Mobile communication device

[0001] The present application is based on, and claims priority from, Taiwan Application Serial Number 94200795, filed Jan. 14, 2005, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

[0002] 1. Field of Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a mobile communication device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mobile communication device with multiple input modules.

[0004] 2. Description of Related Art

[0005] A mobile phone has become an essential tool for every personal daily life. Because of advanced technology, a mobile phone's functionality increases very fast. For instance, a mobile phone can transmit short messages, video messages, and audio messages, in addition to voice communications.

[0006] A conventional mobile phone device only has an operation unit (or keyboard) of 10-20 keys for manual input. Because this operation unit is designed for executing voice communications, it is not convenient for inputting many letters or symbols.

[0007] It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a mobile communication device with multiple input modules.

[0008] In accordance with the foregoing and other objectives of the present invention, a mobile communication device is provided. The mobile communication device includes a main body, a display unit and an input unit. The display unit is pivotally connected with the main body by a joint, which is located on a rim of the display unit. The display unit further includes a display panel and an operation module. The display panel is positioned on the display unit to output information. The operation module is positioned adjacent to the display panel for manual input.

[0009] The input unit includes a lower input module and an upper input module. The lower input module is disposed on the main body. The upper input module is pivotally connected with the lower input module by a joint, which is located on a rim of both the lower input module and the upper input module.

[0010] The lower input module has a first letter input component. The upper input module has a second letter input component on one side and a number input component on the opposite side.

[0011] When a first mode, in which only numbers can be input into the mobile communication device, is desired, the display unit fully covers the main body and the upper input module fully covers the lower input module. Thus, the number input component and the display panel are on the same side of the mobile communication device.

[0012] When a second mode, in which letters and numbers can be input into the mobile communication device, is desired, the display unit is rotated until the display unit is perpendicular to the main body. The upper input module is then rotated upside down so that the first letter input component and the second letter input component together form a keyboard.

[0013] Thus, a letter input unit is integrated into a limited space of the mobile communication device for resolving the inconvenience of inputting letters and symbols by conventional phone keyboard.

[0014] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are by examples, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

[0024] 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.

[0025] FIGS. 1A and 1B respectively illustrate a top view and a side view of a mobile device according to one preferred embodiment of this invention. The mobile communication device includes a main body 100, a display unit 200 and an input unit 300. The display unit 200 is pivotally connected with the main body 100 by a joint 230, which is located on a rim of the display unit 200. The display unit 200 further includes a display panel 210 and an operation module 220. The display panel 210 is positioned on the display unit 200 to output information. The operation module 220 is positioned adjacent to the display panel 210 for manual input.

[0026] The input unit 300 includes a lower input module 310 and an upper input module 320. The lower input module 310 is disposed on the main body 100. The upper input module 320 is pivotally connected with the lower input module 310 by a joint 330, which is located on a rim of both the lower input module 310 and the upper input module 320.

[0027] The lower input module 310 has a first letter input component 311. The upper input module 320 has a second letter input component 321 on one side and a number input component 322 on the opposite side.

[0028] When a first mode—only numbers can be input into the mobile communication device—is desired, the display unit 200 fully covers the main body 100 and the upper input module 320 fully covers the lower input module 310. Thus, the number input component 322 and the display panel 210 are on the same side of the mobile communication device. The first letter input component 311 and the second letter input component 321 are hidden between the lower input module 310 and the upper input module 320.

[0029] When a second mode, in which letters and numbers can be input into the mobile communication device, is desired (illustrated in FIG. 2), the display unit 200 is rotated until the display unit 200 is perpendicular to the main body 100 (illustrated in FIG. 3A). FIG. 3B illustrates a side view of a mobile device in FIG. 3A.

[0030] The upper input module 320 is then rotated (illustrated in FIG. 4B) until the upper input module 320, itself, is upside down. Thus, the first letter input component 311 and the second letter input component 321 can be positioned on the same side of the main body 100 (illustrated in FIG. 4A). The first letter input component 311 and the second letter input component 321 together form a keyboard (like keyboard of a computer) so as to input Chinese, English, or other language letters and symbols.

[0031] While the upper input module 320 is being rotated, the first mode and the second mode are switched to each other automatically. The first letter input component 311 and the second letter input component 321 are combined for inputting phone numbers, searching for phone numbers, or other functions. When the first mode is desired again, the upper input module 320 is rotated in reverse so as to switch the second mode to the first mode.

[0032] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a mobile device according to another preferred embodiment of this invention. The joint 230 in FIG. 5 can be located on different position from that in FIG. 2. This embodiment is also workable.

[0033] The preferred embodiments described above can also be applied in personal digital assist (PDA).

[0034] According to preferred embodiments of present invention, a letter input unit is integrated into a limited space of the mobile communication device for resolving the inconvenience of inputting letters and symbols by conventional phone keyboard.

[0035] 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.