Mobile terminal

• US 9,456,062 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2016
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Oh, Han-Gyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Kumar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sadio, Insa
• Application Number:
  US15/085,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20160212251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 181 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• 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 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• 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 3/04886 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 1/0235 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 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• 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 1/233 including a pointing device, e.g. roller key, track ball, rocker switch or joystick constructional details of pointing devices per se G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/18 including more than one keyboard unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A mobile terminal having an input device that performs inputting in a tactile manner is disclosed. A touch screen of a first region and touch buttons of a second region are implemented by a single touch sheet without having touch sensing units. Thus, manufacturing, assembling and handling can be facilitated.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a body;

a display located at an interior of the body, the display being configured to display information;

a mechanical input button configured to be manipulated in response to an applied force;

a single window coupled to the body, wherein the single window comprises a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is optically transmissive and generally aligned with the display to permit viewing of the information displayed by the display, and wherein the single window is shaped to define an aperture that is sized to permit the mechanical input button to pass through;

touch input keys each comprising a symbol and being located on the second region of the window, wherein the second region, other than where the symbols of the touch input keys are located, is substantially opaque; and

a touch screen pattern configured to sense a touch applied to the first region of the single window and a touch button pattern comprising a first portion and a second portion which are each aligned with a respective one of the touch input keys to sense a touch applied to the respective one of the touch input keys, wherein the touch screen pattern is located below the first region of the single window to permit the sensing of the touch applied to the first region of the single window and the touch button pattern is located below the second region of the single window, and wherein the first portion of the touch button pattern is located on a left side of the aperture and the second portion of the touch button pattern is located on a right side of the aperture.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the symbol of each of the touch input keys is disposed on a surface of the single window that faces toward the interior of the body.

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

one or more light sources located proximate to the touch input keys,

wherein the symbol of each of the touch input keys is substantially hidden during a standby state of the mobile terminal and is illuminated by light from the one or more light sources when an input is applied to the mobile terminal.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the display and the one or more light sources are located underneath the single window.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the second region of the single window is shaped to define the aperture,

wherein the mechanical input button is operatively coupled to the interior side of the body, and

wherein the mechanical input button is physically separated from the display and includes an exposed top surface to permit user contact.

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

a camera located at the interior of the body and is below the single window,

wherein the single window further comprises a third region,

wherein the third region is different than each of the first region and the second region, the third region comprising an opaque area and a light transmissive area which is aligned with the camera,

wherein the body further comprises a case having a member located between the single window and the camera, and

wherein the member is shaped to define an aperture that is generally aligned with the third region of the single window and the camera.

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

a printed circuit board (PCB) and at least one flexible PCB that is coupled to the PCB,

wherein each of the touch input keys is connected to the at least one flexible PCB, and

wherein at least part of the mechanical input button is coupled to the PCB.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the PCB located in the interior of the body at a location that is proximate to the second region of the single window.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the touch input keys are positioned over the PCB.

10. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a body;

a display located at an interior of the body, the display being configured to display information;

a mechanical input button configured to be manipulated in response to an applied force;

a single window coupled to the body, wherein the single window comprises a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is optically transmissive and generally aligned with the display to permit viewing of the information displayed by the display, and

a plurality of symbols located at the second region of the window;

a first touch sensing portion aligned to cooperate with the first region of the window and configured to sense a touch applied to the first region of the single window;

a second touch sensing portion including a plurality of parts which are individually aligned with one symbol of the plurality of symbols such that each of the plurality of parts is configured to sense a touch applied to a respective one of the plurality of symbols, wherein the plurality of parts are spaced apart from each other to permit the mechanical input button to be located therebetween; and

one or more light sources located proximate to the plurality of symbols which are illuminated by light from the one or more light sources.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein each symbol of the plurality of symbols is located on a surface of the single window that faces toward the interior side of the body.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the display and the one or more light sources are located underneath the single window.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the one or more light sources are located proximate to the plurality of parts.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the second region of the single window is shaped to define an aperture that is sized to permit the mechanical input button to pass through,

wherein the mechanical input button is operatively coupled to the interior side of the body, and

wherein the mechanical input button is physically separated from the display and includes an exposed top surface to permit user contact.

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

a camera located at the interior of the body and is below the single window,

wherein the single window further comprises a third region,

wherein the third region is different than each of the first region and the second region, the third region comprising an opaque area and a light transmissive area which is aligned with the camera,

wherein the body further comprises a case having a member located between the single window and the camera, and

wherein the member is shaped to define an aperture that is generally aligned with the third region of the single window and the camera.

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

a printed circuit board (PCB) and at least one flexible PCB that is coupled to the PCB,

wherein each of the plurality of parts is connected to the at least one flexible PCB, and

wherein at least part of the mechanical input button is coupled to the PCB.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 16, wherein the PCB located in the interior of the body at a location that is proximate to the second region of the single window.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the plurality of symbols are positioned over the PCB.