Mobile terminal

• US 7,920,904 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2008
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sentegra, LLC
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Eu-Gene, Kim, Ha-yong
• Primary Examiner(s): MEHRPOUR, NAGHMEH
• Application Number:
  US12/015,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20080176609A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 4555751-5756, 455 901- 903, 455/347, 455/566, 455/128, 455/575.8, 455/575.4, 455/550.1, 455/95, 455/558, 455/90.2, 455/569.1, 381/190, 381/174, 381/71.1, 381/94.1, 381/361, 381/151, 381/375
• US Class Current: 455/575.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/035 Improving the acoustic characteristics by means of constructional features of the housing, e.g. ribs, walls, resonating chambers or cavities

Abstract

A mobile terminal including a terminal case, a microphone located within the terminal case, and a sound guide unit, is provided. The terminal case includes a first case member, a second case member, and a frame member located between the first case member and the second case member. The frame member includes a microphone hole formed on an outer surface thereof for guiding a sound into the terminal case in a first direction. The microphone includes a sound receiving portion disposed in a second direction different from the first direction, for receiving the sound. And the sound guide unit is located between the microphone hole and the sound receiving portion of the microphone, the sound guide unit guiding the sound, which has passed through the microphone hole, along the first direction and the second direction, toward the sound receiving portion of the microphone.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

a terminal housing including a microphone hole formed on an outer surface of the housing, the microphone hole extending through the housing in a first direction;

a microphone installed within the terminal housing and having a sound receiving part configured to receive sound from a second direction different from the first direction; and

a sound collecting part disposed between the microphone hole and the sound receiving part having a channel with a first opening facing the first direction and a second opening facing the second direction.

2. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

3. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein a cross sectional area of the sound collecting part is reduced to allow sound coming along the first direction to concentrate sound as it goes in the first direction.

4. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the sound collecting part is formed to concentrate sound as sound goes in the first direction.

5. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein a receiver unit is located at the opposite side of the microphone hole.

6. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein a display and a receiver are disposed on a front surface of the housing.

7. The mobile communication terminal of claim 6, wherein a sensor unit configured to sense a touch is disposed between the display and the housing.

8. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein at least one input unit is provided on one surface of the housing.

9. The mobile communication terminal of claim 6, wherein at least one input unit is further provided on a lower end of the display.

10. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein a circuit board is provided within the terminal housing, and a microphone is disposed on the circuit board.

11. The mobile communication terminal of claim 10, wherein the sound receiving part is disposed to be in contact with the circuit board.

12. The mobile communication terminal of claim 10, wherein the circuit board includes a through hole, and the through hole includes a microphone mounting portion formed in the second direction to allow sound to go in the second direction so as to be directed to the sound receiving part of the microphone.

13. The mobile communication terminal of claim 12, wherein the microphone mounting portion is formed to be protruded from the circuit board, and the sound collecting part includes edge portions to surround the microphone mounting portion.

14. The mobile communication terminal of claim 13, wherein the channel includes a first channel to guide sound in the first direction and a second channel to guide sound in the second direction.

15. The mobile communication terminal of claim 14, further comprising:

a support face formed to be parallel to the circuit board, and

the sound collecting part comprises;

a first wall portion configured to form the first channel and having a lower surface attached to the support face; and

a second wall portion configured to form the second channel and having an upper surface attached to the circuit board.

16. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the sound collecting part is made of a soft rubber or a plastic material.

17. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the frame member comprises a support face formed to be horizontal at a lower portion of the microphone hole, and the sound collecting part is supported by the support face.

18. The mobile communication terminal of claim 17, wherein the support face comprises a holding line portion, and the sound collecting part is attached to the holding line portion.

19. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

a terminal housing;

a microphone hole formed on an outer surface of a frame member to guide sound in a first direction;

a microphone installed within the terminal housing and having a sound receiving part configured to receive sound from a second direction different from the first direction; and

a sound collecting part disposed between the microphone hole and the sound receiving part and guiding a sound which has passed through the microphone hole to the sound receiving part by causing the sound to change direction.

20. The mobile communication terminal of claim 19, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

21. The mobile communication terminal of claim 19, wherein a cross sectional area of the sound collecting part is reduced along the first direction.

22. The mobile communication terminal of claim 19, wherein the sound collecting part is formed to concentrate sound as sound goes in the first direction.

23. The mobile communication terminal of claim 19, wherein a receiver unit is located at the opposite side of the microphone hole.

24. The mobile communication terminal of claim 19, further comprising:

a circuit board formed within the terminal housing, and the microphone is disposed on the circuit board.

25. The mobile communication terminal of claim 24, wherein the sound receiving part is disposed to be in contact with the circuit board.

26. The mobile communication terminal of claim 24, wherein the circuit board includes a through hole, and the through hole includes a microphone mounting portion formed in the second direction to allow sound to go in the second direction so as to be directed to the sound receiving part of the microphone.

27. The mobile communication terminal of claim 23, wherein the sound collecting part includes a first channel to guide sound in the first direction and a second channel to guide a-sound in the second direction.

28. The mobile communication terminal of claim 27, further comprising:

a support face formed to be parallel to the circuit board, and

the sound collecting part comprises;

a first wall portion configured to form the first channel and having a lower surface attached to the support face; and

a second wall portion configured to form the second channel and having an upper surface attached to the circuit board.

29. A sound guide of a mobile communication terminal having a microphone disposed on an internal circuit board, the sound guide comprising:

a sound collecting part disposed on one surface of the circuit board,

wherein the sound collecting part comprises;

a first wall portion to guide sound in a first direction; and

a second wall portion to guide sound to a sound receiving part of the microphone in a second direction different from the first direction.

30. The sound guide of claim 29, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

31. The sound guide of claim 29, wherein a cross sectional area of the sound collecting part is reduced to allow sound coming along the first direction to be concentrated as it goes in the first direction.

32. The sound guide of claim 29, wherein the sound collecting part is formed to be concentrated as sound goes in the first direction.

33. The sound guide of claim 29, wherein the sound collecting part is made of a soft rubber or a plastic material.

34. The sound guide of claim 29, wherein the sound collecting part comprises:

a first wall portion forming the first wall portion; and

a second wall portion forming the second wall portion.

35. The sound guide of claim 34, wherein the sound collecting part comprises an edge portion extending from the second wall portion, and the extending edge portion is formed such that it tightly attaches the second wall portion to the circuit board.

36. A sound guide of a mobile communication terminal including a terminal housing having a microphone hole formed on its outer surface to internally guide sound in a first direction and a microphone disposed on a circuit board provided within the terminal housing, wherein a sound receiving part of the microphone is formed to receive sound in a second direction different from the first direction, the sound guide comprising:

a sound collecting part disposed on one surface of the circuit board,

wherein the sound collecting part comprises;

a first wall portion to guide sound which has passed through the microphone hole in the first direction; and

a second wall portion to guide sound to the sound receiving portion in the second direction different from the first direction.

37. The sound guide of claim 36, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

38. The sound guide of claim 36, wherein a cross sectional area of the sound collecting part is reduced along the first direction.

39. The sound guide of claim 36, wherein the sound collecting part is formed to concentrate sound as sound goes in the first direction.