Movable Display Panel for Compact Handheld Keyboard Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Handheld communication devices face challenges in accommodating both voice and text transmission functionalities within a compact form factor, where traditional user interfaces become unsatisfactory due to the space constraints caused by navigation devices, leading to inefficient keyboard usage.
Innovation Solution
The handheld electronic communication device is designed to transition between compact and expanded configurations, allowing for a rotation-free motion of the display panel relative to the keyboard panel, which exposes the keyboard for full actuation, and incorporates a disambiguation program to handle reduced keyboard layouts with multiple character associations, enabling efficient text entry and navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the device size is reduced to fit in pocket or palm, then portability is improved, but the keyboard space becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The display panel is made movable relative to the keyboard panel, transitioning between a first position that obscures the keyboard and a second position that reveals it. This dynamic reconfiguration allows the same device to present different interface configurations, effectively increasing the usable keyboard area when needed while maintaining a compact form factor.
2Ease of operation
If a navigation device is added for fine control, then ease of operation is improved, but the device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The display panel can be positioned to reveal not only the keyboard but also a navigation device on the front surface. This dynamic positioning allows the navigation device to be accessible when needed while maintaining a compact overall device size, as the same movable panel structure serves dual purposes of revealing both keyboard and navigation controls.
3Ease of operation
If the display panel is positioned to reveal the keyboard, then keyboard accessibility is improved, but the display screen area is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The display panel is designed to be movable between positions, allowing it to be pulled back to reveal the keyboard when accessibility is needed, and pushed forward to maximize display screen area when keyboard access is not required. This dynamic adjustment enables the system to optimize for different operational priorities.
4Length of moving object
If the keyboard is made compact to fit limited space, then device size is maintained, but user interaction efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
When the display panel is positioned to reveal the keyboard, it allows the keyboard to be fully accessed and used, temporarily suspending the size constraint. This enables efficient text entry and keyboard interaction when the device is configured for such operations, while maintaining compact size when keyboard access is not needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A handheld electronic communication device that is transitionable between compact and expanded configurations is disclosed. The device includes a display panel positioned adjacent and parallel to a keyboard panel in the compact configuration. The display panel and keyboard panel are coupled together by one or more connectors. In at least one embodiment, the at least one connector enables relative x and z direction motion between the panels, while maintaining them in parallel. In at least one other possible embodiment the display panel can be shifted sideways from the keyboard to expose one or more keys. This other at least one possible embodiment is particularly useful when the device is used as a multimedia player and it is undesirable to expose the entire keyboard panel.