Mobile terminal

• US 9,578,155 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2013
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jaichul, Cha, Ilgu
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Edwards, Mark
• Application Number:
  US13/739,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20140004907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• 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 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0277 for a printed circuit board assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/236 including keys on side or rear faces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera

Abstract

A mobile terminal includes a terminal body having a front surface and a rear surface, a display module disposed on the front surface and configured to display visual information, and a rear input unit disposed on the rear surface and configured to sense an input of a control command, wherein the rear input unit includes a button member externally exposed from the rear surface, a first sensing unit disposed to overlap the button member and configured to sense a push input applied onto the button member, and a second sensing unit disposed to overlap the button member and configured to sense a touch input applied onto the button member.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a terminal body having a front surface and a rear surface;

a touch screen disposed at the front surface, the touch screen being configured to display visual information; and

an input unit provided at the terminal body, the input unit including;

a button member exposed to an outside of the terminal body;

a first sensing unit configured to sense a push input applied to the button member, the first sensing unit being disposed to overlap the button member; and

a second sensing unit configured to sense a touch input applied to the button member for unlocking the mobile terminal, the second sensing unit being disposed to overlap the button member between the button member and the first sensing unit,

wherein the second sensing unit senses the touch input in response to a touch applied to the button member,

wherein, when the touch screen is in a deactivated state, the second sensing unit does not sense the touch input,

wherein, when the touch screen is in the deactivated state, both the touch screen and the second sensing unit are activated in response to the push input sensed by the first sensing unit,

wherein a locked state of the mobile terminal is converted to an unlocked state in response to the touch input sensed by the second sensing unit, and

wherein, in response to the push input sensed by the first sensing unit, a home screen is displayed on the touch screen in the unlocked state, the home screen including at least one icon or widget.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the terminal body includes a recess groove, the first and the second sensing units being overlapped and located in the recess groove, and

wherein the input unit includes a flexible circuit board disposed between the first and the second sensing units.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the recess groove includes a sidewall, the button member being configured to be movable along a side wall of the recess groove.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the button member is configured such that an externally exposed surface thereof has a curved portion, and a surface of the button member opposite to the exposed surface has a planar portion.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the curved portion is either concave or convex.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the touch screen changes from displaying a webpage to a home screen when the push input is sensed during the display of the webpage.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein, when the touch screen is in an activated state, a function related to the touch input is performed when the touch input is sensed by the second sensing unit.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein, when the locked state is converted to the unlocked state by the touch input applied to the input unit, a touch sensing function of the touch screen is activated.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein, when an incoming call is detected, a function to connect the call is performed when the touch input is sensed by the second sensing unit.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the input unit is disposed at the rear surface of the terminal body, and

wherein the button member is exposed to the outside of the terminal body at the rear surface of the terminal body.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 16, wherein a battery cover is mounted at the rear surface of the terminal body and the button member is disposed at a through hole of the battery cover.

10. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a bar-type terminal body having a front surface and a rear surface;

a touch screen disposed at the front surface, the touch screen being configured to display visual information;

a battery cover mounted at the bar-type terminal body and having a through hole; and

an input unit provided at the rear surface of the bar-type terminal body, the input unit including;

a button member exposed to an outside of the bar-type terminal body at the through hole of the battery cover;

a first sensing unit configured to sense a push input applied to the button member, the first sensing unit being disposed to overlap the button member; and

a second sensing unit configured to sense a touch input in response to a touch applied to the button member, the second sensing unit being disposed to overlap the button member between the button member and the first sensing unit; and

a supporting member to support the input unit, the supporting member being provided at the bar-type terminal body and overlapping at least a part of the input unit to support the input unit,

wherein, when the touch screen is in a deactivated state, the second sensing unit does not sense the touch input, and

wherein, when the touch screen is in the deactivated state, both the touch screen and the second sensing unit are activated in response to the push input sensed by the first sensing unit.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the first sensing unit comprises a dome switch, the dome switch being located between the supporting member and the button member.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, further comprising a guide member to guide a movement of the button member, the guide member being located at an edge region of the supporting member.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the guide member includes:

a guide portion in which the button member is received; and

an extension portion extending in a direction orthogonal to the movement direction of the button member, the extension portion being coupled to the supporting member.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein a portion of the bar-type terminal body covers a part of the extension portion and a part of the supporting member.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein a part of the guide portion and a part of the button member are exposed to the outside of the bar-type terminal body.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the first sensing unit is disposed at a flexible printed circuit board.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein at least part of the supporting member is open such that the flexible printed circuit board is electrically connected at inner and outer sides of the supporting member.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the supporting member is mounted at a rear case of the bar-type terminal body, and

wherein a hole corresponding to the input unit is formed at the rear case of the bar-type terminal body.

21. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein a locked state of the mobile terminal is converted to an unlocked state in response to the touch input sensed by the second sensing unit, and

wherein, in response to the push input sensed by the first sensing unit, a home screen is displayed on the touch screen in the unlocked state, the home screen including at least one icon or widget.

22. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a terminal body having a front surface and a rear surface;

a touch screen disposed at the front surface, the touch screen being configured to display visual information;

an input unit, the input unit including;

a button member exposed to an outside of the terminal body;

a first sensing unit configured to sense a push input applied to the button member, the first sensing unit being disposed to overlap the button member; and

a second sensing unit configured to sense a touch input in response to a touch applied to the button member, the second sensing unit being disposed to overlap the button member between the button member and the first sensing unit; and

a supporting member to support the input unit, the supporting member being provided at the terminal body and overlapping at least a part of the input unit to support the input unit,

wherein, when the touch screen is in a deactivated state, the second sensing unit does not sense the touch input,

wherein, when the touch screen is in the deactivated state, both the touch screen and the second sensing unit are activated in response to the push input sensed by the first sensing unit,

wherein, when the push input is sensed by the first sensing unit, a home screen is displayed on the touch screen, the home screen including at least one icon or widget, and

wherein the touch screen changes from displaying a webpage to a home screen when the push input is sensed during the display of the webpage.

23. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein a battery cover is mounted at the rear surface of the terminal body and the button member is disposed at a through hole of the battery cover.

24. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein the terminal body is a bar-type terminal body, and

wherein the touch screen is disposed at a front surface of the bar-type terminal body and the input unit is disposed at a rear surface of the bar-type terminal body.