Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Minoru Makino

Kimiaki Imai

Yuta Saito

The mobile terminal includes the rotary housing and the rotation support mechanism for supporting the rotary housing so as to rotate between the vertical position and the horizontal position. The rotation support mechanism includes a guide plate. A first slide pin and a second slide pin sliding relative to the guide plate upon rotation of the rotary housing are connected to the rotary housing. A guide hole for restricting sliding of the first slide pin is formed in the guide plate. The second slide pin and a rotary shaft provided in the guide plate are connected together through a linking member.

Mobile terminal

A folding mobile phone (folding portable communications device) includes a first housing including a liquid crystal display part (display part) provided at a surface thereof, a second housing including an operating part provided at a surface thereof, and a hinge connecting the first and second housings to allow the first and second housings to be freely opened and closed in their folded form. A cam mechanism (support mechanism) supports the liquid crystal display part switchably between a vertical position and a horizontal position and to allow the liquid crystal display part to turn both clockwise and counterclockwise as viewed from the front.

Folding portable communications device

A folding cellular phone includes a hinge for connecting a first housing and a second housing having an operation part in a pivotable manner to open/close the folding cellular phone. A liquid crystal display part is supported on the first housing by a support mechanism such that the orientation of the liquid crystal display part is changeable between portrait and landscape. The folding cellular phone further includes a rod-shaped restriction member (an open/close restriction means) which is operated together with the support mechanism and the hinge such that the movement of the first and second housings is restricted so as not to reduce the angle formed between the first and second housings less than the predetermined angle (e.g., 120&#xb0;).

Folding cellular phone

A folding cellular phone includes a first housing provided with a liquid crystal display part on the surface thereof, a second housing including an operation part formed on the surface thereof and a hinge for connecting the first housing and the second housing in a pivotable manner to open/close the folding cellular phone. The liquid crystal display part is supported on the first housing by a support mechanism such that the orientation of the liquid crystal display part is changeable between portrait and landscape. The support mechanism is configured to support and guide the liquid crystal display part such that a bottom corner of the liquid crystal display part moves along the hinge when the orientation of the liquid crystal display part is changed between portrait and landscape.

Growing community of inventors

Hiroshima, Japan

Minoru Makino