Flexible display unit mobile terminal having the same

• US 7,636,085 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2007
• Issued: 12/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yang, Joo Young
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Jimmy H
• Application Number:
  US11/726,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20080086925A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 345/30, 345/55, 345/76, 345/87, 345105-107, 345/204, 345/905, 361/679.01, 361/679.02, 361/679.15, 36167926-67929, 361/679.09, 368/88
• US Class Current: 345/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/301 flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0268 including a flexible display panel

Abstract

A flexible display unit and a mobile terminal having the same are disclosed. The flexible display unit includes a flexible display film, insulated flexible display unit edges formed at two opposite edges of the display film, and a plurality of electromagnets formed in the display unit edges at predetermined intervals. The two opposite edges of the flexible film are straightened by magnetic forces when the display film is unrolled to the outside of a main body of the mobile terminal. Accordingly, a problem of the flexible display unit not being flat or being distorted may be solved. Additionally, the flexible display unit of the present invention is smoothly rolled into the main body in the same manner as in a conventional flexible display unit, because the flexibility of the flexible display unit of the present invention is recovered by removing the magnetic forces when rolling the flexible display unit into the main body.

Claims

1. A flexible display unit of a mobile terminal, the flexible display unit being rolled or unrolled through a slit of a main body of the mobile terminal, comprising:

a flexible display film having a front surface for displaying an image and a rear surface opposite to the front surface;

insulated flexible display unit edges formed at opposite edges of the display film in the direction of rolling and unrolling the display film being through the slit of the main body; and

a plurality of electromagnets formed in the display unit edges at predetermined intervals, for straightening the display unit edges by magnetic forces when the display film is unrolled to the outside of the main body.

2. The flexible display unit of claim 1, wherein the electromagnets are disposed at maintaining a predetermined distance from the edges of the display film.

3. The flexible display unit of claim 1, wherein the electromagnets are formed in a thin rectangular parallelepiped shape, and opposite surfaces having the largest surface areas are disposed parallel to the front and rear surfaces.

4. The flexible display unit of claim 3, wherein the electromagnets are disposed in the same direction of magnetic polarity.

5. The flexible display unit of claim 1, further comprising a stopper formed at a leading edge of the display film furthest from the main body.

6. A mobile terminal having a flexible display unit, the mobile terminal comprising:

a main body formed with a slit; and

a flexible display unit being rolled or unrolled through the slit of the main body;

wherein the flexible display unit comprises a flexible display film having a front surface for displaying an image and a rear surface opposite to the front surface, insulated flexible display unit edges formed at opposite edges of the display film in the direction of rolling and unrolling the display film through the slit of the main body, and a plurality of electromagnets formed in the display unit edges at predetermined intervals for straightening the display unit edges by magnetic forces when the display film is unrolled to the outside of the main body.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the main body is formed in a cylindrical shape and the slit is formed at the circumferential surface of the main body in the lengthwise direction of a length greater than the width of the flexible display unit.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the electromagnets are disposed at opposite edges at predetermined intervals.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the electromagnets are formed in a thin rectangular parallelepiped shape, and two opposite surfaces having the largest surface areas are disposed parallel to the front and rear surfaces.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the electromagnets are disposed in the same direction of magnetic polarity.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the flexible display unit further comprises a stopper formed at a leading edge of the display film furthest from the main body.