Sliding Control Bar for Flip-Style Wireless Devices
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Clamshell or flip-style mobile communication devices face challenges in providing accessible navigation control buttons when in the closed state, leading to inadvertent loss of information and redundant data entry due to cumbersome configurations that make it difficult to quickly access keys, such as answering calls or entering data correctly.
Innovation Solution
A wireless handheld device with a slideable control bar that moves along the facing surface of the lower casing from the closed position to a more accessible location when opened, allowing for easier access to navigation buttons and reducing the need for quick device opening and closing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the device housing protects and covers the user interface area when closed, then device protection is improved, but accessibility to navigation control buttons deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The control bar is segmented from the main device housing, allowing it to be physically separated and repositioned. This segmentation enables the control bar to provide accessibility when needed while the housing maintains protection when closed.
Solution Approach 2:
The control bar transitions from a static, fixed position to a dynamic, movable component that can be repositioned along the housing surface. This dynamic capability allows the control bar to adapt its position based on operational needs, providing accessibility without compromising protection.
2Ease of operation
If fixed navigation keys are provided on the device, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control bar serves multiple functions: it provides navigation control, can be repositioned to different locations on the housing, and maintains a compact form when not in use. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate control mechanisms for different operational modes.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable control bar replaces complex fixed control mechanisms with a simpler, adaptable structure that can be repositioned as needed, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining ease of operation.
3Ease of operation
If the device requires quick opening to access navigation keys, then accessibility is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the control bar from the main housing structure, the navigation controls become independently accessible without requiring the entire device to be opened, significantly reducing the time needed to access navigation functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable control bar acts as an intermediary element that provides navigation control functionality without requiring the main device housing to be opened, serving as a mediator between the protected interior and the user's needs.
4Device complexity
If fixed control keys are used, then device complexity is reduced, but redundancy in data entry operations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The movable control bar eliminates redundant data entry by allowing precise positioning of controls, ensuring that users can access the correct keys without mistakes that would require processing and re-entry, thereby conserving computing resources and battery power.
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless handheld device is provided comprising a lid, a lower casing, and a slideable control bar. The lower casing has a bottom end and a top end. The lid has a bottom end and a top end. The top end of the lid is rotatably coupled to the top end of the lower casing with at least one hinge component such that the handheld device is rotatable from a closed position to an open position and from the open position to the closed position. The lid and the lower casing have adjacent facing surfaces when in the closed position. The slideable control bar is provided on the lower casing. When the wireless handheld device is opened, the slideable control bar is slideable along the facing surface of the lower casing towards the top end of the lower casing.