Cover device having input unit and portable terminal having the cover device

• US 9,535,546 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2014
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Chi-Hyun, Kim, Hee-Sung, Heo, Chang-Ryong, Hong, Hyun-Ju
• Primary Examiner(s): Karimi, Pegeman
• Application Number:
  US14/302,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20140362044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679.27, 361/679.29
• 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 1/1643 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 1/1669 Detachable keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 Cordless keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

A cover device having an input unit and a portable terminal having the cover device are provided. The cover device includes a cover unit divided into a plurality of areas, each area having an electrode. A connection surface is provided in the cover unit and configured to be detachably engaged with a terminal to which the cover unit is mounted. The input unit including an electrode line is configured to transmit a touch input signal to a touch panel of the terminal through an electrode of a touched area among the plurality of areas.

Claims

1. A cover device having an input unit, comprising:

a cover unit divided into a plurality of areas, each area having an electrode;

a connection surface provided in the cover unit and configured to be detachably engaged with a terminal to which the cover unit is mounted; and

the input unit including an electrode line configured to transmit a touch input signal to a touch panel provided on the terminal through the electrode of a touched area among the plurality of areas,

wherein the connection surface is divided into a plurality of segments, and

wherein the electrode is connected to two different segments among the plurality of segments by two electrode lines.

2. The cover device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of segments spaced from one another by a predetermined distance, and the electrode line is configured to transmit an input signal from an electrode connected to the electrode line to the touch panel.

3. The cover device of claim 2, wherein binary signals generated by a user input are mapped to two different segments among the plurality of segments.

4. The cover device of claim 3, wherein input keys are arranged in a QWERTY layout.

5. The cover device of claim 2, wherein input keys representing key values are patterned in the plurality of areas on a surface of the cover unit.

6. A portable terminal having a cover device with an input unit, comprising:

a body having a touch panel;

a sensing unit provided in the body and configured to be detachably engaged with a connection surface of the cover device, to sense a signal through an electrode line formed in the connection surface; and

a controller configured to identify an input of at least one key according to a set of signals received from the sensing unit,

wherein the sensing unit includes a plurality of signal sensing surfaces arranged equidistantly at an edge of a surface of the touch panel, and

wherein an electrode corresponding to at least one key of the input unit is connected to two different signal sensing surfaces among the plurality of signal sensing surfaces.

7. The portable terminal of claim 6, wherein the sensing unit is configured to receive a signal generated from an electrode at an input position of the input unit through an electrode line connected to the electrode and electrode lines are connected to the sensing unit so that signal sets received from the electrodes have different key values.

8. The portable terminal of claim 7, wherein a number N of the signal sensing surfaces is determined so that a number of keys in the input unit to apply an input to the touch panel is equal to or less than 2^N.

9. The portable terminal of claim 8, wherein the signal sensing surfaces is configured to output a set of binary signals corresponding to a key value of a user-input key.

10. The portable terminal of claim 8, wherein the sensing unit is configured to control division of the equidistant signal sensing surfaces according to execution of a specific function in the body.

11. The portable terminal of claim 7, wherein the sensing unit includes a plurality of sensors arranged adjacent to each other on a rear surface of the touch panel and the number N of the sensors is determined so that the number of keys in the input unit to apply an input to the touch panel is equal to or less than 2N.

12. The portable terminal of claim 11, wherein the sensors are capacitive sensors.

13. The portable terminal of claim 12, wherein an electrode corresponding to at least one key of the input unit is connected to two different sensors and the signal sensors is configured to output a set of binary signals corresponding to a key value of a user-input key.

14. A device comprising:

a body having a touch panel;

a cover unit divided into a plurality of areas in the body, each area having an electrode;

a connection surface provided in the cover unit and configured to be detachably engaged with the body;

electrode lines, each electrode line connecting an electrode to the connection surface to transmit a signal from the electrode to the connection surface;

a sensing unit provided in the body and configured to be detachably engaged with the connection surface, to sense a signal from an electrode line; and

a controller configured to receive signals received from the sensing unit and to recognize an input of at least one key based on a set of the signals,

wherein the connection surface is divided into a plurality of equidistant segments and each of the electrode lines is connected to two segments.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the sensing unit is divided into a plurality of equidistant parts in the body and the parts face the segments of the connection surface and sense a signal from an electrode line.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the sensing unit comprises a plurality of sensors sensing parts at a portion of the touch panel.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the sensing unit comprises a plurality of sensors arranged adjacent to each other on a rear surface of the body.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the plurality of sensors are capacitive sensors.

19. The device of claim 15, wherein upon detecting a touch, an electrode positioned in a touched area is configured to generate a signal and transmit the signal to a segment of the sensing unit connected to the electrode via an electrode line, and the controller is configured to provide an input signal to the touch panel by executing a key value corresponding to a set of signals received from the sensing unit.

20. The device of claim 14, wherein when the cover unit is attached to the body, a signal generated from an electrode is transmitted to the sensing unit via an electrode line connected to the electrode and the controller is configured to execute an input key value corresponding to a set of signals received from the sensing unit.

21. The device of claim 14, wherein input keys are patterned in the plurality of areas.