Mobile terminal

• US 9,451,064 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2014
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Hwang, Yong Jin, Won, Chang Bai, Choi, Bo Ra, Lee, Kun Woo, Miles, Luke, Lee, Yun Sung, Tho, Gi Hoon, Kim, Min Soo, Lee, Yu Ri
• Primary Examiner(s): Leiby, Christopher E
• Application Number:
  US14/552,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20150119112A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 345/157
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/1656 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 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0268 including a flexible display panel
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A mobile terminal includes a body including a flexible portion, a display unit provided to the body, a sensing unit provided to the body and generating an electric signal in response to bending of the body, and a controller recognizing the electric signal and controlling the display unit according to the electric signal generated by the bending of the body.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a bendable body;

a flexible display located on at least one side of the body, the bendable body comprising a first body portion formed of a flexible material and at least one second body portion formed of a rigid material, wherein the at least one second body portion is coupled to the first body portion in a length direction;

an actuator placed in the first body portion and configured to change curvature of the first body portion; and

a controller configured to;

cause the body to change its shape from a first shape to a second shape by bending the first body portion via the actuator in response to an event recognized by the controller such that at least one of a top edge or a bottom edge of the body that is located at the at least one second body portion is raised with respect to a level of a surface of the first body portion when the body is in the second shape due to the changed curvature of the first body portion; and

cause the second shape to revert back to the first shape after a preset period of time without requiring a user input.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first shape is a flat shape and the second shape is a curved shape.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein both the top edge and the bottom edge are raised with respect to the level of the surface of the first body portion of the body such that the second shape is a concave shape.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the actuator is formed of a shape memory alloy which is configured to alternate between an original shape and a deformed shape according to a temperature change.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein a shape change of the shape memory alloy causes the change of the body shape.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises:

a motor fixed to the first body portion for providing a driving force; and

a movable frame having one end connected to the motor for rotating the other end thereof.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the actuator further comprises a fixed frame placed in the first body portion, the fixed frame having the motor mounted thereto and the movable frame being rotatably connected to the fixed frame through the motor.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the movable frame is rotated with respect to the fixed frame to change a shape of the first body portion in response to a signal received from the controller.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the other end of the movable frame is connected to the at least one second body portion.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one second body portion does not include an actuator.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the actuator comprises:

a fixed frame fixed in the body;

a motor connected to one end of the fixed frame for providing a driving force; and

a movable frame in the body, the movable frame rotatably connected to the motor.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the motor comprises:

a motor body fixed to the fixed frame; and

a rotation shaft connected to the motor body at one end thereof and rotatably connected to the movable frame at the other end thereof.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to bring the changed body shape back to the original body shape in response to an input received while the mobile terminal has the changed body shape.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the event comprises receiving a phone call or message.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the body is bent when the phone call is received such that the bottom edge of the body where a microphone is located is moved according to the bending of the body.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one second body portion does not include an actuator.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 1,

wherein:

the actuator is deformable in response to an electric signal;

the top edge is at a first portion of the at least one second body portion of the body and the bottom edge is at a second portion of the at least one second body portion of the body;

the first body portion is located between the first portion and the second portion; and

the actuator is not located in the first portion and the second portion of the body.

18. A mobile terminal comprising:

a flexible display;

a bendable body comprising a first body portion formed of a flexible material and at least one second body portion formed of a rigid material, wherein the at least one second body portion is coupled to the first body portion in a length direction;

an actuator placed in the first body portion and configured to change curvature of the first body portion in the length direction; and

a controller configured to;

cause the display to display a menu for setting a shape of the body such that the shape of the body is changed according to the set shape in response to an event that is recognized by the controller after the shape of the body is set via the menu; and

cause the body to change its shape from a first shape to a second shape that is set via the menu by bending the first body portion via the actuator in response to the event such that at least one of a top edge or a bottom edge of the body that is located at the at least one second body portion is raised with respect to a level of a surface of the first body portion when the body is in the second shape due to the changed curvature of the first body portion.

19. A method for controlling a mobile terminal comprising a flexible display and a bendable body comprising a first body portion formed of a flexible material and at least one second body portion formed of a rigid material, wherein the at least one second body portion is coupled to the first body portion in a length direction, the body further comprising an actuator placed in the first body portion and configured to change curvature of the first body portion in the length direction, the method comprising:

changing a shape of the body from a first shape to a second shape by bending the first body portion via the actuator in response to receiving a phone call at the mobile terminal such that at least one of a top edge or a bottom edge of the body that is located at the at least one second body portion is raised with respect to a level of a surface of the first body portion when the body is in the second shape due to the changed curvature of the first body portion,

wherein the bottom edge of the body where a microphone is located on is moved such that a level of the microphone is raised with respect to the level of the surface of the first body portion when the shape of the body is changed from the first shape to the second shape.