Mobile telecommunication handset having touch pad

• US 7,899,499 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2007
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Young-Chul, Kang, Yun-Hwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh; Sonny
• Application Number:
  US11/984,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20080070648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575.3, 455/575.1, 455/550.1, 455/556.2, 455/575.4, 455/566, 345/173, 345/174, 345/175
• US Class Current: 455/566
• 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 1/0237 Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/236 including keys on side or rear faces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• 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 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A mobile telecommunication handset includes a main body having a keypad for inputting information, a cover body having a main display unit on a first surface thereof that faces the main body when the cover body is closed over the main body, and having a sub display unit on a second surface of the cover body that is opposite to the first surface and exposed to the outside, a hinge unit connecting the main body and the cover body such that the cover body can be flipped opened and closed with respect to the main body, a touch pad on the second surface of the cover body, and a control unit configured to activate the touch pad on the second surface of the cover body when the cover body is closed over the main body and a key is pressed.

Claims

1. A mobile telecommunication handset, comprising:

a main body having a keypad for inputting information;

a cover body having a main display unit on a first surface thereof that faces the main body when the cover body is closed over the main body, and having a sub display unit on a second surface of the cover body that is opposite to the first surface and exposed to the outside;

a hinge unit connecting the main body and the cover body such that the cover body can be flipped opened and closed with respect to the main body;

a touch pad on the second surface of the cover body, said touch pad being different and not part of the sub display unit; and

a control unit configured to activate the touch pad on the second surface of the cover body when the cover body is closed over the main body and a key is pressed, to deactivate the touch pad when the cover body is closed over the main body and an input on the touch pad has not occurred for a predetermined amount of time, and to reactivate the touch pad when a touch key on the touch pad is touched for the predetermined amount of time.

2. The mobile handset of claim 1, wherein the key pressed to activate the touch pad is an external key disposed on a side of the main body or cover body.

3. The mobile handset of claim 1, wherein the key pressed to activate the touch pad is a key included on the touch pad.

4. The mobile handset of claim 1, wherein the touch pad is positioned below the sub display unit.

5. The mobile handset of claim 1, wherein the control unit deactivates the touch pad when the cover body is opened from the main body.

6. The mobile handset of claim 1, wherein the touch pad comprises touch keys having light emitting devices so that a specified area or an entire area of at least one touch key is lit when the touch pad is activated and the touch keys are not lit when the touch pad is deactivated.

7. The mobile handset of claim 1, wherein the keypad of the main body is on a first side of the main body that faces the first side of the cover body when the cover body is closed over the main body.

8. The mobile handset of claim 1, wherein the control unit activates at least one touch key of the touch pad which is necessary to perform a corresponding function such that said at least one touch key is activated and the other touch keys on the touch pad are not activated.

9. The mobile handset of claim 1, further comprising a locking mechanism configured to prevent input from the touch pad being generated regardless of a state of the mobile handset.

10. The mobile handset according to claim 1, wherein the touch pad comprises a proximity sensor configured to sense when the touch pad is being touched, or a sensor configured to sense a change in capacitance when the touch pad is being touched.

11. A method of operation a mobile telecommunication handset, the method comprising:

folding a cover body having a main display unit on a first surface thereof closed over a main body having a keypad for inputting information, said cover body having a sub display unit on a second surface that is opposite to the first surface and exposed to the outside and having a touch pad on the second surface, said touch pad being different and not part of the sub display unit;

activating the touch pad on the second surface of the cover body when the cover body is closed over the main body by pressing a key; and

deactivating the touch pad when the cover body is closed over the main body and an input on the touch pad has not occurred for a predetermined amount of time, and reactivating the touch pad when a touch key on the touch pad is touched for the predetermined amount of time.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the key pressed to activate the touch pad is an external key disposed on a side of the main body or cover body.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the key pressed to activate the touch pad is a key included on the touch pad.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the touch pad is positioned below the sub display unit.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

deactivating the touch pad when the cover body is opened from the main body.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the touch pad comprises touch keys having light emitting devices so that a specified area or an entire area of at least one touch key is lit when the touch pad is activated and the touch keys are not lit when the touch pad is deactivated.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

activating at least one touch key of the touch pad which is necessary to perform a corresponding function such that said at least one touch key is activated and the other touch keys on the touch pad are not activated.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

locking the touch pad to prevent input from the touch pad being generated regardless of a state of the mobile handset.