MOBILE TERMINAL HAVING DETACHABLE SUB-DISPLAY UNIT

• US 20100207903A1
• Filed: 02/15/2010
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Seog Guen, Kim, Yu Guen, Kim, Yun Su, Hyun, Sang Min
• Granted Patent: US 8,633,867 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0254 comprising one or a plurality of mechanically detachable modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal having a detachable sub-display unit. A mobile terminal having a detachable sub-display unit includes a first body unit having a first display unit to a front surface of the first body unit. The invention also includes a second body unit having a second display unit to a front surface of the second body unit, wherein a magnet is formed on at least a portion of one side surface of the first body unit and at least a portion of one side surface of the second body unit, and the second body unit can be detachably coupled to the at least one side surface of the first body unit by the magnet.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a first body unit having a first display unit formed to a portion of the first body unit; and

a second body unit having a second display unit formed to a portion of the second body unit,

wherein a magnet is formed to a portion of side surface of the first body unit or a portion of side surface of the second body unit, wherein the second body unit is detachably coupled to the first body unit.

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

a surface of the second display unit is coupled in parallel with a surface of the first display unit.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first body unit comprises a sensor unit to detect whether the second body unit is coupled to the first body unit.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first unit further comprises a first control unit to control a screen display of the first display unit, the second body unit further comprises a second control unit to control a screen display of the second display unit

and, the first control unit transmits and receives a control signal to and from the second control unit, in response to detection of an operation command to the second body unit to control screen displays of the first display unit and the second display unit.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the first body unit comprises a first signal transmission/reception unit, the second body unit comprises a second signal transmission/reception unit, wherein the first signal transmission/reception unit is configured to transmit and to receive the control signal to and from the second signal transmission/reception unit via wireless communication.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the first control unit is configured to control a menu screen of the first display unit, and the second control unit is configured to control to display a screen image of the second display unit in response to detection of a user input on the menu screen from the first control unit, and the screen image corresponds to a user input on the menu screen.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the first control unit and the second control unit are configured to control display of at least one of a whole screen, a screen in part, or an identical screen of the first display unit and the second display unit.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein, in response to detection of the second body unit that is coupled to the first body unit, the first control unit and the second control unit are configured to control to expand a display screen of the first display unit to a display screen of the second display unit.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first display unit and the second display unit comprises an LCD (liquid crystal display) device and an OLED (organic light emitting diode) device.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first display unit and the second display unit comprise a touch screen function.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first body unit and the second body unit comprise a key input unit to receive a command input by a user.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving a request from a first display unit to expand a display image;

determining a second display to satisfy the expand request; and

outputting whole or in part of the display image using the second display, wherein the first display and the second display are detachably coupled using a magnet.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

allocating a first control unit of the first display unit to control the first display unit; and

allocating a second control unit of the second display unit to control the second display unit, wherein

the second control unit, in response to detection of an operation command to the second display unit, is configured to control the first display unit and the second display unit.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the first display unit comprises a first signal transmission/reception unit, the second display unit comprises a second signal transmission/reception unit, wherein the first signal transmission/reception unit is configured to transmit and to receive the control signal to and from the second signal transmission/reception unit via wireless communication.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first control unit is configured to control a menu screen of the first display unit, and the second control unit is configured to control to display a screen image of the second display unit in response to detection of a user input on the menu screen from the first control unit, the screen image corresponds to the user input on the menu screen.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the first control unit and the second control unit are configured to control display of at least one of a whole screen, a screen in part, or an identical screen of the first display unit and the second display unit.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the first display unit and the second display unit comprise a touch screen function.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the first display unit and the second display unit comprise a key input unit to receive a command input by a user.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the first display unit comprises a sensor unit to detect whether the second display unit is coupled to the first display unit.