Nec Corporation

Nec C Orporation

Mika Fujii

Michio Nagai

Masatomo Mizuta

Masaki Shimamura

Kiyoshi Kohayakawa

Kazuo Ohtsuta

Hiroshi Iue

Sumiyo Shiosaka

Mitsuru Sendouda

Kazuo Ootuta

Sachio Hattori

Koji Yamashita

Yukio Hattori

Mitio Nagai

Kiyosi Kohayakawa

A foldable portable information terminal includes an upper unit having a display unit on its one side, a lower unit having operation keys on its one side, and a movable connecting mechanism connecting the upper unit and the lower unit allowing the upper unit to be opened, closed, and freely rotated with respect to a longitudinal direction of the lower unit. The displaying mode of the display unit whose direction varies depending on a position of the upper unit is changed depending on a positional relationship of the upper unit and the lower unit.

Foldable portable information terminal

Portable information terminal equipment having a function to perform the informing process at the time of reception in cooperation with a connecting section driving mechanism as well as a function to enable the open/close movement of the upper and lower units through one-touch operation making use of the connecting section driving mechanism. Depending on informing modes, a motor drive circuit drives a motor under the control of a controller on receipt of a call or a message to apply a driving force to the open/close mechanism of a hinge unit. Thereby, the portable information terminal equipment is folded/unfolded, that is, the posture of the portable information terminal equipment is changed, and a user is informed of the receipt of the call or the message.

Portable information terminal equipment

A portable device includes an upper unit, a lower unit having an operation section on an operation surface, and a movable connecting mechanism which connects the upper unit and the lower unit. The movable connecting mechanism includes a rotating hinge including a rotation axis which is securely and rotatably provided to the lower unit and which protrudes from the operation surface in a direction substantially normal to the operation surface, a projection protruding outward from the rotation axis, and a stopping member provided at a location where the projection comes in contact with the stopping member due to rotation of the rotation axis. The stopping member is movable within a predetermined range of movement due to the projection coming in contact with the stopping member.

Portable information terminal equipment having a function to perform the informing process at the time of reception in cooperation with a connecting section driving mechanism as well as a function to enable the open/close movement of the upper and lower units through one-touch operation making use of the connecting section driving mechanism. Depending on informing modes, a motor drive circuit drives a motor under the control of a controller on receipt of a call or a message to apply a driving force to the open/close mechanism of a hinge unit. Thereby, the portable information terminal equipment is folded/unfolded, that is, the posture of the portable information terminal equipment is changed, and a user is informed of the receipt of the call or the message. Besides, the portable information terminal equipment performs conventional informing processes, such as ringing, light emitting, message or image display and the like, in combination with the open/close or rotative operation.

A portable communication apparatus includes a first unit having at least a display section and a second unit having at least a main operation section, which are coupled by a slide coupling and are freely slidable in a longitudinal direction between a retracted state and an extended state. The first unit and the second unit are urged by an urging member in an extension direction and are releasably locked by a releasable lock mechanism in the retracted state. The locking is released by a predetermined operation. An optical aperture for optical function is provided in one of surfaces of the first and second units that face one another in the retracted state. The optical function section is made operable when the first and second units are positioned in the extended state.

Slide-type portable communication apparatus

A portable communication apparatus includes a main housing having at least a display section and an operation section and a movable housing that is engaged with the main housing slidably in a longitudinal direction between a retracted state and an extended state. The main housing and the movable housing are urged in an extension direction and are releasably locked in the retracted state. A portion of the display section is covered and protected by the movable housing when retracted. An optical aperture for optical function is provided in the main housing and its optical function is made operable when extended.

A foldable type portable information terminal can accurately recognize operation mode in a construction having various of functions and various relative attitudes. The portable information terminal includes the upper unit having the display screen in either of the upper or lower surfaces and the lower unit having the operation surface in either upper or lower surfaces coupled for opening and closing and for pivoting. The portable information terminal has a detector which detects variation of relative attitude of the upper unit and the lower unit, for externally announcing variation of relative attitude of the upper unit and the lower unit as detected by the detector.

Foldable type portable information terminal, condition notifying method used in the same and program therefor

This invention relates to a folding portable information terminal including an upper unit having a display section on one surface, a lower unit having an operating section on one surface, and a movable joining member which openably and pivotally couples the upper and lower units to each other or openably couples the units to each other at one end of each of the units. This portable information terminal includes an upper unit posture detecting unit for detecting opening-closing and/or pivoting operation of the upper unit, an information recording section which records at least one of predetermined voice information, still image information, and moving image information, and an information recording control unit for setting the information recording section in a mode of recording selected predetermined information when the upper unit posture detecting unit detects a shift of the upper unit to a predetermined posture or a shift of the upper unit from a predetermined posture during voice communication or a standby period.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Mika Fujii