Mobile terminal having touch input device

• US 8,478,351 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2010
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Hong, Sung-Chul, Park, Byung-Duck, Lim, Kyoung-Taek, Jeon, Sang-Chul
• Primary Examiner(s): Wendell, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US12/909,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20110034214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/554.2, 455/556.2, 455/566, 455/145, 455/158.4, 345/173, 345/1.1, 345/30, 379/29.1, 379/93.17, 379/122, 379/136, 379/142.17, 379/144.08, 379/167.12, 379/201.04, 379/247, 379/428.03, 379/433.04, 379/93.19, 379/916
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/021 using combined folding and rotation motions combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• 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 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• 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

Abstract

A mobile terminal having an input device that performs an input operation in a touch manner is provided. The mobile terminal includes a first display module, a second display module located adjacent to the first display module, an integrated window located an outer portion of the first and second display modules, and a touch sensing unit located between the window and the second display module for sensing a touch applied to the window and applying an input signal. Marks for guiding input content can be varied and high capacity and high-density multimedia or communication information can be easily and quickly accessed or executed.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a housing;

a cover layer comprising an optically opaque region shaped to define a first display region and a second display region;

a single window comprising an optically transmissive material positioned over the cover layer, wherein the single window comprises a first region that generally corresponds to the first display region of the cover layer and a second region that generally corresponds to the second display region of the cover layer, wherein the first and second regions of the single window are structured to permit information to be provided to a user during an operation, wherein the first region and the second region of the single window are coplanar with each other, and wherein each of the first and second regions of the single window is defined as a touch sensitive region;

a touch sensing layer being in contact with the cover layer, the touch sensing layer is structured to receive touch input responsive to user contact at the single window, wherein at least part of the touch sensing layer comprises an optically transmissive material, and wherein the cover layer, the single window, and the touch sensing layer are located in respective planes which are parallel; and

a controller located in the housing and structured to operate in cooperation with the touch input received via the touch sensing layer.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first and second regions of the single window permit viewing of information generated by an underlying display module located in the housing.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the display module comprises first and second displays respectively associated with the first and second regions of the single window.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the information provided to the user via the second region of the single window is a number, a character, or a symbol.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the cover layer is formed from a non-transmissive pigment.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the cover layer is a non-transmissive sheet.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the touch sensing layer comprises indium tin oxide (ITO) or carbon nano tubes.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the touch sensing layer comprises a pressure sensor or a capacitive sensor.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the cover layer is structured to include a first optically transmissive material which defines the first display region and a second optically transmissive material which defines the second display region.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein user contact received at the second region of the single window causes information to be displayed via the first region of the single window.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the touch sensing layer comprises a single layer and generates a signal according to the touch input.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the touch sensing layer has a size corresponding to that of the single window for sensing a touch input applied to the single window.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the display module includes at least one of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED), or a group of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs).

14. A display interface for a mobile terminal, the interface comprising:

a cover layer comprising an optically opaque region shaped to define a first display region and a second display region;

a single window comprising an optically transmissive material positioned over the cover layer, wherein the single window comprises a first region that generally corresponds to the first display region of the cover layer and a second region that generally corresponds to the second display region of the cover layer, wherein the first region and second region of the single window are coplanar with each other, and wherein each of the first and second regions of the single window is defined as a touch sensitive region; and

a touch sensing layer structured to receive a touch input responsive to user contact at the single window, and wherein at least part of the touch sensing layer comprises an optically transmissive material,

wherein the cover layer, the single window, and the touch sensing layer are structured to cooperate with a display module to permit viewing of data provided by the display module, and

wherein the display module, the cover layer, the single window, and the touch sensing layer are located in respective planes which are parallel.

15. The display interface of claim 14, wherein the data is a number, a character, or a symbol.

16. The display interface of claim 14, wherein the cover layer is formed from a non-transmissive pigment.

17. The display interface of claim 14, wherein the cover layer is a non-transmissive sheet.

18. The display interface of claim 14, wherein the touch sensing layer comprises indium tin oxide (ITO) or carbon nano tubes.

19. The display interface of claim 14, wherein the touch sensing layer comprises a pressure sensor or a capacitive sensor.

20. The display interface of claim 14, wherein the cover layer is structured to include a first optically transmissive material which defines the first display region and a second optically transmissive material which defines the second display region.

21. The display interface of claim 14, wherein user contact received at the second region of the single window causes information to be displayed via only the first region of the single window.

22. The display interface of claim 14, wherein the touch sensing layer comprises a single layer.