Mobile terminal

• US 9,063,583 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2013
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jaichul, Lee, Seungil, Hong, Sukho, Lee, Chulbae
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US13/950,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20140225821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 200/302.2, 200/512, 455/566, 4555751-5754
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03 Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1365 Matching; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/236 including keys on side or rear faces

Abstract

A mobile terminal includes a terminal body having a front surface and a rear surface, an input unit disposed at the rear surface to sense an input of a control command and a controller configured to process an input applied to the input unit. The input unit includes a first button portion exposed at an outside of the terminal body at the rear surface of the terminal body and configured to receive a push input corresponding to a first function and a second button portion surrounding the first button portion and configured to receive a push input corresponding to a second function different from the first function, the second button portion including keys disposed adjacent the first button portion.

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 formed to display visual information;

an input unit disposed at the rear surface to sense an input of a control command, the input unit including;

a first button portion exposed at the rear surface of the terminal body and configured to receive a push input corresponding to a first function; and

a second button portion having a through hole and keys; and

a controller configured to process one or more functions corresponding to an input applied to the input unit,

wherein the first button portion is accommodated in the through hole of the second button portion such that a portion of the first button portion is overlapped by a portion of at least one of the keys to retain the first button portion in the through hole, and

wherein the portion of the first button portion is caught by the portion of the at least one of the keys in an opposite direction to a direction that the first button portion is moved by the push input.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein each of the keys has a planar portion extending parallel to the rear surface and an inclined portion inclined from the planar portion toward the through hole.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the first button portion protrudes from the planar portion in a first direction and the inclined portion is inclined in the first direction towards the first button portion.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the input unit further comprises:

switches corresponding to the first button portion and the second button portion;

at least one light source disposed adjacent to the switches; and

a light guide formed to cover at least part of the switches, the light guide being connected to the light source to emit the light of the light source.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the switches are arranged in a single row,

wherein the light guide is disposed in a direction that crosses the single row and covers a switch of the switches corresponding to the first button portion, and

wherein the first button portion is formed of a light-transmitting material.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the input unit includes a member disposed at a lower portion of the first button portion and second button portion, the member having protrusions protruded toward the switches, and

wherein the light guide includes a through hole to allow at least one of the protrusions to pass therethrough.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first function is a function associated with turning on/off of the power or activating the touch screen, and

wherein the second function is a function associated with scrolling to output information on the touch screen or controlling the volume for audio outputted from the terminal body.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein a lateral surface of the terminal body extends between the front surface and the rear surface, the lateral surface including:

a first portion formed at an edge of the front surface; and

a second portion extending from the first portion to the rear surface, the second portion being configured to be one of inclined with respect to the first portion and stepped to provide a stepped portion at the first portion.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein a total area of the rear surface is smaller than a total area of the front surface.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein a thickness of the first portion is less than a thickness of the second portion.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a supporting member,

wherein the terminal body includes a case,

wherein the supporting member supports the input unit, the supporting member being mounted at the case, and

wherein a circuit board having switches corresponding to the first and the second button portions is located at a central region of the supporting member.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, further comprising:

a battery accommodating portion arranged to accommodate a battery being provided at the case; and

a battery cover mounted on the case, the battery cover being configured to cover the battery accommodating portion, the battery cover having a through hole corresponding to the input unit.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1,

wherein the keys of the second button portion are disposed around the first button portion in a width direction of the terminal body, and

wherein a second function is inputted by the second button portion and is associated with a horizontal movement of the outputted information of the touch screen.

14. A mobile terminal, comprising:

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

a touch screen disposed at the front surface and formed to display visual information; and

an input unit configured to sense an input of a control command, the input unit being overlapped by the touch screen in a thickness direction of the terminal body and exposed at the rear surface of the terminal body, the input unit including;

a first button portion exposed at an outside of the terminal body at the rear surface of the terminal body and configured to receive a push input corresponding to a first function; and

a second button portion having a through hole and keys,

wherein the first button portion is accommodated in the through hole of the second button portion such that a portion of the first button portion is overlapped by a portion of at least one of the keys to retain the first button portion in the through hole,

wherein the portion of the first button portion is caught by the portion of the at least one of the keys in an opposite direction to a direction that the first button portion is moved by the push input.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the second button portion is configured to receive a push input corresponding to a second function different from the first function.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein each of the keys has an inclined surface inclined toward the through hole so as to provide a height difference between the first button portion and the keys.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the touch screen is configured to receive a touch input, and

wherein only the touch screen and the input unit are enabled to receive an input command.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the touch screen is configured to receive a touch input, and

wherein, when an input through the input unit and the touch input are applied at the same time, one of the input through the input unit and the touch input is predetermined to have a higher priority.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein an icon corresponding to at least one of indicating a location of the input unit or indicating a type of input unit is displayed on the touch screen.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein, in response to an input manipulation applied to the input unit, the icon is configured to do at least one of change shape and display new information.

21. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the mobile terminal is configured such that a touch input to the icon is processed in the same manner as a push input to the input unit.