Mechanism for ergonomic integration of a digital camera into a mobile phone

Description

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a mobile device, and more particularly to a housing for a mobile device with a built-in digital camera.

In recent years, manufacturers have introduced mobile devices with built-in cameras into the market. One such device, referred to herein as a camera phone, combines a cellular telephone with a camera in a single housing. Consumers may use their camera phones to capture images, send and receive digital images, and/or participate in a video teleconference. Until recently, the demand for mobile communication devices with built-in cameras has been low because such devices have been large and prohibitively expensive. However, due to advances in technology, the size and cost of these devices is decreasing. As such, wireless manufacturers expect the demand for these mobile devices to increase.

To meet the growing demand and to stay competitive in the market, manufacturers regularly explore ways to improve these mobile devices. Areas of focus include reducing the size of the mobile device and designing an ergonomic mobile device that looks, feels, and operates similar to a conventional digital camera. However, these two areas of focus often conflict. For example, smaller conventional camera phones tend to be designed with "clamshell" housings that comprise two pivotally connected sections. When not in use, the two sections close into a compact folded position. This not only positions the camera phone in a highly compact package, but also protects delicate user interfaces, such as the keypad, display, etc. By flipping open the clamshell, the consumer may operate the mobile device as a communication device, a camera, or both.

Because the display typically operates as the viewfinder for the camera, current camera phones with clamshell housings are held in a vertical orientation with the clamshell open when the camera phone operates as a camera. This orientation is awkward for consumers accustomed to compact, horizontally oriented digital cameras. Therefore, while the clamshell design addresses some size concerns, camera phones with conventional clamshell housings do not provide a compact and ergonomic solution when the camera phone operates as a camera. Therefore, there is a need for a mobile device with a clamshell housing that not only provides the desired size benefits of the conventional clamshell design, but also provides an ergonomic housing when the mobile device operates as a camera.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an ergonomic clamshell housing for a mobile device with a camera. The mobile device comprises a housing with a hinge mechanism pivotally connecting a first section with first and second sides to a second section with first and second sides. The hinge mechanism allows the first and second sections to rotate relative to each other between at least a first folded position and a second folded position. When in the first folded position, the first and second sections are folded in a side-by-side relation such that the first sides of each section face each other. When in the second folded position, the first and second sections are folded in a side-by-side relation such that the second sides of each section face each other. In a preferred embodiment, the housing is used for a mobile device where the first section includes a display and the second section includes a camera lens. In this embodiment, the display and the camera lens face each other when the mobile device is positioned in the first folded position and face away from each other when the mobile device is positioned in the second folded position.