Flexible portable terminal

• US 9,348,362 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2014
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Nakyung, Riboldi, Marzio, Ko, Jaehun, Kim, Sunyoung, Kim, Junghyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Edmonds, Lisa Lea
• Application Number:
  US14/172,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20140226275A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1601 Constructional details related to the housing of computer displays, e.g. of CRT monitors, of flat displays constructional details related to flat displays integrated in a portable computer, e.g. laptop, handheld computer G06F1/1637; constructional details related to television receivers H04N5/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683

Abstract

A flexible portable terminal is provided. The flexible portable terminal includes a folding portion configured to bend at one end of a body of the flexible portable terminal in a direction to a front surface or a rear surface of the flexible portable terminal, a flexible display unit configured to be mounted on the body of the flexible portable terminal, and to bend in the front surface or the rear surface of the flexible portable terminal according to a bending direction of the folding portion, and a sliding portion configured to enable one end of the flexible display unit to slide according to a difference of a compression/tension caused by a difference of an elongation between the folding portion and the flexible display unit when the folding portion is bent.

Claims

1. A flexible portable apparatus comprising:

a flexible portable terminal having a body and a folding portion configured to bend at one end of the body in a direction to a front surface or a rear surface of the flexible portable terminal;

a flexible display unit configured to be mounted on the body of the flexible portable terminal, and to bend in the front surface or the rear surface of the flexible portable terminal according to a bending direction of the folding portion;

a sliding portion configured to enable one end of the flexible display unit to slide according to a difference of a compression or tension caused by a difference of an elongation between the folding portion and the flexible display unit when the folding portion is bent; and

a notch, which is formed on the body of the flexible portable terminal so as to be opposite to an edge of the flexible display unit, configured to cover a part of the edge of the flexible display unit even when the flexible display unit slides.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the folding portion comprises a free stop hinge unit configured to maintain a bending state of the folding portion.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the folding portion has uneven structures formed on the front surface and the rear surface of the body of the flexible portable terminal.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the free stop hinge unit is disposed across at least one uneven structure formed on the body of the flexible portable terminal.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a cover of the flexible portable terminal is configured to surround side surface and the rear surface of the flexible portable terminal except for the flexible display unit.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein a minimum value which the flexible display unit maintains is determined based on at least one of a length of a topside of the folding portion, a thickness of the folding portion, numbers of the folding portion, a length of a saw-tooth and an angel between adjacent uneven structures.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

wherein the length of a saw-tooth is determined based on an Equation,

Z=2×

(x/2×

Cos θ

+t)×

(θ

/360°

)×

π

=(θ

/180°

)×

(x/2×

Cos θ

+t)×

π

in which x is the minimum value, y is a length of a topside of the folding portion, t is a thickness of the folding portion, n is numbers of the folding portions, Z is the length of a saw-tooth, Z′

is a length of a curved surface, and 2θ

is an angle between adjacent uneven portions, when the length of a saw-tooth is identical to the length of a curved surface.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein an edge of the cover of the flexible portable terminal comprises a cut-off portion which is obliquely cut from an end of the edge contacting the flexible display unit.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the cut-off portion is formed from an end of the cover of the flexible portable terminal contacting the flexible display unit to a line corresponding to a height of the folding portion.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sliding portion is further configured to enable the one end of the flexible display unit to slide in a direction to a side of the flexible portable terminal according to the difference of the elongation between the folding portion and the flexible display unit when the folding portion is bent in a direction to the front surface of the flexible portable terminal.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sliding portion is further configured to enable the one end of the flexible display unit to slide in a direction to an inside of the flexible portable terminal according to the difference of the elongation between the folding portion and the flexible display unit and a thickness of the body of the flexible portable terminal when the folding portion is bent in a direction to the rear surface of the flexible portable terminal.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sliding portions are disposed at an upper portion and a lower portion of the body of the flexible portable terminal respectively.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the sliding portions comprise:

a slider;

a slot configured to define a sliding range of the slider, and is formed by etching a part of the surface of the body of the flexible portable terminal; and

guide portions configured to guide a sliding of the slider at both ends of the slot.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the flexible display unit is configured to be adhered to at least one convex surface in a central region among multiple uneven structures of the folding portion, and to be adhered to the sliding surfaces of the upper portion and the lower portion of the body.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the notch is further configured to cover the body of the flexible portable terminal which is exposed by a sliding movement of the flexible display unit.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a hook provided to one end of the flexible portable terminal, and a hook groove which is formed at the other end opposite to the one end of the flexible portable terminal and coupled with the hook when the flexible portable terminal is folded.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexible display unit comprises at least one of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) unit, an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display unit, and an Electrophoretic Display (EPD) unit.

18. A flexible portable apparatus comprising:

a flexible portable terminal having a body and a folding structure;

a flexible display unit configured to output a display screen by the flexible portable terminal;

a hook provided at one end of the flexible portable terminal and a hook groove provided at the other end opposite to the one end of the flexible portable terminal and coupled with the hook when the flexible portable terminal is folded,

wherein the body of the flexible portable terminal has one surface on which the folding structure is formed being configured to bend upper and lower portions of the flexible portable terminal at a desired angle in a direction to a front surface or a rear surface of the flexible portable terminal, and the other surface on which a sliding structure is disposed to make one end of the flexible display unit slide according to the bending of the flexible portable terminal.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the flexible display unit comprises at least one of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) unit, an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display unit, and an Electrophoretic Display (EPD) unit.

20. A flexible portable apparatus comprising:

a flexible portable terminal having a body and a folding portion configured to bend at one end of the body in a direction to a front surface or a rear surface of the flexible portable terminal;

a flexible display unit configured to be mounted on the body of the flexible portable terminal, and to bend in the front surface or the rear surface of the flexible portable terminal according to a bending direction of the folding portion; and

a sliding portion configured to enable one end of the flexible display unit to slide according to a difference of a compression or tension caused by a difference of an elongation between the folding portion and the flexible display unit when the folding portion is bent,

wherein the folding portion has uneven structures formed on the front surface and the rear surface of the body of the flexible portable terminal.