Mobile terminal

• US 8,233,942 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2007
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Joo, Won-Seok
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gu, Andy
• Application Number:
  US11/944,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20080305838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A mobile terminal in provided. The mobile terminal includes a housing having at least one manipulation part, a signal display unit located in the housing, the signal display unit being configured to selectively display one of at least two inputable signal sets, the selectively displayed inputable signal set being visible through the at least one manipulation part, and an input unit located in the housing, the input unit being configured to receive at least one signal corresponding to the selectively displayed inputable signal set.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a housing;

a liquid crystal display (LCD) disposed within the housing, the LCD being configured to selectively display one of at least two inputtable signal sets or other visual information different from the inputtable signal sets;

a manipulation unit disposed within the housing to cover the LCD, the manipulation unit being configured to allow light to be transmitted therethrough; and

an input unit disposed within the housing, the input unit being configured to receive at least one signal corresponding to the selectively displayed inputtable signal set,

wherein the input unit comprises;

a touch sensor disposed above the LCD and configured to sense a touch when the manipulation unit is touched;

a support pad disposed at a rear surface of the LCD so as to support the LCD;

a circuitry supporting substrate disposed below the LCD;

at least one dome switch mounted at the circuitry supporting substrate and configured to be operated when being depressed by the LCD via the manipulation unit; and

at least one pressing protrusion protruding from the support pad and formed to correspond to the at least one dome switch,

wherein the manipulation unit entirely covers the LCD,

wherein the housing includes a through hole and the manipulation unit is disposed in the through hole, and

wherein the touch sensor senses a touched position when the manipulation unit is touched, and the LCD outputs information associated with the touched position when the at least one dome switch is pressed by the LCD.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein of all the surfaces of the manipulation unit, the surface that faces the LCD is formed to be smooth without a step.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the signal sets include a combination of at least one number, symbol or image, a combination of characters for receiving at least one language, or a combination of a plurality of menus.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a light source disposed within the housing and configured to emit light; and

a light guide unit configured to guide emitted light toward the manipulation unit.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the light guide unit is disposed at a lower side of the manipulation unit, the light guide unit being a light guide film having diffusion patterns, the light guide unit being formed at a position corresponding to the manipulation unit.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the manipulation unit is made of a flexible member, and the light guide unit includes diffusion patterns formed on a surface of the manipulation unit adjacent to the light source.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the manipulation unit is made of a flexible member.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the at least one dome switch is a plurality of dome switches, and the manipulation unit includes a single pad corresponding to a region where the plurality of dome switches are disposed.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the touch sensor includes a touch screen, and

wherein when one of the touch screen and the dome switch is activated, the other of the touch screen and dome switch is deactivated.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a signal set determining unit electrically connected to the LCD, the signal set determining unit being configured to determine the displayed signal set.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, further comprising:

a signal set input unit disposed in the housing such that it is electrically connected with the signal set determining unit, the signal set input unit being configured to receive a signal for determining the displayed signal set.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein an outer surface of the manipulation unit is formed to be smooth.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the manipulation unit is a single pad corresponding to a region from which the LCD outputs visual information.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein an outer surface of the manipulation unit is formed to be smooth.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the manipulation unit is a single pad corresponding to a region from which the LCD outputs visual information.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein an outer surface of the manipulation unit is formed to be smooth.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 16, wherein the manipulation unit is a single pad corresponding to a region from which the LCD outputs visual information.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein an outer surface of the manipulation unit is formed to be smooth.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the manipulation unit is a single pad corresponding to a region from which the LCD outputs visual information.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein an outer surface of the manipulation unit is formed to be smooth.

21. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the manipulation unit is a single pad corresponding to a region from which the LCD outputs visual information.

22. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein an outer surface of the manipulation unit is formed to be smooth.

23. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein the manipulation unit is a single pad corresponding to a region from which the LCD outputs visual information.

24. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein an outer surface of the manipulation unit is formed to be smooth.

25. The mobile terminal of claim 24, wherein the manipulation unit is a single pad corresponding to a region from which the LCD outputs visual information.

26. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein an outer surface of the manipulation unit is formed to be smooth.

27. The mobile terminal of claim 26, wherein the manipulation unit is a single pad corresponding to a region from which the LCD outputs visual information.

28. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one dome switch disposed at the lower side of the LCD is overlapped by the signal display unit.

29. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein one of the touch sensor and the at least one dome switch is configured to be locked in a usage mode.

30. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one dome switch is a single dome switch and the at least one pressing protrusion is a single pressing protrusion formed to correspond to the single dome switch.

32. The mobile terminal of claim 30, wherein in a state that a virtual keyboard is displayed at the LCD, the LCD outputs information associated with the touched position not when the touch sensor senses the touched position but when the single dome is pressed by the LCD.

31. A mobile terminal comprising:

a housing;

a signal display unit disposed within the housing, the signal display unit being configured to selectively display one of at least two inputtable signal sets or other visual information different from the inputtable signal sets;

a manipulation unit disposed within the housing to cover the signal display unit, the manipulation unit being configured to allow light to be transmitted therethrough; and

an input unit disposed within the housing, the input unit being configured to receive at least one signal corresponding to the selectively displayed inputtable signal set,

wherein the input unit comprises;

a touch sensor disposed above the signal display unit and configured to sense a touch when the manipulation unit is touched; and

at least one dome switch disposed below the signal display unit and configured to be operated when being depressed by the signal display unit via the manipulation unit,

wherein the manipulation unit entirely covers the signal display unit,

wherein the housing includes a through hole and the manipulation unit is disposed in the through hole,

wherein the signal display unit is formed to be opaque entirely such that the at least one dome switch is not viewed from outside,

wherein the signal display unit is configured to display a virtual keyboard and a display region,

wherein information inputted by the virtual keyboard is displayed on the display region when the at least one dome switch is depressed by the signal display unit, in a state that the virtual keyboard and the display region have been displayed, and

wherein the information is not displayed unless the at least one dome switch is depressed by the signal display unit even though the virtual keyboard is touched in the state.