INPUT DEVICE, MOBILE TERMINAL HAVING THE SAME, AND USER INTERFACE THEREOF

• US 20080309637A1
• Filed: 04/07/2008
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Joo, Won-Seok, LIM, Seung-Geun, Ahn, Byung-Jin, Kim, Chang-Jea, Sung, Young-Hwan
• Granted Patent: US 8,358,278 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/233 including a pointing device, e.g. roller key, track ball, rocker switch or joystick constructional details of pointing devices per se G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• 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 digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264

Abstract

An input device includes a scroll unit installed on a case and configured to select a menu, a manipulation unit configured to operate a menu selected by the scroll unit and having a translucent region, and a menu display unit mounted on a rear surface of the manipulation unit and configured to display the menu selected by the scroll unit through the translucent region.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

a scroll unit installed on a case and configured to select a menu;

a manipulation unit having a translucent region and configured to operate the menu selected by the scroll unit; and

a menu display unit mounted on a rear surface of the manipulation unit and configured to display the menu selected by the scroll unit through the translucent region.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the manipulation unit comprises a push key configured to operate in a pressing manner,

wherein the push key includes:

a switch mounted within the case; and

a push protrusion mounted on a rear surface of the menu display unit, and

wherein the push protrusion presses the switch when the manipulation unit is pressed.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the manipulation unit comprises a touch key that inputs information by touching, and

wherein the touch key includes a touch pad that inputs signals according to a touch operation on the manipulation unit and is mounted on a front surface of the menu display unit.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the menu display unit comprises one of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) installed on the rear surface of the manipulation unit and configured display to the selected menu through the rear surface of the manipulation unit.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the scroll unit comprises a scroll key in the form of a circular ring, and the manipulation unit is disposed at a central portion of the scroll key inside the circular ring.

6. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a terminal body; and

an input device mounted on the terminal body and configured to input information, wherein the input device comprises;

a scroll unit configured to select a menu;

a manipulation unit having a translucent region and configured to operate a menu selected by the scroll unit; and

a menu display unit mounted on a rear surface of the manipulation unit and configured to display the menu selected by the scroll unit on the translucent region.

7. The terminal of claim 6, wherein the manipulation unit comprises a push key configured to operate in a pressing manner,

wherein the push key includes:

a switch mounted within the case; and

a push protrusion mounted on a rear surface of the menu display unit, and

wherein the push protrusion presses the switch when the manipulation unit is pressed.

8. The terminal of claim 6, wherein the manipulation unit comprises a touch key that inputs information by touching, and

wherein the touch key includes a touch pad that inputs signals according to a touch operation on the manipulation unit and is mounted on a front surface of the menu display unit.

9. The terminal of claim 6, wherein the menu display unit comprises one of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) that is installed on the rear surface of the manipulation unit and displays the selected menu through the rear surface of the manipulation unit.

10. The terminal of claim 6, wherein the scroll unit comprises a scroll key in the form of a circular ring, and the manipulation unit is disposed at a central portion of the scroll key inside the circular ring.

11. A mobile terminal comprising:

a terminal body;

a first display unit installed on the terminal body and configured to output first visual information;

a scroll unit disposed on the terminal body and configured to allow a scrolling operation;

a manipulation unit operatively disposed at a central portion of the scroll unit and having a translucent region; and

a second display unit mounted on a rear surface of the manipulation unit and configured to display second visual information at the translucent region.

12. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the scroll unit comprises:

a rotary wheel disposed to be rotatable on the surface of the terminal body and having a through hole at its central portion; and

a rotation sensing unit configured to sense rotation of the rotary wheel.

13. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the rotation sensing unit comprises:

a magnet fixed at the rotary wheel to rotate together with a rotation of the rotary wheel; and

a magnetic sensor disposed on a rotation trace of the magnet and configured to sense a magnetic field of the magnet.

14. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the scroll unit comprises:

first switch units disposed at multiple positions along a circumferential direction of the rotary wheel and configured to operate according to a pressing operation of the rotary wheel.

15. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the first switch units and the magnetic sensor are installed on a printed board installed within the terminal body.

16. The terminal of claim 15, wherein the printed board further comprises a second switch unit that senses an input signal applied to an outer portion of the rotary wheel.

17. The terminal of claim 16, wherein the second switch unit is configured to operate according to a touching method.

18. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the scroll unit comprises:

a touch wheel disposed on a same plane as the surface of the terminal body and having a through hole formed at a central portion of the touch wheel; and

a touch scroll sensing unit configured to sense a touch scroll applied to the touch wheel.

19. The terminal of claim 18, wherein the scroll unit further comprises:

third switch units disposed at multiple positions along a circumferential direction of the touch wheel and configured to operate according to a pressing operation of the touch wheel.

20. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the second display unit comprises:

a touch sensing unit disposed on the rear surface of the manipulation unit and configured to sense a touch applied to the manipulation unit; and

a display module disposed on a rear surface of the touch sensing unit.

21. The terminal of claim 20, wherein the touch sensing unit comprises a conductive film.

22. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the manipulation unit comprises:

a translucent button that is installed to be pressable at the center of the scroll unit; and

a fourth switch unit provided at one side of the button and configured to operate according to a pressing operation of the button.

23. The terminal of claim 22, wherein one end of the button is rotatably supported by a hinge and another end of the button is installed to press the fourth switch unit.

24. A user interface of a mobile terminal, comprising:

a first display unit configured to output first visual information according to each mode of the mobile terminal;

a scroll unit disposed on a terminal body such that the scroll unit can be scrolled;

a manipulation unit disposed at a central portion of the scroll unit such that the scroll unit can be scrolled and having a translucent region; and

a second display unit mounted on a rear surface of the manipulation unit and configured to display second visual information through the translucent region.

25. The interface of claim 24, wherein the second visual information comprises an icon for identifying a mode outputted from the first display unit.

26. The interface of claim 24, wherein the second visual information comprises a numerical value or a graphic image with respect to a present amount of image, sound or broadcast that can be selected or controlled by manipulating the scroll unit.

27. The interface of claim 24, wherein the first visual information comprises a selectable list, and the second visual information comprises a direction mark disposed to be adjacent to a corresponding position of the scroll unit to be manipulated, the direction mark indicating a movement direction of a pointer with respect to the list.

28. The interface of claim 24, wherein the first visual information comprises information on reproduced contents, and the second visual information comprises reproduction state of the contents or an item which is disposed to be adjacent to a corresponding position of the scroll unit and can be controlled by the scroll unit.