MOBILE TERMINAL AND CASE FOR MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20080096620A1
• Filed: 10/18/2007
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: LEE, Min-Soo, Kwak, Woo-Young, Kim, Tai-Woo, Park, Seung-Woo
• Granted Patent: US 8,046,039 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/575.8
• 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 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1633 Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724092 Interfacing with an external cover providing additional functionalities

Abstract

A case of a mobile terminal includes a user input unit, a controller for manipulating an input signal, an interface for transmitting the manipulated input signal and protects a mobile terminal. As the case of the mobile terminal provides an additional user input, this allows a user to control each function of the mobile terminal with user friendly manner, or to input data efficiently, and to improve a design quality of the mobile terminal

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a body;

a case coupled to the body, and having a user input unit at one side thereof;

a first interface positioned on the case, for transmitting the input signal generated by the user input unit;

a second interface positioned on the body, for receiving the transmitted input signal from the first interface of the case; and

a controller positioned on the body, for controlling an operation or output information of the mobile terminal by using the input signal from the first interface of the case.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the case comprises;

a first body for detachably coupling the body of the mobile terminal; and

a second body foldably coupled to the first body, for covering one surface of the body.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the case is provided with one or more power supplies generated from at [east one of an external power supplying unit, a power supplying unit of the mobile terminal and its own power supplying unit at the case.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first and second interfaces are configured each other so that the input signal and/or a power supply can be transmitted between the body and the case.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein at least one or more contacting units are included in the case and/or the body for providing a power supply to the case from a power supplying unit of the mobile terminal.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the case includes a sensing unit for determining whether the case has been opened or not.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the user input unit is implemented in a qwerty manner.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the user input unit is implemented with a light emitting device.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the user input unit of the case is at least one of a pressure switch and a touch pad.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the case includes a controlling unit for controlling the first interface and/or second interface to be turned ON/OFF.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the input signal transmitted from the first interface is converted by using the controller of the body or a controller of the case.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the one or more provided power supplies to the case are supported or controlled by automatically or a user setting information.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the case includes its own power supplying unit at the case, and the power supplying unit of the case provides a power supply to a power supplying unit of the body.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the body and the case are configured to be detachable from each other.

15. A case for a mobile terminal, comprising:

a user input unit disposed at least one side of the case;

a controller for manipulating an input signal generated by the user input unit; and

an interface for transmitting the manipulated input signal by the controller.

16. The case for a mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the case comprises:

a first body for coupling the body of the mobile terminal; and

a second body foldably coupled to the first body to cover one surface of the body of the mobile terminal, and having a user input unit at a surface contacting the body of the mobile terminal.

17. The case for a mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the case is provided with one or more power supplies generated from at least one of an external power supplying unit, a power supplying unit of the mobile terminal and its own power supplying unit at the case.

18. The case for a mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the first and second interfaces are configured each other so that the input signal and/or a power supply can be transmitted between the body and the case.

19. The case for a mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein at least one or more contacting units are included in the case and/or the body for providing a power supply to the case from a power supplying unit of the mobile terminal.

20. The case for a mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the case is provided with a sensing unit that determines whether the case has been opened for operating the mobile terminal.

21. The case for a mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the user input unit is implemented in a qwerty manner, and a light emitting device is further implemented with the user input unit.