Nokia Handheld electronic devices patent

Abstract
A handheld electronic device, the device comprising a housing and a retractable handle, the device being arranged to allow the handle to be retracted into the housing along a sliding axis to provide a retracted handle position and extended out of the housing along the sliding axis to provide an extended handle position, and wherein the handle is arranged to be formable to be held by a user in the extended position such that the holding axis of the handle in the extended position is offset from the sliding axis.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001]The present invention relates to improvements in or relating to handheld electronic devices. Although the devices may be handheld in use, such devices do not necessarily have to be handheld to be used. The electronic devices may comprise user interface elements allowing the user to control one or more functions of the electronic device or another electronic device associated with the electronic device.

[0002]The electronic devices according to the invention may provide one or more of radiotelephone (communications), audio/image (still and/or video) capturing/recording/playing functionality. Thus, electronic devices which can make telephone/video calls, play/record still/video images (e.g. still/video camera functionality, possibly but not always with sound) and/or play/record music audio (e.g. MP3 or other format audio player/recorder) are within the scope of the present invention.

[0003]The invention can also be applied to electronic devices which allow a user to play electronic games which can be displayed on a display on the electronic device or on a display separate to the electronic device. The electronic devices of the present invention may provide remote control functionality of another electronic device, so for example, the electronic device can control a robot (e.g. to control the movement or one or more other operation of the robot) and/or a television (e.g. to control the channel being displayed or one or more of the other operation performable with/by the television).

BACKGROUND TO THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0004]As electronic devices get increasingly smaller there is an increasing need to provide electronic devices which are compact but which can still be comfortably held by a user during operation of the electronic device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005]A handheld electronic device, the device comprising a housing and a retractable handle, the device being arranged to allow the handle to be retracted into the housing along a sliding axis to provide a retracted handle position and extended out of the housing along the sliding axis to provide an extended handle position, and wherein the handle is arranged to be formable to be held by a user in the extended position such that a holding axis of the handle in the extended position is offset from the sliding axis.

[0006]The hands of a user generally surround the holding axis when the handle is held. In use of the device, the holding axis is the axis about which the handle is generally held by a user when using the electronic device.

[0007]The handle or a portion of the handle may arranged to be rotatable with respect to the sliding axis such that the holding axis of the handle or handle portion in the extended position is offset from the sliding axis.

[0008]The handle or handle portion may be arranged to be rotatable about a rotation axis which is offset from the sliding axis.

[0009]The handle may comprise a first part and a second part, wherein the second part is rotatable with respect to the first part, the first part being substantially held within the housing in the extended handle position and the second part being holdable by the user during use of the electronic device, wherein the first and second parts are arranged such that the holding axis of the second part is offset from the sliding axis in the extended position and aligned with the sliding axis in the retracted position.

[0010]The first and second parts may be arranged to be rotatable with respect to one another about a rotation axis which is offset from the sliding axis.

[0011]The handle or a portion of the handle may be arranged to be repeatably bendable with respect to the sliding axis such that the holding axis of the handle or handle portion is offset from the sliding axis in the extended position.

[0012]The handle or a portion of the handle may be arranged to be foldable with respect to the sliding axis such that the holding axis of the handle or handle portion is offset from the sliding axis in the extended position is offset from the sliding axis.

[0013]The handle may be formable such that the holding axis in the extended position is in the same plane as the sliding axis. The handle may be formable such that the holding axis in the extended position is in a different plane from the sliding axis.

[0014]The holding axis in the extended position may be perpendicular to the sliding axis. The angle formed between the handle in the extended position and the housing may be an obtuse angle between 91 degrees and 179 degrees. The angle may be in the range 95-175 degrees, 100-170, 105-165, 110-160, 115-155, 120-150, 125-145, 130-140 or any combination of the upper and lower range limits mentioned.

[0015]The handle may be arrangeable to define a number of different angles between the handle in the extended position and the housing.

[0016]The handle may be formable such that, in the in-use orientation of the electronic device, the sliding axis is parallel to the user and the extended end of the handle is closer to the user than the electronic device housing.

[0017]The device may comprise handles along opposing sides of the electronic device allowing the holding of extended handles separately by each hand of a user.

[0018]The housing may comprise one or more electronic displays. A display may be located centrally to two opposing retractable handles.

[0019]The housing adjacent the retractable handle may comprise one or more user input elements, one or more of the user input elements being arranged to allow a user to control the functionality of the device. One or more of the user input elements may provide scrolling functionality and/or selection functionality, the selection functionality, for example, allowing a user to select an item from a menu.

[0020]The user input elements may be, for example, one or more keys, joysticks, roller balls, and/or electronic displays, including all conventional user input elements and future developments thereof.

[0021]One or more user input elements and/or user interface elements may be comprised on the handle. Electronic device components may or may not be comprised within the handle.

[0022]One or more of the user input elements may be arranged to be operable by movement of the thumb of a user. Movement of the thumb may be by straightening of the thumb and/or arced movement of the thumb.

[0023]The device may be rectanguloid and the sliding axis may be aligned with the longitudinal axis of the rectanguloid electronic device.

[0024]The device may have a high aspect ratio, the length being substantially larger than the width. The device may have a thickness substantially smaller than the width. The device may be considered to be thin. The device may be sized to fit into the shirt/trouser pocket of a user.

[0025]The extended handle may be curved, flat and/or have one or more undulations.

[0026]The handle may be arranged to be comfortably grippable in the extended position around an outwardly facing handle surface.

[0027]The handle may be arranged to be grippable by curving fingers underneath the handle, leaving the thumb free to actuate one or more user input elements.

[0028]The handle may be retractable partially into the housing. The handle may be substantially retractable into the housing. The handle may be fully retractable into the housing but be arranged to allow the handle to be extended by user actuation. User actuation may be actuation of a user input element.

[0029]The handle may be biased into the extended position. The handle may be biased into the retracted position. The handle may be arranged to be motorized into the extended position. The handle may be arranged to be manually extended.

[0030]The handle may be user lockable/releasable in the extended and/or retracted positions.

[0031]The housing may be the external housing of the electronic device or an internal housing of the electronic device. The device may be arranged for single-handed operation or two-handed operation.

[0032]The device may have two or more handles.

[0033]The device may be configured to be useable by more than one user at the same time.

[0034]According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a retractable electronic device handle, the handle being arranged to be housed within the housing of an electronic device, the handle being arranged to be retracted into the housing along a sliding axis to provide a retracted handle position and extended out of the housing along the sliding axis to provide an extended handle position, and wherein the handle is arranged to be formable to be held by a user in the extended position such that the holding axis of the handle in the extended position is offset from the sliding axis.

[0035]One or more features in combination or isolation, taken from one or more aspects and/or embodiments, are within the scope of the present invention whether or not mentioned in isolation or that combination. Corresponding means for performing one or more of the functions described are within the scope of the present disclosure.