JP2001057586A - Mobile terminals and printers - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer matching the design of a handheld-type portable telephone by providing a print mechanism recording data on printing paper and arranging the print mechanism in the neighborhood of a microphone. SOLUTION: An antenna 7 for radio communication is arranged on the upper face 2d of a housing 2, i.e., above a speaker 3, and a signal output and an external connector 8 for charging are arranged at the lower face 2c of the housing 2, i.e., under a microphone 6. Further, a battery pack 9 for operating electronic equipment, etc., is attached to the rear face 2d of the housing 2. Further, a printer 10 can be attached and detached to/from the lower part of the microphone 6. Thus, it is possible to provide a printer suitable especially for a portable terminal provided with a function performing speech communication while being held by a hand like a portable telephone 1 with the speaker 3 and the microphone 6 applied to the mouth and an ear, respectively or to their vicinity.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer suitable for a hand-held portable terminal having a speaker and a microphone, such as a portable telephone.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Mobile phones which can be connected to a base station via wireless and connected to a public telephone line have become widespread. Some mobile phones are called PHS or satellite mobile phones depending on the difference in the communication system, etc., but in this specification,
A mobile communication device capable of wirelessly exchanging data, comprising a mobile phone or a speaker and a microphone, the device having a communication unit having a speaker and a microphone so that information can be exchanged via a call, that is, voice. I will call it a mobile terminal. These mobile phones are also used with portable computers such as PDAs, and are used to exchange not only voice information but also text information and other digital or analog information via a modem.

[0003]

In recent years, portable telephones have not only been used for exchanging information by voice, but also for character information such as mail.
And other information, for example, services for introducing bank balances, booking tickets, and the like. A large-sized liquid crystal panel (LCD) or the like is mounted to display such character information and the like, and has a function as a portable information terminal such as a mobile computer or a PDA. .

[0004] Therefore, there is a demand for a portable telephone to further obtain an output similar to that of a computer. For this reason, the inventors of the present application are studying connecting a general printer as a computer output device to a mobile phone or adding the function to the mobile phone.

It has been studied to connect a mobile phone to information devices such as a PDA and a personal computer, and to print out an address book or the like recorded in a memory of the mobile phone via the devices. However, the mobile phone itself cannot be used as an information terminal if the printout is performed via another device as described above. Carrying a mobile phone in a pocket or handbag also undermines the advantage of the mobile phone that it can be accessed via the mobile phone anytime, anywhere. The advantage of printing out the contents of the information providing service that can be received via a mobile phone anytime and anywhere cannot be obtained with such a system.

Therefore, the inventors of the present application propose docking a print or a mechanism for printing to a portable telephone. However, voice exchange is the most important function of mobile phone functions.
The design that realizes this function is still the center of mobile phones. Therefore, it is necessary to integrate a printer or a print mechanism with a mobile phone without disturbing the functions related to the original telephone call of the mobile phone.

As an example of a portable telephone, it has been considered to separate a microphone and a speaker from a main body to be hands-free. However, there are disadvantages such as an increase in the number of components and a loss of unity. Furthermore, the simplicity of carrying the palm-sized main body in a pocket or the like, taking it out when needed, and immediately using it is lost. Therefore, the design of a hand-hold (hand-held) type mobile phone or portable device in which the speaker is positioned at or near the ear and the microphone is positioned at or near the mouth when held by hand as in the current situation will be useful in the future. is there.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a printer which matches the design of such a hand hold type mobile phone, and a mobile phone having a printing mechanism. By providing a mobile phone equipped with a printing mechanism or a printer that can be attached without impairing the functions of the mobile phone, it is more convenient to match the current situation where the handling of character data etc. is developing and the actual situation of the mobile phone in the future Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal and a printer that can make the most of various services.

[0009]

Therefore, in the present invention, a data input / output means having at least a speaker capable of outputting voice and a microphone for catching voice, and a means for transmitting / receiving data via radio are provided. Have
A so-called mobile phone type mobile terminal in which a speaker and a microphone are arranged so as to be at or near an ear and a mouth, respectively, having a printing mechanism for recording data on printing paper. A portable terminal arranged nearby is provided. Further, as a printer detachable from the portable telephone type portable terminal, a connector connectable to an external terminal of the portable terminal, a printing mechanism for recording data obtained via the connector on a print sheet, and a storage for the print sheet A printer is provided which has a space and can be attached to the portable terminal so that the print mechanism is near the microphone of the portable terminal.

A portable terminal of a portable telephone type (hereinafter referred to as a portable telephone, but as described above, the portable telephone in the present specification includes a mobile communication device having a different communication system such as a PHS, , PDA and other portable information terminals with a mobile unit added.)
In general, the speaker is placed near the ear or near the ear with the hand held between the speaker and the microphone, and the microphone is placed near the mouth or near the mouth. In order not to significantly change the structure of the grip portion of the mobile phone, it is desirable to arrange the printing mechanism so as to avoid this portion. On the other hand, it is desirable to dispose an antenna, which is a part of the wireless communication means, above the speaker for convenience of transmitting and receiving data wirelessly by placing the speaker in the ear and the microphone in the mouth. Therefore, if the print mechanism is arranged near the microphone, the print mechanism can be docked to the mobile phone without impairing the function as the mobile phone.

[0011] The printing mechanism is not so obstructive to grip the mobile phone near the microphone, even near the microphone. However, in order to make the portable telephone easy to carry and to hold without increasing the width, it is desirable to arrange the print mechanism, the microphone, and the speaker so as to be substantially linearly arranged in this order. This arrangement has even more advantages. In a printer that can be attached to and detached from a mobile phone, the print mechanism is mounted so as to be positioned on the extension of the microphone from the speaker of the mobile phone. That is, it is possible to provide a printer that can be easily attached to and detached from a current mobile phone. Also, in a mobile phone incorporating a print mechanism, since the positional relationship between the speaker and the microphone of the mobile phone does not change, assets of the conventional mobile phone such as a substrate can be used as it is, which is economical.

[0012] Furthermore, considering that text information such as mail will increase as information in a portable telephone in the future, the area of a display portion of the portable telephone realized by an LCD or the like tends to increase. Therefore, in order to be able to print out the displayed characters or images as they are, it is desirable to use a cut sheet having substantially the same size as the display portion or a size larger than that. When the print mechanism is arranged near the microphone, and especially when the print mechanism, the microphone, and the speaker are arranged in this order, the storage space for a plurality of cut sheets to be supplied to the print mechanism has a longitudinal direction along the direction from the microphone to the speaker. It can be arranged as follows. By arranging the storage space in this manner, the printing paper can be stored along the longitudinal direction of the mobile phone, so that the cut sheets can be stored without affecting the original functions such as the ease and ease of holding the mobile phone. Can be printed on large paper.

In a printer that can be attached to and detached from a mobile phone, it can be designed so that the cut sheet storage space is arranged along the direction from the microphone to the speaker when attached to the mobile phone. In order to avoid interference with key input, touch input and display portions provided on the front surface of the mobile phone, it is desirable that the storage space extends along the side surface or the back surface of the mobile phone, and particularly, large-sized paper is used. In this case, it is desirable to arrange the storage space along the back surface of the mobile phone.

Although it is possible to use roll paper instead of cut sheets as printing paper, it is desirable to use tape-shaped roll paper that fits in a thin space in consideration of the limited storage space. In the case of tape-shaped roll paper, a drive motor can be arranged at the center thereof.

The printing mechanism may be any one that can be stored compactly, but at present, a direct thermal printing mechanism using a thermal head and using thermal paper as printing paper is the most desirable. The number of parts that make up the printing mechanism can be minimized,
Since no consumables such as ink or ribbon are required, the printing mechanism can be most compactly assembled.

The printer detachable from the portable telephone may be mechanically attached to the portable telephone by, for example, engaging with a housing of the portable telephone. However, the easiest means of attachment is to hold the printer on the mobile terminal by connecting the connector of the printer to the external connector of the mobile terminal. If the printer can be mechanically supported by connecting the versatile connectors, it is possible to provide a very versatile mobile phone printer that can be attached to various types of mobile phones.

In a printer detachable from a mobile phone,
It is possible to receive power supply from the external connector, and it is possible to operate the printer without providing a battery storage space in the printer itself. This makes it possible to reduce the size and weight of the printer, and to provide a printer that matches a mobile phone. Of course, the printer can be further provided with the same external connector as the mobile phone, so that a battery pack or a PDA can be connected.

By arranging the printing mechanism near the microphone of the mobile phone, the problem of the sound generated from the printer can be easily solved. That is, since the printer has a mechanical mechanism for printing the printing paper, noise is inevitably generated when the printer is operated. Even when a low-noise motor or the like is used, the sound of the mobile phone may be a problem because the mobile phone itself comes close to the ear. In contrast, in the present invention, the sound of the printer is not directly heard because the printer or printing mechanism is located near the microphone that will be furthest from the speaker. Therefore, it is possible to easily respond to a call received during printing. When a printer is arranged near the microphone, the sound is likely to be an obstacle when sound is acquired by the microphone. However, when the sound is converted into a digital signal or the like, the noise of the printer can be eliminated in terms of hardware or software. The simplest method is to stop the operation of the printer when voice is caught by means such as a microphone. In a detachable printer for a mobile phone, a microphone or equivalent means for catching voice may be provided in the printer, and the printer may be temporarily stopped after catching voice. By mounting the printer so that it is located near the microphone of the mobile phone, the effect of the printer noise can be reduced with a very simple configuration and without using a complicated method such as control synchronization with the mobile phone itself. Can be cut.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an outline of a printer 10 which can be attached to and detached from a mobile phone 1 according to the present invention. First, the mobile phone 1 shown individually is a very general mobile phone currently on the market, and is a compact, thin, almost box-shaped housing that is easy to carry and easy to hold by hand and that is long in the vertical direction. The whole is summarized in 2. On the front surface 2a of the housing 2, a speaker 3, an LCD 4 as a display unit, a key operation unit 5 as an input unit, and a microphone (microphone) 6 are sequentially arranged from above along the longitudinal direction. Inside the housing 2, these speakers 3,
A board or other electronic devices for controlling the input / output of data to / from the display unit 4, the key operation unit 5, and the microphone 6 are housed therein, and at the same time, these data are exchanged with a base station or another portable terminal via radio. And other electronic devices are stored. Housing 2
An antenna 7 for wireless communication is arranged on the upper surface 2 b of the housing 2, that is, on the speaker 3.
c, that is, an external connector 8 for signal output and charging is arranged below the microphone 6. Further, a battery pack 9 for operating an electronic device or the like is attached to the rear surface 2d of the housing 2.

The printer 10 of the present embodiment can be attached to and detached from the lower surface 2c of the portable telephone 1, that is, below the microphone 6. The printer 10 is substantially L-shaped when viewed from the side. When attached to the mobile phone 1, the L-shaped thin and elongated portion is arranged along the back surface 2d, and has a storage space 11 in which cut sheets are stored.
It is. A portion which is combined with the storage space 11 at a substantially right angle is a portion where the print mechanism 12 which is disposed on the extension of the microphone 3 from the speaker 3, that is, at the longitudinal end of the housing 2 and prints on a cut sheet is stored. is there. When the portion housing the print mechanism 12 is called a printer body (printer housing) 15, a connector 16 for connecting to the external connector 8 of the mobile phone 1 is provided on an upper surface 15b of the printer body 15,
In the printer 1 of the present example, the connector 16 is connected to the external connector 8.
Then, the printer 10 is electrically and mechanically connected to the mobile phone 1 and held at the same time.

On the front surface 15a of the printer body 15, a microphone (microphone) 17, a print switch 18 and a paper discharge slit (paper discharge port) 19 are arranged from above. When the printer 10 of this example is mounted on the mobile phone 1 and the switch 18 is pressed, the contents (data) displayed on the LCD 4 at that time are output to the printer 10 in response to a request from the printer 10. Then, the contents are printed on the thermal paper stored in the storage space 11 and output from the paper discharge port 19. In addition, when a call is made to the mobile phone 1 during printing and the user speaks, the voice is caught by the microphone 17 and printing is temporarily stopped to prevent noise from being added to the voice. Since the microphone 17 provided in the printer 10 only needs to detect sound pressure, a pressure sensor or a vibration sensor can be installed instead of the microphone.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state where the printer 10 is mounted on the portable telephone 1, and an outline of the inside of the printer 10 is indicated by a broken line. FIG. 3 shows the printer 10.
2 is shown in an enlarged manner. Printer 10 of this example
Is a line thermal head 21 as the printing mechanism 12.
And a platen roller 22 for feeding the paper while pressing the thermal paper 20 against it. As described above, at present, the direct thermal method is the most compact and maintenance-free because the number of components of the printing mechanism can be reduced most, and consumables such as ink, toner, and ribbon are unnecessary. Therefore, this is the most suitable method for the printer of this example. Further, in the printer 10 of the present embodiment, the thermal paper 20 to be printed is a sheet (cut sheet, cut sheet or standard paper) cut in advance to a predetermined size, and a plurality of thermal papers 20 are stored in the storage space 11. It is stored.

The storage space 11 is provided on the back surface 2 of the mobile phone 1.
It is arranged so as to extend from the microphone 6 of the mobile phone 1 to the speaker 3 along d. Printer 10 of this example
In this embodiment, a cut sheet 20 having substantially the same size as the LCD 4 is stored in the storage space 11. For this reason, the storage space 11 is
The length is such that it can reach the middle of the back surface 2d of. The size of the storage space 11 is not limited to this example and can be appropriately determined according to the size of the cut sheet 20.
For example, in a mobile phone in which the LCD 4 is large and occupies almost the entire area of the front surface 2a of the housing 2, it is possible to use a cut sheet 20 of a large size corresponding thereto, and a storage space 11 for storing such a cut sheet. Is designed to cover almost the entire surface of the housing 2d.

At the lower end of the storage space 11, cut sheets 20 are picked up one by one and a thermal head 21 is picked up.
Pickup roller 23 for feeding in the direction of. Further, a bottom plate 24 for pressing the cut sheet 20 against the pickup roller 23 is disposed at a portion corresponding to the bottom surface of the storage space 11, and the bottom plate 24 itself may be an elastic material. Alternatively, the cut sheet 20 may be pressed in the direction of the pickup roller 23 by an elastic member such as a spring. The cut sheet 20 pressed against the pickup roller 23 by the bottom plate 24 is
The upper sheet is fed by the pickup roller 23, and the uppermost sheet is separated by the separation wall 25 and sent to the thermal head 21.

The pickup roller 23, the line thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22 extend in the paper width direction of the cut sheet 20, that is, in the width direction of the printer body 15 (also in the width direction of the housing 2 of the mobile phone 1). . Therefore, in the printing mechanism 12 of the present example, data is printed in units of one line or several lines in the width direction of the cut sheet 20 and output from the paper discharge port 19. The printer 10 is configured such that the thermal head 23 is
The thermal paper 20 is placed above the printing surface in the storage space 11 (in the direction facing the back surface 2d of the mobile phone, which is the front surface side for the printer 10).
And stored. Therefore, the data is printed on the front side of the thermal paper (cut sheet) 20, and the paper output port 1 is printed so that the printed surface can be seen from the front surface 2 a of the mobile phone 1.
9 is output.

On the front side 15a of the printer 10, a control board 26 connected to the connector 16 is further provided.
8 are arranged together. A motor 27 for driving the pickup roller 23 and the platen roller 22 is housed on the lower surface 15c side of the printer body 15, and the platen roller 22 and the pickup are transmitted via a transmission mechanism such as a gear train (not shown). The roller 23 is driven and controlled.

It is needless to say that the internal configuration of the printer 10 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. Even if the paper feed path of the cut sheet 20 is basically the same, for example, the paper discharge port 19 is provided not on the front surface 15a of the housing but on the lower surface side of the printer 10 or the lower surface opposite to the upper surface 15b of the printer. Is also good. In addition, the positions of the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22 may be reversed, but in this case, the printed surface is output with the back side.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system of the printer 10. Printer 10 of this example
Are a CPU 31 for performing overall control, a ROM 32 in which programs and the like are stored, and an RA for storing data.
M33. Furthermore, when a character code is received from the mobile phone 1 and printed, a character generator can be built-in. A connector 34 for connection to the mobile phone 1 is connected to a bus 34 connecting these via an interface control unit 35. Through the connection connector 16, data for printing is requested from the mobile phone 1, and printing data output from the mobile phone 1 can be stored in the RAM 33. Then, the printing data is sent to the printing mechanism 12 and printed out on the cut sheet 20. further,
As a function of operating the printer 10, a microphone 17 for catching sound and an operation switch 18 are also connected.

The printer 10 of this embodiment operates by receiving data for printing via the connector 16 and receiving power supply from the battery pack 9 of the portable telephone 1 via the connector 16. . Therefore, no battery is provided in the main body 15 of the printer 10. Of course, it is possible to store the battery in the main body 15, but in this case, the main body 15 will be large. Alternatively, an external connector is further provided,
Another battery pack may be connected to the connector. Also, such external connectors are
It can also be used to output data from the mobile phone 1 to another external device via the printer 10.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the control of the printer 10 of this embodiment. The printer 10 of the present example captures the display content of the LCD 4 by one-push of the switch 18 and prints it. That is, when the switch 18 is operated in step 51, the printer 10 is activated, and the CPU 31 issues a request for outputting data displayed on the display unit (LCD) 4 to the mobile phone 1 via the interface control unit 35. Step 52
, The data sent from the mobile phone 1 is temporarily stored in the RAM 33. If necessary, the data stored in the RAM 33 is converted into data for printing by using a function such as a character generator, and then sent to the printing mechanism 12, where it is printed at step 54. If the data as displayed on the LCD 4 is to be printed, it is possible to dumb-print the data sent in the bitmap as it is, and in this case, the conversion process is unnecessary. As described above, the printer 10 of the present embodiment issues a print request from the printer to the mobile phone 1 and performs printing.
The operation may be a simple operation of one-push of the button 18. Of course, in addition to the switch for printing, a switch for turning on and off the power may be provided, but the printer of this example can perform all operations with one switch.
Adopting such a configuration simplifies the operation and the configuration of the printer, so that the cost can be reduced.

The printer 10 prints out the bitmap data sent from the mobile phone 1 by omitting dots suitable for discriminating the print result within a range that does not significantly affect the print result. Is also possible. By employing such a printing method, power consumption can be reduced, and noise during printing can also be reduced. Print in this power saving mode, or
The user may be allowed to select whether to print all the dots, and such a selection can be made by an appropriate operation such as double-clicking the switch 18.

The printer 10 of the present embodiment further includes a built-in microphone 1 during printing by the printing mechanism 12.
When the voice signal 7 is captured, the operation of the printing mechanism 12 is temporarily stopped in step 54, and the print function is restarted after a predetermined time has elapsed after the voice signal is no longer captured. Then, in step 55, the memory (RA
M) The data stored in the memory 33 is printed out on the cut sheet 20 until the print data stored in the 33 ends. Catch voice and print mechanism 12
Switch 18 even while holding the movement of
It is possible to capture the display contents of the LCD 4 by operating. The control by voice is shown in FIG.
Although described in a sequence, it is desirable that the print processing be performed in parallel with the print processing by interrupt processing or the like. By stopping the movement of the print mechanism 12 by catching the voice, the print mechanism 1 is
It is possible to prevent pickup of the second sound. Therefore, the user can talk on the mobile phone 1 without worrying that printing is being performed, and can print out using the idle time of the call without disturbing the function of the mobile phone 1. .

As described above, when the printer 10 is mounted on the mobile phone 1, there is a possibility that the sound emitted from the printer 10 may interfere with the call. In the printer 10 of the present embodiment, the printer 10 is connected to an extension of the microphone 6 from the speaker 3, and the printer 10 is arranged at a position farthest from the speaker 3. Therefore, the sound of the printer 10 rarely causes an obstacle when the sound is heard on the speaker 3. On the other hand, since the printer 10 is arranged near the microphone 6 of the mobile phone 1 and the printout is stopped when a sound is captured by the microphone 17 built in the printer 10, the mobile phone 1 outputs the user's voice. It does not affect the ability to catch. Therefore, the position of the printer 10 of the present example, that is, the position near the microphone 6 is also preferable in terms of preventing the influence of the sound of the printer 10.

The control of the printer 10 is, of course, not limited to this example. For example, a call may be received during printing, and the printing may be stopped when a response or a call operation is made. Further, the printing may be temporarily stopped when the sound is captured by the microphone 6 of the mobile phone 1. Further, instead of stopping the printing, data corresponding to the sound of the printer in hardware or software may be deleted from the sound captured by the microphone 6 of the mobile phone 1. However, in that there is no need to provide a control function linked to the mobile phone 1,
The method of controlling the printer 10 with a built-in microphone is simple. In any case, since the printer 10 is disposed near the microphone 6 of the mobile phone 1, the processing of the noise of the printer 10 becomes very simple, and the printing function can be performed without affecting the function of the mobile phone 1. Can be added. Of course, the function such as the incoming call of the mobile phone 1 and the printer 10 may not be linked with each other, and the user may temporarily stop printing by the switch 18 appropriately.

As described above, the printer 10 of this embodiment is a printer that can be attached to and detached from the hand-held type portable terminal 1 in which the speaker 3 and the microphone 6 are linearly arranged. Then, the print mechanism 12 is extended on the extension of the speaker 3 and the microphone 6.
Is attached, so that it does not interfere with the antenna 7 and does not become an obstacle when the mobile phone 1 is gripped. Further, an external connector 8 is generally disposed on a lower surface 2c of the housing 2, and the external connector 8 is provided with a connector 1 of a printer provided on an upper surface 15b of the main body 15.
There is also an advantage that the printer 10 can be easily attached to and detached from the mobile phone 1 simply by inserting and removing the printer 6. Therefore, it is possible to mount the printer 10 without changing the structure of the mobile phone 1, and to output the contents displayed on the display unit (LCD) 4 of the mobile phone 1 anytime and anywhere, as with the mobile phone. .

Further, by arranging the print mechanism 12 of the printer 10 on the extension of the microphone 6, a heat-sensitive type for printing is provided along the longitudinal direction of the housing 2 of the portable telephone, that is, along the direction from the microphone 6 to the speaker 3. The space 11 for storing the cut sheet 20 can be arranged. In this way, by arranging the longitudinal direction of the mobile phone 1 and the longitudinal direction of the storage space 11 of the printer 10 so as to match, when the printer 10 is mounted on the mobile phone 1, the storage space 11 is And a print function can be added without deteriorating the sense of unity as a mobile phone.

The printer 10 of this embodiment can be mechanically and electrically attached to the mobile phone 1 by connecting the connector 8 of the mobile phone 1 and the connector 16 of the printer 10. These connectors 8 and 1
6 is standardized, and is common regardless of the type or manufacturer of the mobile phone 1. Therefore, a highly versatile printer that can be attached to any type can be provided. And such an external connector 8
Since the printer is mounted on the extension of the microphone 6 of the mobile phone 1, the printer of this embodiment is also suitable for mounting on the mobile phone in that respect.

Further, the housing 2 of the mobile phone 1 may be provided with a suitable groove, unevenness or other suitable mechanical connection structure, so that the printer 10 can be mounted more firmly. Also, since the shape of the back surface 2d of the mobile phone 1 may vary depending on the maker or type, a portion covering the storage space 11 is made of a deformable material, and a printer that fits the mobile phone 1 more is provided. Is also possible.

In this embodiment, the printer 10 is detachable from the mobile phone 1. However, a mechanism as the printer 10 can be incorporated in the mobile phone 1 in advance. Even in such a mobile phone, the arrangement of the printer mechanism 12 is desirably the same as that in which the printer 10 of this embodiment is combined with the mobile phone 1. By arranging the printer mechanism 12 in the vicinity of the microphone 6 and extending from the speaker 3 to the microphone 6, ease of holding, arrangement of a storage space,
Further, the same effects as described above can be obtained in noise control and the like. Further, by disposing the printer mechanism 12 on the extension of the microphone 6, the configuration of the main body of the mobile phone 1 does not change, so that the conventional substrate or other assets can be utilized as it is. When the printer is integrated with the mobile phone 1, there is no need to newly provide a function of catching a voice such as a microphone on the printer side.
The switches for operating the printer are arranged on the front surface 2a of the main body together with the switches for operating other functions of the mobile phone.

In the above, the printer 10 of the type in which the cut sheet 20 is arranged along the back surface 2d of the mobile phone 1 is described.
Although the present invention has been described, the cut sheet 20 can be arranged on the side surface 2 e of the mobile phone 1.
FIG. 6 shows an example. FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 to be described next show a state in which the internal arrangement of the printer is simply seen through, in order to also explain the schematic configuration of the printer. Accordingly, although the thermal head 21, the platen roller 22, and the like are shown by solid lines, they are housed in the printer main body or the printer housing as in the printer 10 described above.

In the printer 60 shown in FIG. 6, the storage space 11 is arranged in the direction from the microphone 6 to the speaker 3 along one side surface 2e of the housing of the mobile phone 1. The printing mechanism 12 is arranged on the extension of the storage space 11 and the printing surface of the cut sheet 20 extends in the thickness direction of the housing of the mobile phone 1. Therefore, the pickup roller 23, the platen roller 22, The line thermal head 21 is also arranged so as to extend in the thickness direction, that is, in the direction orthogonal to the plane of FIG. In the vicinity of the microphone 6 of the mobile phone 1, a control board 26 and a driving motor 27 are arranged. As a whole, a print mechanism is provided on the extension of the microphone 6 similarly to the printer 10 described above. It will be in the arranged state. Therefore, the appearance in which the printer 60 of this example is detached from the mobile phone 1 is substantially L-shaped.

In the printer 60 of the present embodiment, the storage space 11 for the paper 20 is attached along the side surface 2e.
Even if the printer 60 is mounted on the mobile phone 1, the thickness of the mobile phone 1 does not change, only slightly widening. However,
Considering that the storage space 11 does not protrude from the mobile phone 1, the width of the cut sheet 20 that can be stored in the storage space 11 cannot be so large. Therefore, it is difficult to print out as it is displayed on the display unit 4.

In the above description, an example is shown in which thermal paper cut to a predetermined size is used. However, a printer for printing on roll paper can be attached to the mobile phone 1. The printer 65 shown in FIG. 7 is a printer in which a thermal paper 66 wound in a tape shape is stored, and the thermal paper 21 is fed by the platen roller 22 and printed by the thermal head 21. The motor 27 is arranged in the space of the core portion of the tape 66, and can be integrated very compactly including the paper storage space 67.
Therefore, the printer 65 of the present example can be mounted without changing the thickness or width of the housing of the mobile phone 1, and it is possible to incorporate a printing mechanism to the extent that the total length of the mobile phone 1 is slightly increased. it can. Then, since the printer 65 is attached on the extension of the microphone 6,
Similar to the printer described above, the mobile phone can be attached to the mobile phone 1 without hindering the ease of holding and use of the mobile phone, or the function of the phone.

However, also in the printer 65 of this embodiment, the printable paper width is limited by the paper width of the tape, that is, the thickness of the mobile phone. Therefore, the display unit 4
It is difficult to print out the state as it is output to the computer. In this regard, the printer 10 described above is most suitable. That is, since the printer 10 can store a wide cut sheet, the printer 10 can store a cut sheet of the same size as the display unit 4 or a slightly larger size. Can be printed out. Therefore, in the future,
The amount of data processed by the mobile phone 1 increases, and the speaker 3
Even if the display unit 4 such as an LCD occupies almost the front surface of the mobile phone 1 sandwiched between the mobile phone 1 and the microphone 6, or a portable terminal in which the display unit is arranged so as to overlap a speaker or a microphone, By arranging the storage space along the back surface 2d of the portable terminal 1 as shown in FIG. 10, it is possible to store a cut sheet having substantially the same size as the display unit 4. Therefore, the output image of the display unit 4 can be printed out as it is.

Instead of the cut sheet, roll paper having the same width as the display unit 4 may be stored in the printer.
Roll paper requires a core space, so it is difficult to store it in a thin space, and it is difficult to design it to have the same thickness as a mobile phone. There is also a disadvantage that a curled paper is output. On the other hand, in the case of a cut sheet, several sheets or one sheet may be used so that the thickness of the mobile phone is slightly increased by disposing the storage space 11 on the back surface.
It is possible to store zero or more sheets. And
The paper output from the printer 10 is also flat and easy to handle.

The mobile phone referred to in the above description is
Although it cannot be folded, the key input section 5 is displayed.
A mobile phone that can be folded at once or a mobile phone that can be folded with a cover provided with a microphone at the tip are also being considered. These phones are
Extend the folded part and use it. The printer according to the present invention is such a mobile phone, in which a part to be folded, for example, a key input unit 5 is folded, and a microphone 6 and a connector 8 are connected to the microphone as shown in FIG. If there is, it is possible to mount a printer there. In a mobile phone in which a cover including a microphone can be folded, the connector may not be provided on the cover side. However,
Since a connector is often provided on the surface on the opposite side of the antenna, that is, on the lower surface of the housing, the printer can be mounted on the connector. Then, when the cover is opened, the microphone is on the lower side of the housing,
Since it is located on the opposite side of the antenna or speaker,
The microphone will be located near the top of the printer. Therefore, when using a mobile phone,
The arrangement is such that the printer is located near the microphone.

[0047]

As described above, according to the present invention, among the portable terminals having a voice communication system, in particular, the speaker and the microphone are held in the ear and the mouth or the mouth by holding the main body like a portable telephone. A printer suitable for a portable terminal having a function of making a call by contacting the vicinity thereof and a portable terminal having a print function are provided. Mobile phones can handle not only phone calls but also email or other data processing, and the types of data to be processed will be further expanded in the future.
It is expected to have a data processing function almost equivalent to that of a personal computer. In contrast, by providing the printer of the present invention or a portable terminal equipped with a printing mechanism, a personal computer has a function of outputting data and a function of printing which is indispensable as a peripheral device in the portable telephone itself. It can be added without impairing the function as a mobile phone. Therefore,
According to the present invention, it is possible to bring the functions of a mobile phone and the environment of peripheral devices closer to a personal computer. For this reason, it becomes easier for the user to use the mobile phone as the information device terminal, and it is possible to more conveniently use the functions currently and in the future mounted on the mobile phone.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing how a printer according to the present invention is mounted on a mobile phone.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state where the printer shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a mobile phone.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the printer shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration related to control of the printer illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a schematic control of the printer shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which different types of printers according to the present invention are mounted on a mobile phone.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which still another type of printer according to the present invention is mounted on a mobile phone.

[Description of Signs] 1 Mobile phone 2 Housing 3 Speaker 4 Display unit (LCD) 5 Key input unit 6 Microphone (Microphone) 7 Antenna 8 External connector 9 Battery pack 10, 60, 65 Printer 11, 67 Paper storage space 12 Print Mechanism 15 Printer body (housing) 16 Connector 17 Microphone (Microphone) 18 Switch (Push button) 19 Discharge port (Slit) 20 Thermal paper (Cut sheet) 21 Line thermal head 22 Platen roller 23 Pickup roller 26 Control board 27 Motor 66 Tape roll paper

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A data input / output unit having at least a speaker capable of outputting sound and a microphone for catching sound, and a unit for transmitting and receiving data via radio, wherein the speaker and microphone have an ear and a mouth or A portable terminal arranged in such a manner as to be in the vicinity of the microphone, the portable terminal having a printing mechanism for recording data on printing paper, and the printing mechanism being arranged near the microphone. 2. The printing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein
A portable terminal, wherein a microphone and a speaker are arranged substantially linearly. 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage space for a plurality of cut sheets to be supplied to the printing mechanism,
The portable terminal, wherein the storage space is arranged so that a longitudinal direction thereof extends along a direction from the microphone to the speaker. 4. The portable terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a storage space for a tape-shaped roll paper to be supplied to the printing mechanism, wherein the storage space is disposed on an extension of the microphone and the printing mechanism. 5. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein the print mechanism stops when a voice is caught. 6. At least a speaker capable of outputting sound and a microphone for catching sound, transmitting and receiving data via radio, and the speaker and microphone are respectively arranged so as to be in the ear and mouth or in the vicinity thereof. A printer detachable from a portable terminal, comprising: a connector connectable to an external connector of the portable terminal; a print mechanism for recording data acquired via the connector on print paper; and a storage space for the print paper. A printer, wherein the printing mechanism is attached to the mobile terminal such that the printing mechanism is near a microphone of the mobile terminal. 7. The printer according to claim 6, wherein the printing mechanism is mounted so as to be located on an extension in a direction from the speaker to the microphone. 8. The printer according to claim 6, wherein the printer is mechanically held by the portable terminal by connecting the connector to an external connector of the portable terminal. 9. The storage space according to claim 6, wherein the storage space stores a plurality of cut sheets, and when the printer is mounted on the portable terminal, the storage space has a longitudinal direction in a direction from the microphone to the speaker. A printer characterized by being arranged along. 10. The storage space according to claim 6, wherein the storage space stores a tape-shaped roll paper, and when the printer is attached to the portable terminal, the storage space is arranged on an extension of the microphone and a printing mechanism. A printer. 11. The printer according to claim 6, wherein the printer has means for catching voice, and the printing mechanism stops when voice is caught.