Speaker device for portable terminal

• US 8,098,868 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2007
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Yong-Yi, Ryu, Seung-Woo, Kim, Bong-Sub
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROBINSON, RYAN C
• Application Number:
  US11/652,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20080069384A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,832 Days
• Field of Search: 381337-338, 379/413.13, 379/433.02, 37942001-42002, 379/433.13, 4555691-570
• US Class Current: 381/351
• 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 1/035 Improving the acoustic characteristics by means of constructional features of the housing, e.g. ribs, walls, resonating chambers or cavities

Abstract

A speaker device for a portable terminal including a first housing and a second housing coupled to the first housing and rotating towards or away from the first housing while facing the first housing. The speaker device includes a speaker unit mounted in the second housing, first sound output holes formed in the second housing, and second sound output holes formed in the first housing. When the second housing is folded to the first housing, a sound output from the speaker unit is guided into the first housing through the first sound output holes, travels inside the first housing and is output through the second sound output holes. In the speaker device for the portable terminal, the speaker unit and the resonating space are separately positioned in the housings, thereby providing a mellow volume and a high-quality sound and contributing to slimness of the portable terminal.

Claims

1. A speaker device for a portable terminal including a first housing and a second housing coupled to the first housing and rotating toward or away from the first housing while facing the first housing, the speaker device comprising:

a speaker unit mounted in the second housing;

first sound output holes formed in the second housing; and

second sound output holes formed in the first housing,

wherein when the second housing is folded to the first housing, a sound output from the speaker unit is guided into the first housing through the first sound output holes, travels inside the first housing, and is output through the second sound output holes, and when the second housing rotates away from the first housing to open the portable terminal, the first sound output holes output a sound as a part of a receiving unit of the portable terminal.

2. The speaker device of claim 1, wherein the first sound output holes are formed in one end of the inner side of the second housing facing the first housing and the second sound output holes are formed in one end face of the first housing.

3. The speaker device of claim 1, further comprising sound input holes formed in the first housing, wherein when the second housing is folded to the first housing, the first sound output holes are connected to the sound input holes.

4. The speaker device of claim 3, wherein the first sound output holes are formed in one end of the inner side of the second housing facing the first housing and the sound input holes are formed adjacent to the second sound output holes in one end of the inner side of the first housing facing the second housing.

5. The speaker device of claim 4, wherein a resonating space is formed in the first housing between the sound input holes and the second sound output holes and a sound output from the speaker unit is input to the resonating space through the first sound output holes and the sound input holes.

6. The speaker device of claim 1, further comprising a fixing rib formed in the inner circumferential face of the second housing and surrounding the outer circumferential face of the speaker unit, wherein the first sound output holes are formed in a region surrounded by the fixing rib.

7. The speaker device of claim 1, further comprising:

a protrusion formed in one end of the first housing; and

sound input holes formed adjacent to the protrusion in the inner side of the first housing, wherein when the second housing is folded to the first housing, one end face of the second housing is surrounded by the protrusion and the first sound output holes are connected to the sound input holes.

8. The speaker device of claim 7, further comprising a resonating space formed in the protrusion, wherein a sound input through the sound input holes is output through the second sound output holes via the resonating space.

9. A speaker device for a portable terminal including a first housing and a second housing that is coupled to the first housing in such a way as to be foldable to the first housing, the speaker device comprising:

a speaker unit mounted in one end of one of the first housing and the second housing;

a resonating space provided in one end of inside the other of the first housing and the second housing; and

a plurality of first sound output holes formed in one of the first housing and the second housing to provide a path for the sound output from the speaker unit; and

a plurality of sound input holes formed in the other of the first housing and the second housing to guide the sound passing through the first sound output holes to the resonating space,

wherein when the first housing and the second housing are folded together, the first sound output holes and the sound input holes are connected to each other, and

wherein when the second housing is folded to the first housing, the speaker unit and the resonating space become adjacent to each other, and a sound output from the speaker unit is output to the outside via the resonating space.

10. The speaker device of claim 9, further comprising second sound output holes formed in the other of the first housing and the second housing, wherein the sound input to the resonating space after passing through the sound input holes is output to the outside through the second sound output holes.

11. The speaker device of claim 10, further comprising a protrusion formed in one end of the other of the first housing and the second housing, wherein the resonating space is installed in the protrusion.

12. The speaker device of claim 11, wherein when the first housing and the second housing are folded together, the protrusion is positioned to surround one end face of one of the first housing and the second housing.

13. The speaker device of claim 11, wherein the sound input holes are formed adjacent to the protrusion and the second sound output holes are formed in the outer side of the protrusion.