JP2006060516A - Foldable mobile phone - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a foldable mobile phone that can be easily folded from a folded state with only one hand.
A foldable mobile phone (1) is composed of a first casing (11), a second casing (12), and a hinge portion (13) that rotatably couples the first casing (11), and is opened. In use, the first casing (11) is held and used. A concave portion (21) that reaches the side surface is provided at a portion of the front surface of the first housing (11) located near the thumb, and the concave portion (21) is folded in the front surface of the second housing (12). A recess (31) that reaches the side surface is provided at a portion facing the surface. In the folded state, a hole having an opening on the side surface is formed by the recess (21, 31), and the tip of the thumb is inserted into the hole so that the hole is opened. In addition, a rotating body that rotates about the vertical axis is provided in the opening (21) so that the entire inside of the hole cannot be seen from the opening.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a foldable mobile phone.

  In recent years, the spread of a foldable mobile phone that is small when not in use is remarkable. FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 show the external appearance of a conventional foldable mobile phone 5, and FIG. 16 shows a state in use held by a user's hand. 14 and 15 show the folded state and the opened state of the mobile phone 5, respectively.

  The cellular phone 5 includes a first casing 51, a second casing 52, and a hinge portion 53 that are substantially equal in size in the left-right direction. The hinge portion 53 connects the upper end portion of the first housing 51 and the lower end portion of the second housing 52, and the first housing 51 and the second housing 52 are included in the hinge portion 53. It is relatively rotatable around an axis extending in the left-right direction.

  The mobile phone 5 includes a folded state (FIG. 14) in which the front surface of the first housing 51 (the surface facing the user's face when in use) and the front surface of the second housing 52 face each other, and the first housing 51. An open state (FIG. 15) in which the front surface of the body 51 and the front surface of the second housing 52 are not opposed to each other is taken. When using the mobile phone 5, the user changes from the folded state in FIG. 14 to the open state in FIG. 15. Then, as shown in FIG. 16, the first casing 51 is gripped from the back side and used.

  A plurality of keys 54 that are operated to input telephone numbers and the like are provided on the front surface of the first housing 51, and a display unit that includes a liquid crystal display is provided on the front surface of the second housing 52. 55 is provided. Although not shown, a microphone that captures sound is built in near the lower end of the first housing 51, and a speaker that outputs sound is built in the vicinity of the upper end of the second housing 52. In addition, an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves is provided in either the first housing 51 or the second housing 52.

In order to prevent the cellular phone 5 from being accidentally opened when not in use, the hinge portion 53 has a first casing 51 and a second casing 52 that are folded in a direction in which they are brought closer to each other. A mechanism for energizing is provided. Such an urging mechanism can be realized, for example, by using a coil spring that surrounds the rotating shaft, as disclosed in JP-A-7-131850 and JP-A-2003-87873.
JP 7-131850 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-87873

  In the foldable mobile phone 5 provided with a mechanism for urging the first casing 51 and the second casing 52 in the folded state to approach each other, in order to change from the folded state to the opened state. The user performs the following operations. That is, the first casing 51 is sandwiched from the left and right by the thumb and the other finger of one hand, and the second casing 52 is sandwiched from the left and the right by the thumb and the other finger of the other hand. Rotate. Alternatively, the first casing 51 is sandwiched from the left and right with the thumb of one hand and the other finger, and the upper end surface of the second casing 52 is pushed with the thumb of the other hand to rotate the casing 52. In any case, the user needs to use both hands in order to open the mobile phone.

  However, users are not always free to use both hands, and mobile phones that are supposed to be used on the go are more likely to receive incoming calls when the user has luggage. . For this reason, it tends to be troublesome to make the cellular phone 5 open, which is inconvenient.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a foldable mobile phone that can be easily folded from a folded state with one hand.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a first housing and a second housing having substantially the same size in the left-right direction, an upper end portion of the first housing, and a lower end portion of the second housing. And a pivot shaft extending in the left-right direction so that the front surface of the first housing and the front surface of the second housing are opposed to each other, a front surface of the first housing, 2 is a foldable mobile phone that is used in a state in which the front surface of the two housings is not opposed to each other and is held in a state where the first housing is held open. In what includes a biasing mechanism that biases the second housing in a direction approaching each other, the first housing has a concave portion reaching the side surface in a portion of the front surface that is near the thumb when in use. The second housing has a concave portion reaching the side surface at a portion facing the concave portion of the first housing in a folded state on the front surface. A rotating body having an inclined surface that is rotatable about a rotating shaft that is positioned near the end portion on the side far from the side surface and extends in the up-down direction, and that approaches the back surface as it is closer to the side surface. A biasing member that biases forward is provided.

  This foldable mobile phone has a concave portion on the front side portion of the first casing and the second casing, and in the folded state, a hole having an opening on the side surface is provided with the concave portion of the first casing. And a concave portion of the second casing. Since this hole is located near the thumb of the hand holding the mobile phone, the user can insert the thumb of the hand holding the mobile phone into the hole through the opening. Furthermore, in a state where the first casing is held, a force in a direction away from the first casing can be applied to the second casing with the back of the thumb inserted into the hole. As a result, the cellular phone can be opened with only one hand.

  In the folded state, the rotating body provided in the concave portion of the first casing approaches the second casing by the biasing force from the biasing member, and the entire inside of the hole can be seen from the opening that appears on the side surface. It has the function to prevent. The rotating body has an inclined surface that approaches the second housing as it moves away from the end surface, and does not hinder thumb insertion. When the thumb is inserted from the opening against the urging force, the rotating body rotates in a direction away from the second housing, thereby enabling further insertion of the thumb. Thus, the thumb can be inserted only enough to apply force to the second housing.

  Here, the edge of the recess of the first housing and the edge of the recess of the second housing are preferably arcuate when viewed from the front and arcuate when viewed from the side. In this case, the hole formed by the concave portion of the first casing and the concave portion of the second casing is close to the shape of the tip of the thumb, allowing the insertion of the thumb while making the hole the smallest necessary size. It can be suppressed.

  The vicinity of the edge of the recess of the first housing and the vicinity of the edge of the recess of the second housing may be inclined surfaces that reduce the angle difference between the front surface and the side surface. In this way, the situation where the thumb touches the edge of the sharp opening does not occur, and the insertion of the thumb into the hole becomes smooth. Even in the open state, a situation in which a finger touches the sharp edge of the recess does not occur, and the usability is not impaired.

  A display unit may be provided on the front surface of the second housing, and the second housing may have a convex portion around the concave portion of the front surface. The back of the thumb inserted into the hole from the opening faces the front side of the second housing, and if there is nothing between the recess and the display unit, the back of the thumb touches the display unit, the display unit becomes dirty, There is a possibility of being hurt by a nail. However, by providing the convex portion here, the thumb hits the convex portion, and it is possible to prevent the thumb from touching the display portion and soiling the display portion.

  The foldable mobile phone of the present invention can apply a force in a direction away from the first housing to the second housing with the thumb of the hand holding the first housing. The opening operation can be performed with only one hand. Therefore, even when the user cannot freely use both hands, the foldable mobile phone can be used quickly.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a foldable mobile phone according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an appearance of the foldable mobile phone 1 according to the first embodiment in an opened state. The cellular phone 1 includes a first casing 11, a second casing 12, and a hinge portion 13 that are substantially equal in size in the left-right direction. The hinge portion 13 connects the upper end portion of the first housing 11 and the lower end portion of the second housing 12, and the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 are included in the hinge portion 13. It is relatively rotatable around an axis extending in the left-right direction.

  The cellular phone 1 is in a folded state (see FIG. 6) in which the front surface of the first housing 11 (the surface facing the user's face when in use) and the front surface of the second housing 12 face each other, as shown in FIG. As shown, the front surface of the first housing 11 and the front surface of the second housing 12 are in an open state in which they do not face each other. When using the mobile phone 1, the user changes the folded state from the folded state to the opened state, and grips and uses the first casing 11 from the back side.

  A plurality of keys 14 that are operated to input telephone numbers and the like are provided on the front surface of the first housing 11, and a display unit that includes a liquid crystal display is provided on the front surface of the second housing 12. 15 is provided. Although not shown, a microphone that captures sound is built in near the lower end of the first housing 11, and a speaker that outputs sound is built in the vicinity of the upper end of the second housing 12. In addition, an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves is provided in either the first casing 11 or the second casing 12.

  In order to prevent the cellular phone 1 from being accidentally opened when not in use, the hinge portion 13 has a first housing 11 and a second housing 12 that are folded in a direction in which they are brought closer to each other. A biasing mechanism for biasing is provided (not shown). As this urging mechanism, for example, a mechanism using a coil spring that surrounds the rotating shaft as disclosed in the above-mentioned JP-A-7-131850 and JP-A-2003-87873 is adopted. .

  The foldable mobile phone 1 of the present embodiment is set to be used by the user holding the mobile phone 1 with the thumb of the hand holding the mobile phone 1 on the left side of the first housing 11 when viewed from the front. Located on the side. A portion (indicated by A in FIG. 1) located in the vicinity of the thumb of the first housing 11 is enlarged and shown in FIG.

  A concave portion 21 that reaches the side surface is provided in a portion of the front surface of the first housing 11 that is located near the thumb when in use. The concave portion 21 is provided at two levels of depth, and has a deep portion and a shallow portion surrounding the deep portion. The surface of the shallow portion of the recess 21 has a shape like a part of an ellipsoid, and the edge of the recess 21 (line of intersection between the recess 21 and the front surface of the housing 11) viewed from the front is arcuate and viewed from the side. The edge of the concave portion 21 (intersection line between the concave portion 21 and the side surface of the housing 11) is also arcuate. Moreover, the edge vicinity 21a of the shallow part of the recessed part 21 is made into the inclined surface which makes the angle with respect to the front surface or side surface of the housing | casing 11 small.

  A rotating body 22 is disposed in the deep portion of the recess 21. A cross section taken along line CC in FIG. 2 is shown in FIG. The rotating body 22 rotates around a rotating shaft 23 provided in the vicinity of an end portion far from the side surface of the housing 11 and extending in the vertical direction. Of the front surface of the rotating body 22, the portion closer to the side surface of the housing 11 is an inclined surface that is separated from the front surface of the housing 11 (approaching the back surface) as it approaches the side surface. Is a plane parallel to the front surface of the housing 11 when not rotating.

  A leaf spring 24 that biases the rotating body 22 forward is provided in the deep portion of the recess 21. When a backward force is applied against the urging force of the leaf spring 24, the rotating body 22 rotates to the back side of the housing 11, and when the force is removed, the rotating body 22 rotates to the front side. Thus, the state shown in FIG. 3 is obtained.

  FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of the periphery of the portion of the second housing 12 facing the recess 21 of the first housing 11 in a folded state (indicated by B in FIG. 1). A concave portion 31 reaching the side surface is provided in a portion of the front surface of the second housing 12 that faces the concave portion 21. The concave portion 31 is also shaped like a part of an ellipsoid, and the edge of the concave portion 31 (intersection line between the concave portion 31 and the front surface of the housing 12) seen from the front is an arc shape, and the edge of the concave portion 31 seen from the side ( The line of intersection between the recess 31 and the side surface of the housing 12 is also arcuate. Further, the vicinity 31 a of the edge of the recess 31 is an inclined surface that reduces the angle with respect to the front surface and the side surface of the housing 12.

  FIG. 5 shows a cross section taken along line DD in FIG. Unlike the recess 21 of the first housing 11, nothing is arranged inside the recess 31 of the second housing 12.

  When the cellular phone 1 is in a folded state, the recess 21 of the first housing 11 and the recess 31 of the second housing 12 form a hole having an opening on the side surface. This hole is used for the user to open the mobile phone 1 with only one hand. The process in which the user opens the mobile phone 1 with one hand is shown in FIGS.

  First, as shown in FIG. 6, the user sandwiches the first casing 11 of the cellular phone 1 in the closed state between the base of the thumb and the other fingers from the left and right, and the tip of the thumb T from the side opening. Insert inside the hole. A cross section taken along line EE in FIG. 6 is shown in FIG. The tip of the thumb T touches the inclined surface 22 a of the rotating body 22 in the recess 21 and the back (nail) touches the surface of the recess 31.

  From that state, the user inserts the thumb T deeper as shown in FIG. FIG. 9 shows a cross section taken along line FF in FIG. The rotating body 22 is pushed by the belly of the thumb T, rotates to the back side, and comes into contact with the bottom surface (not shown) of the deep portion of the recess 22 to stop. At this time, the second casing 12 is rotated to some extent by receiving a force in a direction away from the first casing 11 by the back of the thumb T.

  Next, the user applies a force in the direction away from the first housing 11 to the second housing 12 with the back of the thumb T, and rotates the second housing 12 greatly. As shown, the second casing 12 is further rotated by applying a force in the direction away from the first casing 11 to the second casing 12 at the side of the thumb T. Thus, the mobile phone 1 is in an open state. In FIG. 10, a circled X mark indicates that a force is applied toward the back side of the sheet.

  As described above, the operation of opening the mobile phone 1 is composed only of natural movements of fingers, and it is easy to change the mobile phone 1 from a folded state with only one hand. Since the edges 21a and 31a of the recesses 21 and 31 are inclined and have a small angle with respect to the side surface, when the tip of the thumb T is inserted from the opening into the hole, the fingertip hits the sharp edge of the opening. Thus, the user does not feel pain and insertion can be performed smoothly. Even in the open state, the recesses 21 and 31 are generally connected to the front and side surfaces of the housings 11 and 12 so that the sharp edges touch the fingers and face so that the user does not feel pain.

  Further, since the recesses 21 and 31 are shaped like a part of an ellipsoid and the edges of the recesses 21 and 31 on the side surfaces are arcuate, the opening formed on the side surface has a minimum size that allows the insertion of the thumb. can do. Moreover, since the rotating body 22 is provided, only a part of the hole can be seen through the opening. Therefore, the aesthetic appearance of the mobile phone 1 is not impaired by providing the recesses 21 and 31 so that the mobile phone 1 can be opened with one hand.

  Needless to say, it is possible to change the cellular phone 1 from the folded state to the opened state using both hands as in the prior art.

  FIG. 11 shows an external appearance of the foldable mobile phone 2 according to the second embodiment in an opened state. This cellular phone 2 is obtained by modifying the cellular phone 1 of the first embodiment and providing a convex portion surrounding the concave portion 31 on the front surface of the second housing 12. Since the other configuration is the same as that of the mobile phone 1, a duplicate description is omitted.

  FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the periphery of the recess 31 (indicated by B in FIG. 11), and FIG. 13 shows a cross section taken along line DD in FIG. A convex part 32 surrounding the concave part 31 is provided on the front surface of the second housing 12. The convex portion 32 is located between the concave portion 31 and the display unit 15 provided on the front surface of the second housing 12. The convex portion 32 has an inclined surface that is further away from the front surface of the second housing 12 as it is farther from the side surface, and is highest at the end near the display portion 15.

  When performing the operations shown in FIGS. 6 to 10 described above, if the thumb T is inserted too deeply into the hole, the thumb T may touch the display unit 15 and dirt may adhere to the display unit 15. Moreover, since the back of the thumb T faces the second housing 12 when inserted into the hole, the display unit 15 may be damaged by the nail of the thumb T.

  However, if the convex portion 32 surrounding the concave portion 31 is provided on the front surface of the second housing 12 as in the case of the foldable mobile phone 2 of the present embodiment, even if the thumb T is inserted too deeply, the thumb T Touches the convex part 32 and does not touch the display part 15 having a height difference from the convex part 32. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the display unit 15 from becoming dirty or damaged.

  Although not shown in the drawing, since the convex portion 32 may touch a finger or a face, it is desirable that the edges and corners of the convex portion 32 are appropriately rounded.

  In each of the above embodiments, the foldable mobile phones 1 and 2 that the user holds with the left hand have been described. However, the concave portions 21 and 31 and the rotating body 22 are provided on the right side when viewed from the front, and the user has the right hand. It is good also as a setting hold | gripped with. Further, the concave portions 21 and 31 and the rotating body 22 may be provided on both the left side portion and the right side portion so as to be held by an arbitrary hand and opened by the hand.

The perspective view which shows the external appearance in the open state of the foldable mobile telephone of 1st Embodiment. The perspective view which shows the site | part located in the vicinity of the thumb among the 1st housing | casings of the said mobile telephone. Sectional drawing in line CC of FIG. The perspective view which shows the periphery of the site | part which opposes the recessed part of a 1st housing | casing in the folded state among the 2nd housing | casing of the said mobile telephone. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 4. The perspective view which shows the initial stage of operation for making the said mobile phone into the open state. Sectional drawing in line EE of FIG. The perspective view which shows the middle step of operation for making the said mobile phone into the open state. Sectional drawing in line FF of FIG. The perspective view which shows the last step of operation for making the said mobile telephone open state. The perspective view which shows the external appearance in the open state of the foldable mobile telephone of 2nd Embodiment. The perspective view which shows the periphery of the recessed part of the 2nd housing | casing of the said mobile telephone. Sectional drawing in line DD of FIG. The perspective view which shows the external appearance in the state which folded the conventional mobile telephone. The perspective view which shows the external appearance in the open state of the conventional mobile telephone. The perspective view which shows the mode at the time of the use hold | gripped by the user's hand of the conventional mobile telephone.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2 Folding type mobile phone 11 1st housing | casing 12 2nd housing | casing 13 Hinge part 14 Key 15 Display part 21 Recessed part 21a Recessed edge part 22 Rotating body 22a Rotating body inclined surface 23 Rotating shaft 24 Leaf spring 31 Recessed part 31a Concave edge 32 Convex part

Claims (4)

The first casing and the second casing, which are substantially equal in size in the left-right direction, extend in the left-right direction that rotatably connects the upper end of the first casing and the lower end of the second casing. A folded state provided with a rotation shaft, wherein the front surface of the first housing and the front surface of the second housing face each other, and an open state where the front surface of the first housing and the front surface of the second housing do not face each other And a folding mobile phone that is used by holding the first housing in the open state, with the first housing and the second housing attached in a direction approaching each other in the folded state. In what has a biasing mechanism
The first housing has a concave portion that reaches the side surface in a portion of the front surface that is near the thumb when in use,
The second housing has a concave portion reaching the side surface at a portion facing the concave portion of the first housing in a folded state of the front surface,
A rotating body having an inclined surface in the recess of the first housing, which can be rotated around a rotation shaft extending in the vertical direction and located near an end far from the side surface, and closer to the back surface as it is closer to the side surface; A foldable mobile phone comprising a biasing member that biases the rotating body forward.   2. The folding type according to claim 1, wherein the edge of the recess of the first housing and the edge of the recess of the second housing are arcuate when viewed from the front and arcuate when viewed from the side. Mobile phone.   The vicinity of the edge of the concave portion of the first housing and the vicinity of the edge of the concave portion of the second housing are inclined surfaces that reduce an angle difference between the front surface and the side surface. The foldable mobile phone described. A display unit is provided on the front surface of the second housing,
The foldable mobile phone according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second casing has a convex portion around the concave portion of the front surface.

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