Mobile communication device

• US 7,792,558 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2007
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Ha-Yong, Bang, Sung-Eun, Lee, Han-Bin
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, NHAN T
• Application Number:
  US11/730,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20080070635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/575.1, 455/575.3, 455/575.4, 379/428.01, 379/433.01, 379/433.11, 379/433.12, 379/440
• US Class Current: 455/575.4
• 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 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• 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 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A mobile communication device for receiving and transmitting wireless communication signals including a body having a border portion, a display supported by the body, a touch screen adjacent the display and defining an exterior surface of the mobile communication device such that the display is visible through the touch screen, the touch screen transferring an input signal through electrodes disposed at an edge portion of the touch screen, and an electrode covering layer located above the electrodes of the touch screen. The border portion of the body and the outermost portion of the touch screen are substantially coplanar.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

a case having a border portion;

a display supported by the case;

a touch screen adjacent the display and defining an exterior surface of the mobile communication terminal such that the display is visible, the touch screen transferring an input signal through electrodes disposed at an edge portion of the touch screen; and

an electrode covering layer located above the electrodes, the electrode cover layer not being overlapped by the border portion of the case,

wherein the border portion of the case and the outermost portion of the touch screen are substantially coplanar, and

wherein the touch screen comprises;

a transparent support plate;

a touch sensing layer fixed on the transparent support plate and having electrodes formed at its edges; and

a protection layer disposed at an upper portion of the electrode covering layer.

2. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the outermost portion of the touch screen has the same height as that of the border portion of the case.

3. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein a mounting step with depth corresponding to the thickness of the touch screen is provided on the case to allow the touch screen to be mounted therein.

4. The mobile communication terminal of claim 3, wherein the touch screen includes:

a transparent support plate;

a touch sensing layer mounted on the transparent support plate and having electrodes formed at its edges;

a protection film layer disposed at an upper portion of the electrode covering layer; and

the electrode covering layer is disposed at an upper portion of the touch sensing layer.

5. The mobile communication terminal of claim 4, wherein the touch sensing layer comprises:

a first resistive film;

a second resistive film disposed apart from the first resistive film with a gap therebetween; and

the electrodes include first electrodes disposed at the edges of the first resistive film and second electrodes formed at the edges of the second resistive film, the second electrodes being perpendicular to the first electrodes.

6. The mobile communication terminal of claim 4, wherein the touch sensing layer is connected with a circuit board installed within the case by a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).

7. The mobile communication terminal of claim 6, wherein the FPCB is connected with a terminal formed perpendicular to the electrodes of the touch sensing layer.

8. The mobile communication terminal of claim 6, wherein one end of the FPCB is connected with the electrodes of the touch sensing layer in a horizontal direction and the other end thereof is bent in a vertical direction and penetrates the mounting step so as to be connected with circuit board.

9. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the electrode covering layer is disposed at an upper portion of the touch sensing layer.

10. The mobile communication terminal of claim 9, wherein one of an upper and a lower surface of the electrode covering layer includes edges formed with an opaque printing.

11. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the touch sensing layer is connected with a circuit board installed within the case by a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) disposed within the case.

12. The mobile communication terminal of claim 11, wherein the FPCB is connected with a terminal formed perpendicular to the electrodes of the touch sensing layer.

13. The mobile communication terminal of claim 12, wherein the terminal penetrates the touch screen so as to extend to a lower surface of the touch screen.

14. The mobile communication terminal of claim 12, wherein the terminal penetrates the touch screen so as to extend to a lower surface of the transparent support plate.

15. The mobile communication terminal of claim 11, wherein one end of the FPCB is connected with the electrodes of the touch sensing layer in a horizontal direction and the other end thereof is bent in a vertical direction and penetrates the case so as to be connected with the circuit board.

16. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the touch screen may have a size corresponding to an entire upper surface of the case.

17. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the touch screen comprises:

at least one through hole; and

an external key exposed through the through hole.

18. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the touch screen comprises a touch sensing layer to discriminate a resistance value corresponding to a touched portion, and the electrode covering layer is located on an upper surface of the touch sensing layer.

19. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the touch screen includes a touch sensing layer to discriminate a resistance value corresponding to a touched portion, and the electrode covering layer is located within the touch screen.

20. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the protection layer is a protection film layer.

22. The mobile communication terminal of claim 20, wherein the second electrodes are perpendicular to the first electrodes.

21. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

a case having a border portion;

a display supported by the case;

a touch screen adjacent the display and defining an exterior surface of the mobile communication terminal such that the display is visible, the touch screen transferring an input signal through electrodes disposed at an edge portion of the touch screen; and

an electrode covering layer located above the electrodes,

wherein the border portion of the case and the outermost portion of the touch screen are substantially coplanar, and

wherein the touch sensing layer comprises;

a first resistive film;

a second resistive film disposed apart from the first resistive film with a gap therebetween; and

the electrodes include first electrodes disposed at the edges of the first resistive film and second electrodes formed at the edges of the second resistive film.

23. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

a case having a border portion;

a display supported by the case;

a touch screen adjacent the display and defining an exterior surface of the mobile communication terminal such that the display is visible, the touch screen transferring an input signal through electrodes disposed at an edge portion of the touch screen; and

an electrode covering layer applied to the touch screen, the electrode covering layer being located above the electrodes,

wherein the border portion of the case and the outermost portion of the touch screen are substantially coplanar, and

wherein the touch screen includes;

a transparent support plate;

a touch sensing layer fixed on the transparent support plate and having electrodes formed at its edges; and

a protection layer disposed at an upper portion of the electrode covering layer.

24. The mobile communication terminal of claim 23, wherein the outermost portion of the touch screen has the same height as that of the border portion of the case.

25. The mobile communication terminal of claim 23, wherein a mounting step with depth corresponding to the thickness of the touch screen is provided on the case to allow the touch screen to be mounted therein.

26. The mobile communication terminal of claim 23, wherein the electrode covering layer is disposed at an upper portion of the touch sensing layer.

27. The mobile communication terminal of claim 26, wherein one of an upper and a lower surface of the electrode covering layer includes edges formed with an opaque printing.

28. The mobile communication terminal of claim 23, wherein the protection layer is a protection film layer.