Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical... – For electronic systems and devices
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-02
2004-03-02
Gibson, Randy (Department: 2841)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Housing or mounting assemblies with diverse electrical...
For electronic systems and devices
C361S797000, C361S752000, C439S165000, C455S128000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06700784
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a handheld type electronic device, more particularly to a handheld type electronic device which include two housings that are foldable toward each other.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
In order to facilitate carrying by users, electronic devices are constantly being reduced in size and weight, especially for handheld type electronic devices, such as mobile phones, palm-tops, compact type computers, personal digital assistants, etc. Currently, one way to reduce the size of a handheld type device is to provide more than one housing that contains an operating circuit. That is, a housing which is rotatable and which is foldable onto another housing is provided to thereby reduce the size of the handheld electronic device in a folded state (i.e. the two housings are stacked, with one top of the other). When it is desired to operate the electronic device, it is only necessary to pull the two stacked housings apart from each other. Such kind of handheld type electronic device includes the flip-type mobile phone illustrated in FIG.
1
.
However, in using this kind of handheld type electronic devices, the operating circuits concealed within the two separate housings have to be able to communicate with each other. Technical means adopted to enable the operating circuits within the two housing in these handheld type electronic devices to electrically connect with each other include the use of cables, switches, flexible print circuits (FPC), etc. For the sake of better understanding, several conventional means are disclosed and described in the succeeding paragraphs. Since these conventional means are substantially the same in construction when applied to these handheld type electronic devices, for the sake of illustration, mobile phones employing these conventional means are set forth hereinbelow as examples. It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that these conventional means may also be applied to other flips of handheld electronic devices.
FIG. 1
is a schematic view of a conventional flip-type mobile phone that uses a cable. The mobile phone
10
has a first housing
100
, a second housing
101
and a hinge
102
which enables the second housing
101
to rotatably connect with one side of the first housing
100
. The first housing
100
has a keypad portion
103
, a microphone
104
and an operating circuit (not shown) built in the first housing
100
. The second housing
101
has an earphone
105
. To establish electrical connection between the operating circuit within the first housing
100
with the earphone
105
in the second housing
101
, a cable
106
is required to pass through the hinge
102
between the two housings
100
,
101
so that the two ends thereof are respectively and electrically connected to the operating circuit and the earphone
104
. However, as the hinge
102
will rotate when the second housing
101
rotates relative to the first housing
100
, the cable
106
passing through the hinge
102
will be pulled and twisted as a result. Hence, after a period of time of use, poor electrical contact between the cable
106
and the operating circuit or earphone
105
is likely to result, thereby shortening the service life of the mobile phone.
FIG. 2
shows another conventional flip-type mobile phone
11
that utilizes a switch. The mobile phone
11
also includes a first housing
110
, a second housing
111
and a hinge
112
that pivots the first housing
110
to the second housing
111
and that enable the two housings
110
,
111
to rotate relative to each other. The first housing
110
has a keypad portion
113
, a liquid display
114
, a speaker portion
115
, and an operating circuit
116
. The second housing
111
has a microphone
117
. The hinge
112
of the mobile phone
11
includes a first pivot shaft
1121
disposed in the middle of the side of the junction of the first housing
110
and the second housing
111
, and second pivot shafts
1122
disposed on the second housing at both sides of the first pivot shaft
1121
. In the mobile phone
11
, a switch
118
for electrically connecting the operating circuits
116
which are respectively disposed in the two housings
110
,
111
includes a first connector
1180
disposed in one of the second pivot shafts
1122
and moved with the second pivot shafts
1122
, and a switch
1181
with a rotary connector, which is disposed in the first pivot shaft
1121
and which abuts against the first connector
1180
. As shown in
FIG. 3
, the switch
1181
with the rotary connector includes an L-shaped mounting member
1182
, an insulating plate
1183
positioned on the mounting member
1182
, two contact portions
1184
juxtaposed and positioned on the surface of the insulating plate
1183
, a second connector
1185
abutting against the surface of the insulating plate
1183
that is provided with the contact portions
1184
and rotatable relative thereto, and a substantially rectangular metal frame
1186
sleeved on the second connector portion
1185
. The two contact portions
1184
each have one end portion exposed from the surface of the insulating plate
1183
to form an elastic arm, and another end which is bent downwardly to extend through the mounting member
1182
. The second connector
1185
has a cylindrical retaining member
1187
formed from an insulating material, a male connecting terminal
1188
mounted one surface of the retaining member
1187
, and movable contact portion
1189
formed on the other surface of the retaining member
1187
and electrically connected to the male connecting terminal
1188
. The movable contact portion
1189
has an area smaller than that of the surface of the retaining member
1187
such that the male connecting terminal
1188
will be electrically connected to the contact portion
1184
via the movable contact portion
1189
only when the retaining member
1187
is at a predetermined rotational angle. The first connector
1180
has a female connecting terminal to match the male connecting terminal
1188
of the second connector
1185
. Furthermore, as shown in
FIG. 2
, when the first and second housings
110
,
111
are interconnected via the hinge
112
, the second connector
1185
will fit into the first connector
1180
so that the connecting terminals
1188
of both of them are electrically connected to each other and achieve linking-up. The connecting terminals of the first connector
1180
are further connected electrically to the microphone
117
, and the ends of the contact portions
1184
which extend through the mounting member
1182
are also electrically connected via lead wires
119
to the operating circuit
116
, whereby the angle of the mobile phone in an opened state during use can be set to be a predetermined angle of the movable contact portion
1189
which connects electrically with the contact portions
1184
. As such, when the mobile phone
11
is opened, the first pivot shaft
1121
rotates relative to the second pivot shaft
1122
so as to bring the movable contact portion
1189
of the second connector
1185
to move along the insulating plate
1183
and to connect electrically with the contact portion
1184
upon rotating about a predetermined angle, thereby permitting electrical connection between the microphone
117
and the operating circuit
116
. In addition, the switch
118
is generally used as a power switch. When the operating circuit
116
detects electrical connection of the switch
118
(i.e., the mobile phone
11
is opened to the predetermined angle so that the second connector
1185
is electrically connected to the contact portions
1184
), the mobile phone is automatically switched on; otherwise, the mobile phone is switched off, thereby achieving the object of user convenience. However, the switch
1181
with the rotary connector also has the disadvantage of limited service life as encountered in the aforesaid mobile phone
10
. This is because when the mobile phone
11
is in use, the movable contact portion
1189
will rub against the contact portions
1184
du
Huang San-Shan
Yin Hung-Chuen
Bui Hung
Gibson Randy
Molex Incorporated
Weiss Stephen Z.
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