Portable terminal with cradle

• US 7,741,810 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2007
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ko, Byung-Yeol, Jang, Hwan-Gee
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): OMAR, AHMED H
• Application Number:
  US11/836,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20080164843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 320/103, 320/107, 320/111, 320/112, 320/114, 320/115, 439/165, 361/625, 455/566, 455/573, 455/575.1, 455/575.8
• 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 directly to one side of the base unit for mounting a housing of the portable terminal and for rotating the portable terminal about a rotary axis extending perpendicularly to the one side of the base unit to reverse a front face and a rear face of the housing in order to view one of the front face and the rear face of the housing according to a rotating position of the cradling unit;

at least one cover member pivotally connected to the base unit for at least one of opening and closing one of the first face and the rear face;

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

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

sensors for detecting whether the first display device and the second display device are one of opened and closed.

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, further comprising another cover member, wherein the cover members are connected to opposed ends of the base unit to at least one of open and close the first face and the rear face of the housing, respectively.

4. The cradle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the portable terminal comprises a first display device and a second display device mounted on the front face and the rear face 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 top of the housing, wherein the at least one cover member is folded to the housing in a 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 comprises 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 one of a first rotational direction and a second rotational direction, according to the rotating position of the cradling unit.

10. The cradle as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if it is detected that the second display device is opened, the first display device is retained in an off state and the second display device is activated.

11. The cradle as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if it is detected that the second display device is closed and the first display device is opened, the second display device is retained in an off state and the first display device is activated.

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

a base unit;

a cradling unit assembled directly to one side of the base unit for mounting a housing of the portable terminal and for rotating the portable terminal about a rotary axis extending perpendicularly to the one side of the base unit to reverse a front face and a rear face of the housing in order to view one of the front face and the rear face of the housing according to a rotating position of the cradling unit;

at least one cover member pivotally connected to the base unit for at least one of opening and closing one of the first face and the rear face;

a detecting means provided between the base unit and the cradling unit to detect whether the cradling unit is rotated;

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

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

wherein, the detecting means comprises a hall sensor mounted at an end of one of the base unit and the cradling unit, and a magnetic member mounted at an end of one of the base unit and the cradling unit not comprising the hall sensor, and if the cradling unit rotates so that the hall sensor and the magnetic member are not opposed to each other, the first display device is retained in an off state and the second display device is activated.

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

a base unit;

a cradling unit assembled directly to one side of the base unit for mounting a housing of the portable terminal and for rotating the portable terminal about a rotary axis extending perpendicularly to the one side of the base unit to reverse a front face and a rear face of the housing in order to view one of the front face and the rear face of the housing according to a rotating position of the cradling unit;

at least one cover member pivotally connected to the base unit for at least one of opening and closing one of the first face and the rear face;

a detecting means provided between the base unit and the cradling unit to detect whether the cradling unit is rotated;

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

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

a second detecting means for detecting whether the first display device is one of opened and closed,

wherein the detecting means comprises a hail sensor mounted at an end of one of the base unit and the cradling unit, and a magnetic member mounted at an end of one of the base unit and the cradling unit not comprising the hall sensor.

14. The cradle as claimed in claim 13, wherein the second display device is retained in an off state when the hall sensor and the magnetic member are opposed to each other.

15. The cradle as claimed in claim 13, wherein when the hall sensor and the magnetic member are opposed to each other, the second display device is retained in an off state, and when the hall sensor and the magnetic member are opposed to each other and the first display device is opened, the first display device is activated.