end plug member (not shown) introduced through the lower portion of the concave portion 116 from the side of the second terminal member 12. Can be firmly joined to each other in the hinge arrangement. Alternatively, the protruding member 115 may not engage and fall into the recessed portion 116. The central axis of the protruding member 115 defines an axis of rotation relative to the hinge device 110, indicated by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 12.

13 and 14 show another exemplary design for the hinge device 110 using a speaker mounted in the hinge cavity 117, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is particularly applicable to the terminal 70 of FIGS. 7 and 8. However, it is of course equally applicable to the terminal of FIG. FIG. 13 shows the hinge device 130 in an unassembled state, and FIG. 14 shows the same hinge device 130 when assembled.

Except for the speakers, the designs of FIGS. 13 and 14 use the same basic design as the embodiment of FIGS. 11 and 12. The protrusion 135 extends along the hinge axis of rotation from the first terminal member 71. A matching recessed portion 136 is formed in the second terminal member 72. Assembly of the hinge device 130 is accomplished in the assembled state shown in FIG. 14 by introducing the protrusion 115 into the concave portion 116 in the manner indicated by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 13. The cavity 75 is formed in the hinge device 130, which in this embodiment extends substantially in all directions through the hinge, in particular into the protrusion 135. The cavity 75 is preferably cylindrical and houses the speaker 74 in the form of a thin rod. The first sound aperture shown here in the form of a repeating slot is formed at the end of the cavity 75. The second sound aperture may be formed at opposite ends of the hinge device 130, as shown in the figure. In an alternative embodiment, the sound aperture is disposed on the side, as in the sound aperture of FIG. 9.

In FIG. 14, the hinge device 130 is assembled by introducing the protrusion 135 into the concave portion 136. By any method discussed with reference to FIG. 2, the terminal members 71, 72 may be rigid to each other in the hinge arrangement. The central axis of the protruding member 135 defines the axis of rotation relative to the hinge device 130, indicated by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 14.

The foregoing describes the principles of preferred embodiments of the present invention and methods of operation. However, the present invention should not be interpreted immediately as limited to the specific embodiments described above. It is noteworthy that the particular illustrated embodiment of the hinge device according to the invention has been shown in detail, except for elements and functions which are less relevant to the invention. Such elements and functions may include a spring member designed to bias the terminal member, for example in a folded or unfolded state. In addition, one of the terminal members may be a simple protective cover. However, if the two terminal members have electrical elements, some type of communication connection must be integrated in the hinge device to delay the data signal and power between the terminal members. It is mentioned that other hinge embodiments and assembly methods can be used in addition to those shown here. One example may be divided into two halves in which one of the terminal members is assembled about the axis of rotation of the other terminal member. It is therefore to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are not to be considered as limiting, but rather as shown, and that modifications may be made in these embodiments by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (24)

A communication terminal, comprising: a first terminal member and a second terminal member, a hinge device connecting the terminal members to allow the terminal to be folded or unfolded, and a speaker, comprising: And the hinge device defines a cavity to which the speaker is acoustically connected. The method of claim 1, And the speaker is disposed in the cavity. The method of claim 2, And the cavity is substantially cylindrical. The method of claim 2, And the cavity is sealed from the remainder of the terminal. The method of claim 2, And a first sound output aperture is formed at the first end of the hinge device. The method of claim 5, And the speaker is disposed proximate to the first sound output aperture. The method of claim 5, And a second sound output aperture is formed at the second end of the hinge device opposite the first end. The method of claim 7, wherein And a second speaker is disposed proximate to said second sound output aperture. The method of claim 2, And a second sound output aperture is formed in the side portion of the hinge device. The method of claim 2, And the speaker is a rod-shaped speaker having a rectangular membrane. The method of claim 1, And the speaker is disposed outside of the cavity connected to the cavity by a sound aperture. The method of claim 11, And the sound opening provides a connection that is sealed from the remainder of the terminal. The method of claim 11, And a first sound output aperture is formed at the first end of the hinge device. The method of claim 13, And a second sound output aperture is formed at the second end of the hinge device opposite the first end. The method of claim 11, And a second sound output aperture is formed in the side portion of the hinge device. The method of claim 11, And the speaker is connected to the cavity through a rear portion of the terminal. The method of claim 11, And the speaker is connected to the cavity through a side portion of the terminal. The method of claim 17, And the speaker comprises a membrane, a rear portion of the membrane connected to the cavity, and a front portion of the membrane connected to the outside of the terminal by a first sound output aperture. The method of claim 18, And the first sound output aperture is arranged next to the hinge device and faces out sideways from the terminal in parallel to the hinge device. The method of claim 18, And a second sound output aperture is formed at the first end of the hinge device in proximity to the first sound output aperture. The method of claim 11, And the speaker is connected to the cavity through a sound opening that provides a connection that is sealed from the remainder of the terminal. The method of claim 2, And the cavity operates as a front volume resonator for a speaker. The method of claim 1, Wherein each of said terminal members having user interface portions is of a clamshell type design. The method of claim 1, And the first terminal member is a terminal body having a user interface, and the second terminal member is a collapsible protective cover.

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