U.S. patent application number 12/168426 was filed with the patent office on 2008-10-30 for electronic device and a method in an electronic device.
This patent application is currently assigned to NOKIA CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Ari Aho, Markku Lipponen.
Application Number | 20080266264 12/168426 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 8555635 |
Filed Date | 2008-10-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080266264 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lipponen; Markku ; et
al. |
October 30, 2008 |
ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND A METHOD IN AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE
Abstract
An electronic device (1) comprises preferably at least a
keyboard (4), which comprises at least one key (15a, 15b) for
controlling the functions of a mobile station (1). This keyboard
(4) is arranged as a keyboard plate (16). Said keyboard (4) is
implemented so that it also comprises a touch sensitive element
(19), over which said keyboard plate (16) is arranged so that the
depression of a key is arranged to be transmitted to a touch
sensitive element (19) essentially at the point of a key (15a,
15b). In addition, the electronic device (1) comprises means (21,
22b) for determining the point of depression from the touch
sensitive element (19), whereby on the basis of the determined
point of depression it is determined which key (15a, 15b) has been
depressed.
Inventors: |
Lipponen; Markku; (Tampere,
FI) ; Aho; Ari; (Tampere, FI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PERMAN & GREEN
425 POST ROAD
FAIRFIELD
CT
06824
US
|
Assignee: |
NOKIA CORPORATION
Espoo
FI
|
Family ID: |
8555635 |
Appl. No.: |
12/168426 |
Filed: |
July 7, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
09716880 |
Nov 20, 2000 |
7412258 |
|
|
12168426 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
345/169 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01H 13/84 20130101;
H01H 2223/028 20130101; H04M 1/0202 20130101; G06F 1/1626 20130101;
G06F 1/1677 20130101; G06F 1/1671 20130101; H01H 2223/04 20130101;
G06F 1/1698 20130101; G06F 1/1647 20130101; H01H 2223/018 20130101;
H01H 2239/074 20130101; H04M 1/23 20130101; H01H 2239/064 20130101;
H04M 2250/22 20130101; G06F 1/1616 20130101; G06F 1/1624 20130101;
G06F 3/0202 20130101; H01H 2231/022 20130101; H01H 2223/046
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
345/169 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/02 20060101
G06F003/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 24, 1999 |
FI |
19992510 |
Claims
1. An electronic device, having a keyboard, said keyboard
comprising: a touch sensitive element, a keyboard plate fixed over
the touch sensitive element; an array of keys integrally
constructed in the keyboard plate at predetermined positions,
wherein the depression of one of said keys of the keyboard plate
causes said key to touch the touch sensitive element at a
recognizable position on a coordinate grid of the touch sensitive
element corresponding to the position of the key that is depressed;
and wherein the electronic device comprises a processor for
correlating a predetermined meaning of the depressed key with the
position on the grid of said touching on the touch sensitive
element.
2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the keyboard
plate is a keyboard mat.
3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the keyboard
plate is a bubble membrane.
4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the keyboard
is slidably mounted in the electronic device.
5. The electronic device according to claim 1, which comprises at
least one body housing element, wherein the keyboard is arranged
for turning in relation to the body housing element.
6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the keyboard
is turnable between a first and a second extreme position, and
further wherein, in the first extreme position the keyboard is
preferably placed over the body housing element so that the
keyboard functions as protection for the display and the keyboard
is at least partly invisible, and in the second extreme position
the keyboard is positioned so that the keyboard and the display are
essentially entirely exposed.
7. The electronic device according to claim 6, further comprising
another display and a second keyboard arranged for activating one
or more functions of the electronic device preferably when the
keyboard is in said first extreme position.
8. A method for controlling the functions of an electronic device
comprising: fixing a keyboard plate over a touch sensitive element;
forming an array of keys in the keyboard plate at predetermined
positions, wherein depression of one of said keys of the keyboard
plate causes said key to touch the touch sensitive element at a
recognizable position on a coordinate grid of the touch sensitive
element corresponding to the position of the key that is depressed;
and causing a processor to correlate a predetermined meaning for
the depressed key with the position on the grid of said touching on
the touch sensitive element.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the keyboard is
slidably mounted on the electronic device.
10. The method according to claim 8, in which the electronic device
is provided with at least one body housing element, and wherein the
keyboard is constructed for turning in relation to the body housing
element.
11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the keyboard turns
between a first and a second extreme position, and wherein, in the
first extreme position the keyboard is preferably placed over the
body housing so that the keyboard functions as protection for the
display and the keyboard is at least partly hidden, and in the
second extreme position the keyboard and the display are
essentially entirely exposed.
12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the electronic device
is provided with a second display and another keyboard for
activating one or more functions of the electronic device when the
keyboard is in said first extreme position.
13. A keyboard for an electronic device, having at least one key
for controlling the functions of the electronic device, wherein
said keyboard comprises: a touch sensitive element; a keyboard
plate fixed over the touch sensitive element so that the depression
of said at least one key engages and activates the touch sensitive
element at a position on the touch sensitive element corresponding
to the point of the key; a position recognizing element for
recognizing the touched position on the touch sensitive element;
and a processor for correlating a predetermined meaning for the
depressed key with the touched position recognized by the position
recognizing element.
14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the keyboard plate is
a keyboard mat.
15. The method according to claim 8, wherein the keyboard plate is
a bubble membrane.
16. A computer program product including a computer readable medium
said computer readable medium having processor readable program
code embodied therein for operating a keyboard of an electronic
device having a touch sensitive element, wherein the computer
readable program code comprises: computer readable program code for
causing a processor of the electronic device to recognize the touch
of a key of a keyboard plate mounted over the touch sensitive
element and identify the position of the touch on a coordinate grid
of the touch sensitive element corresponding to the position of the
key; and computer readable program code for causing the processor
of the electronic device to correlate a predetermined meaning for
the depressed key with the position on the grid of said touching on
the touch sensitive element.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a continuation of, claims priority to and the
benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/716,880 filed on Nov. 20,
2000, now allowed, which claims priority to and the benefit of
Finnish Application Serial No. 19992510, filed Nov. 24, 1999, the
disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their
entirety.
FIELD
[0002] The disclosed embodiments relate to an electronic device and
keyboard for electronic devices.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In order to improve mobile communications available for
people, various mobile communication equipment, such as cordless
phones and mobile stations, have been provided in the prior art. A
very popular piece of mobile communication equipment is the mobile
station, which can be, for instance, a digital mobile station
operating in a mobile communication system based on a cellular
network according to the GSM standard (Global System for Mobile
Communications).
[0004] Various devices for saving information, such as notebook
computers, small hand-held computers or PDA (Personal Digital
Assistant) devices are also known in the prior art. These devices
can be used to save information given by the user, such as calendar
data, notes, addresses and telephone numbers. Input of information
in these devices usually takes place by means of a keyboard, but it
is also possible to save textual information in some devices by
writing it directly to a touch sensitive display by textual
information in some devices by writing it directly to a touch
sensitive display by means of a stylus, for example. The
performance of these devices is continuously increasing, and they
already include many properties known from PC devices (Personal
Computers). Extension cards according to the PCMCIA (Personal
Computer Memory Card International Association) standard are
available for some devices for coupling these devices to mobile
stations, for example. Then it is possible to use PDA devices, for
example, by means of radio waves, to send and receive telefax
messages, short messages (SMS, Short Message Service) and other
text files wirelessly. In this explanation, a PDA device means a
device according to the above description.
[0005] There are also known devices in which the operations of a
mobile communication device and a PDA device have been combined.
One such known device is the Nokia Communicator 9110, by which it
is possible to connect to the Internet, use radiotelephone
functions, such as receiving a call and selecting a number, and
receive telefax messages, for example. The properties of mobile
communication devices, such as mobile stations, are continuously
increasing and usually include operations for saving the telephone
numbers of persons and companies, for example. In this
specification, the term mobile station means a mobile station which
includes operations of the above described PDA device or a
corresponding device.
[0006] In the present mobile stations as those described above and
other electronic devices with a keyboard, the major problem in
implementation is the large number of connection lines especially
when the keyboard includes a large number of keys, such as the
numerical keys and the alphabetical keys. The Nokia 9110
Communicator device, for instance, has both a numerical keyboard
and an alphabetical keyboard essentially like the one in computers,
but smaller. The operation of a keyboard is relatively simple, but
because of the large number of connection lines, the application
specific integrated circuit, ASIC, becomes rather large, and the
increase in the price of the circuit also increases the price of
the complete device.
[0007] Each connection line requires the implementation of a
connection element on the application specific integrated circuit.
This connection element uses a lot more of the surface area of the
semiconductor chip used for the implementation of the application
specific integrated circuit than, for example, the implementation
of other logic operations. Thus the number of connection lines
increases the surface area of the semiconductor chip and, on the
other hand, remarkably limits the number of functions that can be
implemented on the ASIC. The number of connection lines of the
ASICs used in mobile stations has not changed much between
different generations. At the same time, the manufacturing
technology of the application specific integrated circuits has
developed from the line width of 0.55 .mu.m to the line width of
0.18 .mu.m, and the packing density of the logic has become 16
times higher. Because similar development will probably continue,
the connection lines will form a more considerable limitation for
the implementation of application specific integrated circuits.
[0008] Each keyboard connection line coupled to an application
specific integrated circuit must be protected against an electrical
static discharge (ESD). A keyboard is very sensitive to problems
caused by an electrical static discharge. Because of this, there
have been problems with electrostatic protection of the keyboard in
the design of mobile stations including PDA properties. With the
present application specific integrated circuits, which have a line
width of 0.25-0.35 .mu.m, it is not possible to implement
sufficient electrostatic protection in the application specific
integrated circuit internally, but the protection must be realized
with components external to the application specific integrated
circuit. This again results in the situation that the components
that protect from an electrostatic discharge increase the surface
area and price of the circuit board. The situation will become even
more difficult in the future when the manufacturing technologies of
application specific integrated circuits develop towards even more
narrow line widths.
[0009] In mobile stations in which the keyboard is implemented in a
sliding or turning element of the mobile station, the problem is
the realization of the interface between the mobile station and the
keyboard, because a prior art keyboard of a mobile communication
device implemented with a circuit board requires more than ten
separate signals. The more signals have to be taken over this
interface, the more complicated, more expensive and more vulnerable
to errors the implementation becomes. In addition, the keyboards
implemented by means of a circuit board according to the above have
the problem that they are relatively thick.
[0010] A known electronic device like the one described above, in
which an attempt has been made to solve the above described
problems, has been presented in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,054. An
electronic device comprises a touch sensitive display disposed in
the body housing element, whereby the operations of the electronic
device can be controlled by touching the activation areas of the
display. The touch sensitive display also comprises a display area
in which information used in mobile stations, such as telephone
numbers, can be shown. In connection with the touch sensitive
screen, there is provided a rigid cover arranged as movable with a
hinge, which can be turned in a closed position over the touch
sensitive display. In apertures made in the cover, there are also
arranged mechanical activation elements, or keys, so that when the
activation elements are depressed when the cover is in the closed
position, they touch the activation areas of the touch sensitive
display and thus transmit the depression to the display for
activating the functions of the device. The electronic device
presented in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,054 operates as a mobile
station when the cover is in the closed position. The electronic
device also operates as a PDA device when the cover is in the
opened position, whereby the operations of the electronic device
can be controlled by touching the activation areas of the display
directly with a finger or a pointed object resembling a pen. When
the cover is in the opened position, depressing the keys has no
effect, because in this position of the cover the movement of the
keys does not extend to the touch sensitive screen. The hinge of
the cover of the electronic device is provided with a switch, which
recognizes the position of the cover and controls the operation of
the electronic device. The cover also functions as a protective
cover for the touch sensitive display. The prior art technology
also provides mobile stations with a rigid, level, non-transparent
cover, which protects the keyboard disposed in the body of the
mobile station and which can be opened and closed. The cover is
often provided with an opening, through which the display or
display area of the mobile station can be read. Often the cover
also includes the microphone of the mobile station, whereby the
cover must be opened for the duration of the phone call.
[0011] In an electronic device according to the invention described
above it is not possible to use the keyboard and the whole display
at the same time. When the cover is closed for using the keyboard,
only a small portion of the possible display area is available for
use. When a part of the display area is reserved as activation
areas, it is not possible to present as much information on the
display as in electronic devices with a separate keyboard and a
display. When the cover of the electronic device is open and the
electronic device is used by means of the touch-screen display, the
whole display area is still not in use, because part of the display
area is reserved as activation areas. In addition, it is difficult
for the user to get any other feedback from pressing the activation
area than possible changes on the display.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS
[0012] The aspects of the disclosed embodiments provide an
electronic device in which the whole display area and keyboard are
available for use at the same time. In one aspect this can be
achieved by implementing the keyboard instead of the display as a
separate element which can be exposed by sliding or turning. In
another aspect, the disclosed embodiments are directed to an
electronic device, in which the keyboard interface is much simpler
than in the conventional solution. In one embodiment, this can be
achieved by implementing the keyboard by means of a touch sensitive
element. A third aspect of the disclosed embodiments is to provide
a keyboard of an electronic device, which gives the user immediate
feedback for the success of the depression of a key. In one
embodiment, this can be achieved by placing a conventional keyboard
mat or membrane over the touch sensitive element. A fourth aspect
of the disclosed embodiments is to provide a keyboard element of an
electronic device, which would be considerably thinner compared to
the prior art solutions. In one embodiment, this can be achieved by
implementing the keyboard by means of a touch sensitive
element.
[0013] The disclosed embodiments provide considerable advantages as
compared to the prior art solutions. When the electronic device has
a keyboard disposed in a separate element, which is exposed by
sliding or turning, it is not necessary to reserve certain areas of
the display as activation areas for the keyboard, but the entire
display area is available for displaying the information to be
presented. When the keyboard is implemented with a touch sensitive
element, the interface between the keyboard and the body of the
electronic device becomes much simpler, and the number of I/O
(input/output) signals can be reduced to two at the best, whereby
the construction becomes much simpler, cheaper and less vulnerable
to damage. When a prior art keyboard mat has been installed on the
touch sensitive element, the user receives a good feedback when
depressing a key, which is a very important property of a user
interface. Especially people with large fingers will find it much
easier to use the small keys of mobile stations correctly, if the
user has a good tactile feel of the keyboard. A good tactile feel
can be provided for the user by using a keyboard mat similar to the
conventional type on top of the touch sensitive element.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] In the following, the invention will be described in more
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
[0015] FIG. 1 shows an electronic device according to a preferred
embodiment, in which the keyboard is implemented in an element
which slides out.
[0016] FIG. 2 shows an electronic device according to FIG. 1 seen
from above and the keyboard element as pushed into the body of the
device,
[0017] FIG. 3 shows an electronic device according to FIG. 1 as
seen from the section A-A.
[0018] FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the electronic device
and a preferred implementation of the touch sensitive element,
[0019] FIG. 5 shows an electronic device according to a preferred
embodiment of the invention, in which the exposable keyboard is
implemented in a turning element.
[0020] FIG. 6 shows the electronic device according to FIG. 5 seen
from above and the keyboard element in the closed position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS
[0021] A keyboard of an electronic device according to the
invention can be used, for example, in PDA devices, portable
computers and mobile stations. In this specification, a mobile
station is used as an example of an electronic device. FIG. 1 shows
a mobile station 1 according to the invention, which comprises a
keyboard element 3 and a body housing element 2, the front panel 2a
of which includes a display 5, a microphone 6, an earphone 7 and
possibly one or more function keys 8. It is clear that, for
instance, some of the function keys 8 can also be placed in an
other part of the housing than the front panel 2a. The keyboard
element 3 includes the keyboard 4 of the mobile station. In
addition, the body housing element includes a sensor element 27,
such as a switch, which recognizes if the keyboard element 3 is out
or pushed into the body housing element 2.
[0022] The display 5 is preferably a depression responsive touch
sensitive liquid crystal display (LCD), which also recognizes a
touch with a weak intensity. The liquid crystal display is provided
with, for instance, a touch sensitive membrane or other
corresponding and well known technology, which also recognizes the
touching point. When the keyboard element is not exposed, or it is
pushed into the body 2 as shown in FIG. 2, this touch sensitive
display 5 preferably comprises a group 9 of activation areas for
activating the telephone functions of the device 1 by touching the
activation areas 13 and preferably at least one display area 10 for
presenting variable information, such as a telephone number, the
state of the battery 11 of the device and the strength of the
signal 12 received by the device 1. The user activates the
operations normally by depressing the keys lightly with a finger,
but the depression can also be carried out with a pointed object or
the like, when the touch-recognition technology used allows it. The
points to be depressed, or the activation areas 13 for activating
different telephone functions of the device 1 can also be shown by
rectangles, circles or corresponding figures drawn on the display 5
by the control program of the device 1, combined with symbols or
other markings in connection with the figures, when required. The
size, shape and location of these activation areas 13 and the
display area 10 can vary. In addition, there can be many separate
display areas 10 on the display.
[0023] The telephone functions mentioned above are preferably
functions which can be performed in conventional telephones with a
memory for telephone numbers and the corresponding names. Functions
like this are calling, answering an incoming call and retrieving a
telephone number from the memory. The number memory can be browsed,
for example, by function keys 8 or by activation areas 13 created
for browsing.
[0024] Other functions that are well known from conventional mobile
stations and PDA devices, such as handling text messages, saving
telephone numbers, keeping a calendar and selecting a ringing tone,
are preferably performed when the keyboard element 3 is drawn out
from the bottom of the body housing element 2. Then the user has a
display area 10 with the full size of the display 5 available for
the presentation of information and a good keyboard 4 for the input
of information. It is also possible that part of the display 5 is
reserved for the use of the activation areas 9, whereby only part
of the area of the display 5 remains for the use of the display
area 10. However, when the keyboard element is drawn out, the need
for activation areas is smaller, and thus more room remains for the
display area than when the keyboard element 3 is pushed into the
body housing element 2.
[0025] FIG. 3 shows a cross-section of a keyboard element 3 of a
mobile station according to a preferred embodiment of the
invention. This keyboard element 3 preferably comprises a housing
element 14, a touch sensitive element 19 known per se and a
keyboard mat 16 known per se, which in turn consists of keys 15a,
15b, spring means 17 and a support means 18. The spring means is
preferably made of some elastic material, and it is fastened to
both the support means and the key, thus tying the key and the
support means elastically together. The purpose of the spring means
is to enable the mobility of the keys so that the key can be
pressed down 15b, and when the key is released, it returns up 15a.
The support means 18 is preferably a plate made of rigid material
with holes for each key 15a, 15b supported by a spring means 17.
The support means 18 is fastened at the edges securely to the
housing 14 of the keyboard element so that when the keys are up
15a, the touching element 20 of each key is essentially at the
same, specified distance from the touch sensitive element. This
distance can be, for example, 0.3-1.0 mm.
[0026] The implementation of the keyboard 4 is such that a keyboard
plate 16 is placed over the touch sensitive element 19. This
keyboard plate is installed over the touch sensitive element as
fixed. The keyboard plate is preferably a keyboard mat, whereby the
user gets a good tactile feel of the keyboard and as good feedback
as possible when a key is depressed. Then an experienced writer can
write merely on the basis of the feel and looking at the writing on
the display. In the scope of this invention, the keyboard plate 16
can also be a membrane (not shown), preferably a bubble membrane,
on which key markings have been made for showing the places of the
keys 15a, 15b. An alternative way for manufacturing the keyboard
plate 16 is to form the keyboard plate 16 of separate keys and a
supporting plate (not shown). One more alternative is to
manufacture the keyboard plate 16 with two-phase injection
moulding. Then the frame is made of rigid material, such as rigid
plastic, and in the second phase its holes are filled by injection
moulding with some softer and more elastic material, such as a soft
plastic mixture, thus forming the keys (15a, 15b) so that the frame
and the keys form a solid entity.
[0027] The touch sensitive element 19 can be implemented so, for
instance, that it is preferably formed of two essentially
rectangular membranes of the same size 19a, 19b (FIG. 4), which are
arranged at a specified distance from each other and preferably
essentially parallel. The membrane on top, or the one on which the
touch is targeted, is made of some resistive material. On the upper
membrane there are two conductors Xin, Yin connected on adjacent
sides, and the other sides are connected to the 0 potential. On the
lower membrane there are also conductors Xout and Yout connected on
adjacent sides. Xin and Xout are connected on the same sides of the
membranes 19a, 19b and essentially at the same points.
Correspondingly, Yin and Yout are connected on the same sides of
the membranes 19a, 19b and essentially at the same points.
[0028] When a key is pressed down 15b, the touching element 20
presses the touch sensitive element 19 below it with such a great
strength that the upper membrane 19a touches the surface of the
lower membrane 19b, and thus a contact is created between the
membranes. An A/D converter 22b detects the depression by examining
at times, which is called polling, whether a key has been
depressed. For the duration of the polling, a constant voltage is
preferably switched from the D/A converter 22a to the Xin line, for
example, and the voltage of the Xout line is measured. If the
voltage differs essentially from zero, a key has been depressed,
whereupon the X coordinate is calculated from the voltage value.
The voltage in the Xout line is the higher the closer the contact
point is to the edge to which the conductors Xin and Xout are
connected. After this, the Y coordinate is received in a
corresponding manner preferably by switching a constant voltage to
the Yin line from the D/A converter 22a and by measuring the
voltage of the Yout line. The voltage in the Yout line is also the
higher the closer the contact point is to the edge to which the
conductors Yin and Yout are connected. For the duration of
specifying the X coordinate, Yin is switched to a high-impedance
mode to prevent it from distorting the measurement result.
Correspondingly, Xin is switched to a high-impedance mode when the
Y coordinate is being specified.
[0029] Another alternative method for manufacturing a touch
sensitive element 19 is to use an EMFi membrane (not shown). The
EMFi membrane consists of a porous polypropylene membrane, which is
coated with an electricity conducting metal layer. The pores of the
polypropylene membrane have an electric charge, whereby the force
effect targeted at the EMFi membrane presses the porous
polypropylene membrane, which causes a change in the intensity of
the electric field of the EMFi membrane. This again causes a
transfer of charges between metal surfaces. This transfer of
charges can be detected by switching the metal surfaces to an
external electrical circuit, in which the current strength in this
circuit is measured.
[0030] Because in a mobile station 1 according to a preferred
embodiment, the keyboard 4 is implemented by using a touch
sensitive element 19, there is much more room left on the circuit
board (not shown) for other components. Alternatively, the circuit
board can be made thinner or its size reduced considerably, whereby
the manufacturing costs of the mobile station 1 are also
substantially reduced. This is due to the fact that in the prior
art implementations the keyboard is normally constructed on a
circuit board. In a mobile station 1 according to the invention,
only four lines need to be drawn on the circuit board for the
keyboard.
[0031] With a mobile station 1 according to a preferred embodiment,
it is very easy to change the keyboard 4 to one with a different
appearance, location, number or meaning of the keys 15a, 15b. This
can be done by changing the desired keyboard mat 16 to the mobile
station and by programming the coordinates and meaning of the keys
in place of the old ones. It is also possible to save many
different keyboard appearances to the memory 23 of the mobile
station 1, whereby the keyboard can be changed by changing the
keyboard mat 16 to the mobile station 1 and by selecting the
setting corresponding to the keyboard mat 16 from the menu of the
mobile station 1. This provides, among other things, the advantage
that companies that manufacture mobile stations need not
manufacture different mobile stations for each different language
area, but the same model of a mobile station can be used in all the
places where the same telecommunications standard is used. The
manufacturers need to take the appearance of the keyboard 4 into
account at the end of the manufacturing process by installing the
correct keyboard mat 16 in the mobile station and by selecting from
the menu of the mobile station 1 the setting which corresponds to
the keyboard mat 16 or by programming the coordinates and meaning
of the keys in place of the old ones.
[0032] The mobile station can also be implemented so that the
keyboard element 3 is arranged in relation to the body housing
element 2 as turning by means of at least one hinge 26 as shown in
FIG. 5. In this case the display 5 and the keyboard 4 are located
preferably so that when the keyboard element 3 is in the closed
position, or the keyboard element functions as protection for the
display 3, the keyboard 4 is within the mobile station 1. In order
to make it possible to use the telephone functions without turning
the keyboard element out, another display 24 and another keyboard
25 are preferably arranged in the mobile station as shown in FIG.
6. This other keyboard 25 preferably comprises only the keys needed
for using all the telephone functions. The other display 24 is
preferably such that all the necessary information for using the
telephone functions can be shown on it.
[0033] It is clear that in practical applications, the mobile
station 1 according to the invention can differ from the
embodiments described above. For example, the mobile station 1 can
be implemented so that the keyboard is disposed in the body housing
element 2 and the display 5 in an exposable, sliding or turning
display element. It is also possible to install both the keyboard 4
and the display in the body housing element 2, but then the size of
the mobile station would become larger than in the embodiments
described above.
[0034] The disclosed embodiments are not limited to the above
described embodiments only, but its details can be modified without
departing from the scope defined by the attached claims.
* * * * *