Touch screen assembly, mobile terminal having the touch screen assembly, and key input method on the mobile terminal

• US 20070035527A1
• Filed: 08/11/2006
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Sang, Park, Yeon, Cheon, Jee
• Application Number:
  US11/502,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20070035527A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2215/00 Tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2215/052 piezoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2231/022 Telephone handset
• 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 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/56 including a user help function

Abstract

A terminal is disclosed. The terminal includes a touch screen type display part for displaying key buttons used for a user to input information to the terminal, a speaker part for outputting an audio signal, when the user has correctly touched the key buttons, to inform the user that the key buttons have been correctly touched and inputted, and a control part for controlling the display part and the speaker part. According to the present invention, when a user of the terminal correctly touches the key buttons on the touch screen of the terminal, the user of the terminal can perceive, in the form of visual sensation, hearing sensation, and/or vibration sensation, that the key buttons have been correctly touched, and therefore, it is possible to more easily and conveniently manipulate the key buttons on the terminal having the touch screen.

Claims

1. A terminal comprising:

a touch screen type display part for displaying key buttons used for inputting information to the terminal; and

a touch screen protection film part formed on the display part, wherein the touch screen protection film part is formed into a shape corresponding to the key buttons.

2. A touch screen assembly comprising:

a touch screen type display part for displaying input parts used for inputting information;

a vibrator for providing vibration to the display part when an input operation is carried out through the input parts; and

a vibrator driving part for driving the vibrator, wherein the vibrator driving part provides a voltage square wave to the vibrator to instantaneously vibrate the display part.

3. The touch screen assembly according to claim 2, wherein the vibrator includes:

a coil;

a linearly reciprocating mover constructed to be linearly reciprocated depending upon the change of a magnetic field generated from the coil; and

a vibrator housing constructed to surround the coil and the linearly reciprocating mover, and wherein

when the voltage square wave is applied to the coil, the linearly reciprocating mover impacts against the vibrator housing to generate vibration pulse, whereby vibration is provided to the display part.

4. The touch screen assembly according to claim 2, wherein the vibrator is positioned at a lower surface of the display part.

5. The touch screen assembly according to claim 4, wherein the vibrator is positioned at the edge of the lower surface.

6. The touch screen assembly according to claim 4, wherein the vibrator is positioned at the center of the lower surface.

7. The touch screen assembly according to claim 3, wherein the vibration pulse is applied perpendicularly to the plane of the display part.

8. The touch screen assembly according to claim 3, wherein the magnitude of the vibration pulse is controlled by the number of cycle repetitions of the voltage square wave.

9. The touch screen assembly according to claim 2, wherein the voltage square wave has a number of cycle repetitions of 9 or less.

10. The touch screen assembly according to claim 2, wherein the voltage square wave has a frequency of 300 Hz to 700 Hz.

11. The touch screen assembly according to claim 2, wherein the voltage square wave is constructed such that at least one of the number of cycle repetitions, the frequency, and the magnitude of the voltage square wave is different depending upon kinds of key buttons pushed by the user of the terminal.

12. A terminal comprising:

a touch screen assembly including a touch screen type display part for displaying input parts used for a user to input information, a vibrator for providing vibration to the display part when information is inputted through the input parts, and a vibrator driving part for driving the vibrator, the vibrator driving part providing a voltage square wave to the vibrator so as to instantaneously vibrate the display part; and

a housing forming the external appearance of the terminal.

13. The terminal according to claim 12, wherein the vibrator is positioned such that the vibrator is in contact with the inside of the housing while the vibrator is spaced apart from a lower surface of the display part.

14. A key input method on a terminal having a touch screen, comprising:

a) displaying input parts on a touch screen;

b) recognizing that a user has performed an input operation through the input parts; and

c) when the input operation is sensed, inputting a voltage square wave corresponding to the input operation to a vibrator to cause the touch screen instantaneously vibrating.

15. The key input method according to claim 14, wherein the voltage square wave has a number of cycle repetitions of 9 or less.

16. The key input method according to claim 14, wherein the voltage square wave has a frequency of 300 Hz to 700 Hz.

17. The key input method according to claim 14, wherein the voltage square wave is constructed such that at least one of the number of cycle repetitions, the frequency, and the magnitude of the voltage square wave is different depending upon kinds of input parts manipulated by the user of the terminal.