Moveable housing of a mobile communications device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9979804-B2
Application number	US-201615359522-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2016
Priority date	Feb 5, 2010
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

Mobile communications devices having moveable housings are described. In an implementation, a mobile communications device includes a first housing and a second housing. At least one of the first or second housings are moveable between a first configuration in which the first housing substantially covers the second housing so that an outer surface of the second housing is covered and an outer surface of the first housing is viewable, and a second configuration in which said outer surface of the second housing is exposed and positioned such that said outer surface of the second housing is positioned in a substantially similar plane to that of said outer surface of the first housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile communications device comprising:
a first housing; and
a second housing that includes an indentation and is movably attached to the first housing by a pivot that is located at a fixed position relative to the first and second housings, the mobile communications device being moveable between:
a first configuration in which the first housing substantially covers the second housing so that an outer surface of the second housing is covered and an outer surface of the first housing is viewable; and
a second configuration in which said outer surface of the second housing is exposed and positioned along a plane with the outer surface of the first housing, the mobile communications device being moveable from the first configuration to the second configuration by rotating the first housing about the pivot and fitting the first housing into an indentation in the second housing.

2. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1 , wherein in the first configuration the outer surface of the second housing is positioned along a plane that is different from the plane with the outer surface of the first housing.

3. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1 , wherein the first housing is rotated away from the second housing by ninety degrees prior to fitting into the indentation of the second housing.

4. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1 , wherein a bottom of the first housing contacts the outer surface of the second housing in the first configuration, the bottom of the first housing corresponding to a surface of the first housing opposite the outer surface of the first housing.

5. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1 , wherein the outer surface of the first housing includes a display device.

6. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1 , wherein the outer surface of the first housing includes a display device that is viewable in both the first and second configurations.

7. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1 , wherein the outer surface of the second housing includes a keyboard having a plurality of keys arranged accordingly to a QWERTY configuration.

8. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1 , further comprising one or more modules that are configured to provide telephonic functionality.

9. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1 , further comprising one or more modules that are configured to provide telephonic functionality, wherein the one or more modules are configured to provide telephonic functionality in both the first configuration and in the second configuration.

10. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1 , wherein the outer surface of the second housing includes an input device.

11. A mobile communications device as described in claim 1 , wherein fitting the first housing into the indentation of the second housing is caused by a spring force of the pivot.

12. A method comprising:
orienting a mobile communications device in a first configuration, the mobile communications device including a first housing and a second housing that are moveably connected by a pivot having a fixed location relative to the first and second housings, the first configuration oriented such that an outer surface of the first housing is viewable and an outer surface of the second housing is covered by the first housing;
and
orienting the mobile communications device in a second configuration by rotating at least one of the first housing or the second housing of the mobile communications device about the pivot and fitting the first housing into an indentation of the second housing, the second configuration oriented such that the outer surface of the second housing is exposed and positioned along a plane with the outer surface of the first housing.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein rotating at least one of the first housing or the second housing comprises rotating the housing about the pivot by ninety degrees.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the outer surface of the first housing includes a display device and the display device is viewable in both the first and second configurations.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the outer surface of the first hosing includes a display device, the method further comprising rotating a display of the display device in response to rotating at least one of the first housing or the second housing about the pivot to the second configuration.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the outer surface of the second housing is positioned along a plane that is different from the plane with the outer surface of the first housing.

17. The method of claim 12 , further comprising providing telephonic functionality, by the mobile communications device, in both the first configuration and in the second configuration.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein a bottom of the first housing contacts the outer surface of the second housing in the first configuration, the bottom of the first housing corresponding to a surface of the first housing opposite the outer surface of the first housing.

19. The method of claim 12 , wherein the outer surface of the second housing includes an input device.

20. The method of claim 12 , wherein fitting the first housing into the indentation of the second housing is caused by a spring force of the pivot.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Siddiqui Kabir
• Morris Quintin R

Classifications

• H04M1/0212 Primary

  with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, i.e. folding around a first axis and rotating around a second axis perpendicular to the first · CPC title

• H04M1/0247

  comprising more than two body parts · CPC title

• H04M1/0237

  Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom · CPC title

• H04M1/0208

  characterized by the relative motions of the body parts · CPC title

• H04W88/02

  Terminal devices · CPC title