|
Mobile Phone Patent Abstract
A flip-cover mobile phone with cover-on talking capability. The
phone has a plurality of buttons on the front surface of the phone
but can be hidden away by the cover. The surface of the phone further
includes a loudspeaker, a microphone, a communication on/off button
and a touch-sensitive screen. Incoming calls can be received simply
by pressing the communication on/off button so that talking is possible
with the cover on. With the addition of a touch-sensitive screen,
the phone may be operated without lifting the flip cover.
Mobile Phone Patent Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A flip-cover mobile phone with cover-on talking capability,
comprising: a phone body having an inner surface and an outer surface;
a plurality of key buttons on the inner surface of the phone body;
a flip cover hinged to the phone body that can covet over the key
buttons, wherein the flip cover has an inner surface and an outer
surface; a loudspeaker on the outer surface of the flip cover; a
microphone on the outer surface of the flip cover; and a communication
on/off button on the outer surface of the flip cover, which can
be activated to receive and terminate a call without lifting up
the flip cover.
2. The flip-cover mobile phone of claim 1, further comprising a
first screen on the inner surface of the flip cover.
3. The flip-cover mobile phone of claim 1, further comprising a
second screen on the outer surface of the flip cover.
4. The flip-cover mobile phone of claim 3, wherein the second screen
includes a touch-sensitive screen.
5. A mobile phone, comprising: a phone body; a plurality of key
buttons on the phone body; a key button cover coupled to the phone
body in a movable manner that can cover and expose the key buttons;
a loudspeaker on an outer surface of the key button cover or a surface
of the phone body; a microphone on an outer surface of the key button
cover or the surface of the phone body; and a communication on/off
button on an outer surface of the key button cover, which can be
activated to receive and terminate a call when the key button cover
covers the key buttons, or on the phone body.
6. The mobile phone of claim 5, wherein the communication on/off
button is positioned on the phone body.
7. The mobile phone of claim 5, wherein the communication on/off
button is positioned on the outer surface of the key button cover.
8. The mobile phone of claim 5, further comprising a first screen
on the phone body.
9. The mobile phone of claim 8, wherein the first screen is positioned
in a location outside the area covered by the key button cover.
10. The mobile phone of claim 5, wherein the first screen includes
a touch-sensitive screen.
11. The mobile phone of claim 5, wherein the key button cover is
coupled to the phone body through a rotation mechanism so tat the
key buttons may be exposed when the key button cover is rotated
away from the phone body.
12. The mobile phone of claim 5, wherein the key button cover is
coupled to the phone body through a sliding mechanism so that the
key buttons are exposed when the key button cover is slid with respect
to the phone body.
13. A mobile phone, comprising: a body; a speaker operatively coupled
to the body; a microphone operatively coupled to the body; a plurality
of keys defined on the body, which are normally used for making
calls; a cover coupled to the body in a movable manner, from a first
position in which the keys are covered, to a second position in
which the keys are exposed, the cover having an outer surface facing
away front the keys; and an on/off key defined on the outer surface
of the cover, which can be activated to receive and terminate a
call when the cover is in the first position.
14. The mobile phone as in claim 13, wherein the on/off key comprises
a button positioned on the outer surface of the cover.
15. The mobile phone as in claim 13, wherein the on/off key comprises
an icon defined on a touch screen positioned on the outer surface
of the cover.
16. The mobile phone as in claim 13, wherein the microphone is
operatively coupled to the body via the cover, and wherein the microphone
is on the outer surface of the cover.
17. The mobile phone as in claim 13, wherein the speaker is operatively
coupled to the body via the cover, wherein the speaker is on the
outer surface of the cover.
18. The mobile phone as in claim 13, wherein the cover is coupled
to the body by a hinge such that the keys can be exposed by rotating
the cover away from the keys.
19. The mobile phone as in claim 13, wherein the cover is coupled
to the body by a sliding mechanism such that the keys can be exposed
by sliding the cover relative to the body.
Mobile Phone Patent Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application
serial no. 91215508, filed on Oct. 1, 2002.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a flip-cover mobile phone. More
particularly, the present invention relates to a flip-cover mobile
phone capable of receiving incoming calls and being operated without
lifting up the cover.
2. Description of Related Art
As electronic technology rapidly progresses, mobile phones have
become a fast and convenient communication tool to transfer information
between people. At present, one common type of mobile telephone
has a cover that can flip over to cover the buttons on the phone
body. FIGS. 1A and 1B are front views of a conventional flip-cover
mobile phone, one having the cover lifted up and the other having
the cover flipped back over the main body. As shown in FIGS. 1A
and 1B, the flip-cover mobile phone 100 mainly includes a phone
body 110 and a flip cover 120. The flip cover 120 is, for example,
hinged to the phone body 110 so that the cover 120 may flip over
the main body 110 or lift up for normal operation. In general, the
flip cover 120 includes a main screen 122, a sub-screen 124 and
a loudspeaker 126. The main screen 122 and the loudspeaker 126 are
placed on the inner surface of the flip cover 120 while the sub-screen
124 is placed on the outer surface of the cover 120. In addition,
the phone body 110 normally has a microphone 112 and a plurality
of press buttons 114.
Note that the cover of the flip-cover phone 100 is normally flipped
back onto the main body 110 in the standby mode. Therefore, the
user must hold the phone in the palm of the hand and lift open the
cover before talking on receiving a call. Similarly, the cover 120
must be lifted up to expose the buttons 114 on the main body 110
if the user wants to make a call. Obviously, this is a big inconvenience
to the user especially when the user is, say, driving a car. The
distraction of lifting up the cover 120 on hearing a phone call
may cause accidents.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide
a flip-cover phone with cover-on talking capability so that a user
may receive a phone call or operate the phone without lifting up
the cover. Ultimately, the phone is more convenient to use and provides
less distraction especially while driving a car.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the
purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein,
the invention provides a mobile phone with cover-on talking capability.
The flip-cover phone mainly includes a phone body and a flip cover.
The phone body has an inner surface and an outer surface. The inner
surface of the phone body has a plurality of keying buttons thereon.
Similarly, the flip cover also has an inner surface and an outer
surface. The flip cover is hinged to the phone body so that the
keying buttons on the inner surface of the phone body can be covered.
The outer surface of the flip cover may include a loudspeaker, a
microphone and a communication on/off button. In addition, the inner
surface of the flip cover may include a first screen and the outer
surface of the flip cover may include a second screen. The second
screen can be a touch-sensitive screen.
This invention also provides a mobile phone with cover-on talking
capability. The mobile phone mainly includes a phone body and a
key button cover. The phone body has a plurality of keying buttons.
The key button cover is engaged to the phone body through a rotating
or sliding mechanism so that the buttons may be hidden behind the
cover. A communication on/off button, a loudspeaker and a microphone
may be positioned on the surface of the key button cover or the
phone body. In addition, the phone body may include a screen within
the area covered by the key button cover. The screen can be a touch-sensitive
screen.
In this embodiment, a user may press the communication on/off button
when the phone rings. Voice signals from the talking terminal will
be re-directed to the loudspeaker as soon as the communication on/off
button is pressed. In the meantime, the microphone will be activated
so that the voice signal from the microphone is transmitted to the
talking terminal through a voice processor. Hence, talking may begin
without lifting up the flip cover.
If the user needs to operate the mobile phone without lifting the
flip cover, one may do so through the touch sensitive screen and
execute those instructions by pressing the communication on/off
button.
The communication on/off button may even be eliminated if the on/off
button is functionally integrated with the touch sensitive screen.
Hence, the phone may start to execute the key-in instructions once
a region on the touch sensitive screen is touched.
Furthermore, if the user just wants a mobile phone with cover-on
talking capability and has no regards for cover-on operating capability,
the communication on/off button may be retained and a normal screen
instead of a touch sensitive screen may be used to lower production
cost.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description
and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended
to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding
of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part
of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the
invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the
principles of the invention. In the drawings,
FIGS. 1A and 1B are front views of a conventional flip-cover mobile
phone, one having the cover lifted up and the other having the cover
flipped back over the main body;
FIGS. 2A and 2B are front views of a flip-cover mobile phone according
to one preferred embodiment of this invention, one having the cover
lifted up and the other having the cover flipped back over the main
body;
FIG. 2C is a flow chart showing the steps for talking to the cover-on
talking flip-cover mobile phone according to this invention;
FIG. 2D is a flow chart showing the steps for operating the cover-on
talking flip-cover mobile phone according to this invention;
FIG. 3A is a front view of a flip-cover mobile phone according
to another embodiment of this invention; and
FIG. 3B is a front view of a flip-cover mobile phone according
to yet another embodiment of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments
of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying
drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used
in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like
parts.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are front views of a flip-cover mobile phone according
to one preferred embodiment of this invention, one having the cover
lifted up and the other having the cover flipped back over the main
body. In this embodiment, the flip-cover mobile phone 200 mainly
includes a phone body 210 and a flip cover 220. The phone body 210
has an inner surface 212 and an outer surface 214. The flip cover
220 also has an inner surface 222 and an outer surface 224. The
flip cover 220 is hinged onto the phone body 210 so that the cover
220 is free to flip open or close. The cover 220 also has a screen
226 (main screen) and a loudspeaker 230 on the inner surface 222
and another screen 228 (a sub-screen) on the outer surface 224.
The inner surface 212 of the phone body 210 has a microphone 216
and a plurality of buttons 218 thereon. Since the cover 220 is hinged
to the phone body 210, the inner surface 222 of the cover 220 is
able to touch the inner surface 212 of the phone body 210. Hence,
the buttons 218 on the inner surface 212 can be hidden inside the
mobile phone 220.
Note that the outer surface 224 of the cover 220 may further include
a loudspeaker 232, a microphone 234 and a communication on/off button
236. Furthermore, the loudspeaker 232 and the microphone 234 may
function interchangeably with the aforementioned loudspeaker 230
and the microphone 216.
FIG. 2C is a flow chart showing the steps for talking to the cover-on
talking flip-cover mobile phone according to this invention. As
shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, in the standby mode (with the cover over
the phone body), the communication on/off button 236 on the flip
cover 220 is checked to see if it is pressed when the phone 200
rings. If no one presses the communication on/off button 236, the
ringing continues. Otherwise, if the communication on/off button
236 is pressed, the talking terminal picks up audio signals from
the caller so that the communication on/off button 236 is switched
to the loudspeaker 232. In the meantime, the microphone 234 on the
cover 220 is triggered so that the voice signals received by the
microphone 234 are transmitted to an audio processor. After processing,
the voice signal is sent to the talking terminal, thereby fulfilling
cover-on phone receiving. After the talking is over, the communication
on/off button 236 is again pushed to return the phone to the standby
mode. In other words, one press of the communication on/off button
236 enables a user to receive an incoming call and another press
on the on/off button 236 to end a talking session. Hence, the user
is free from too much distraction, especially when driving a car.
In addition, the screen 224 on the outer surface 224 of the flip
cover 220 can be a touch sensitive screen. The touch screen is an
information exchange interface tool having a variety of specially
designed icons for selection. When one of the icons is selected
through touching the screen, another picture may appear on the screen
so that the required information is displayed. Hence, by using touch-screen
technologies, a user may operate the mobile phone without flipping
open the cover.
FIG. 2D is a flow chart showing the steps for operating the cover-on
talking flip-cover mobile phone according to this invention. As
shown in FIGS. 2B and 2D, in the standby mode (without lifting the
cover), the touch screen is used as an interface with the phone.
For example, the touch screen can be used to find data or dial a
telephone number. An instruction, which is a confirmation instruction,
is executed when the communication on/off button 236 is pressed.
Using phone dialing as an operating example, a finger may be used
to touch one of the items on a preset phone book so that the required
data is recalled. If the recalled data matches the desired dial-up
number, the communication on/off button 236 is pressed to dial up
the number. In other words, the mobile phone may operate with the
cover on the phone body. However, if the recalled data is not the
correct number, the touch screen may be triggered by touch to scroll
down and display more data so that the user may be able to find
a matching number.
Furthermore, the communication on/off button 236 may be functionally
integrated with the touch screen so that the communication on/off
button 236 is physically removed from the phone. In this case, a
confirmation icon may appear on the touch screen. Once the desired
dialing number is found, the dialing instruction is executed by
dialing the number with a single touch of the confirmation button.
Hence, cover-on operation of the mobile phone is attained.
In some situations such as driving, a user needs to receive phone
calls much more frequently than dialing. If this is the case, some
cost for producing the phone 200 may be saved by retaining the communication
on/off button 236 while replacing the touch screen with an ordinary
screen.
FIG. 3A is a front view of a flip-cover mobile phone according
to another embodiment of this invention. The flip-cover phone 300
in FIG. 3A has a phone body 310 and a key button cover 320. The
phone body 310 has a plurality of buttons 312 thereon. The key button
cover 320 is hinged onto the phone body 310 so that the buttons
312 may be covered. The key button cover 320 has an inner surface
322 and an outer surface 324. The key button cover 320 may connect
with the phone body 310 through a rotating mechanism. Through rotation,
the inner surface 322 of the key button cover 320 may fit snugly
over the phone body 310 so that the buttons 312 are hidden behind
the cover 320. Conversely, the buttons 312 can be exposed through
rotation.
Note that the communication on/off button 316 may be installed
on the phone body 310 or on the outer surface 324 of the key button
cover 320. In this embodiment, the communication on/off button is
installed on the phone body 310. In addition, a loudspeaker 317
and a microphone 318 may also be installed on the key button cover
320 or the phone body 310 as well. In this embodiment, the loudspeaker
317 and the microphone 318 are installed on the phone body 310.
The phone body 310 further includes a screen 314. The screen 314
is positioned within the area covered by the key button cover 320.
The screen 314 can be a touch-sensitive screen and the communication
on/off button 316 can be disposed of by functionally integrating
it with the touch screen.
FIG. 3B is a front view of a flip-cover mobile phone according
to yet another embodiment of this invention. The flip-cover phone
400 in FIG. 3B has a phone body 410 and a key button cover 420.
The phone body 410 has a plurality of key buttons 412 thereon. The
key button cover 420 is hinged onto the phone body 410 capable of
covering up the key buttons 412. The key button cover 420 has an
inner surface 422 and an outer surface 424. The key button cover
420 connects with the phone body 410 through a sliding mechanism.
Through sliding, the inner surface 422 of the key button cover 420
may snugly fit over the phone body 410 so that the buttons 412 are
hidden behind the cover 420. Conversely, the buttons 412 can be
exposed through sliding.
Note that the communication on/off button 426 may be installed
on the phone body 410 or on the key button cover 420. In this embodiment,
the communication on/off button 426 is installed on the outer surface
424 of the key button cover 420. In addition, a loudspeaker 416
and a microphone 428 may also be installed on the key button cover
420 or the phone body 410 as well. In this embodiment, the loudspeaker
416 is installed on the phone body 410 while the microphone 428
is installed on the outer surface 424 of the key button cover 420.
The phone body 410 further includes a screen 414. The screen 414
is positioned within the area covered by the key button cover 420.
The screen 414 can be a touch-sensitive screen and the communication
on/off button 426 can be disposed of by functionally integrating
it with the touch screen.
In conclusion, major advantages of this invention include:
1. Through a communication on/off button on the surface of a mobile
phone, a flip-cover phone may receive incoming calls without having
to flip open the cover.
2. By installing a touch sensitive screen on the front surface
of a flip-cover mobile phone, the mobile phone can be manipulated
to perform all the necessary operations without having to flip open
the cover.
3. The cover-on phone according to this invention can be used in
any mobile phone with hidden buttons and hence can be deployed in
a significant section of the mobile phone market.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications
and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention
without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In
view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention
cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they
fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
|