US 7577417

US Patent 7577417 Summary

Title: Mobile terminal
Assignee: Maxell Ltd (Current Assignee); Hitachi Ltd (Original Assignee)
Inventors: Tamotsu Ito, Katsuki Ikuta, Masayoshi Kuroda, Tsukasa Hasegawa
Filing Date: July 6, 2006
Issue Date: August 18, 2009
Abstract: The patent describes a cellular phone designed to balance enhanced processing speed with reduced current consumption. It includes a processing unit capable of executing multiple types of processing, an oscillator for generating a clock signal for the processing unit, and a clock controller. The clock controller converts the frequency of the clock signal from the oscillator and changes the frequency for each of the plural kinds of processing, controlled by the central processing unit.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

The patent contains one independent claim:

• Claim 1: This claim describes a mobile terminal, such as a foldable phone, that can switch between an open and a closed state.
  • It has a processor for running programs and a clock controller that can change the speed of the clock signal sent to the processor.
  • When the phone is open, the clock controller sets the clock signal to a first frequency.
  • When the phone is closed, the clock controller sets the clock signal to a second, lower frequency to save power.
  • However, if the phone needs to perform a specific task (even when closed), the clock controller temporarily increases the clock signal frequency to be higher than the second (lower) frequency, boosting processing speed for that task.
  • Once that specific task is finished, the clock signal frequency returns to the second (lower) frequency.

CAFC 2026 Dockets:

A search of CAFC 2026 dockets did not yield any specific litigation or decisions directly pertaining to US patent 7577417 as of April 26, 2026. The search results provided general information about other CAFC patent cases in 2026, but not for this specific patent.