Keypad assembly for portable radiotelephone and method of controlling the same

• US 20040077373A1
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Jae-Goo, Choi, Young
• Granted Patent: US 8,831,691 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/702 with contacts carried by or formed from layers in a multilayer structure, e.g. membrane switches
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2225/03 Different type of switches
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2231/022 Telephone handset
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/006 Containing a capacitive switch or usable as such
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96054 Double function: touch detection combined with detection of a movable element
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960755 Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A keypad assembly for a portable radiotelephone and a method for controlling the keypad assembly. The keypad assembly includes: a printed circuit board having a plurality of metal domes; a keypad rubber disposed on the printed circuit board and having bosses formed integratedly on the positions corresponding to the respective metal domes; a sensing means disposed on the keypad rubber; and a key button part disposed on the sensing means, such that a touch screen function using the sensing means or a key button function electrically contacting the metal domes is selectively used according to the mode of the radiotelephone.

Claims

1. A keypad assembly for a portable radiotelephone comprising:

a printed circuit board having a plurality of metal domes;

a keypad rubber disposed on the printed circuit board and having bosses formed integrally on the positions corresponding to the plurality of metal domes;

a sensing means disposed on the keypad rubber; and

a key button part disposed on the sensing means,

whereby a touch screen function using the sensing means or a key button function electrically contacting the metal domes is selectively used according to the mode of the radiotelephone.

2. The keypad assembly for a portable radiotelephone according to claim 1, wherein the sensing means is a capacitive sensor.

3. The keypad assembly for a portable radiotelephone according to claim 1, wherein the key button part is a film sheet attached to the upper surface of the sensing means, the film sheet having a plurality of numeral keys printed thereon.

4. A portable radiotelephone comprising:

an input unit having a keypad which can alternatively function as a touch screen panel;

a control unit for generating a control signal to operate the input unit as the touch screen panel or as the keypad according a the mode set by a user; and

a power supply unit for exclusively supplying a driving power to the touch screen panel or the keypad according to the control signal from the control unit.

5. The portable radiotelephone according to claim 4, further comprising a character recognition unit for converting a coordinate value into a character code when the input unit functions as the touch screen panel, the coordinate value being produced from the input unit by a user'"'"'s contacting an upper surface of the touch screen panel.

6. The portable radiotelephone according to claim 5, further comprising a display unit for displaying a character corresponding to the character code from the character recognition unit.

7. A method of exclusively operating a touch screen panel or a keypad in a portable radiotelephone having a keypad which can alternatively function as a touch screen panel, comprising the steps of:

determiming whether or not an input mode shift key is inputted;

shifting the input mode from a keypad input mode to a touch screen input mode if the input mode shift key is inputted; and

cutting off a driving power supplied to the keypad, and supplying the driving power to the touch screen panel.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether or not the input mode shift key is inputted;

shifting the input mode from a touch screen input mode to a keypad input mode if the input mode shift key is inputted; and

cutting off the driving power supplied to the touch screen panel, and supplying the driving power to the keypad.