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Mobile Phone Patent Abstract
A device provided in a mobile phone for notifying the user of the
receiving of a call signal, includes a vibrator having a rotor mounted
in the body of the mobile phone to make a vibration tangibly sensed
by the user when the call signal is received by the mobile phone,
a battery pack detachably attached to the body to supply power to
the mobile phone, and a protrusion formed on the outer surface of
the battery pack at the weight center of the mobile phone. Thus,
the mobile phone placed on a surface is rotated about the protrusion
upon receiving the call signal.
Mobile Phone Patent Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A device for notifying the user of a mobile phone of the reception
of a call signal, comprising: a vibrator mounted in the body of
said mobile phone to make a vibration tangibly sensed by the user
when said call signal is received by said mobile phone; a battery
pack detachably attached to said body to supply power to said mobile
phone; and a protrusion formed on an outer surface of said body
at the weight center of said mobile phone, whereby said mobile phone
is rotated about said protrusion upon receiving said call signal.
2. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein said vibrator is a
coin type.
3. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein said protrusion faces
a support surface when said mobile phone is placed on said surface.
4. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein said protrusion is
spherical.
5. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein said protrusion is
formed integral with said battery pack.
6. A method for notifying the user of a mobile phone of the reception
of a call signal, the mobile phone having a vibrator having a rotor
mounted in the body of said mobile phone to make a vibration tangibly
sensed by the user when said call signal is received by said mobile
phone, a battery pack detachably attached to said body to supply
power to said mobile phone, and a protrusion formed on the outer
surface of said battery pack at the weight center of said mobile
phone, the method of notifying said user of the reception of said
call signal comprising the steps of: causing said vibrator to vibrate
to tangibly or audibly notify said user when said mobile phone is
set to a vibration mode of the reception of a call signal; and making
said mobile phone rotate about said protrusion in response to said
vibration so as to visibly notify said user of the reception of
said call signal.
7. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein the rotational direction
of said mobile phone is the same as that of said rotor.
Mobile Phone Patent Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile phone such as CT-2, PCS,
cellular phone, etc., and more particularly a device for notifying
the user of a mobile phone of the reception of a call signal.
2. Description of the related art
The conventional mobile phone is usually designed to notify the
user of the reception of a call signal in two ways, one of which
is to use a vibrator to make a vibration tangibly sensed, and the
other to use an alarm to generate an alarm sound audibly sensed.
However, when the user does not carry the mobile phone, or it is
placed at a distance such that the user cannot visibly or audibly
perceive the vibration or alarm signal, the mobile phone does not
have any other means to notify the user of the reception of a call
signal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
it is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile phone
with a device for visibly notifying the user of the reception of
a call signal even when the mobile phone set to the vibration mode
is placed at a distance, and method therefore.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a mobile
phone with a device that causes the mobile phone set to the vibration
mode to rotate about the weight center of the mobile phone to visibly
notify the user of the reception of a call signal.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a device provided
in a mobile phone for notifying the user of the reception of a call
signal, comprises a vibrator having a rotor mounted in the body
of the mobile phone to make a vibration tangibly sensed by the user
when the call signal is received by the mobile phone, a battery
pack detachably attached to the body to supply power to the mobile
phone, and a protrusion formed on the outer surface of the battery
pack at the weight center of the mobile phone, whereby the mobile
phone is rotated about the protrusion upon receiving the call signal.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there
is provided a method of notifying the user of the reception of a
call signal in a mobile phone having a vibrator, which comprises
the steps of causing the vibrator to make a vibration tangibly or
audibly sensed by the user when the mobile phone set to the vibration
mode receives a call signal, and making the mobile phone rotate
about a protrusion due to the vibration so as to visibly notify
the user of the reception of the call signal.
The present invention will now be described more specifically with
reference to the drawings attached by way of example.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view for illustrating a mobile phone attached
with a battery pack according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view for illustrating a protrusion
formed on the outer surface of the battery pack according to the
present invention; and
FIGS. 3 and 4 are plan views for illustrating the rotation of the
mobile phone made in the same direction as that of the vibrator's
rotor according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Throughout the attached drawings, similar reference numerals are
used to represent the same or similar functional elements, and there
is omitted detailed description of the parts not directly connected
with the invention in order to clarify its technical concept.
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a battery pack 20 is detachably
attached to the underside of the body 10 of a mobile phone such
as a cellular phone. It may be attached or detached to the body
10 by a locker 30. More specifically, it may be detached from the
body 10 by pulling it in the direction of arrow 2 while pressing
locker 30 in the direction of arrow 1, and attached to the body
10 by pushing it in the opposite direction of arrow 2.
The mobile phone is also provided with a vibrator 40 consisting
of a coin-type or cylinder-type motor having a rotor (not shown).
In the present embodiment, the coin-type motor is preferably used.
The battery pack 20 has a protrusion 201 formed on its outer surface
at the weight center of mobile phone 10. When the mobile phone receives
a call signal in vibration mode, the rotor rotates about its central
axis "B" to make a vibration imparted to the body 10 of
the mobile phone. In this case, if the user carries the mobile phone,
he tangibly senses the vibration. However, if the mobile phone is
placed on a flat surface 70 such as the surface of a desk, the mobile
phone rotates about the central axis "A" of the protrusion
201 according to the vibration, which rotational movement serves
to visibly notify the user of the reception of the call signal from
a distance.
The rotational axes "A" and "B" are perpendicular
to the upper or underside of the mobile phone. The protrusion 201
is preferably formed integral with the casing of the battery pack
20. The shape of the protrusion is preferably spherical to minimize
the frictional resistance to the surface where the mobile phone
is placed. The process of notifying the user of the reception of
a call signal in a mobile phone set to the vibration mode is achieved
in two ways. One method makes the user tangibly or audibly sense
the vibration as the mobile phone is carried by the user or placed
on a flat surface like the flat surface of a table, and the other
method makes the user visibly sense the rotational movement of the
mobile phone caused by the vibration.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, when the mobile phone in vibration
mode is placed on a desk and receives a call signal, the vibration
of the vibrator 40 is transmitted to the body 10 of the mobile phone.
The mobile phone is therefore rotated about the protrusion 201 in
response to the rotation of the rotor provided in the vibrator 40,
and this rotation visibly notifies the user of the call. Namely,
the torque of the rotor is transmitted to the body 10 of the mobile
phone. Accordingly, the mobile phone rotates in the same direction
as that of the rotor, i.e., clockwise or counterclockwise. Of course,
the RPM of the rotor may be selected so as to generate a desirable
frequency for the user.
The inventive device may be applied to any kind of mobile radio
terminal including folder-type, bar-type and flip-type mobile phones,
and a pager. The protrusion providing the mobile phone with a rotational
axis may be formed on the upper surface of the mobile phone at its
weight center instead of the outer surface of the battery pack.
In addition, the rotational direction of the rotor may be made to
alternate between clockwise and counterclockwise.
While the present invention has been described in connection with
specific embodiments accompanied by the attached drawings, it will
be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes
and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the
spirit and scope of the present invention.
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