WO2006015903A1

WO2006015903A1 - Mobile telephone comprising a base unit and an input unit that can be displaced in relation to said base unit

Info

Publication number: WO2006015903A1
Application number: PCT/EP2005/052913
Authority: WO
Inventors: Walter Engl; Ulrich Leiner
Original assignee: Benq Mobile Gmbh & Co. Ohg
Priority date: 2004-08-04
Filing date: 2005-06-22
Publication date: 2006-02-16
Also published as: TWI414168B; DE102004037873A1; EP2149076A1; TW200618587A

Abstract

The invention relates to a mobile telephone (10) comprising a base unit (12), which has a display unit (14) on its upper face and an input unit (20, 30), which can be displaced in relation to the base unit (12). The upper face of said input unit is equipped with input elements and the unit is connected or can be connected to the base unit (12) by means of a pivot joint (24, 34). In addition, the rotational axis of the pivot joint (24, 34) runs essentially perpendicular to the surface of the base unit (12).

Description

description

Mobile telephone comprising a base unit and an input unit movable relative to the base unit

The present invention relates to a mobile telephone, comprising a base unit which has a display unit on an upper side and an input unit which is movable relative to the base unit and has input elements on a top side and which has a pivot joint with the base unit connected or connectable.

Such mobile phones are known from the prior art be¬. For example, European patent application EP 0 933 908 A2 discloses a mobile telephone with a folding keyboard. In the folded state, the keyboard has a numeric keypad, for example for inputting a telephone number, while in the unfolded state a complete alphanumeric keyboard, for example for writing texts, is available.

It is a disadvantage of the cited prior art that, for example, the numeric keypad in the unfolded state can no longer be usefully used and, furthermore, when switching from the numeric keypad to the alphanumeric keyboard, the telephone is rotated by 90 ° and thus the display must be switched accordingly.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a mobile telephone with a base unit and an input unit that is movable relative to it, which enables a user to operate more comfortably.

This object is achieved by a mobile telephone comprising a base unit which has a display unit on an upper side and an input unit which can be moved relative to the base unit and which has input elements on an upper side and which is connected or connectable to the base unit via a hinge, wherein furthermore a rotation axis of the rotary joint is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the base unit.

Because an axis of rotation of the rotary joint is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the base unit and thus perpendicular to the display unit, a movement of the input unit is possible substantially parallel to the display unit. Such a design allows, for example, a folding and / or folding of the input element without having to change the spatial position of the base unit and the display unit. This improves the convenience for a user in using the input unit.

That an axis of rotation of the rotary joint is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the base unit can be realized such that the one axis of rotation of the rotary joint has a maximum deviation of 30 degrees from a perpendicular to the surface of the base unit (a surface normal). auf¬ points. Furthermore, a maximum deviation between the one axis of rotation and the surface normal of 20 degrees, 10 degrees or 5 degrees may be realized.

The base unit may for example comprise a radio module. The radio module can be designed, for example, according to the GSM, the UMTS, the CDMA 2000, the WLAN and / or the Bluetooth standard.

The display unit can be, for example, as a liquid crystal display (LCD display) or else an OLED display (OLED: Organic Light Emitting Diode). The display unit may also be designed, for example, as a combined display input unit, such as a so-called "touchscreen". The input elements of the movable input unit can, for example, include numeric and / or alphabetic keys. Furthermore, the input elements may comprise a numeric, an alphabetic and / or an alphanumeric keypad. In addition, the input elements can have one or more programmable keys (so-called "softkeys") or cursor control elements (for example a so-called two- or four-way navigation key (navigation key) or a so-called called joystick).

The rotary joint may be formed, for example, as a hinge joint or a ball joint. In this case, a hinge joint essentially has an axis of rotation, while a ball joint permits rotation about different axes of rotation.

In an advantageous embodiment, the base unit may further comprise at least one base unit input element. Base unit input elements may include, for example, numeric keys from 0 to 9, a star and / or a hash key, one or more "soft keys" and / or a cursor control key such as a two- or four-way sat nav In addition to the mentioned main assignment, the abovementioned input elements may also be occupied by further functions, eg for inputting letters .Furthermore, the base unit input elements located at the top of the base unit may be located This would then, for example, a current keyboard of a mobile phone with numeric keypad, star and hash key as well as two soft keys and a four- or five-way navigation key ( a five-way navigation key can be designed, for example, as a four-way toggle key with a central pushbutton).

Furthermore, the abovementioned axis of rotation of the rotary joint can be substantially perpendicular to the upper side of the input shaft. be unity. Thus, the upper side of the input unit is substantially parallel to the upper side of the base unit and thus also the display unit, and this orientation is maintained even with a movement of the input unit about said rotation axis. This leads to a further increased comfort for a user, since the top side of the input unit with the input elements can be viewed simultaneously with the display unit and said orientation remains constant even with a movement of the input unit about said rotation axis.

The rotary joint can furthermore be displaceably mounted relative to the base unit and / or to the input unit. This increases the range of motion in the movement of the input unit relative to the base unit. Such a sliding mounting of the swivel joint increases the freedom of movement of the input unit and allows a more flexible arrangement of the input unit.

In a preferred embodiment, in a closed state, the input unit lies within an outline of the upper side of the base unit, and in a use state, the input unit is at least partially outside the outline of the upper side of the base unit. Lying the input unit within the outline of the upper side of the base unit may mean that the outline of the upper side of the input unit lies within the outline of the upper side of the base unit or is at least flush with the outline of the upper side of the base unit. Furthermore, it may be given that parts of the outline of the upper side of the input unit lie within the outline of the upper side of the base unit and the remaining parts of the upper side of the input unit are flush with the outline of the upper side of the base unit.

The shutter state may be a state of the input unit in which the input elements of the input unit one Users are at least not meaningful accessible or are inaccessible because the input unit then, for example, below, within or above the base unit. The use state of the input unit may be a state in which the input elements of the input unit can be used as intended by a user and / or are accessible to it.

Furthermore, it can be provided that the display unit is arranged such that it is at least partially usable in the closed state and / or in the state of use. In particular advantageous is an embodiment in which the display unit is at least partially usable both in the closed state and in the Ver¬ use state. This embodiment has the advantage that in the closed state and in the use state, different display units do not have to be used or the display unit is only accessible in one of the states. Furthermore, it can be provided that the display unit is only partially viewable in one of the two states, while it is completely viewable in the other state. However, it can also be provided that the display unit of the base unit is completely viewable both in the closed state and in the state of use.

Particularly convenient for a user is a Ausgestal¬ tion of the invention, in which the spatial orientation of the display unit is substantially identical both in the closed state and in the use state. Thus, a user can, for example, use the mobile phone both when using the input unit and without using the input unit in the same position. It is also advantageous that, when the input unit is brought from the lock state to the use state or vice versa, the position of the mobile telephone or the base unit can remain unchanged. The input unit can be brought, for example, by means of a Dreh¬ movement or a combined sliding-rotational movement of the closure state in the use state and / or the use state in the closed state. This refinement enables an improved adaptation possibility of the mobile telephone assemblies to the respective design of the base and / or the input unit as well as to ergonomic aspects.

It further increases the user-friendliness if the at least one base unit input element can be used in the closed state and / or in the state of use. In particular, it is convenient for a user if the at least one base unit input element can be used both in the closed state and in the state of use. For example, it may be provided that the base unit has a typical cellphone key arrangement consisting of numeric keys (which may be assigned several times, for example with letters), a star key, a hash key (which may also be assigned several times ) and one or more soft keys and a navigation input element, and this mobile telephone keypad can be used both in the closed state and in the use state.

Thus, e.g. It can be avoided that equivalent input possibilities also have to be provided on the input unit or, in the other case, are not available to the user when the input unit is used. As a result, this embodiment makes it possible, for example, for the input elements of the input unit to be made larger and thus more comfortable to use, or for more input elements to be arranged on the input unit or for the input unit itself to be made smaller.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the mobile telephone comprises at least two input units, in particular exactly two input units, wherein each of the input units is taken individually according to the above description. Such an embodiment has the advantage that, for example, input units with different character sets can be provided (eg latin characters and Greek letters) or that with a larger number of necessary input elements a single input unit that is too large can be avoided. For example, the latter case could cause an unnecessarily large mobile phone. When using two or more input units, the input elements can then be divided, for example, to these input units.

In this case, e.g. Provision may be made for the two or more input units to be brought or brought into the respective assigned use state simultaneously in the respective closure state assigned to the input units and / or at the same time. In particular, in the case of a distribution of a set of input elements to two or more input units, it may be advantageous if the two or more input units can be brought or brought into the respectively assigned closure state and at the same time into the respectively assigned use state. Thus, it is possible to have the complete set of input elements of the input units together, for example, in the "passive" state and together in the use state. "Simultaneous" in this context does not necessarily mean a simultaneous movement of the input elements but may, for example, also only mean in that both keyboard elements can be unfolded and / or folded at the same time.

A particularly simple operation of two or more input units results when the two or more input units are coupled in such a way that at least one second of the input units automatically moves with a movement of a first input unit. For example, it can be provided with two input units that during the movement An input unit also moves the other input unit.

Such an embodiment is particularly advantageous when it is provided in the at least two input units that the second input unit also automatically moves from its closed state to its use state during a movement of the first input unit from its closure state into its use state. In this case, it is possible for a user to bring at least one or more of the further input units into the use state by movement of an input unit and thus to enable an input. If, for example, a set of input elements, for example an alphabetic or alphanumeric keyboard, is allocated to two or more input units, a user is automatically provided with the complete set of input elements by folding out an input unit.

Conversely, the embodiment shown in the preceding paragraph can also be transferred to bringing the input unit from the use state to the closure state. In this way, by moving an input unit, at least one second input unit can likewise be brought into the closure state and thus out of the usage environment of a user.

The coupling of the two input units can take place, for example, via a tooth or friction clutch as well as one or more gears, friction wheels, chains, belts, rods or even combinations thereof. It can furthermore also be effected electrically, wherein an input unit, for example at the axis of rotation, has a motion sensor and the second input unit can be moved by means of an electric motor. Furthermore, in the case of an electrical coupling, each input unit may comprise both a motion sensor and an electric motor for moving the input unit. This makes it possible to achieve the movement of a respective other input unit through each of the input units.

Further advantageous embodiments are contained in the subclaims.

The invention will be explained in more detail below by way of example with reference to the folloWing figures. Show it:

Figure 1 front view of a mobile phone with two unfolded input elements;

Figure 2 back of a mobile phone with folded

Keyboard element;

FIG. 3 shows the rear side of a mobile telephone with two unfolded keyboard elements;

Figure 4 is a schematic sketch of a mobile phone with two unfolded keyboard elements and drawn

Rotary axes;

Figure 5 side view of a mobile phone with folded keyboard element.

FIG. 1 shows a mobile telephone 10 with a base unit 12, which has a display unit 14 and a keypad 16. The keypad 16 includes a ten-digit block, two softkeys, a navi key, and an asterisk (*) and a rumble (#) key. Furthermore, the mobile telephone 10 has a first keyboard wing 20, which is arranged on the left in FIG. 1, which shows the front side of the mobile telephone 10, and a second keyboard wing 30, which is shown on the right of the base unit in FIG. The keyboard units 20 and 30 include a letter keyboard that allows the entry of texts into the mobile phone. In FIG. 1, the keyboard wings 20 and 30 are in a state of use. in which the keys arranged thereon can be used by a user. The keyboard wings 20, 30 may also be referred to as keyboard elements 20, 30 and are examples of input units in the sense of the preceding description.

FIG. 2 shows the mobile telephone 10 in a rear view, with only the second keyboard blade 30 being shown for reasons of clarity. 2, the second keyboard blade 30 is in a closed state, in which it is arranged quasi "behind" the base unit 12. The second keyboard blade 30 has a fastening part 32 which connects the keyboard blade to a rotation axis 34, wherein The connection of the keyboard leaf 30 to the base unit 12 can be established via the axis of rotation 34. By turning the keyboard leaf 30 with the fastening part 32 about the axis of rotation 34, the keyboard leaf 30 can be brought from the state of use shown in FIG The movement of the second keyboard leaf 30 and the first keyboard leaf 20 not shown in FIG. 2 is coupled via a toothed wheel 40, so that by movement of one of the keyboard wings from the use state to the closed state and vice versa, the other keyboard leaf likewise in the Use or closure condition and brought. In the respective closure state, the two keyboard wings 20, 30 are arranged side by side on the rear side of the base unit. Furthermore, it is possible, for example, to equip the mobile telephone 10 with a back plate and to support both keyboard wings 20, 30 between a device upper part and the back plate.

FIG. 3 again shows the mobile telephone 10 in a rear view. In the example shown in FIG. 3, both the first keyboard leaf 20 and the second keyboard wing 30 are in the respective use state and the respective keys located thereon are accessible to a user. Similar to the second keyboard leaf 30, the first keyboard leaf 20 is also connected via a fastening part 22 and a rotary axis 24 to the base unit 12 of the mobile telephone. The coupling of the first keyboard leaf 20 and the second keyboard leaf 30 takes place by the gear 40 in each of the provided with corresponding teeth sides of the Befesti¬ supply parts 22, 32 of the keyboard wings 20, 30 engages.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic illustration of the mobile telephone 10 with the base unit 12 and the keyboard wings 20 and 30. In this case, in particular the construction of the position of the rotary axes 24, 34 is illustrated, which makes it possible for both keyboard wings 20, 30 in the present example gleich¬ time behind the base unit 12 can be brought and simultaneously folded out. For this purpose, at corner points 52 and 54, which give rise to the base unit 12 from a respective point of impact of the second keyboard leaf 30 and of the first keyboard leaf 20. The pivot points 24 and 34 lie on a connecting line 50 between the corner points 52 and 54, wherein the axes of rotation 34, 24 are each removed by a quarter of the length of the diagonal 50 from the respective corner points 52, 54.

FIG. 5 shows the mobile telephone 10 in a side view, where again only the second keyboard leaf 30 is shown for reasons of clarity. In the side view can be seen how the connecting element 32 of the second Tas¬ taturflügels 30 and the axis of rotation 34 and the gear 40 is located in a different spatial plane as the keyboard leaf 30 itself. By a corresponding construction of the first keyboard leaf 20, not shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to bring both keyboard wings 20, 30 behind the base unit 12 both in the use state and in the closure state at the same time. Furthermore, this construction makes it possible to couple the movement of both keyboard wings 20, 30 by means of the toothed wheel 40 in such a way that when one of the keyboard wings 20, 30 is brought from the use state into the closed state and vice versa, the other keyboard keys 20, 30 moves automatically according to.

The present invention discloses a mobile telephone comprising a base unit with a display unit on its upper side and an input unit movable relative to the base unit, wherein the input unit is connected to the base unit by means of a rotary joint and a rotational axis of the rotary joint is substantially perpendicular to the surface. is the base unit. Such a mobile telephone enables a flexible and user-friendly design of the input unit, which considerably simplifies the use of the mobile telephone, for example with different key sets.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10 mobile phone

12 base unit 14 display / display unit

16 keypad

20 first keyboard unit (left)

22 Fastening part of the first keyboard unit

24 pivot of the first keyboard unit 30 second keyboard unit (right)

32 fastening part of the second keyboard unit

34 pivot to the second keyboard unit

40 gear

50 diagonal 52 first corner point

54 second corner point

Claims

claims

A mobile telephone (10) comprising:

a base unit (12) having a display unit (14) on an upper side,

- A relative to the base unit (12) movable Einga¬ unit (20, 30) which on a top input has elements and which via a rotary joint (24, 34) connected to the base unit (12) or connectable, characterized an axis of rotation of the rotary joint (24, 34) is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the base unit (12).

2. Mobile telephone according to claim 1, characterized in that the base unit (12) comprises at least one base unit input element.

3. Mobile telephone according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the axis of rotation of the rotary joint (24, 34) Chen in wesentli perpendicular to the top of the input unit (20, 30).

4. Mobile telephone according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the rotary joint (24, 34) relative to the base unit (12) and / or to the input unit (20, 30) is displaceably mounted.

5. A mobile telephone according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in a closure state, the input unit (20, 30) lies within an outline of the upper side of the base unit (12) and in a use state the input unit (20, 30) lies at least in sections outside the outline of the upper side of the base unit (12) ,

6. A mobile telephone according to claim 5, characterized in that the display unit (14) in the closed state and / or in the use state is at least partially usable.

7. Mobile telephone according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the spatial orientation of the display unit (14) in the closed state and in the use state is substantially identical.

8. Mobile telephone according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the input unit (20, 30) by means of a Dreh¬ movement from the closure state in the use state and / or the use state in the closure state can be brought or brought.

9. Mobile telephone according to one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that the input unit (20, 30) by means of a combined sliding-rotary movement from the closure state in the use state and / or the use state in the closure state can be brought or brought.

10. A mobile telephone according to claim 2 and one of claims 5 to 9, characterized the at least one base unit input element can be used in the closed state and / or in the state of use.

11. Mobile telephone with at least two input units (20, 30), wherein each input unit per se according to one of the preceding claims is formed.

12. The mobile phone according to claim 11 and one of claims 5 to 10, characterized in that the at least two input units (20, 30) stood simultaneously in the respective associated Verschlusszu¬ and / or simultaneously brought or brought into the respective associated use state.

13. A mobile telephone according to claim 11 or 12 and one of the arrival claims 5 to 10, characterized in that the at least two input units (20, 30) der¬ art are coupled, that during a movement of a first of the at least two input units (20 , 30) a second of the at least two input units (20, 30) automatically moves.

14. A mobile telephone according to claim 13, characterized in that the at least two input units (20, 30) are coupled in such a way that when moving the first input unit (20, 30) from its closure state into its use state, the second input unit (FIG. 20, 30) automatically also moves from its closure state to its use state. 5. A mobile telephone according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the at least two input units (20, 30) der¬ art coupled that when bringing the first Einga¬ unit (20, 30) from its use state in its closed state, the second Input unit (20, 30) automatically also moved from its use state in its closed state.