Folding mobile station with dual-movement hinge

Details Folding mobile station with dual-movement hinge Folding mobile station with dual-movement hinge

2002-08-30

2004-07-20

Nguyen, Lee (Department: 2682)

Telecommunications

Transmitter and receiver at same station

Radiotelephone equipment detail

C455S575400, C016S341000, C379S433130

Reexamination Certificate

active

06766181

ABSTRACT:

The present invention relates generally to mobile telephone design, and more specifically to a folding mobile station having a dual-movement hinge that permits convenient access to various mobile phone features and portions of the display.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Mobile telephones are becoming more and more popular; in part this is due to their very nature. That is, they are not tied to a particular location, as is the case with most wireline telephones that are interconnected through the public switched telephone network (PSTN). In contrast, a mobile telephone is a wireless radio communication device that can be used to contact any one of many base stations that are distributed throughout a large geographic area, often called the network coverage area. The base stations are themselves connected to various switches so that call may be routed from one network subscriber to another, and to gateways so that network subscribers may send and receive calls with members of other networks as well. Perhaps a more significant reason for the current rise in mobile-telephone use is that rapid advances in technology have made them easier to use and more reliable. Some of these advances have occurred in the network, where connections are clearer and dropped less frequently than was the case when public land mobile networks (PLMNs) were in their infancy.
Many changes, however, have affected the mobile telephones themselves. Increasingly smaller, more efficient electrical components have permitted a drastic reduction in size. Only a short time ago, mobile telephones were relatively bulky, and were powered either by the battery of the automobile in which they were permanently installed, or by large ‘portable’ batteries that had to be carried around in a duffle bag. Today mobile phones are smaller than the hand of a typical user, including a battery that is capable of powering normal operation for hours, even days without a recharge. The efficiency of these instruments has increased so dramatically that not only are they smaller in size than their predecessors, they are also capable of performing far more functions. Some of these functions are relating directly to making and receiving calls, such as displaying the number dialed or the number of an incoming call, displaying received signal strength and communication mode (for example, analog or digital), and having adjustable alarms and ring tones. Other features are indirectly related, such as maintaining a telephone directory of numbers from which to select a party to call—even permitting the selection to be made by voice command. Some features and functions of modern mobile phones are not related to calling at all, such a calendaring and organizing or game playing. Some mobile phones even function as small personal computers, complete with the ability to download and display Web pages once a connection to the Internet has been established. These feature-rich mobile phones are provided with relatively large displays, typically liquid-crystal displays. They very often also require keypads more advanced than a traditional telephone having only a standard twelve-key set.
Mobile phone
100
, for example, is a typical radio telecommunication device for use in a cellular communication network. It contains a radio transmitter and receiver (not shown) for sending transmissions to nearby base stations that are in turn connected with the main network. The network itself naturally provides for intra-network communication, and also includes gateways through which other networks, such as the public-switched telephone network (PSTN) and the Internet may be accessed. Mobile station
100
is most often used for real-time voice communication, but can be used for short-message-system (SMS) messaging, data transmission, Web surfing, and paging services as well.
The internal circuitry and components (not shown) of mobile phone
100
are contained in a casing, or enclosure, that typically includes two or more sections, which will sometimes herein be referred to as covers. Referring to
FIG. 1
, mobile phone
100
has an enclosure
101
that includes front cover
120
and back cover
122
, which are removably fastened together at joint
105
when the phone is assembled. Front cover
120
and back cover
122
are not normally taken apart except for maintenance by a service technician. Front cover
120
and back cover
122
are normally made of a hard plastic material, such as polycarbonate/ABS (PC/ABS). This material is strong enough to protect the telephone internals from reasonable shock encountered in ordinary operation and to resist penetration by objects that it may encounter when placed in a user's pocket, purse, or briefcase.
Several openings are formed in enclosure
101
of mobile phone
100
, with most, though not necessarily all of them present in front cover
120
. The keypad
110
on face
106
of front cover
120
is a user interface including a plurality of openings, through which protrude keys such as alphanumeric keys
112
, call control keys
114
, scroll key
115
and function keys
116
. As their names imply, these keys perform various duties in the phone's operation, with the alphanumeric keys
112
having a standard telephone keypad role, and the function and scroll keys used in connection with display
134
. That is, the function of the function and scroll keys are variable and determined by the application state that the mobile phone is in, which is translated into a word or icon displayed next to the key on display
134
.
Display
134
is typically a liquid crystal display (LCD) device. The LCD itself is protected by a plastic window pane
132
, which is mounted to cover the display and protrude into window
130
, an opening formed in front cover
120
. As illustrated in
FIG. 1
, display
134
presents to the user such information as current function-key functions, telephone numbers, signal strength, and other information useful to the operation being performed. The protective window pane
132
is typically a component separate from the LCD, its chassis, and other portions of the internal assembly. Window pane
132
is necessary because the components making up the LCD are fragile and subject to damage from even mild strikes. Also formed in face
106
of front cover
120
is a small opening for power switch
118
and a plurality of small openings
142
that serve as a port for the speaker (not shown), which is mounted beneath them. At the opposite end of mobile station
100
, microphone port
144
likewise permits entry of sound directed at the actual microphone (not shown) mounted inside.
Located in the end
107
of enclosure
101
are power port
146
for plugging in an external power adaptor and headphone port
145
for connecting an external headset and perhaps a microphone for hands-free operation. Power port
146
and headphone port
145
are receptacles for connecting (plugging in) an external appliance to the internal circuitry of mobile station
100
. These receptacles are mounted within the mobile station's internal assembly (not shown) and are accessible from the outside through openings formed in end
107
of enclosure
101
. When not using externally supplied power; the mobile station receives power from battery
124
, which is removably attached to back cover
122
.
The mobile phone
100
of
FIG. 1
is just one current design. One available alternative (not shown) modifies the design of mobile phone
100
to add a protective cover attached to phone by a hinge in such a way that it may be rotated into a closed position covering the keys, or covering the display, or both. The cover may extend from the bottom of the phone and include a microphone so that when the cover is open the microphone is advantageously positioned.
In another currently available alternative design, the mobile-phone enclosure is divided into two sections connected electrically and mechanically with a hinge. Often, one section will contain the LCD and the other a keypad, both features being accessible when the phone is open, but not when i

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