Portable Device Sliding Rotating Body Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable electronic devices, such as mobile phones, face challenges in providing an effective user interface area to accommodate full function keyboards like QWERTY and multi-functional numeric keypads due to limited design configurations, such as 'flip' and 'slide' enclosures, which restrict the expansion of screen and keyboard space.
Innovation Solution
A portable electronic device design featuring multiple body elements that can be mechanically coupled for relative movement, allowing configuration into predetermined fixed orientations, enabling a slideable and rotatable mechanism to expose a full QWERTY keyboard and numeric keypad by sliding and rotating components, with automatic display orientation adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If 'flip' or 'slide' enclosure configurations are used, then the device can provide a larger screen display area, but the effective user interface area is limited and cannot accommodate full function keyboards like QWERTY
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into multiple body elements (first body element, second body element, third body element) that can move independently relative to each other. This segmentation allows each element to serve different functions: the second body element provides screen display area while the third body element provides keyboard area, resolving the contradiction between screen size and keyboard area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional expansion (single plane) to three-dimensional configuration with multiple body elements that can rotate and slide in different directions. This dimensional change allows the device to provide both large screen area and large keyboard area by utilizing spatial arrangement rather than relying on a single flat surface.
2Volume of moving object
If the device maintains a compact form factor, then portability is improved, but the user interface area is constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The device employs dynamic body elements that can slide and rotate to transform the device configuration. This allows the device to maintain a compact form factor when closed while expanding the effective user interface area when opened, resolving the contradiction between compact size and large interface area.
Solution Approach 2:
The multiple body elements are nested within each other in a compact configuration when closed, similar to nested dolls. When opened, these nested elements unfold to provide expanded screen and keyboard areas, allowing the device to transition from compact storage to full functionality.
3Ease of operation
If prior art 'slide' phones are used, then ease of operation is improved, but the overlap between cover and main body element creates a hidden area that reduces available user interface space
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into three separate body elements rather than two, which eliminates the hidden area problem. The third body element (keyboard) is separated from the overlap region, ensuring that the entire surface area of each element is可利用 for user interface functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The keyboard function is extracted into a separate third body element, removing it from the overlapping region between the cover and main body. This extraction eliminates the hidden area constraint and allows the keyboard to have full access to its designated surface area.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device with multiple body elements is configurable to predetermined fixed portrait and landscape orientations each of which define a respective different operative position. A first panel overlies at least one portion of a main body element first surface and has a surface relative to usage and is arranged for sliding engagement with the main body, whereby in a first fixed configuration at least one portion of the main body element first surface is covered and not available for usage and in the second fixed configuration said at least one portion of the main body element first surface is uncovered and available for usage. A second panel overlies another portion of the main body element first surface and is arranged for rotational movement on the main body element parallel to the plane of the main body element first surface, whereby in the first fixed configuration the second panel is in a first orientation and in positional alignment adjacent the first panel and in the second fixed configuration the second panel is rotated on the main body element to a second orientation and in positional alignment adjacent the at least one portion of the main body element first surface. The main body element may be constructed with an arrangement of keys to carry out an intended function such as a QWERTY keyboard. A display screen may be constructed in the second body element and a key arrangement may be constructed in the third body element to carry out an intended function.