Pivotable Keypad Layout for Compact Handheld Interface Expansion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional handheld electronic devices, such as mobile phones, face challenges in providing a user-friendly interface that is both compact for easy carrying and easily usable, with existing designs often compromising on usability or durability when transitioning between configurations.
Innovation Solution
A handheld electronic device with pivotable elements that can be moved between compacted and extended configurations, featuring a central display and two pivotable elements with distinct key sets accessible in each configuration, allowing for efficient use and protection of the display while maintaining durability and ease of use for both left- and right-handed users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the device is made compact for easy carrying, then portability is improved, but key accessibility and display visibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into a central part and two pivotable elements that can be independently positioned. The pivotable elements can be stacked adjacent to each other in compacted configuration or extended outward in extended configuration, allowing the device to transition between compact and expanded states while maintaining key accessibility in both configurations
Solution Approach 2:
The pivotable elements are designed to be movable between different configurations (compacted and extended) rather than being fixed. This dynamic structure allows the device to adapt its form factor based on usage needs, providing full key accessibility when extended and compact portability when stacked
2Length of moving object
If the device is made compact for easy carrying, then portability is improved, but display visibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The display is divided into a first region visible in compacted configuration and a second region visible in extended configuration. This segmentation allows different portions of the display to be accessible depending on the device configuration, maintaining visibility functionality in both compact and extended states
Solution Approach 2:
The display regions are arranged in different spatial dimensions and orientations. The first region is positioned to be visible when the device is compacted, while the second region becomes visible when the pivotable elements are extended, effectively utilizing different spatial dimensions for display visibility in different configurations
3Length of moving object
If pivotable elements are stacked in compacted configuration, then device compactness is improved, but key surface area deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The keys are divided into two sets: a first set on each pivotable element accessible in compacted configuration, and a second set accessible in extended configuration. This segmentation ensures that while the device is compact, users can still access the first set of keys, and when extended, the second set becomes accessible, effectively distributing key surface area across different configurations
Solution Approach 2:
The pivotable elements are stacked adjacent to each other in the compacted configuration, with one element nested alongside the other. This nesting arrangement minimizes the overall device size while maintaining accessibility to the first set of keys on the outer surfaces of the stacked elements
Data Source
AI summary
A handheld electronic device has a central part comprising a display and two pivotable elements. The pivotable elements are pivotably linked to the central part such that the pivotable elements are moveable between a compacted configuration and an extended configuration. Both of the pivotable elements are stacked on the central part and adjacent to each other when in the compacted configuration, and extend outward from the central part in the extended configuration. The pivotable elements each have a first surface accessible to a user in the compacted configuration. A first set of keys is disposed on the first surfaces. The pivotable elements each also have a second surface that is accessible to the user in the extended configuration but not in the compacted configuration. A second set of keys is disposed on the second surfaces.