PORTABLE TERMINAL

• US 20080311960A1
• Filed: 01/22/2008
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Young-Joong, Joo, Won-Seok
• Granted Patent: US 8,204,549 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/569.1
• 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 1/0258 for a headset device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264

Abstract

A portable terminal including a terminal body having an earpiece mounting portion, and an earpiece detachably mounted at the earpiece mounting portion. The earpiece includes an earpiece body configured to communicate with the terminal body, and a speaker portion configured to output sound transmitted from the earpiece body, the speaker portion having a controllable length so as to reduce a thickness of the earpiece when the earpiece is detachably mounted at the earpiece mounting portion.

Claims

1. A portable terminal, comprising:

a terminal body having an earpiece mounting portion; and

an earpiece detachably mounted at the earpiece mounting portion, the earpiece including;

an earpiece body configured to communicate with the terminal body; and

a speaker portion configured to ouptut sound transmitted from the earpiece body, the speaker portion having a controllable length so as to reduce a thickness of the earpiece when the earpiece is detachably mounted at the earpiece mounting portion.

2. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the earpiece mounting portion is located at a rear surface of the terminal body.

3. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the earpiece mounting portion is recessed from a surface of the terminal body so as to partially mount the earpiece below the surface of the terminal body.

4. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the earpiece mounting portion includes:

a first mounting portion configured to receive the earpiece body; and

a second mounting portion configured to receive the speaker portion.

5. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the speaker portion includes:

a speaker body having a speaker located therein, the speaker body protruding from one side surface of the earpiece body; and

a supporting member located on an outer surface of the speaker body to be movable in a length direction of the speaker body and to be insertable into an ear of a user.

6. The portable terminal of claim 5, wherein the supporting member is sized such that the earpiece is supportable in the ear of the user.

7. The portable terminal of claim 5, wherein the speaker portion includes a guide portion connecting the supporting member to the speaker body, the guide portion being configured to guide the supporting member to move in the length direction of the speaker body when the supporting member is rotated about the speaker body.

8. The portable terminal of claim 7, wherein the guide portion includes:

a guide slot spirally formed on the outer surface of the speaker body; and

a guide protrusion extending from an inner surface of the supporting member, the guide protrusion being inserted into the guide slot to allow the guide protrusion to be moved along the guide slot.

9. The portable terminal of claim 8, wherein the guide portion includes fixing portions to hold the guide protrusion so as to maintain the supporting member in a drawn-in state and a drawn-out state of the supporting member, respectively.

10. The portable terminal of claim 9, wherein the guide slot includes a fist end, a second end, and a spiral portion, and the first and second ends extend in directions different than the spiral portion to provide the fixing portions.

11. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the earpiece body includes a microphone configured to input sound.

12. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the earpiece body includes a key button configured to input information.

13. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the terminal body includes a battery located therein, the earpiece includes a battery located therein, and the battery of the earpiece is chargeable by the battery of the terminal body when the earpiece is detachably mounted at the earpiece mounting portion.

14. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the terminal body comprises a cover configured to cover the earpiece mounting portion when the earpiece is detached from the earpiece mounting portion.

15. The portable terminal of claim 14, further comprising an elastic member arranged between the cover and an inner surface of the earpiece mounting portion, the cover being displaceable in the earpiece mounting portion by an elastic force provided by the elastic member.

16. The portable terminal of claim 15, wherein the cover is linearly displaceable in the earpiece mounting portion.

17. The portable terminal of claim 15, wherein the elastic member is a conical coil spring.

18. The portable terminal of claim 1, further comprising a locking unit provided at the earpiece and the earpiece mounting portion, the locking unit being configured to secure and release the earpiece to/from the earpiece mounting portion.

19. The portable terminal of claim 18, wherein the earpiece is rotatable about one end secured by the earpiece mounting portion to allow the earpiece to be mounted at and detached from the terminal body.

20. The portable terminal of claim 19, wherein the earpiece mounting portion includes an earpiece fixing recess located at a lower end thereof to releasably secure the one end of the earpiece, and the earpiece includes a fixing portion at a lower end thereof to be releasably secured by the earpiece fixing recess.

21. The portable terminal of claim 20, wherein the locking unit comprises:

a locking recess located in the earpiece body, the locking recess having a hooking protrusion extending from an inner wall of the locking recess;

a locking member movably disposed at the earpiece mounting portion, the locking member being moveable from an original position by contacting the hooking protrusion when the earpiece is detachably mounted at the earpiece mounting portion, and restorable to the original position thereby being held by the hooking protrusion; and

an elastic member configured to provide an elastic force to the locking member in a direction that the locking member is held by the hooking protrusion.

22. The portable terminal of claim 21, wherein the locking member comprises:

a locking hook securable by the hooking protrusion; and

a button portion extending from one side of the locking hook and pressable by a user to release the locking hook from the locking protrusion.

23. The portable terminal of claim 22, wherein a friction portion is formed at one side of the locking member that frictionally contacts the earpiece when the button portion is pressed so as to minimize a moving distance of the earpiece when the earpiece is detached from the earpiece mounting portion.

24. The portable terminal of claim 21, wherein the locking member comprises:

a locking hook locked by the hooking protrusion; and

a moving portion extending from one side of the locking hook and moving inside the terminal body.

25. The portable terminal of claim 24, wherein the locking hook has an inclined surface configured to displace the locking hook when contacted with the hooking protrusion and thereby unlocking from the hooking protrusion when a force is applied in a direction that the earpiece is detached from the earpiece mounting portion.

26. The portable terminal of claim 25, further comprising a release recess formed between the earpiece mounting portion and the earpiece, the release recess being configured to apply a force to detach the earpiece from the earpiece mounting portion.

27. The portable terminal of claim 26, wherein the earpiece mounting portion is formed at an upper end of a rear surface of the terminal body, and the release recess is formed at an upper end of the earpiece mounting portion.

28. The portable terminal of claim 20, wherein the locking unit comprises:

a locking recess located in the earpiece body;

a locking member movably disposed at the earpiece mounting portion, the locking member being moveable from an original position by contacting the earpiece when the earpiece is detachably mounted at the earpiece mounting portion, and restorable to tire original position thereby being held in the locking recess; and

an elastic member disposed between the locking member and the terminal body, the elastic member being configured to provide an elastic force to the locking member in a direction that the locking member is inserted into the locking recess.

29. The portable terminal of claim 28, wherein the locking member includes a locking ball.