Mobile terminal for changing position of display unit in horizontal or vertical direction

• US 20030013417A1
• Filed: 06/21/2002
• Published: 01/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Impactra Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Impactra Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Bum, Jae Ryong
• Granted Patent: US 7,200,423 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/575.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1622 with enclosures rotating around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define or with ball-joint coupling, e.g. PDA with display enclosure orientation changeable between portrait and landscape by rotation with respect to a coplanar body enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1683 for the transmission of signal or power between the different housings, e.g. details of wired or wireless communication, passage of cabling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/021 using combined folding and rotation motions combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0227 Rotatable in one plane, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0233 Including a rotatable display body part
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0241 using relative motion of the body parts to change the operational status of the telephone set, e.g. switching on/off, answering incoming call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly

Abstract

The present invention discloses a mobile terminal including: a first casing having a key input unit with a plurality of keys; a second casing having a display unit for displaying characters and images; a connecting member having its one end hinge-connected to the first casing to overlap with the first casing, and its other end connected to contact one area of the second casing; a rotating means provided between one area of the second casing and the other end of the connecting member, for rotating the second casing along a contact surface to the connecting member within a predetermined angle; and a signal processing device for converting an image displayed on the display unit, when the second casing is rotated by the rotating means. The mobile terminal can mechanically change the position of the display unit in the horizontal or vertical direction to vary the magnitude of the image displayed on the display unit, so that the user can watch movies, motion pictures and contents through a larger screen.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a first casing having a key input unit with a plurality of keys;

a second casing having a display unit for displaying characters and images;

a connecting member having its one end hinge-connected to the first casing to overlap with the first casing, and its other end connected to contact one area of the second casing;

a rotating means provided between one area of the second casing and the other end of the connecting member, for rotating the second casing along a contact surface to the connecting member within a predetermined angle; and

a signal processing device for selectively converting horizontal and vertical resolution of an image displayed on the display unit, when the second casing is rotated by the rotating means.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the rotating means comprises:

a bearing hole passing through a plate surface of the other end of the connecting member;

a rotation shaft hole formed at the second casing to correspond to the bearing hole; and

a rotation shaft member inserted into the bearing hole and the rotation shaft hole, for rotating the second casing along the contact surface to the connection member; and

a position limiting means provided between the rotation shaft member and the outer surface of the second casing, for limiting a rotation position of the second casing.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, wherein the rotation shaft member comprises:

a rotation shaft unit formed in a cylindrical shape;

a hook unit formed at one end of the rotation shaft unit, for preventing the rotation shaft unit from being deviated from the second casing; and

a cover unit extended from the other end of the rotation shaft unit in the radius direction of the rotation shaft unit.

4. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein the position limiting means are a limiting protrusion protruded from the cover unit toward the second casing, and a position limiting jaw protruded from the plate surface of the second casing toward the cover unit for contacting the limiting protrusion and limiting the rotation of the second casing.

5. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein a connection line passing hole is formed at the side of the rotation shaft unit, for receiving connection lines for electrically connecting the first casing to the second casing.

6. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a display control unit for receiving the converted image from the signal processing device, and displaying the image on the display unit.

7. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a horizontal/vertical sensing unit for sensing a rotation direction of the second casing during the rotation, and outputting a resulting value.

8. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing device comprises:

an application program module for providing an image to be displayed on the display unit;

a video signal generating unit for receiving the image which will be inputted to the display unit from the application program module according to the rotation of the second casing, and converting the horizontal and vertical resolution; and

a signal output unit for outputting the image data converted in the video signal generating unit with a synchronous signal.

9. The mobile terminal according to claim 8, further comprising a horizontal/vertical sensing unit for sensing a rotation direction of the second casing during the rotation, and outputting a resulting value.

10. The mobile terminal according to claim 9, further comprising a direction information storing means for storing a sensing result of the horizontal/vertical sensing unit.

11. The mobile terminal according to claim 10, wherein the signal processing device often checks the rotation state of the display unit stored in the direction information storing means, and provides an appropriate image.