Mobile communications terminal with rotational LCD device

• US 7,020,495 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2002
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pantech Corporation (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Curitel Communications Incorporated (SOLiD, Inc.)
• Inventors: Han, Shin
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAMOS FELICIANO, ELISEO
• Application Number:
  US10/185,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20030114198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 379/428.01, 379/428.03, 379/433.01, 379/433.04, 379/433.11, 379/433.12, 379/433.13, 455/40, 455/575, 455/566, 455/90.1, 455/90.2, 455/90.3, 455/550.1, 455/575.1, 455/575.3, 345/619, 345/649, 345/659, 345/30, 348/14.01
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1622 with enclosures rotating around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define or with ball-joint coupling, e.g. PDA with display enclosure orientation changeable between portrait and landscape by rotation with respect to a coplanar body enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1679 for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA G06F1/1681 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0227 Rotatable in one plane, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0233 Including a rotatable display body part
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0243 using the relative angle between housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones

Abstract

There is provided a mobile communications terminal having a rotational liquid crystal display (LCD) device. The LCD device includes an LCD accommodation case for accommodating an LCD therein, a folder body case for enabling the LCD accommodation case to be rotated in a predetermined angle, a shaft member for supporting the rotation of the LCD accommodation case on the folder body case, and a guide unit for guiding the rotation of the LCD accommodation case on the folder body case.

Claims

1. A mobile communications terminal with a rotational liquid crystal display (LCD) device, wherein the LCD device comprising:

an LCD accommodation case for accommodating an LCD therein;

a folder body case for enabling the LCD accommodation case to be rotated in a predetermined angle;

a shaft member for supporting the rotation of the LCD accommodation case on the folder body case; and

a guide unit for guiding the rotation of the LCD accommodation case on the folder body case

wherein the shaft member includes;

a upper shaft having;

a first annular-shaped ring unit;

a first annular-shaped extension unit being extended in one direction with a predetermined height from an external rim of the annular-shaped ring unit;

a second annular-shaped extension unit being extended in one direction with a preset height from an internal rim of the annular-shaped ring unit; and

a pair of combining recesses being perforated with a certain length in a direction along a rim surface of the second annular-shaped extension unit and facing symmetrically to each other; and

a lower shaft having;

a second annular-shaped ring unit;

a third annular-shaped extension unit being extended with a predefined height in one direction from an external rim of the annular-shaped ring unit; and

a pair of combining projections symmetrically facing to each other, each combining projection having a vertical extension unit being extended in one direction from a predetermined section of an internal rim of the second annular-shaped ring unit and a horizontal extension unit being folded and horizontally extended at an end portion of the vertical extension unit.

2. The mobile communications terminal as recited in claim 1, wherein the LCD accommodation case includes:

a cover having a transparent window at a central portion thereof for showing data displayed on the LCD externally through the transparent window; and

a container having;

a hole perforated at a central portion of the container, through which the LCD is connected to a printed circuit board; and

an annular-shaped protrusion formed along a rim of said hole.

3. The mobile communications terminal as recited in claim 2, wherein the folder body case includes:

a upper body case having;

a body having a shape of a rectangular parallelepiped whose bottom portion is opened;

an accommodation unit for positioning the LCD accommodation case in a caved-in part formed by folding a central part of the body towards a bottom direction of the body;

a hole perforated at a center of the accommodation unit, through which the LCD is connected to the printed circuit board; and

an annular-shaped protrusion unit being protruded in a rim of said hole with predetermined height and thickness in one direction of the accommodation unit; and

a lower body case whose edges are conjoined with the opened bottom of the upper body case.

4. The mobile communications terminal as recited in claim 3,

wherein the upper shaft and the lower shaft are inserted to face each other through the hole of the container of the LCD accommodation case and that of the upper body case of the folder body case, respectively, so that the pair of the combining projections of the lower shaft are inserted into the combining recesses of the upper shaft.

5. The mobile communications terminal as recited in claim 4, wherein a diameter of the second annular-shaped extension unit of the upper shaft is smaller than that of the hole of the container, and a distance between an internal rim surface of the first annular-shaped extension unit and an external rim surface of the second annular-shaped extension unit is larger than a thickness of the annular-shaped protrusion unit of the container.

6. The mobile communications terminal as recited in claim 4, wherein a distance between an internal rim surface of the third annular-shaped extension unit of the lower shaft and an external rim surface of the combining projection is larger than a thickness of the annular-shaped protrusion unit of the upper body case.

7. The mobile communications terminal as recited in claim 1, wherein the guide unit includes:

a guide protrusion being formed with protrusions at a backside of the LCD accommodation case; and

a guide groove being formed by caving-in in a lower direction of an upper case of the folder body case within a range of a moving radius of the guide protrusion as the LCD accommodation case is rotating.

8. The mobile communications terminal as recited in claim 7, wherein the guide groove is formed within an angle of 90°

.

9. The mobile communications terminal as recited in claim 7, wherein the guide unit further includes a position contacting unit for approving a position contacting signal to display data on a screen of the LCD in a uniform direction according to the position of the LCD.

10. The mobile communications terminal as recited in claim 9, wherein the position contacting unit includes:

spring pins being elastically allocated on a surface towards a moving direction of the guide protrusion that moves along the guide groove to make a circuit connection with a printed circuit board; and

contact points being mounted at each end of the guide groove to face symmetrically to each other and contacting to the spring pins as the movement of the guide protrusion is completed, for making a circuit connection with the printed circuit board.

11. The mobile communications terminal as recited in claim 7, wherein the guide unit further includes a fixing unit for fixing the LCD at a place where the rotation of the LCD accommodation case is completed.

12. The mobile communications terminal as recited in claim 11, wherein the fixing unit has:

protrusion units being protruded from an internal wall surface at each end of the guide groove to face symmetrically to each other; and

a fixing groove being formed on contact surfaces of the guide protrusion in a direction of facing symmetrically to each other so that the protrusion units are inserted when the guide protrusion is positioned at an end of the guide groove.

13. The mobile communications terminal as recited in claim 12, wherein the protrusion units are formed in a round shape.