Patent Application
20070204431
The present invention relates to a portable electronic device including a mobile telecommunications device such as a mobile phone or PDA, having at least two sections which are slidable relative to one another.
Portable electronic devices such as mobile phones are currently available in a variety of shapes and configurations. For example, some have all operating keys and a screen on their outside surfaces, where as other devices, such as ‘flip’ phones, comprise two sections hinged together at one end and may have the operating keys and/or screen provided on adjacent faces of the or each section such that when the sections are pivoted to lie against one another in a closed position, the screen and/or operating keys are hidden from view. This has the aesthetic advantage of giving the device a sleek, uncluttered look, but also has the practical advantage that these delicate components are protected when the device is not in use, for example, when being carried in a user's pocket or handbag. It also prevents the operating keys from being activated inadvertently, and the device may also be configured to switch off in the closed position, and switch on in the open position.
Another configuration of device that has the above aesthetic and functional advantages is of the sliding-type, which has two sections slidably connected together so that one section can slide relative to the other section between an operative (open) position and a storage (closed) position. In such a device, the screen and/or operating keys may be provided on one or both adjacent faces of the or each section so that they are exposed when the sections are slid apart in the operative position, and are concealed and protected when the sections are slid together in the storage position.
Such known sliding devices can suffer a number of drawbacks with regard to the mechanisms which control the sliding movement of the two sections. Firstly, conventional sliding mechanisms take up a lot of space within the device, meaning that the device must be a certain minimum size resulting in the device looking bulky. In addition, known sliding mechanisms that bias sections into either an open or closed position incorporate a torsion spring which requires free space within the device to accommodate the spring and allow for its range of movement in the sliding direction. This further adds to the size and bulk of the device.
A second problem associated with sliding mechanisms is that it can be difficult to eliminate slack between the two sliding sections when in the storage and operative positions. In other words, once the two sections have been slid into the storage or operative positions, they are not held firmly but can wobble and are loose. This is detrimental as it causes wear of the sliding mechanism and also gives the impression that the device lacks quality of manufacture. However, it is difficult to eliminate this slack because, with the increasing miniaturisation of technology, the space available within the device to accommodate a spring is small and so devices can only include correspondingly small springs. Such small springs are usually made of a thin material and are weak, so the retaining force produced is also very weak.
Furthermore, conventional sliding mechanisms do not have the advantage that the force with which the device slides open and closed can be easily selected at manufacture by a simple alteration of the properties of the mechanism components. Known mechanisms are configured to work in a single manner and cannot be designed to have different opening and closing characteristics.
A further problem in prior art sliding devices is that the sliding motion always has defined stop points at extremes of the range of sliding motion at which the two sections are held and prevented from sliding, but such stop points are not able to be designed to occur intermediate the extremes of the sliding range.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a portable device that substantially alleviates or overcomes the problems mentioned above.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a portable electronic device including a housing comprising two sections slidable relative to each other, a slide control mechanism between the two sections comprising a cam member having a cam surface and, a cam follower including a biasing member to bias the cam follower against the cam surface, the cam surface having a profile which is configured such that the biasing force provided by the biasing member causes the cam follower to travel along the cam surface to bias one section relative to the other section into a stable position, the biasing member comprising at least one spring element, the or each spring element configured to exert a force substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the two sections relative to each other.
The or each spring element may be a coil spring having a longitudinal axis, and the or each coil spring may be compressible in an axial direction to generate a biasing force to bias the cam follower against the cam surface. Two coil springs may be provided having their longitudinal axes parallel to each other, and the axial direction may be substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the two sections relative to each other. The force exerted by the or each spring my be exerted in a linear direction.
The profiled cam surface may include a first part angled such that the first section is biased relative to the other section into a first stable position and, a second part angled such that the first section is biased relative to the other section into a second stable position, the first section moving in opposite directions into said first and second stable positions, respectively. The first and second parts may be linear.
The profiled cam surface may configured such that the first section can be positioned relative to the other section in a third stable position intermediate the first and second stable positions, and the profiled cam surface may include a third and fourth part intermediate the first and second parts, angled such that the first section is biased relative to the other section into the third stable position, the first section moving in an opposite direction relative to the other section into said third stable position from the third and fourth parts, respectively. The third and fourth parts may also be linear.
The first and second stable positions may be defined by a stop formed at each end of the profiled cam surface to prevent movement of the sections relative to each other beyond the stop, and the profile of the cam surface may include a notch which is engaged by the cam follower when it reaches the stop.
The cam surface may include a notch at the first, second and third stable positions which is engaged by the cam follower when it reaches the first, second and third stable positions.
The cam follower may comprise at least one wheel rotatably mounted on a carrier, and the carrier may be slidably held in a mounting and moveable in a linear direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the two sections relative to each other.
At least one support wheel may be provided on the opposite side of the cam member from the cam follower, which contacts the cam member to prevent lateral movement of the first section relative to the other section and, the at least one support wheel may comprise a bearing mounted on a lug protruding from one of the sections. Two or more support wheels may be provided.
The cam member may be attached to one section, or the cam member may be formed integrally with one section.
The cam follower may include a pivotal member secured proximate one end to one section, and with the opposite end in contact with the cam surface.
The present invention also provides a mobile telecommunications device including a housing comprising two sections slidable relative to each other, a slide control mechanism between the two sections comprising a cam member having a cam surface and, a cam follower including a biasing member to bias the cam follower against the cam surface, the cam surface having a profile which is configured such that the biasing force provided by the biasing member causes the cam follower to travel along the cam surface to bias one section relative to the other section into a stable position, the biasing member comprising at least one spring element, the or each spring element configured to exert a force substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the two sections relative to each other.
The present invention further provides a portable electronic device including a housing comprising two sections slidable relative to each other, a slide control mechanism between the two sections comprising a cam rail having a profiled cam surface and, a cam follower comprising a cam wheel rotatably mounted on a sliding carrier, at least one coil spring having a longitudinal axis, to bias the cam wheel against the cam surface, the cam surface having a profile which is configured such that the biasing force provided by the or each coil spring causes the cam wheel to travel along the cam surface to bias one section relative to the other section into a stable position, the or each coil spring being compressible in an axial direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of relative sliding movement of the two sections and configured to exert a force in a linear direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of relative sliding movement of the two sections.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to
In order to alleviate the problems discussed above with current sliding-type portable electronic devices, an exemplary embodiment 10 of the invention is shown in
Referring to
The cam surface 22 is configured with two oppositely sloping faces 23, 24 which meet at an apex 21a of the cam member 21 intermediate the distal ends of the cam member 21, and slope away from each other from that point. The cam surface 21 also includes stop portions 25, 26 at the remote ends of each sloping face 23, 24 respectively. A recess or rounded notch 27, 28 is formed at each stop 25, 26 at the remote end of each sloping face 23, 24 of the cam surface 22.
The upper section 14 includes two guide wheels 50 located on the opposite side of the cam member 21 to the cam surface 22. The side of the cam member 21 adjacent the guide wheels 50 is straight and aligned in the direction of relative sliding movement of the upper and lower sections 14, 16. The guide wheels 50 are low friction micro bearings mounted on lugs 52 protruding from the inner surface of the upper section 14, and are positioned such that they contact the straight side of the cam member 21. The guide wheels 50 are freely rotatable but are unable to move laterally relative to the cam rail 22.
The operation of the first exemplary embodiment of the portable electronic device of the invention will now be described.
When the portable electronic device 10 is in the closed, storage position, the cam follower 30 is positioned adjacent one end of the cam surface 22 such that the wheel 38 is located in the notch 27 at that end (see
Once the user has slid the upper and lower sections 14, 16 apart from the storage position towards the operative position, the wheel 38 is positioned on the adjacent sloping face 23 of the cam surface 22 (see
As the user continues to push the upper and lower sections 14, 16 towards the operative position, they must push against the force of the cam follower 30 acting against the sloping surface 23 of the cam surface 22, which results in the wheel 38 on the carrier 32 rolling up the sloping surface 23, thereby further compressing the coil springs 40, until the wheel 38 reaches the apex 21a of the cam member 21 where the two sloping faces 23, 24 meet. Beyond this point, the wheel 38 of the cam follower 30 is positioned on the other sloping face 24 of the cam surface 22 (see
In the operative position, the wheel 38 locates in the other notch 28 (see
It will be appreciated from the above description that the slide control mechanism 20 of the exemplary embodiment of the invention is relatively small compared to the size of the portable electronic device 10 and so it doesn't take up much space inside the device. Furthermore, the notches 27, 28 trap the wheel 38 to prevent mechanical play in the mechanism in the sliding direction when in the operative and storage positions and, the guide wheels 50 acting on the cam member 21 on the opposite side thereof to the cam follower 30 prevent mechanical play in the lateral direction throughout the range of sliding movement of the device. The notches 27, 28 also cause the wheel 38 to ‘click’ into the first or second stables positions when the device is in the storage or operative position, which gives a tactile indication to the user that the device has reached and is engaged in each position.
In addition to the above, the construction of the cam follower 30 with the coil compression springs 40 and sliding carrier 32 allows the relatively small mechanism 20 to exert a much stronger biasing force on the upper and lower sections 14, 16 than can be achieved with previously known mechanisms.
A further feature of the slide control mechanism 20 is that the force with which the upper and lower sections 14, 16 are biased to the storage/operative position can be selected according to the design of the cam surface 22. For example, if the mechanism 20 is designed to have steeper sloping faces 23, 24, then the force vector acting on the wheel 38 in the sliding direction of the two sections 14,16 relative to each other will be greater, and so the upper and lower sections 14, 16 will be biased to the storage/operative position with a greater force. Conversely, if the mechanism 20 is designed to have shallower sloping faces 23, 24, then the force vector acting on the wheel 38 in the sliding direction of the two sections relative to each other will be less, and so the upper and lower sections 14, 16 will be biased to the storage/operative position with a weaker force.
A slide control mechanism 220 of a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown schematically in
A recess or rounded notch 227, 228 is formed at each stop 225, 226 at the remote end of each sloping face 223, 224 of the cam surface 222. However, the two sloping faces 223, 224 do not meet at a single apex of the cam member 221. Instead, the ends of each sloping face 223, 224 remote from the distal ends of the cam member 221 reach separate apexes 221a of the cam member 221, and meet an end of two further sloping faces 241, 242 intermediate the two apexes 221a of the cam member 221, respectively. The further sloping faces 241, 242 slope away from the first and second faces 223, 224 respectively, towards an intermediate, third stable position. The third stable position is defined by a third notch 243.
The second exemplary embodiment of the portable electronic device of the invention comprises upper and lower sections as with the first exemplary embodiment described above. It will be appreciated that, in use, if the cam follower 230 is positioned on the first sloping face 223, the upper and lower sections will be biased relative to each other into the first stable position such that the cam wheel 238 moves towards and locates in the first notch 227. Similarly, if the cam follower 230 is positioned on the second sloping face 224, the upper and lower sections will be biased relative to each other into the second stable position such that the cam wheel 238 moves towards and locates in the second notch 228. However, if the cam follower 230 is positioned between the two apexes 221a of the cam member 21 on either of the further sloping faces 241, 242, the upper and lower sections will be biased relative to each other into the third stable position such that the cam wheel 238 moves towards and locates in the third notch (see
The above-described second slide control mechanism 220 allows the portable electronic device of a second exemplary embodiment of the invention to slide from a storage position, to two different and opposite operative positions. In this embodiment, the device is in the storage position in the third stable position, intermediate the first and second stable positions. From there, a user can slide the upper and lower sections relative to each other in a first direction until the cam wheel 238 locates in the first notch 237 in the first stable position. This corresponds to a first operative position. Alternatively, a user may slide the upper and lower sections relative to each other in the opposite direction (see
The slides of either of the two embodiments described above may be adapted to incorporate one or more additional intermediate stable positions, by formation of further notches along one or more of the sloped faces of the cam surface. In such case, these would provide additional stable positions in which the upper and lower sections would not move relative to one another. These are shown, by way of example, as a notch 28a in dashed lines in
A further alternative embodiment of the invention intended to fall within the scope of the claims could comprise a curved device in which one section was configured to slide relative to the other section along a curved path rather than a straight path as with the devices described previously. In such a curved slide device, the cam member would be required to be curved to follow the shape of one of the sliding sections, and the cam follower would be mounted on the other section in contact with the cam member as with the previous embodiments described above. The sliding control mechanism of the device would work as described previously, with the cam member having sloping parts to bias one section relative to the other section into one or more stable positions, with the option of the cam member surface incorporating additional intermediate stable positions, and/or being configured to allow one section to slide in its curved path from a storage position to an operative positions in one directions, or slide in its curved path from a storage position one of two operative positions in two opposite directions.
It will be appreciated that the above-described embodiments are exemplary only and further modifications may be made within the scope of the invention, as defined in the claims hereafter.
