Housing assembly for a wireless communication device.

Housing assembly for a wireless communication device

The present invention generally relates to a housing assembly, and particularly relates to a housing assembly used in a wireless communication device.

In computing, advances in wireless receiver transmitters, displays, data input devices, materials, and machinery have promoted the miniaturization and weight reduction of wireless communication devices such as mobile wireless phones. However, there is still some imbalance with the advantages of miniaturization.

First, the smaller device causes the distance between the earpiece and the speaker converter to be shorter. As the distance between the human ear and the mouth remains the same, acceptable acoustic coupling between the headphone converter and the human ear and between the amplifier converter and the population becomes more and more difficult to maintain. Many solutions to this problem have been proposed, such as sliding or rotating one or more movable housing elements to the main body of the wireless phone. An earpiece or loudspeaker converter is arranged in the housing element. The distance between the earpiece and the microphone converter is reduced by moving the housing element to the closed position during use. Therefore, reliable acoustic coupling can be achieved when the wireless phone is in use without affecting miniaturization when the wireless phone is not in use. For examples of these solutions, see US Patent Nos. D297,735, D297,734, D326,091, D326,451, D326,452, D298,244, D305,427, D300,827, D300,742, D304,189 and D297 ,736. However, when the device changes small, the distance between the earpiece and the loudspeaker becomes shorter, and it becomes more and more difficult to maintain an acceptable acoustic coupling.

Secondly, smaller devices have less space for display and data input devices such as key pads. Smaller devices impair these functions, and it is more difficult to use smaller input keys that display letters instead. In addition, the advancing communication device market requires display and data input devices to be more capable, which contradicts the trend of miniaturization that provides less capabilities.

Third, the antenna space of a smaller device is also very small, which makes the transmission and reception performance worse. Small devices with smaller antennas are more susceptible to the well-known shadow phenomenon, which is caused by the position of the human head between the communication device and the nearest base station when in use.

Therefore, although wireless communication devices are getting smaller and smaller, it is necessary to maintain acceptable acoustic coupling, increase display and data input device capabilities, and increase antenna performance.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a wireless telephone made according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the wireless telephone of Figure 1 in a closed position.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a wireless telephone made according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the wireless telephone of Fig. 3 in a closed position.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a wireless telephone manufactured according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the radiotelephone in Fig. 5 when it is closed.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram of the wireless telephone of Figs. 1-6 and including a pager.

1 and 2 are perspective views of the open and closed positions of the wireless telephone 10 manufactured according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Those who can use the wireless telephone of the present invention are cellular wireless telephones and cordless wireless telephones such as cordless wireless telephone 1 (CT-1) and cordless wireless telephone 2 (CT-2). The radiotelephone 10 and the mobile cell radiotelephone NO.F09HYD8363BG are manufactured by Motorola Company located at 600 North US Highway 45, Liberty Yille, Illinois 60048. For example, the wireless communication device of the wireless telephone 10 has already been well-known in the art, so it will not be repeated except for distinguishing the well-known ones and the preferred specific examples of the present invention.

The wireless telephone 10 includes a housing assembly having a first 12, a second 14 and a third 16 housing parts. The first 12 and second 14 housing parts are each coupled to the third 16 housing part. The third housing part includes a side edge 32. Both the first 12 and the second 14 housing parts can move between the first closed position represented by the reference number 18 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the second open position represented by the reference number 20 in FIG. 1. The first housing part 12 can at least partially cover the side 32 of the third housing part 16 at the first housing position 18, and the second housing position 20 at least partially exposes the side 32 of the third housing part 16 Move between. The second housing part 14 moves between the first housing position 18 at least partially concealing the side 32 of the third housing part 16 and the second housing position at least partially exposing the side 32 of the third housing part 16.

The special characteristics of the wireless telephone 10 can be clearly seen from FIGS. 1 and 2 and are very obvious. The first housing part 12 has a bottom 22. The second housing part 14 has a bottom 24, which can extend to the first housing part 16 when the first 12 and second 14 housing parts move to their respective housing positions at least partially covering the side 32 of the third housing part 16. The bottom part 22 of the housing part 12 is outside. Preferably, the length of the first 12 housing portion and the length of the second 14 housing portion are greater than half of the length of the third housing portion 16.

The conventional earpiece converter 26 is coupled to the first housing part 12, and the conventional microphone converter 28 is coupled to the second housing part 14. The earpiece 26 and the converter of the loudspeaker 28 are substantially aligned with the central axis 30 of the third housing part 16. The conventional transceiver device (see FIG. 7) is coupled to the receiver 26 and the converter of the microphone 28, and is preferably arranged in the third housing part 16.

In the closed housing position 18, the first 12 and second 14 housing parts are actually arranged on the same plane, preferably adjacent to the side 32 of the third housing part 16. Preferably, the shape of the side 34 of the first housing part 12 can be engaged with the side 36 of the second housing part 14. Such joining can make the positions of the first 12 and second 14 housing parts be on the same plane, which is adjacent to the side 36 of the third housing part 16, so that the earpiece 26 and the microphone 28 are converters and the center Axis 30 is aligned.

Note that in the closed position 18, the holes in the converter of the earpiece 26 and the loudspeaker 28 face the side 32 of the third housing part 16. This action can produce a clear appearance outside of the wireless telephone 10 when the wireless telephone 10 is in its closed position 18.

In the open position 20, the configuration of the first housing part 12 and the third housing part 16 are at an obtuse angle, preferably at an angle of 180 degrees, and the earpiece converter 26 can be used to align with the human ear. In the same way, the configuration of the second housing part 14 is also at a pure angle with the third housing part 16, preferably a relationship of 135°, so that the loudspeaker converter 28 can be aligned with the human mouth.

Although it is not as ideal as the preferred embodiment, one of the first 12 and second 14 housing parts can be superimposed on the other, so the first 12 and second 14 housing parts can be arranged differently but it is better to be substantially On a parallel plane.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first 12 and second 14 housing parts are rotatably coupled to the third housing part 16 between the closed 18 and open 20 housing positions via twisting mechanisms 38 and 40. . The first 12 and second 14 housing parts are manually rotated between the open 18 and closed 20 positions, one at a time. The hinge mechanism also retains the first 12 and second 14 housing parts in the closed 18 and open 20 housing positions. The present invention can also use different general twisting mechanisms.

The movement of the first housing part 12 between the closed 18 and open 20 housing positions can be coupled to the movement of the second housing part 14 in the closed 18 and open 20 housing positions. Due to the outer shape of the first 12 and second 14 housing parts, one housing part must be rotated to a predetermined degree with the third housing part 16 before the other housing parts rotate, so that the first and second housings The parts will not interfere with each other. The first housing part 12 is retained in the closed position 18 by the twisting mechanism 38. The second housing part 14 includes a general spring member as disclosed in US Patent No. 4,471,493, coupled to the twisting mechanism 40. The spring member generates a biasing force to press the second housing part 14 to its open position 20. The key 42 is coupled to the bottom end portion 24 of the second housing portion 14 and is embedded in the recess 44 in the hinge mechanism 38 area of the first housing portion 12 to be held in the first housing portion 12 when it is closed. In position 18, the second housing part 14 can be maintained in the closed position. When the first housing part 12 is manually moved to the open position 20, the key 42 moves out of the recess 44, so that the biasing force applied by the spring member presses the second housing part 14 to its open position 20. After the second housing part 14 is closed, the wireless telephone 10 closes the first housing part 12 to be closed. Of course, other coupling mechanisms can also be used to automatically open each of the first 12 and second 14 housing parts.

The advantage of the radiotelephone 10 is that it can shrink by one-third of its usable length when in the closed position 18 and only provides an extra layer of housing material. This can reduce the thickness and weight of the device approximately equal to the weight of a movable housing part. In addition, when the wireless telephone 10 is extended to its open position 20, the earpiece 26 and the loudspeaker 28 and the loudspeaker are still not left on the central axis 30 of the third housing part 16, so that they are very well aligned with the human ear and mouth. Convenient and comfortable.

The wireless telephone 10 also includes a display 46 and a data input device such as a key pad 48, preferably coupled to the side 32 of the third housing part 16. When the wireless phone 10 becomes smaller, the space for the display 46 and the key pad 48 also becomes smaller. However, the design of a wireless phone can have more energy to provide a larger service range, so more resources of the display 46 and the key pad 48 are needed to support the expanded energy. An example of increasing energy is to add a selective call receiver function. For example, a normal pager has the function of a wireless telephone 10. The general pager may be model number A04JRC5661A, manufactured by Mororola Company, 1500 NW, 22nd Street, Boybton Beach, Florida 33426-8292. The combination of a pager and a wireless phone has long been known in the art.

This energy expansion problem has been solved by moving the call and wireless telephone mode and the related wireless communication device 10 and at least one first 12 and second 14 housing parts between the closed 18 and open 20 positions. The movement of a housing part can activate a switch (Figure 7) to cause the device to change a part of the communication device between calling and wireless phone functions. The response to the movement of the housing part after the switch is activated is disclosed in US Patent No. 5,117,073.

For example, when the first housing part 12 is moved to its closed position 18 and when the first housing part 12 is moved to the open housing position 20, the display function is expanded by displaying call information and wireless telephone information.

For example, the key pad function is also related to the call function when the first housing part 12 is in the closed position 18, and the wireless telephone function is related to it when the first housing part 12 is moved to the open housing position 20. Relevant and expanded.

The dual mode of the device is not limited to wireless phone and pager functions. The characteristics of the present invention are expected to include any two modes of wireless communication devices. For example, the dual mode may include: wireless phone to notebook function, privacy to hands-free conversation and cell to cordless function.

The display 46 and the key pad 48 are preferably covered by a movable housing part, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but it does not have to be covered to have the extended function provided by the movable housing part. For example, a wireless phone has a movable housing part but does not completely cover the key pad. For example, a cordless wireless phone model No. 34986 is available from Motorola Corporation, 600 North US Highway 45, Libertyville, Illinois.

Another feature of the wireless telephone device 10 is that the substantially transparent part 50 is shown in Figs. Since the display 46 is at least partially covered by the first housing part 12 when the first housing part 12 is moved in the closed housing position 18, the display is traditionally useless. However, the lens 50 is coupled to the first 12 and second 14 housing parts. Therefore, when the first 12 and second 14 housing parts are moved to the closed position 18, the lens is actually arranged on the opposite side of at least a part of the display 46. Therefore, the display capability has been expanded because it can still be used when the housing part is in the closed position 18. Of course, the lens can also be coupled to only one movable housing part when necessary. According to the expanded function of the key pad disclosed previously, the covered display 46 provides call information when the housing part moves to its closed housing position 18, and when the housing part moves to its open housing position 20 Provide wireless phone information.

The wireless communication device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has another unique feature, that is, the key cover device 52 is coupled to the second housing part 14. Since at least a portion of the keymat 48 is partially covered when the second housing part 14 is moved to its closed housing position 18, the keymat 48 is traditionally useless. However, the key cover 52 is coupled to the second housing part 14, so the key cover 52 is arranged opposite to at least a part of the key heat 54 when the second housing part 14 is moved to the closed position 18. The key cover 52 is made of a conventional spring member material and penetrates the thickness of the second housing portion 14. The coupling of the key cover 52 to the second housing part 14 is formed by connecting individual key covers between the layers of the second housing part 14 via a sandwich connecting plate. Therefore, the key pad capability is amplified by being available when the second housing part 14 is in its closed position 18. Of course, if necessary, an additional key cover can also be coupled to the first housing part 12. According to the expanded function of the key pad disclosed above, the covered key pad 54 provides a calling function when the second housing part 14 is moved to its closed position 18, and when the second housing part 14 is moved to its open housing position Provide wireless telephone function at 20 o'clock.

The wireless communication device in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a special feature, that is, its antenna 56 is coupled to the first housing part 12. A transceiver (FIG. 7) is arranged in the third housing part 16. The antenna 56 is coupled to the transceiver and the first housing part 12. The antenna 56 can be in the first, closed, antenna position, represented by 60 at the bag 58 and the second, open, antenna position, represented by the reference number 62, the antenna can move between the two, 62 and extend out of the first housing Part outside. The antenna 56 shown is coupled to the first housing part 12 between the antenna positions 60 and 62 in a rotating manner. The antenna preferably extends beyond the portion of the housing with the earpiece converter 26, that is, the antenna exceeds the human head.

For a wireless telephone 10 having a length of the first housing part 12 approximately equal to the length of the third housing part 16, if a conventional antenna can exceed the third housing part 16, it cannot exceed the first housing part 12. The length. In this position, the shadow phenomenon will degrade the performance of general antennas. However, moving the housing part 12 beyond the first housing part can extend the antenna 56 beyond the position of the wireless phone 10, thereby overcoming the shadow problem and improving antenna performance.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, which show perspective views of the open and closed positions of the wireless telephone 10, it is manufactured according to the third preferred embodiment of the present invention. The wireless telephone 10 is the same as the wireless telephone 10 in FIGS. 1 and 2, but the following parts are different. First, the first 12 and second 14 housing parts are coupled to the third housing part 16 in a sliding manner, not in a rotational manner. Secondly, the antenna 56 is slidably coupled to the first housing part 12 rather than rotationally coupled.

The wireless telephone 10 includes a housing assembly having a first 12, a second 14 and a third 16 housing parts. The first 12 and second 14 housing parts are each coupled to the third 16 housing part. The third housing part contains a measuring edge 32. The first 12 and second 14 housing parts can be between the reference number 18 in Figures 3 and 4 in the first closed position, and between the reference number 20 in Figures 3 and 4 in the second, open position move. The first housing part 12 can be at the first housing position 18 and at least cover the side 32 of the third housing part 16, and at the second housing position 20 and at least part of the side 32 of the third housing part 16 exposed Move between. The second housing part 14 can be located between the first housing position 18 and the side 32 at least partially covering the third housing part 16 and the second housing position 20 at least exposing the side 32 of the third housing part 16 move.

The unique characteristics of the wireless telephone 10 can be clearly seen from FIGS. 3 and 4. The first housing part 12 has an end part 22. The second housing portion 14 has an end portion 24 that extends to the first housing portion when the first 12 and second 14 housing portions move to their respective first housing positions 18 and partially cover the side 32 of the third housing portion 16. Outside the end portion 22 of a housing portion 12. Preferably, the length of the first 12 housing portion and the length of the second housing portion are both greater than half of the length of the third housing portion 16.

The opposite sides 64 and 66 of the first housing part 12 can slide forward and slide into the upper guide rails 72 and 74 of the side 32 of the third housing part 16. In the same way, the opposite sides 68 and 70 of the second housing part can slide forward and are captured by the opposite guide rails 72 and 74 on the side 32 of the third housing part 16. The first and second housing parts 12 and 14 cover the side edges 32 at least partially when the housing parts 12 and 14 are in the closed position 18.

When the housing parts 12 and 14 are in their closed position 18, the side 64 of the first housing part 12 slides over the side 68 of the second housing part 14. In the same way, the side 66 of the first housing part 12 slides over the side 70 of the second housing part 14. The first housing part 12 and the end parts 22 of the two sides 64 and 66 are arranged in the grooves 76 and 78, and the housing parts 12 and 14 are in their respective closed positions.

When the housing parts 12 and 14 are in their open position 20, a stop (not shown) is located at the end part 22 of the first housing part 12 and the end part 24 of the second housing part 14 to enable the housing The parts 12 and 14 are not separated from the third housing part 16. The conventional or stopper can also hold the housing parts 12 and 14 when the housing parts 12 and 14 are in the closed position 18.

The first and second housing parts 12 and 14 are slidably coupled into the opposite guide rails 72 and 74 of the third housing part 16 as shown. In addition, if the designed device is sufficiently solid, one side of the first and second housing parts 12 and 14 is slidably coupled to the third housing part 16. For example, the side end 64 of the first housing part 12 is slidably coupled to the guide rail 72 of the third housing part 16 to engage, and the side end 70 of the second housing part 14 is slidably coupled to the guide rail of the third housing part 16 76. Therefore, it is absolutely impossible for any side of the first and second housing parts 12 and 14 to overlap.

A conventional earpiece converter 26 is coupled to the first housing part 12, and a conventional microphone converter 28 is coupled to the second housing part 14. The earpiece 26 and the converter of the microphone 28 are substantially aligned with the central axis 30 of the third housing part 16. The conventional transceiver device (FIG. 7) is coupled to the receiver 26 and the converter of the microphone 28, and the device is preferably arranged in the third housing part 16.

When the housing position 18 is closed, the major surfaces of the first 12 and 14th housing parts are actually in the same plane, and preferably the side 32 of the third housing part 16 is adjacent. The side 34 of the second housing part 12 is preferably shaped to engage with the side 36 of the second housing part 14. This joint allows the first 12 and second 14 housing parts to be arranged on the same plane and adjacent to the side 32 of the third housing part 16, and to align the earpiece 26 and the microphone 28 converter with the central axis 30 .

Note that in the closed position 18, the holes of the earpiece 26 and the loudspeaker converter face each other and are away from the side 32 of the third housing part 16. Therefore, the user is given an opportunity to use the handset and loudspeaker of the wireless telephone 10 in the closed position 18 thereof. Such use includes hands-free operation, allowing the user to answer calls without having to turn on the wireless telephone 10.

In the open position 20, the first housing part 12 is arranged in a purely angular relationship with the third housing part 16, preferably at an angle of 180°, which allows the earpiece converter 26 to be aligned with the human ear. In the same way, the second housing part 14 is also configured to form a pure angle relationship with the third housing part 16, that is, 180°, so that the loudspeaker converter 28 can be aligned with the human mouth. But when the first 12 and second 14 housing parts are in the open position 20, the earpiece 26 and the microphone 28 converter are still aligned with the central axis 30.

Although not as ideal as the preferred embodiment, the first 12 and second 14 housing parts can be electrically stacked so that the first 12 and second 14 housing parts are arranged in different but preferably parallel planes.

The movement of the first housing part 12 between the closed 18 and open 20 housing positions can be coupled with the movement of the second housing part 14 between the closed 18 and open 20 housing positions. In contrast to the rotating housing parts 12 and 14 in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sliding housing parts 12 and 14 in FIGS. 3 and 4 do not interfere with each other and can move at the same time. Of course, other coupling mechanisms can also be used to automatically open each of the first 12 and second 14 housing parts.

The advantage of the radiotelephone 10 is that its length is shortened or one-third of the usable length in the closed position 18, and only an extra layer of housing material is provided. This can reduce the thickness of the device and reduce the weight equal to the weight of a movable housing part. In addition, when the wireless telephone 10 is extended to its open position 20, the handset 26 and the converter of the microphone 28 remain on the central axis 30 of the third housing part, so that the ear and the mouth can be aligned conveniently and comfortably.

The wireless telephone 10 also includes a display 46 and data input devices such as a key pad 48, preferably coupled to the side 32 of the third housing part 16. When the wireless phone 10 becomes smaller, the space available for the display 46 and the key pad 48 becomes smaller. However, the wireless phone 10 is designed with more capabilities to provide a wider range of services, and therefore requires additional display 46 and key pad 48 resources to support the expanded capabilities. An example of the expansion capability is the addition of a selective call receiver function, such as a traditional pager as an additional function of the wireless phone 10. The problem of this kind of expansion function has been overcome. The telephone mode is associated with at least one of the first 12 and second 14 housing parts that move between the closed 18 and open 20 positions.

The expansion of the display function is achieved by displaying call information when the first housing part 12 moves to the closed position 18, and displaying wireless phone information when the first housing part 12 moves to the open position 20.

The extension of the keymat function is achieved by associating the calling function with the first housing part 12 when the first housing part 12 is in the closed position 18, and associating the wireless telephone function with it when the first housing part 12 is moved to the open position 20.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the dual mode of the device 10 is not limited to radio and calling functions. This feature of the present invention is intended to include any two modes of wireless communication devices. For example, dual modes can also include: wireless phone to notebook function, private to hands-free phone and cell to cordless function.

The display 46 and the key pad 48 are preferably covered by a movable housing part, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, but need not be covered to obtain the extended functions provided by the movable part, as discussed in Figs. 1 and 2 By.

Another special feature of the wireless communication device shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is the actually transparent part 50, which is hereinafter referred to as a lens, which is coupled to the second housing part 14. As discussed in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lens 50 is coupled to the second housing part 14, so the lens is mainly arranged where the display 46 is at least partially opposite when the second housing part moves to its closed position 18. Therefore, the display capability can be expanded because it can be used when the second housing part is in its closed position 18. Of course, the lens can also be arbitrarily coupled to the movable housing parts 12 and 14. According to the aforementioned extended keymat feature, the covered display 46 provides call information when the housing part moves to its closed position 18, and provides wireless telephone information when the housing part moves to its open 20 housing position.

The wireless phone 10 in FIGS. 3 and 4 has a unique feature, that is, the key cover device 52 is coupled to the second housing part 14. As discussed in FIGS. 1 and 2, the key cover 52 is coupled to the second housing part 14, so the key cover 52 is disposed opposite at least a part of the key pad 54 when the second housing part 14 moves to its closed position 18. The key cover 52 is composed of a conventional elastomer material and passes through the thickness of the second housing portion 14. The key cover 52 is coupled with the second housing part in an interlayer manner in which the individual key covers are internally connected to the second housing part 14 by a sandwich connecting plate. Therefore, the key pad capability is expanded because it can be used when the second housing part 14 is in the closed position 18. Of course, an additional key cover can also be coupled to the first housing part 12. According to the above-mentioned added keymat function, the cover part of the keymat 54 can provide call information when the second housing part 14 is moved to its closed position 18, and provides call information when the second housing part is moved to the open position 20 Wireless phone information.

The wireless communication device 10 in FIGS. 3 and 4 has a unique feature, that is, the antenna 56 is coupled to the first housing part 12. A transceiver (FIG. 7) is arranged in the third housing part 16. The antenna 56 is coupled to the transceiver and the first housing part 12. The antenna 56 can be moved between the first and the closed antenna position with the reference number 60 at the bag 58 and the second, the open antenna position with the reference number 62 and can move beyond the first housing part 12. The antenna 56 is slidably coupled to the first housing part between the positions 62 of the antenna 60. The antenna preferably extends beyond the earpiece 26 and the housing part so that the antenna can exceed the head of a person.

This is because the length of the first housing part 12 of the wireless telephone 10 is approximately equal to the length of the third housing part 16, and generally the antenna can extend beyond the third housing part 16 but not exceed the length of the first housing part 12. In this position, the performance of the wireless phone antenna is reduced due to the shadow phenomenon, but the length of the antenna 56 exceeds the first movable housing part 12 so that the antenna 56 rises to or even exceeds the wireless phone 10, so the problem caused by the shadow phenomenon can be overcome and improved Improve the antenna performance.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6, there are shown perspective views of a wireless telephone 10 manufactured in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention in the open and closed positions. The wireless telephone 10 is the same as that shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, but the following description is different from the description of FIGS. 3 and 4. The second housing part 14 is rotatably coupled to the third housing part 16 rather than slidingly coupled. Therefore, the figure shows a combined rotating and sliding housing part.

The wireless telephone 10 includes a housing assembly having a first 12 and a second 14 and a third 16 housing parts. The first 12 and second 14 housing parts are each coupled to the third 16 housing part. The third housing part 16 includes a side edge 32. Both the first 12 and the second 14 housing parts can move between the first closed position of the reference number 18 in FIG. 5 and the second open position of the reference number 20 in FIG. 5 as shown in FIG. 5. The first housing part 12 can be between the side 32 of the first housing part 18 at least partially covering the third housing part 16 and the side 32 of the second housing part 20 at least partially exposing the third housing part 16 move. The second housing part 14 moves between the position 18 of the first housing part and the exposure of the side 32 at least partially covering the third housing part 16.

The unique characteristics of the wireless telephone 10 can be clearly seen from FIGS. 5 and 6. The first housing part 12 has an end part 22. The second housing part 12 has an end part 24 when the first housing 12 and the second housing part 14 move to their first housing positions and at least partially cover the side 32 of the third housing part 16, The end 24 extends beyond the end portion 22 of the first housing part 12. Preferably, the length of the first 12 housing portion and the length of the second 12 housing portion are both greater than half of the length of the third housing portion 16.

The opposite sides 64 and 66 of the first housing part 12 are slidable and are captured by the opposite guide rails 72 and 74 on the side 32 of the third housing part 16. The first 12 and second 14 housing parts are raised above the side 32 of the third housing part 16, so that the first housing part 12 can be made when the first housing part 12 is in its closed housing position 18. At least partially cover the side edge 32.

The second housing part 14 and the third housing part 16 are rotationally coupled via the twisting mechanism 40 when the housing positions are closed 18 and opened 20. The second housing part 14 is manually rotationally coupled between the open 18 and closed 20 positions. The hinge mechanism 40 also retains the second housing part 14 in the closed 18 and open 20 housing positions. The present invention can use a general hinge mechanism.

When the housing parts 12 and 14 are in their closed housing position 18, the side 64 of the first housing part 12 slides under the side 68 of the second housing part 14. In the same way, the side 66 of the first housing part 12 slides under the side 70 of the second housing part 14.

When the first housing part 12 is in its open housing position 20, a stopper (not shown) is generally located at the end part 22 of the first housing part 12, so that the first housing part 12 is not connected to the third housing. The body part 16 is separated. Such a general stopper can also hold the first housing part 12 when the first housing part 12 is in its closed position 18.

The first housing part 12 is shown as being slidably coupled to the opposite guide rails 72 and 74 on the third housing part 16. In addition, only the guide rail 72 of the first housing part 12 and the third housing part 16 are slidably coupled.

A conventional earpiece converter 26 is coupled to the first housing part 12, and a conventional microphone converter 28 is coupled to the second housing part 14. The earpiece 26 and the converter of the microphone 28 are substantially aligned with the central axis 30 of the third housing part 16. The conventional transceiver device (see FIG. 7) is coupled to the receiver 26 and the converter of the microphone 28, and the transceiver is preferably arranged in the third housing part 16.

In the closed housing position 18, the main surfaces of the first 12 and second 14 housing parts are in fact arranged in the same plane, preferably adjacent to the side 32 of the third housing part 16. Preferably, the shape of the side 34 of the first housing part 12 can be engaged with the side 36 of the second housing part 14. This engagement can place the first 12 and second 14 housing parts on the same plane and abut the side 32 of the third housing part 16, and align the earpiece 26 and microphone 28 converter with the central axis 30 .

Note that in the closed position 18, the hole in the earpiece converter 26 faces away from the side 32 of the third housing part 16, and the loudspeaker 28 faces and approaches the side 32 of the third housing part 16.

When the housing position 20 is opened, the first housing part 12 is arranged at a pure angle with the third housing part 16, preferably 180°, so that the earpiece 26 can be aligned with the human ear. In the same way, the second housing part 14 and the third housing part 16 are also arranged in a pure angle relationship, preferably 135°, so that the loudspeaker converter 28 can be aligned with the mouth of the person. Both the earpiece 26 and the microphone 28 converter are aligned with the central axis 30 when the first 12 and second housing parts are in their open positions 20.

Although not as ideal as the preferred embodiment, the first 12 and second 14 housing parts can overlap one another so that the first 12 and second 14 housing parts are arranged in different but substantially parallel planes.

The movement of the first housing part 12 between the closed 18 and open 20 housing positions can be coupled with the movement of the second housing part 14 between the closed 18 and open 20 housing positions. Unlike the rotating housing parts 12 and 14 in FIGS. 1 and 2, the movement of the housing parts 12 and 14 in FIGS. 5 and 6 does not interfere with each other, so they can move at the same time. Of course, other coupling mechanisms can also be used to automatically open each of the first 12 and second 14 housing parts.

The radiotelephone 10 is excellent because it can shrink by one-third of its useful length when in the closed position 18, thus providing only an extra layer of housing material. This can result in a reduction in the thickness of the device and a reduction in weight approximately equal to the weight of the movable housing part. In addition, when the wireless telephone 10 is extended to its open position 20, the handset 26 and the converter of the microphone 28 remain on the central axis 30 of the third housing part 16, which makes the alignment of the population and ears very convenient and comfortable.

The wireless telephone 10 also includes a display 46 and data input devices, such as a key pad 48, which are preferably coupled to the side 32 of the third housing portion 16. When the wireless phone 10 becomes smaller, the space between the display 46 and the key pad 48 is very small. However, the design of the wireless phone is to have more capabilities to provide a larger service range, so more resources of the display 46 and the key pad 48 are needed to support the expanded capabilities. An example of the expansion capability is the addition of a selective call receiver function, such as a traditional call tester function, to the wireless phone 10. The problem of this expansion capability has been overcome, that is, the mode of the call and the wireless phone related to the wireless communication device 10 is moved in the first 12 and second 14 housing parts between the closed 18 and open 20 positions. At least one is related.

The expansion of the display function is achieved by displaying call information when the second housing part 14 moves to the closed position 18, and displaying wireless phone information when the second housing part 14 moves to the open housing part 20.

The expansion of the key pad function is achieved by causing the call function to be problematic when the second housing part 14 is in the closed position 18, and the wireless telephone function is changed when the second housing part 14 is moved to the open housing position 20 Be associated with it.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the two modes of the device are not limited to wireless phones and call functions. The features of the present invention are expected to include any two modes of miniaturized devices. Including, two modes can include: wireless phone to notebook function, private to hands-free call and cell to cordless function.

The display 46 and the key pad 48 are preferably covered by a movable housing part as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, but they do not need to be covered to obtain the augmentation function provided by the movable housing part, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 Discussed.

Another unique property of the wireless communication device 10 shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is a substantially transparent part 50, hereinafter referred to as a lens, coupled to the second housing part 14. In the similar discussion of Figs. 1 and 2, The lens 50 is coupled to the second housing part 14, and the lens is arranged on a part of the opposite side of the display 46 when the second housing part moves to its closed housing position 18. Therefore, the display function is expanded because it can be used when the second housing part is in its closed position 18. Of course, if necessary, the lens can also be coupled to the movable housing parts 12 and 14. According to the expansion function of the key pad described above, the covered display 46 provides call information when the housing part is moved to the closed housing position 18, and The radiotelephone information is provided when the housing part is moved to its open position 20.

The wireless communication device 10 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 has a unique feature, that is, the key cover device 52 is coupled to the second housing part 14. As discussed in FIGS. 1 and 2, the key cover 52 is coupled to the second housing portion so that the key cover 52 is actually disposed on an opposite part of the key pad 54 when the second housing portion 14 is moved to its closed position 18 . The key cover 52 is composed of a general elastomer material and penetrates the thickness of the second housing part. The key cover 52 is coupled to the second housing part 14 by internally connecting the key covers between the layers of the second housing part 14 via the interlayer connecting plate. Therefore, the function of the key pad is expanded because it can be used when the second housing part 14 is in its closed position 18. Of course, more key covers can be coupled to the first housing part 12 when necessary. According to the aforementioned expansion function of the keymat, the covered part of the keymat 54 provides a calling function when the second housing part 14 is moved to its closed position 18, and when the second housing part 14 is moved to its open position 20 When, provide wireless phone function.

Another unique feature of the wireless communication device 10 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is an antenna 56 coupled to the first housing part 12. A transceiver (FIG. 7) is arranged in the third housing part 16. The antenna 56 is coupled to the transceiver and the first housing part 12. The antenna 56 can be moved between the first, closed position at 60 of the bag 58 and the second, open antenna position represented by the reference number 62 and can extend beyond the first housing part 12. The antenna 56 can be slidably coupled to the first housing part 12 between the antenna positions 60 and 62 as shown. The antenna preferably extends beyond the portion of the housing with the earpiece 26 converter so that the antenna can exceed the head of a person.

Since the length of the first housing part 12 of the wireless telephone 10 is approximately equal to the length of the third housing part 16, a conventional antenna exceeds the third housing part 16 but does not exceed the length of the first housing part 12. In this position, the shadow phenomenon will degrade the performance of the antenna 56. However, if the antenna 56 is extended beyond the first movable housing part 12, the antenna 56 can be extended to a position farther away from the wireless phone. Therefore, the shadow phenomenon can be overcome and the performance of the antenna can be improved.

Referring to FIG. 7, which shows a block diagram of the wireless telephone 10 in FIGS. 1-6. This block diagram includes an antenna 56, a receiver 702, a memory 703, a display 46, a key pad 48, a processor 706, and a receiver 26 , Loudspeaker 28, transmitter 709 and a power supply 712. The memory 703 includes general read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), and an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), which can be inside or outside the processor 706. The radiotelephone 10 is a cellular portable type, such as the model number F09HYD8363BG made by the Li-Derty Ville of Illinois 60048, and Motorola Company of No. 45, 600 of North US Hghway.

The wireless telephone 10 can also be coupled to a selective call receiver unit or pager 713. The type of selective receiver 713, such as model number A04JRC566/A, is also manufactured by Motorola Company located at 1500 NW22nd Avenue, Boynton Bcach, Fl 3342b-8292.

In Fig. 7, the details of the wireless telephone 10 or the combination with the pager 713 in the blocks 701-712 and the functional relationship therebetween are all well known in the art and will not be further explained, but the difference between the well-known part and The preferred embodiments of the present invention are the only exceptions.

As discussed in Figures 1-6, the wireless telephone 10 performs certain tasks in response to the task of the position of the movable housing portion. This can be done with switch 711. When one of the housing parts is in its closed position, the switch is a closed circuit and therefore can send a logic low control signal 704 to the processor. Similarly, when the housing part is in its open position, the switch 711 is open, so a The logic high control signal 704 is sent to the processor 706.

The processor 706 is programmed with a predetermined set of commands, which control the functions of the various blocks of the wireless telephone 10 according to the control signal 704 selected from the switch 711 to the processor 706. For example, the processor 706 can change the key pad 48 and the display 46 according to the state of the switch 711 to adapt to the wireless phone or pager mode.