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Mobile Phone Patent Abstract
The invention relates to a card reading configuration in a mobile
phone, comprising a space in the housing (1) for the SIM card (8),
the space being covered by the battery unit. The walls (2) defining
the space laterally are provided with grooves (6), which serve to
guide the card (8) into position and to position it in other directions
than the longitudinal direction (A). The configuration is such that
it requires the battery unit to be pushed in the longitudinal direction
(A) at the end of its insertion, the stopper in the battery unit
thus pressing the card against the stop (15), which positions the
card in the longitudinal direction. The battery unit also keeps
the card pressed against the contacts placed below the card.
Mobile Phone Patent Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A card reading configuration in a mobile phone, comprising a
space for the card in the housing, the space being covered by the
battery unit as it is put into position, and being laterally defined
by the side walls of the housing, and provided with contacts joining
matching contact areas in the card with the card in position, characterized
in that it comprises:
guide grooves in the side walls of the space, which the edges of
the card engage as the card is being inserted, and serving to position
the card laterally and to stop the card essentially totally from
moving in any other direction than the longitudinal direction of
the card and the housing;
a stop in the housing, which serves to position the card and to
limit its movement in the said longitudinal direction as the card
is being inserted;
matching guide members in the battery unit and in the housing,
which require the battery unit to be pushed in the said longitudinal
direction at the end of its insertion;
a first stopper of the battery unit; which at the end of the insertion
of the battery unit presses against the rear edge of the card relative
to the pushing direction, thus forcing the card into the location
determined by the guide grooves and the stop, with the battery unit
in position; and
a second stopper of the battery unit, which presses against the
card and keeps it pressed against the contacts when the battery
unit is in position .
Mobile Phone Patent Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a card reading configuration in a mobile
phone, more specifically to a card reading configuration for reading
a subscriber card of the size of a credit card in a bakery-driven
small-sized mobile phone.
For the operation of the phone, some mobile phone systems require
an information card, "SIM card", which is inserted in
its reading unit for subscriber identification, among other functions
the basic SIM card is a card complying with ISO 7816 standard, which
is of the size of an ordinary credit card, i.e, with a width of
c. 54 mm and a length of c. 84 mm.
Recent developments in mobile phone systems allow subscribers to
increasingly use very small battery-driven handsets, "pocket
phones", with a typical size of 60.times.170.times.25 mm. This
kind of phones have in fact become extremely popular. A conventional
card reading arrangement is obviously not adequate for reading an
ISO standard card in such a small mobile phone, the conventional
design being a casing surrounding the card on all sides except for
the insertion opening, and provided with contacts for card reading
and a connection to the electronics that carry out the actual reading.
The present situation calls for solutions enabling the space required
for the card reader in a mobile phone to be reduced to a minimum
size.
The applicant's former EP patent application 522 762 discloses
a configuration, illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which the card
space and the contacts required for reading the card are disposed
such that the battery unit acts as a cover fitting over the space.
The objective of the present invention is to further improve this
set-up so as to provide a reliable card reading configuration which
is easy to operate and requires a minimum of space.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect, the present invention provides a mobile phone comprising:
a housing having a space for receiving a card;
a battery unit slidably engageable with the housing to close off
the space;
the battery unit including a first stopper for bearing against
a rear edge of the card during sliding engagement with the housing,
whereby to positively locate the card.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a mobile phone
comprising:
a housing having an information card space which is defined by
a support surface and side walls, the side walls including formations
for entraining opposed edges of an information card during sliding
movement along the support surface;
a contact provided in the information card space by which information
can be read from an information card; and
a battery unit co-operable with the housing to cover the information
card space, the battery unit including a stopper to positively locate
an information card in the space.
In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a card reading
configuration in a mobile phone, comprising a space for the card
in the housing, the space being covered by the battery unit as it
is put into position, and being laterally defined by the side walls
of the housing, and provided with contacts joining matching contact
areas in the card with the card in position, characterized in that
it comprises:
guide grooves in the side walls of the space, which the edges of
the card engage as the card is being inserted, and serving to position
the card laterally and to stop the card essentially totally from
moving in any other direction than the longitudinal direction of
the card and the housing;
a stop in the housing, which serves to position the card and to
limit its movement in the said longitudinal direction as the card
is being inserted;
matching guide members in the battery unit and in the housing,
which require the battery unit to be pushed in the said longitudinal
direction at the end of its insertion;
a first stopper of the battery unit, which at the end of the insertion
of the battery unit presses against the rear edge of the card relative
to the pushing direction, thus forcing the card into the location
determined by the guide grooves and the stop; with the battery unit
in position; and
a second stopper of the battery unit, which presses against the
card and keeps is pressed against the contacts when the battery
unit is in position .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention will be described in further detail
below, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the mobile phone housing,
implementing one embodiment of the card reading configuration of
the invention,
FIG. 2 is a similar view of the mobile phone housing illustrated
in FIG. 1, with the card inserted approximately in position,
FIG. 3 is a similar view illustrating the battery unit being put
into position in the mobile phone housing, with the card approximately
positioned as illustrated in FIG. 2,
FIG. 4 is a similar view of a mobile phone with the battery unit
in position and with the card enclosed in the mobile phone; and
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a longitudinal section of a mobile
phone, with the SIM card in place in the embodiment of the card
reading configuration of the invention illustrated here.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1 to 4 are schematic views of the card reading configuration
and its operation in a mobile phone according to the invention.
The Figures show the parts of the mobile phone alone that are necessary
for illustrating the invention. The mobile phone housing 1 is provided
with a space 11 for the SIM card 8 to be covered by the battery
unit 9, the space being laterally defined by the side walls 2 of
the housing 1 and the transverse wall 15, and having a plane surface
3, onto which the card is placed. The plane surface has an opening
for a connector 4, which is provided with contacts 5, which, with
the card in position, will join corresponding contact areas in the
card, not illustrated in the Figures. The side walls 2 are provided
with guide grooves 6, defined by the plane surface 3 on one side,
the card edges 8 engaging these grooves as the card is being inserted
into position in the longitudinal direction of the mobile phone
and the card, indicated by arrow A in FIG. 2. The guide grooves
6 serve to position the card in the lateral direction, and to stop
it essentially totally from moving in any other direction than the
longitudinal one.
The battery unit 9 has a design such that, while being fitted into
position, it has eventually to be pushed in the longitudinal direction
indicated by arrow A, as illustrated in FIG. 3. In The embodiment
illustrated by FIGS. 1 to 4, the rear end of the battery unit 9
relative to the pushing direction is provided with guides 10 engaging
the guide grooves 6 over a distance not occupied by the card. In
addition, the battery unit 9 is provided with means which, as the
card is being inserted, will press against its rear edge relative
to the direction of insertion of the card 8, and thus will press
the card 8 into the correct position; with the front end of the
card facing a stop in the housing 1.
As illustrated by the Figures, in this embodiment the stop consists
of the wall 15 of the compartment 11 placed in the front end relative
to the insertion direction A. The rear end of the battery unit 9
may be provided with a shoulder 12 acting as a stopper means, for
instance as illustrated in FIG. 5, and this shoulder may cover the
entire width of the battery unit 9, and may be joined by the front
ends of the guides 10. The longitudinal section shown in FIG. 6
also shows schematically a circuit card within the housing 1, with
a connector 4 connected to the circuit card, and also matching locking
means 7 and 14 in the housing and in the battery unit, by means
of which the battery unit is locked to the housing when pushed into
position. In the embodiment described here, the housing 1 is equipped
with a locking tongue 7, which engages a matching recess 14 in the
battery unit. The battery unit 9 being in position, its lower surface
16 will keep the card 8 pressed against the contacts 5.
The following advantages are achieved with the described embodiment
of the invention: an economic design easy to use, which does not
require extra parts and no moving mechanical parts at all for the
reader; a card reader configuration that requires a minimum space
in the mobile phone; a configuration ensuring correct positioning
of the card, even if the user does not insert it with proper care,
and after insertion, firm retention of the card.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a battery
unit design, which involves pushing in the longitudinal direction
at the end of insertion, can be implemented in various ways, and
is not confined to the guide arrangement of this embodiment. Similarly,
the stop in the housing limiting the movement of the card and the
stopper means in the battery unit may also vary in many ways within
the scope of the invention. |