U.S. patent application number 10/340758 was filed with the patent office on 2003-07-03 for hand-held computer and communications apparatus.
This patent application is currently assigned to Therefore Limited. Invention is credited to Riddiford, Martin P..
Application Number | 20030124992 10/340758 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 10802019 |
Filed Date | 2003-07-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030124992 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Riddiford, Martin P. |
July 3, 2003 |
Hand-held computer and communications apparatus
Abstract
Combined computer and communications apparatus is described
which is constructed with a two-part casing, the parts (1, 2) being
hinged together. When folded together, the entire unit can act like
a mobile phone (FIG. 1) and when unfolded (FIG. 2) a keyboard (5)
Is exposed enabling it to act as a palmtop computer. In accordance
with the invention, the keyboard (5) is folded about a line running
substantially perpendicular to the direction of the rows of keys.
One casing portion (1) may have a window (4) through which a screen
(3) mounted on the other casing portion (2) may be viewed when the
unit is folded.
Inventors: |
Riddiford, Martin P.;
(London, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Breiner & Breiner, L.L.C.
P.O. Box 19290
Alexandria
VA
22320-0290
US
|
Assignee: |
Therefore Limited
London
GB
|
Family ID: |
10802019 |
Appl. No.: |
10/340758 |
Filed: |
January 13, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10340758 |
Jan 13, 2003 |
|
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09297260 |
Sep 8, 1999 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
455/90.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M 2250/18 20130101;
G06F 1/1626 20130101; G06F 1/1647 20130101; G06F 1/1666 20130101;
H04M 1/022 20130101; H04M 1/0216 20130101; H04M 1/0214 20130101;
G06F 1/1652 20130101; G06F 1/1641 20130101; G06F 1/1616
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/90 ; 455/575;
455/550 |
International
Class: |
H04B 001/38 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 28, 1996 |
GB |
9622349.0 |
Claims
1. Combined computer and communications apparatus including a
casing having two portions hinged to one another and foldable from
a closed folded condition to an open generally flat condition, a
planar foldable keyboard and a display screen, both accessible when
the casing is in the opened condition, the keys on the keyboard
being arranged in rows running in a direction substantially
perpendicular to the axis of hinging between the two portions of
the casing.
2. A palmtop computer apparatus including a display screen and a
foldable landscape format keyboard, both mounted in a two-part
foldable casing, wherein the hinge axes about which the parts of
the casing and the keyboard fold are substantially perpendicular to
the direction of rows of keys on the keyboard.
3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the two portions of
the casing are of substantially equal size.
4. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein
one portion of the casing includes an antenna slidable between a
retracted and an extended position in a direction parallel to the
axis of hinging.
5. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims and
having on the outside of one portion of the casing when in closed
folded condition a plurality of actuation buttons enabling the
apparatus to be used as a mobile telephone.
6. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding STATEMENT UNDER
ARTICLE 19 claim 2 has been reworded to clarify the distinction
between the dissected keyboards disclosed in the prior art and the
foldable keyboard used in the present invention. The description at
page 3, lines 23-29 will need to be amended to match. EP-A-0005661
will need to be acknowledged in the description.
Description
[0001] This invention relates to hand-held computer and
communications apparatus. In recent years, there has been a
revolution both within computing and telecommunications which has
placed great emphasis on making computing and communications
devices more powerful, smaller, and lighter. This has applied in
the areas of both computing and communications technology.
[0002] In the former, personal computers have shrunk first to the
portable computer, then the laptop and, most recently, the palmtop.
In the case of both laptop and palmtop the tendency has been to
structure the device as a hinged foldable unit, with a
screen-containing flap rotating about a line parallel with rows of
keys in a standard keyboard. This arrangement has the advantage of
protecting the generally sensitive screen when the device is out of
use. It also has the advantage of preserving the efficient data
entry achievable using a standard "typewriter" form of keyboard.
Millions of people are familiar with these and comfortable when
using one, even if inefficiently by pecking with two fingers rather
than using all the fingers and both thumbs. Attempts to dispense
with the standard well-known typewriter keyboard have attracted few
adherents. The generally oblong shape of the keyboard has impelled
the use in many applications of a generally oblong "landscape"
format screen located above it, and this is a feature of most
laptop and palmtop computer apparatus.
[0003] In the mobile telephone field, mobile telephones requiring a
power pack to operate them have been replaced by simple hand-held
units with a re-chargeable power supply, but giving adequate
performance to ensure their widespread adoption. The hand-held
units generally resemble a stubby handset, and are normally used by
holding the whole unit by the side of the head, with one end
adjacent one ear, an aerial projecting from the top, and the lower
end of the unit, containing a microphone, near the mouth of the
user. As the power of "microchips" has increased, suggestions have
been made to enhance the basic mobile telephone unit with further
functions. WO93/16591 GB-A-2291560 and GB-A-2297662 show three
approaches to providing a mobile phone with a keyboard or
touchscreen input. None of these constructions is convenient to use
as the stubby handset overall shape is inappropriate, nor is the
docking telephone handset incorporating a keyboard and adjacent
single line display disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,659.
[0004] EP-A-0534478 discloses a combined mobile telephone unit and
electronic notebook. A telephone keypad is mounted one side of a
flap which can be lifted away from the main body of the unit to
reveal function keys on the main body and additional ones on the
back of the flap. Together these constitute a keyboard which may be
used to enter notebook data. However, the arrangement is not
convenient to use, the flap is only supported at one edge when
folded out, and the screen display is small. The ease of use of a
conventional palmtop is not approached.
[0005] In the area of hand-held calculators, some enhanced
"calculator" constructions have been produced where the calculators
have been constructed with two sections openable out like a
conventional portrait format book. In several known such
calculators the standard numeric and function key keypad and a
relatively small display have been mounted in one half and a set of
enhanced function keys as a keypad set in the other half.
[0006] We have now found that if a folding palmtop construction is
used which folds about an axis perpendicular to the rows in the
keyboard, combined communications and computer apparatus of great
ease of use may be constructed.
[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a palmtop computer apparatus including a display screen
and a landscape format keyboard, both mounted in a two-part
foldable casing, wherein the hinge axis about which the parts of
the casing fold is substantially perpendicular to the direction of
rows of keys on the keyboard.
[0008] According to an alternative aspect, the present invention
provides combined computer and communications apparatus including a
casing having two portions hinged to one another and foldable from
a closed folded condition to an open generally flat condition, a
planar foldable keyboard and a display screen, both accessible when
the casing is in the opened condition, the keys on the keyboard
being arranged in rows running in a direction substantially
perpendicular to the axis of hinging between the two portions of
the casing.
[0009] Part of the casing may include an antenna which may be fixed
or slidable between a retracted and an extended position, in both
cases extending in a direction parallel to the axis of hinging.
[0010] Preferably the two portions of the casing are of
substantially equal size.
[0011] The outside of one part of the casing, when closed, may be
configured to enable the apparatus to be used as a mobile telephone
with the appropriate actuation buttons or the like for this.
[0012] In a particularly preferred form of the apparatus in
accordance with the invention, one portion of the casing contains
an aperture and the other a screen, the arrangement being such that
the entire screen and the main, usually Qwerty, keyboard are
visible when the casing is opened, and at least part of the screen
is visible through the aperture when the casing is in the folded
condition.
[0013] The alpha-numeric keyboard, conventionally of standard
qwerty, etc. arrangement, preferably takes the form of a continuous
rubber resilient pad keyboard of known type which, by appropriate
design, may be made to fold when the unit itself is folded up.
[0014] Switch means may be associated with the portions of the
casing to enable the apparatus to know whether it is folded or
flat, and to operate accordingly under software control, e.g. to
prevent operation of the device as a computer when the casing is
folded shut and optionally preventing operation of the device as a
telephone when the casing is opened.
[0015] In a particularly preferred form of the invention, the
keyboard for computer input and the actuation pads for the mobile
telephone are formed as a single unit which, when inserted in the
casing, extends across the lower portion, conveniently usually the
lower third to half, of the open casing with the portion
constituting the keypad for the telephone folded around to underlie
the "front" of the casing when the unit is closed.
[0016] Apparatus according to the present invention has the further
advantage of being well suited to use in conjunction with a
so-called docking station. Part of the casing may have a connector
set in it which may mate with a suitable connector in the docking
station to enable a full screen display (conventional video display
unit) to be used, e.g. forming part of a standard desktop computer.
Data may be exchanged between palmtop and desktop computer in known
fashion using such a docking station, or the docking station may
effectively be used to convert the palmtop to a desktop machine,
which may have other peripherals such as printer, scanner, faxcard
etc. connected thereto.
[0017] The invention is illustrated, by way of example, by
apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention shown
schematically in the accompanying drawings. In these drawings:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of apparatus in accordance with
the invention folded up and in the "mobile telephone" use
position.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1
unfolded to act as a palm top computer.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic section along the lines 3-3 in FIG.
2.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic section through the lines 4-4 in
FIG. 1.
[0022] FIG. 5 is a front view of an alternative construction in
folded form for use as a mobile telephone, and
[0023] FIG. 6 is a view of a further alternative construction in
unfolded condition.
[0024] Referring first to the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a
combined palmtop computer and mobile telephone unit is shown with
the unit folded in FIGS. 1 and 4 and opened out for use as a
palmtop in FIGS. 2 and 3. It has a casing having two sections 1 and
2 which can be thought of as the left hand and right hand portions
of an opened book. Casing portions 1 and 2 are hinged together as
described in more detail below. Mounted in casing portion 2 are a
display screen 3, the right hand portion of a flexible keyboard 5
and an antenna 10 for use when the item is used as a mobile
telephone. Mounted in casing portion 1 are the left hand portion of
keyboard 5, a set of function buttons 6 for use when the apparatus
is being used as a palmtop computer, an audio transducer acting as
the sound output for the telephone via an aperture 11, a numeric
and function button keypad with keys 12, again for use when the
apparatus is being used as a mobile telephone and a microphone
located behind a small set of slots 14. Casing portion 1 also has a
window 4 through which a part of screen 3 can be seen when the
device is as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, which part is used to display
information relevant to telephone use, for example the number
dialled, a menu of stored numbers, battery power status or which
mobile telephone networks are available.
[0025] FIGS. 3 and 4 show schematically the internal construction
of the apparatus. Located in casing portion 1 is a battery pack 23
to power the apparatus. Located in casing portion 2 is a circuit
board 20 on which a few components are diagrammatically indicated.
Near the right hand end of board 20 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is a
socket 21 in which is engaged the end of a flexible membrane 22
bearing conductive tracks and areas and which constitutes part of
the keyboard 5. In known fashion, overlying membrane 22 is a
rubbery moulded array of keys which each has a conductive surface
facing the membrane 22 but spaced slightly away from the membrane
when no key is depressed. On depressing a key, is underside
contacts the membrane surface and connects two adjacent conductive
areas, which connection is detected by the standard electronics on
board 20 and interpreted by the computer "chips" it carries.
Membrane 22 extends under all of the keys of keyboard 5 and then
turns down and back (as seen at the left hand end of FIG. 3) to lie
below keys 12.
[0026] Casing sections 1 and 2 are hinged together via an
arrangement of pivotally mounted plates of which two, denoted 33
and 34, are visible in FIG. 2 and a cover plate 30. Each casing
section can pivot relative to plate 30 about axes 31 and 32.
Internally mounted springs (not shown) may operate in known fashion
to urge the casing sections to lie preferentially in the opened out
flat position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 or the folded position
shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. To give improved support to keyboard 5 when
the apparatus is being used as a palmtop, plate 30 has a flange 35
extending leftwards as shown in FIG. 3.
[0027] When the apparatus is to be used as a palmtop, as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3, the entire screen 3 is visible and the keyboard 5,
which as shown is of standard querty arrangement, can be used. It
is of particular convenience that the palmtop can be used held in
the user's hands or on a surface such as a desktop or table. In the
first case, the user's left and right hand fingers support casing
sections 1 and 2 respectively and the thumbs are used to depress
the keys on keyboard 5, with the left thumb used to operate
function buttons 6. In the second, the keyboard can simply be used
with as many fingers and thumbs as the user habitually uses when
operating a standard alphanumeric keyboard.
[0028] When it is desired to use the device as a telephone, casing
portions 1 and 2 are folded together and the apparatus assumes the
configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. As can be seen, this
resembles a standard mobile telephone unit. Part of the screen can
be seen through the window 4 and the various function buttons and
numeric keypad 12 are accessible for mobile telephone
operation.
[0029] FIGS. 5 and 6 show variations of the detailed arrangements
shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. In the variant shown in FIG. 5, the number
of operation buttons has been reduced to four, viz SEND and END
buttons 40 and 41 and scroll down and up buttons 42 and 43. In FIG.
6, the display screen for viewing when the apparatus is being used
as a palmtop computer is the full width of keyboard 5, and is
formed by using a flexible liquid crystal display screen of
appropriate construction. Clearly in the case of the apparatus
shown in FIG. 6, the window 4 going right through casing portion 1
is omitted. Instead, a small display screen dedicated to mobile
communications use, for status display or as a pager display, can
be easily mounted in casing portion 1 underlying the left hand part
of screen 50.
* * * * *