Granted Patent B2

US 8,738,098 · App. 12/514,687 · Granted May 27, 2014

Inventor: Claus Allan Christensen (København S, DK)

Assignee: Nokia Corporation

Abstract

Claims (40)

1. A mechanism for providing a swivel hinge in a device, the mechanism comprising:

first and second parts arranged to swivel about a single swivel axis,

wherein relative turning of the first and second parts about the swivel axis in a first swivel direction reveals a first device user operational area, and relative turning of the first and second parts in a second opposing swivel direction reveals a second device user operational area, and

wherein the swivel axis is located at a central position and is perpendicular to the first device user operational area and the second device user operational area,

wherein the mechanism is arranged to provide a device closed configuration, and first and second device open configurations, the first device open configuration being provided by relative turning of the first and second parts in the first swivel direction from the device closed configuration, and the second device open configuration being provided by relative turning of the first and second parts in the second opposing swivel direction from the device closed configuration, and wherein both the first and second device user operational areas are hidden in the closed configuration, and the first device user operational area is revealed in the first open configuration, and the second device user operational area is revealed in the second open configuration,

wherein the first and second device user operational areas are arranged to provide user input areas, and

wherein at least one of clockwise and anticlockwise turning about the swivel axis is arranged to reveal a user key input first device user operational area, and the other of the at least one of clockwise and anticlockwise turning is arranged to reveal a user scribe recognition second device user operational area.

2. The mechanism according to claim 1 , comprising a third part, the third part arranged to latch onto the second part in the first swivel direction, and arranged to latch onto the first part in the second swivel direction.

3. The mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the first device user operational area is arranged to provide a user key input area.

4. The mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the second device user operational area is arranged to provide a user scribe recognition area.

5. The mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the second device user operational area is arranged to be dedicated for use in one particular device operational mode and not useable in other device functional modes.

6. A portable electronic device comprising the mechanism of claim 1 .

7. A device, comprising:

first and second housings arranged to swivel about a single swivel axis,

wherein the device is arranged such that relative turning of the first and second housings about the swivel axis in a first direction reveals a first device user operational area, and relative turning of the first and second housings in the second opposing direction reveals a second device user operational area,

wherein the swivel axis is located at a central position and is perpendicular to the first device user operational area and the second device user operational area,

wherein the device is arranged to provide a device closed configuration, and first and second device open configurations, the first device open configuration being provided by relative turning of the first and second housings in the first direction from the device closed configuration, and the second device open configuration being provided by relative turning of the first and second housings in the second direction from the device closed configuration, and wherein both the first and second device user operational areas are hidden in the closed configuration, and the first device user operational area is revealed in the first open configuration, and the second device user operational area is revealed in the second open configuration, and

wherein the first housing comprises an electronic display on a user facing surface of the housing in a plane perpendicular to the swivel axis.

8. The device according to claim 7 , wherein the first and second device user operational areas are arranged to provide user input areas.

9. The device according to claim 7 , wherein the first device user operational area is arranged to provide a user key input area.

10. The device according to claim 7 , wherein the second device user operational area is arranged to provide a user scribe recognition area.

11. The device according to claim 7 , wherein the device comprises a housing located intermediate to the first and second housings, and wherein the intermediate housing comprises the first device user operational area, and the second housing comprises the second device user operational area.

12. The device according to claim 7 , wherein the device comprises a housing located intermediate to the first and second housings, and wherein the intermediate housing comprises the first device user operational area, and the second housing comprises the second device user operational area, and wherein the device is arranged such that the intermediate housing overlies the second housing in the first open configuration and is maintained below the first housing during movement into the second open configuration.

13. The device according to claim 7 , wherein the device is arranged to detect the configuration of the device, and upon detection of the first open configuration, the second user operational area is arranged to register user input from the first device user operational area to provide signalling for user input from the first device operational area, and upon detection of the second open configuration, the second user operational area is arranged to detect user scribing.

14. A non-transitory computer program product for detecting the configuration of a device, the device comprising:

first and second housings arranged to swivel about a single swivel axis,

wherein the device is arranged such that relative turning of the first and second housings about the swivel axis in a first direction reveals a first device user operational area, and relative turning of the first and second housings in a second opposing direction reveals a second device user operational area, and

wherein the device is arranged to provide a device closed configuration, and first and second device open configurations, the first device open configuration being provided by relative turning of the first and second housings in the first direction from the device closed configuration, and the second device open configuration being provided by relative turning of the first and second housings in the second opposing direction from the device closed configuration, and

wherein both the first and second device user operational areas are hidden in the closed configuration, and the first device user operational area is revealed in the first open configuration, and the second device user operational area is revealed in the second open configuration, and

wherein the swivel axis is located at a central position and is perpendicular to the first device user operational area and the second device user operational area, and

wherein the computer program is arranged to provide signaling according to the device configuration detected,

wherein the computer program product is arranged to provide signaling to correctly orientate items for display, on a display located on a user facing surface of the first device housing, according to the configuration of the device.

15. Apparatus for detecting the configuration of a device, the device comprising:

first and second housings arranged to swivel about a single swivel axis,

wherein the device is arranged such that relative turning of the first and second housings about the swivel axis in a first direction reveals a first device user operational area, and relative turning of the first and second housings in a second opposing direction reveals a second device user operational area, and

wherein the device is arranged to provide a device closed configuration, and first and second device open configurations, the first device open configuration being provided by relative turning of the first and second housings in the first direction from the device closed configuration, and the second device open configuration being provided by relative turning of the first and second housings in the second opposing direction from the device closed configuration, and

wherein both the first and second device user operational areas are hidden in the closed configuration, and the first device user operational area is revealed in the first open configuration, and the second device user operational area is revealed in the second open configuration,

wherein the swivel axis is located at a central position and is perpendicular to the first device user operational area and the second device user operational area, and

the apparatus arranged to comprise circuitry to detect the device configuration and provide signaling according to the detected device configuration,

wherein the circuitry is arranged to provide signaling to correctly orientate items for display, on a display located on a user facing surface of the first device housing, according to the configuration of the device.

Assignments (9)

Continuity (1)