The invention relates to a cellular phone capable of using an IC card equipped with a memory.
A GSM (group special modem/global system for mobile communication) system is known as one of digital cellular systems for cellular phone. In this GMS system, an IC card (SIM card) is used as a subscriber identity module (SIM). In this case, it is necessary for the cellular phone to be equipped with a small and detachable card holder.
On the other hand, a service for obtaining data from a Web server on the Internet by using a cellular phone has started. In some cases, a memory card is used to store the data obtained and to use the data in other electronic appliance. Also in the cases, it is necessary for the cellular phone to be equipped with a small and detachable card holder.
In order to use both SIM card and memory card on a cellular phone, the cellular phone must be equipped with two card holders for the SIM card and memory card.
To attain the ultimate portability, the cellular phone employs a mounting board as small as possible, whose degree of integration is maximized. However, since the card holder has such a size as to accommodate the IC card, it occupies a quite larger space than that of other parts mounted on the mounting board of the cellular phone.
As mentioned above, in order to mount two card holders on the cellular phone, the two card holders must be mounted on the mounting board. This prevents the mounting board of cellular phone from being downsized.
Thus, hitherto, if attempted to use both SIM card and memory card on the cellular phone, the cellular phone must increase in size, which does not meet the request for reducing the size of cellular phone.
The invention is devised to solve such problems, and it is hence an object thereof to allow two IC cards to be simultaneously mounted without increasing the size of cellular phone.
According to the invention, a cellular phone, which is used fitting a battery pack into a battery fitting portion of the main body of the cellular phone, comprises:
a card connector that is composed of a first slot for inserting a first IC card and a second slot for inserting a second IC card;
wherein the second slot is disposed above the first slot so that the inserting direction of the first IC card into the first slot and the inserting direction of the second IC card into the second slot are mutually in vertical relation.
According to another aspect of the invention, a cellular phone, which is used fitting a battery pack into a battery fitting portion of the main body of the cellular phone, comprises:
a card connector composed of a first slot for inserting a first IC card and a second slot for inserting a second IC card, the second slot being disposed above the first slot so that the inserting direction of the first IC card into the first slot and the inserting direction of the second IC card into the second slot are mutually in vertical relation;
a mounting board on which the card connector is mounted; and
a casing having the battery fitting portion, the mounting board being installed in the casing;
wherein an opening of the first slot of the card connector is disposed on the side of the casing, and
an opening of the second slot of the card connector is disposed on the side of the battery fitting portion.
A preferred embodiment of the invention is described below by referring to the accompanying drawings.
In the card connector 100, the cards inserted in the slot 101 and slot 102 are taken out by slide levers 101a, 102a. The slot 101 is electrically connected to the specified wiring of the mounting board not shown in the drawing by means of leads 101b, and the slot 102 is electrically connected to the specified wiring of the mounting board by means of leads 102b.
In the slot 101, terminals (not shown) for connecting to the leads 101b are disposed at specified positions, when the memory card 120 is inserted into the slot 101, the terminals of the memory card 120 are in contact with and connected to the terminals in the slot 101. As a result, the terminals of the memory card 120 are connected to the specified wiring of the mounting board through the leads 101b from the terminals in the slot 101.
Similarly, in the slot 102, terminals (not shown) for connecting to the leads 102b are disposed at specified positions. When the SIM card 130 is inserted into the slot 102, the terminals of the SIM card 130 are in contact with and connected to the terminals in the slot 102. AS a result, the terminals of the SIM card are connected to the specified wiring of the mounting board through the leads 102b from the terminals in the slot 102.
In
The card connector 100 is installed in the side surface of the cellular phone 200 in the opposite direction of a memory card inlet, with a SIM card inlet disposed in the side surface of the battery fitting portion 210 of the cellular phone 200. Therefore, the SIM card 130 is inserted in the slot 102 from the opening 212, and the memory card 120 is inserted in the slot 101 from the opening 202. The opening 202 for the memory card may be disposed at either side of the cellular phone 200.
On the top of the side surface 211 of the battery fitting portion 210, there is a lock button 220 for fixing the battery pack to be fitted into the battery fitting portion 210. The lock button 220 is interlocked with the slide levers 101a, 102a shown in FIG. 1. When the lock button 220 slides in direction A, the fixed state of the battery pack is released in the battery fitting portion 210, and the slide lever 102a shown in
As described herein, according to the embodiment, fixing and releasing of battery pack, removal of SIM card, and removal of memory card can be done all by the lock button 220 alone.
On the other hand, the memory card 120 inserted in the slot 101 can be ejected freely even when the battery pack 230 is installed. This memory card 120 is removed by sliding the lock button 220 shown in
As shown in
The slide unit 221 has a slip bar 221c wound with a spring 224, and the slip bar 221c penetrates through a guide hole 222a provided in the end face of the slide unit 222. By this mechanism, the slide unit 221 slides back on the slide unit 222.
The slide unit 221 is interlocked with the slide lever 102a shown in
The slide unit 222 has a slip bar 222b extending in direction B in
As described herein, in the embodiment, two slots differing in the inserting direction of two IC cards are overlaid in two stages, and the occupied area in the mounting board of the cellular phone is reduced. Since two slots are different in the inserting direction, the inlet of one slot may be disposed on the side of the battery pack fitting portion of the cellular phone, and the inlet of other slot may be disposed on the side surface of the cellular phone. As a result, the IC card inserted in one slot can be fixed to the cellular phone by fitting the battery pack.
According to the invention as described herein, the first and second slots for inserting IC cards are overlaid in two stages, and the card connector for inserting IC cards in different directions are used, and therefore two IC cards can be used without requiring the mounting area for two IC cards on the mounting board of the cellular phone, and excellent effects are obtained.
Although the invention has been described with respect to specific embodiment for complete and clear disclosure, the appended claims are not to be thus limited but are to be construed as embodying all modification and alternative constructions that may be occurred to one skilled in the art which fairly fall within the basic teaching herein set forth.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2000-061722 | Mar 2000 | JP | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
5586184 | Piper | Dec 1996 | A |
5655918 | Soh | Aug 1997 | A |
5748737 | Daggar | May 1998 | A |
6018669 | Stoegmueller | Jan 2000 | A |
6062887 | Schuster et al. | May 2000 | A |
6189786 | Itou et al. | Feb 2001 | B1 |
6484024 | Darnault et al. | Nov 2002 | B1 |
20020160808 | Uehara et al. | Oct 2002 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
0 715 271 | Nov 1995 | EP |
10-208000 | Aug 1998 | JP |
2000-49917 | Feb 2000 | JP |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20010021657 A1 | Sep 2001 | US |