Mobile terminal

• US 8,249,661 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2008
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Seong-Cheol, Oh, Han-Cyu, Park, Hyo-Sung, Song, Jun-Hyuck, Park, Sang-Min, Park, Jea-Woon
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord, Marceau
• Application Number:
  US12/172,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20090117944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,499 Days
• Field of Search: 455/90.3, 455/566, 455/550.1, 455/575.4, 455/563, 455/575.1, 361/679.59, 345/173, 345/174, 345/156, 345/157, 379/433.04, 379/354, 379/433.06
• US Class Current: 455/566
• 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: 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 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0237 Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom
• 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

Abstract

A mobile terminal including a terminal body having first and second regions on a front surface thereof, a touch screen part on the first region and configured to display visual information and perform an inputting operation in a tactile manner, and a touch pad part corresponding to the second region and configured to input information corresponding to a touch applied to a pre-set position on the second region.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a terminal body;

a window formed of a transmissive material, mounted on the terminal body and having first and second regions;

a display module disposed under the first region and configured to display visual information;

a through hole formed in the second region of the window;

a first input unit of a push type extending through the through hole and configured to be pressed, a size and shape of the first input unit corresponding to a size and shape of the through hole; and

a second input unit of a touch type disposed under the window and at both sides of the first input unit within the second region and configured to sense a touch input.

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

a printed circuit board mounted at an internal space of the terminal body,

wherein the second input unit comprises touch sensors electrically connected with the printed circuit board by a flexible printed circuit board and configured to sense the touch input to the second input unit.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the touch sensors are disposed separately at multiple positions within the second region.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the first input unit is disposed between the touch sensors and the first and second input units are aligned in the widthwise direction of the terminal body.

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

an illumination part disposed at the second region and configured to illuminate the second input unit.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the illumination part individually illuminates the second input unit.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the illumination part has a plurality of illumination sheets disposed separately at multiple positions within the second region.

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

a touch sheet configured to sense a touch, and including a first region for forming a touch screen part and a second region extending from the first region for forming a touch keypad part.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the illumination part is configured to be operated when the touch keypad part is touched.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first and second regions are configured to form a touch screen part and a touch keypad part respectively.

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

a touch sheet configured to sense a touch on the window,

wherein the touch sheet is electrically connected with a printed circuit board by a flexible printed circuit board.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a touch sheet attached on an inner side of the window and configured to sense a touch on the first region.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the touch sheet further comprises:

a first conductive pattern formed on the touch sheet;

a conductive layer disposed on one face of the first conductive pattern;

a data line electrically connected to the conductive layer and disposed at edges of the touch sheet; and

electric field generating units disposed at the edges of the touch sheet and configured to generate an electric field at the conductive layer.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein a portion of the touch sheet corresponding to the second input unit includes a second conductive pattern configured to sense a touch of the second input unit.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the second conductive patterns are spaced apart from each other on the touch sheet.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 15, further comprising:

an illumination sheet disposed at the second region and configured to illuminate the second input unit,

wherein the touch sheet further comprises a shielding pattern electrically short-circuited to ground of the illumination sheet and configured to block an influence of the illumination sheet.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 16, further comprising:

a data line formed at edges of the touch sheet and configured to transfer a touch signal corresponding to the first and second regions being touched,

wherein the shielding pattern is formed at a position corresponding to the data line and positioned at an opposite surface of a surface of the touch sheet on which the data line is positioned.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 16, wherein the illumination sheet has individualized illumination patterns configured to separately illuminate touched regions of the second input unit, and

wherein the illumination patterns each have a different radius and are formed in concentric circles arranged in sequence along the radius.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 18, further comprising:

a control unit configured to separately control the illumination patterns to have a brightness that changes along an ambient direction based on a length of time a corresponding illumination pattern is touched.

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

a switch disposed within the terminal body and configured to input information according to a pressing operation of the first input unit.

21. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the terminal body comprises:

a support frame surrounding a circumference of the first and second regions; and

a switch mounted at an inner side of the support frame and configured to input information according to a pressing operation of a manipulation unit included in the support frame.

22. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the terminal body comprises:

a first body; and

a second body connected to be slidably moved with respect to the first body, and

wherein the first body includes the first and second input units disposed on a front surface thereof, and the second body includes a keypad on a front surface thereof and configured to input numbers or characters.

23. A mobile terminal comprising:

a terminal body;

a window formed of a transmissive material, mounted on the terminal body and having first and second regions;

a display module disposed below the first region and configured to display visual information;

a through hole formed in the second region of the window;

a first input unit of a push type disposed at the through hole and configured to be pressed;

a second input unit of a touch type disposed at both sides of the first input unit within the second region and configured to sense a touch input;

a touch sheet configured to sense a touch on the window, and including a first region for forming a touch screen part and a second region extending from the first region to form a touch keypad part;

a support frame surrounding a circumference of the first and second regions; and

a switch mounted at an inner side of the support frame and configured to input information according to a pressing operation of a manipulation unit included in the support frame.

24. A mobile terminal comprising:

a terminal body;

a window formed of a transmissive material, mounted on the terminal body and having first and second regions;

a display module disposed under the first region and configured to display visual information;

a through hole formed in the second region of the window;

a first input unit of a push type extending through the through hole and configured to be pressed, an outer circumferential surface of the first input unit being completely surrounded by the window; and

a second input unit of a touch type disposed under the window and at both sides of the first input unit within the second region and configured to sense a touch input.

25. A mobile terminal comprising:

a terminal body;

a window formed of a transmissive material, mounted on the terminal body and having first and second regions;

a display module disposed under the first region and configured to display visual information;

a through hole formed in the second region of the window;

a first input unit of a push type extending through the through hole and configured to be pressed, an outer circumferential surface of the first input unit being completely surrounded by the second region; and

a second input unit of a touch type disposed under the window and at both sides of the first input unit within the second region and configured to sense a touch input.

26. The mobile terminal of claim 25, further comprising a touch sheet disposed under the window and configured to sense a touch of the second input unit,

wherein the touch sheet is formed to completely surround an outer circumferential surface of the first input unit.