MOBILE TERMINAL AND DISPLAY CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20110039603A1
• Filed: 06/25/2010
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Jong Hwan, Kim, Bong Soo
• Granted Patent: US 8,655,414 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable

Abstract

A mobile terminal including a display unit; a first power source configured to supply a first power; a first control unit configured to control operations of the mobile terminal; and an attaching mechanism configured to receive a detachable e-paper kit including e-paper, a second power source configured to supply a second power, and a second control unit configured to control operations of the e-paper kit. Further, when the e-paper kit is attached to the mobile terminal via the attaching mechanism, the first control unit is configured to control the display unit to display first information via the first power supplied by the first power source, and the second control unit of the e-paper kit is configured to control the e-paper to display second information via the second power supplied by the second power source.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a display unit;

a first power source configured to supply a first power;

a first control unit configured to control operations of the mobile terminal; and

an attaching mechanism configured to receive a detachable e-paper kit including e-paper, a second power source configured to supply a second power, and a second control unit configured to control operations of the e-paper kit,

wherein when the e-paper kit is attached to the mobile terminal via the attaching mechanism, the first control unit is configured to control the display unit to display first information via the first power supplied by the first power source, and the second control unit of the e-paper kit is configured to control the e-paper to display second information via the second power supplied by the second power source.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first control unit is further configured to control the first power source to apply the first power to the e-paper kit when the second power is below a predetermined threshold.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the e-paper kit further includes at least one of a touchpad configured to receive an input of a touch action to the e-paper and a light emitting device configured to illuminate light to the e-paper.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the second power source of the e-paper kit includes a transparent type solar cell arranged on a front face of the e-paper to form a layered structure with the e-paper, and

wherein the solar cell comprises:

a transparent light concentrating unit configured to concentrate received solar energy; and

a storage unit configured to convert the solar energy received by the light concentrating unit into electric energy and to store the electric energy.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first control unit is further configured to display a dynamic picture on the display unit and to operate in conjunction with the second control unit of the e-paper kit to display a static picture on the e-paper.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the second control unit is further configured to display the second information on the e-paper independently from the first control unit of the mobile terminal.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

an external case forming an exterior of the mobile terminal,

wherein the e-paper kit is further configured to be detachably attached to one portion of the external case and thereby be connected to the mobile terminal.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the first control unit is further configured to display the first information on the display unit and the second control unit is further configured to display the second information on the e-paper based on one of 1) whether the mobile terminal is opened or closed, 2) whether or not the mobile terminal is connected to the external case, and 3) a type of loading the mobile terminal in the external case.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the second control unit is further configured to control operations of the e-paper kit when the e-paper kit is folded or a rolled-up.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the second control unit is further configured to display status information of the second power source on the e-paper.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the second control unit is further configured to maintain displaying the second information on the e-paper kit when the mobile terminal has been abnormally terminated.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the second control unit is further configured to display prescribed information extracted from a memory of the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is normally terminated.

13. A method of controlling a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

supplying a first power to the mobile terminal via a first power source;

controlling operations of the mobile terminal by a first control unit;

receiving an attaching signal indicating a detachable e-paper kit including e-paper, a second power source configured to supply a second power, and a second control unit configured to control operations of the e-paper kit is attached to the mobile terminal via an attaching mechanism;

controlling, via the first control unit, a display unit of the mobile terminal to display first information via the first power supplied by the first power source; and

controlling, via the second control unit, the e-paper kit to display second information on the e-paper via the second power supplied by the second power source.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

controlling, via the first control unit, the first power source to apply the first power to the e-paper kit when the second power is below a predetermined threshold.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the second power source of the e-paper kit includes a transparent type solar cell arranged on a front face of the e-paper to form a layered structure with the e-paper, and

wherein the solar cell comprises:

a transparent light concentrating unit configured to concentrate received solar energy; and

a storage unit configured to convert the solar energy received by the light concentrating unit into electric energy and to store the electric energy.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

displaying, via the first control unit, a dynamic picture on the display unit; and

displaying, via the first control unit operating in conjunction with the second control unit of the e-paper kit, a static picture on the e-paper.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

displaying, via the second control unit, the second information on the e-paper independently from the first control unit of the mobile terminal.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

displaying, via the first control unit, the first information on the display unit and displaying, via the second control unit, the second information on the e-paper based on one of

     1) whether the mobile terminal is opened or closed,

     2) whether or not the mobile terminal is connected to the external case, and

     3) a type of loading the mobile terminal in the external case.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

controlling, via the second control unit, operations of the e-paper kit when the e-paper kit is folded or a rolled-up.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

maintaining, via the second control unit, the displaying of the second information on the e-paper kit when the mobile terminal has been abnormally terminated.