PORTABLE TERMINAL WITH CRADLE

• US 20080164843A1
• Filed: 08/09/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: JANG, Hwan-Gee, Ko, Byung-Yeol
• Granted Patent: US 7,741,810 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/06 Hooks; Cradles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/18 including more than one keyboard unit

Abstract

A portable terminal with a cradle is provided. The cradle includes a base unit, a cradling unit assembled to one face of the base unit and rotatable about a rotary axis extending perpendicularly to the one face of the base unit, and at least one cover member pivotally connected to the base unit. If the housing of the terminal is mounted on the cradling unit and rotated together with the cradling unit, the front and rear faces of the housing are reversed. The cradle configured in this manner is advantageous in that its cover member can protect the housing of the terminal and improve structural stability of the slim terminal. In addition, because the cover is used as a support in the extended state, a display device can be variously oriented, so that a user can conveniently use a multimedia service such as a broadcast.

Claims

1. A cradle for a portable terminal, the cradle comprising:

a base unit;

a cradling unit assembled to one face of the base unit and rotatable about a rotary axis extending perpendicularly to the one face of the base unit; and

at least one cover member pivotally connected to the base unit, wherein if a housing of a portable terminal is mounted on the cradling unit and rotated together with the cradling unit, a front face and a rear face of the housing are reversed.

2. The cradle as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the front face and the rear face of the housing is opened as the cover member is rotated.

3. The cradle as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of members, wherein the cover members are connected to opposed ends of the base unit, so as to open or close the faces of the housing, respectively.

4. The cradle as claimed in claim 1, wherein first and second display devices are mounted on the front and rear faces of the housing, respectively.

5. The cradle as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the housing is mounted on the cradling unit, the at least one cover member is at least one of folded to the housing and pivoted away from the housing.

6. The cradle as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a holder removably mounted on a top of the housing, wherein the at least one cover member is folded to the housing in the state in which the housing is mounted on the cradling unit, and anchored by the holder.

7. The cradle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the holder is formed from a magnetic material.

8. The cradle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a battery cell received in the at least one cover member; and

power wiring extending from the at least one cover member and connected to the cradling unit.

9. The cradle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a hinge device for interconnecting the base unit and the cradling unit, and for providing torque for acting in a first rotational direction or a second rotational direction, depending on the rotating position of the cradling unit.

10. The cradle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a first display mounted on the front face of the housing;

a second display mounted on the rear face of the housing, the second display being larger than the first display; and

sensors for detecting whether the first and second display devices are opened or closed.

11. The cradle as claimed in claim 10, wherein if is detected that the second display is opened, the first display is retained in an off state, and the second display device is activated.

12. The cradle as claimed in claim 10, wherein if it is detected that the second display is closed and the first display is opened, the second display is retained in an off state, and the first display is activated.

13. The cradle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a detecting means provided between the base unit and the cradling unit so as to detect whether the cradling unit is rotated.

14. The cradle as claimed in claim 13, wherein the detecting means comprises a hole sensor mounted at an end of one of the base unit and the cradling unit, and a magnetic member mounted at an end of the other of the base unit and the cradling unit.

15. The cradle as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

a first display mounted on the front face of the housing;

a second display mounted on the rear face of the housing, the second display being larger than the first display, wherein if the cradling unit rotates so that the hole sensor and the magnetic member are not opposed to each other, the first display is retained in an off state, and the second display is activated.

16. The cradle as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

a first display mounted on a front face of the housing;

a second display mounted on the rear face of the housing, the second display being larger than the first display; and

a further detecting means for detecting whether the first display is opened or closed.

17. The cradle as claimed in claim 16, wherein the second display is retained in the off state when the hole sensor and the magnetic member are opposed to each other.

18. The cradle as claimed in claim 16, wherein when the hole sensor and the magnetic member are opposed to each other, the second display is retained in the off state, and when the hole sensor and the magnetic member are opposed to each other and the first display is opened, the first display is activated.