Portable terminal

• US 7,916,473 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jang, Chang-Yong
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong; Hung V
• Application Number:
  US12/334,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20090316354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 361/679.04, 361/679.05, 361/679.06, 361/679.21, 361/679.27, 361/679.29, 455/575.3, 455/575.4
• US Class Current: 361/679.55
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• 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 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0237 Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom

Abstract

An open/close mechanism of a portable terminal is provided. The portable terminal is configured such that when applying a force to an upper body in a horizontal direction with respect to a lower body, a slide-slip module allows the upper body subsequently to slide in the horizontal direction and slip in a longitudinal thickness direction with respect to the lower body so as to implement an open state, whereby a step generation between an upper surface of the upper body and an upper surface of the lower body can be minimized, so as to achieve a structurally stable portable terminal.

Claims

1. A portable terminal, comprising:

a lower body;

an upper body slidably connected to the lower body;

a slide-slip module configured to couple the lower body and the upper body such that the upper body is movable between a closed position and an opened position by a slip motion thereof, wherein the upper body in the open position is located lower than the upper body in the closed position;

an extension member accommodated by the lower body and movable together with the upper body such that the extension member is extended from the lower body at the opened position and retracted into the lower body at the closed position; and

a shielding member disposed at a side surface of the upper body and configured to shield the slide-slip module when the upper body is in the closed position and configured to be inserted when the upper body is in the open position,

wherein the extension member is associated with the shielding member such that the extension member extends from the lower body by a same distance as the upper body slides on the lower body.

2. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein an accommodating groove is disposed at the extension member to accommodate the shielding member therein upon the slip motion of the upper body.

3. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the upper body is flush with an upper surface of the lower body in the opened position.

4. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the slide-slip module includes an elastic unit configured to apply an elastic force to the upper body upon the sliding movement of the upper body.

5. The portable terminal of claim 4, the elastic unit comprises:

a first slide member fixed to the upper body;

a second slide member fixed to the slide-slip module and slidably coupled to the first slide member; and

a spring having one end supported by the first slide member and another end supported by the second slide member, such that the spring accumulates an elastic energy while the first slide member moves up to a dead point and applies the accumulated elastic energy after the dead point, thus to keep the first slide member moving.

6. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the slide-slip module comprises:

first link members each having one end coupled to the upper body to slide the upper body up and down;

a second link member coupled to another end of each of the first link members and configured to rotate the first link members so as to slide the upper body up and down; and

a third link member having one end rotatably coupled to the lower body and another end coupled to the second link member so as to rotate the second link member in cooperation with the sliding movement of the upper body.

7. The portable terminal of claim 6, wherein the slide-slip module further comprises a contact protrusion disposed at one end of the upper body and the extension member, and the contact protrusion is configured to operate the third link member.

8. The portable terminal of claim 6, wherein the slide-slip module further comprises a frame member disposed at the lower body and configured to support the first to third link members.

9. The portable terminal of claim 8, wherein the slide-slip module further comprises a restoring spring having one end supported by the second link member and another end supported by the frame member, and disposed to apply an elastic force in a direction in which the upper body is lifted.

10. The portable terminal of claim 8, wherein the slide-slip module further comprises guide slots disposed at the frame member and configured to respectively guide the first link members such that connection points between the first link members and the upper body slide in a thicknesswise direction of the portable terminal.

11. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein a display is disposed at the upper surface of the upper body, and a keypad is disposed at a region of the lower body exposed in the opened position.

12. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein a first display is disposed at the upper surface of the upper body, and a second display is disposed at a region of the lower body exposed in the opened position.

13. The portable terminal of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first display and the second display further includes a touch sensing unit configured to allow a touch input.

14. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the upper body moves into the extension member during the slip motion of the upper body.

15. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the lower body includes an input device and a rear cover, and a portion of the extension member is located between the input device and the rear cover when in the closed position.

16. A portable terminal comprising:

a main body;

a slidable body slidably connected with the main body for movement between a closed position and an opened position;

an extension member accommodated by the main body and movable together with the slidable body such that the extension member is extended from the main body at the opened position and retracted into the main body at the closed position; and

a shielding member disposed at a side surface of the upper body and configured to shield a space between the main body and the slidable body,

wherein the extension member is associated with the shielding member such that the extension member extends from the lower body by a same distance as the upper body slides on the lower body.

17. The portable terminal of claim 16, wherein the closed position is achieved when the main body and the slidable body are stacked together, while the opened position is achieved when the main body and the slidable body are in a flat orientation.

18. The portable terminal of claim 17, further comprising:

a slide-drop mechanism that allows the slidable body and the main body to slide in a planar direction and move in a non-planar direction, such that the slidable body and the main body become relatively planar with each other at the opened position.

19. The portable terminal of claim 18, wherein the upper surfaces of the main body and of the slidable body are flush with each other in the opened position.

20. The portable terminal of claim 18, wherein the slide-drop mechanism allows the slidable body to pop up from the opened position and retract back onto the main body to achieve the closed position.

21. The portable terminal of claim 16, wherein the slidable body has a distal end and the extension member has a distal end that are operatively connected together such that the slidable body and the extension member slide together.

22. The portable terminal of claim 21, wherein at least one of the distal ends accommodates at least one periphery component comprising at least one of an image capture device allowing uni-directional, bi-directional, or multi-directional image capturing, a memory device, a storage device, a user input device, a user output device, a headset jack, a connection port, a wired communication port, and a wireless communication port.

23. The portable terminal of claim 16, wherein the main body, the slidable body, and the extension member further cooperate together such that at least one intermediate position between the closed position and opened position is achieved.

24. The portable terminal of claim 23, wherein the closed position, the opened position, and the intermediate position respectively allow different user interface possibilities, activation of various functions, or operation modes.

25. The portable terminal of claim 16, wherein the slidable body moves into the extension member during movement to the opened position.

26. The portable terminal of claim 16, wherein the main body includes an input device and a rear cover, and a portion of the extension member is located between the input device and the rear cover when in the closed position.

27. A portable terminal, comprising:

a lower body;

an upper body slidably connected to the lower body;

a slide-slip module configured to couple the lower body and the upper body such that the upper body is movable between a closed position and an opened position by a slip motion thereof, wherein the upper body in the open position is located lower than the upper body in the closed position; and

an extension member accommodated by the lower body and movable together with the upper body such that the extension member is extended from the lower body at the opened position and retracted into the lower body at the closed position,

wherein the slide-slip module comprises;

first link members each having one end coupled to the upper body to slide the upper body up and down;

a second link member coupled to another end of each of the first link members and configured to rotate the first link members so as to slide the upper body up and down; and

a third link member having one end rotatably coupled to the lower body and another end coupled to the second link member so as to rotate the second link member in cooperation with the sliding movement of the upper body.