Mobile terminal

• US 9,160,393 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2015
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bluebird Soft Incorporated (Bluebird,Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bluebird Soft Incorporated (Bluebird,Inc.)
• Inventors: Cho, Sang Chul, Lee, Jang Won
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DANH C
• Application Number:
  US14/620,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20150156293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 244 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/575.1, 455/90.3, 361/679.55
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0249 Details of the mechanical connection between the housing parts or relating to the method of assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0252 by means of a snap-on mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0262 for a battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0277 for a printed circuit board assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/18 Telephone sets specially adapted for use in ships, mines, or other places exposed to adverse environment H04M1/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/236 including keys on side or rear faces

Abstract

Disclosed is a mobile terminal. The mobile terminal of the present invention comprises: a front case having a keypad-accommodating portion; a rear case attachably/detachably coupled to a rear surface of the front case; an intermediate case which is interposed between the front case and the rear case and assembled to the front case and the rear case, and at one side of which a main PCB is assembled; a keypad having a plurality of key buttons and made of a flexible material, accommodated in the keypad-accommodating portion of the front case; and a touch screen arranged on the front case in the vicinity of the keypad. As the mobile terminal of the present invention has both the keypad and the touch screen, operating convenience is improved in terms of storage, maintenance and information management as compared to conventional mobile terminals.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising

a front case;

a rear case detachably coupled to the front case at a rear of the front case with a component reception space, in which a main printed circuit board (PCB) is arranged, therebetween, and comprising a battery reception portion recessed toward the front case at one side thereof;

a battery module coupled to the battery reception portion; and

a locker rotatably coupled to the rear case and making the battery module be locked to or released from the battery reception portion, wherein the locker comprises a body, a flange protruding from one side of the body and to be inserted to a locking groove of the battery, and a shaft connected to the body and inserted in a locker coupling hole of the rear case.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the locker forms a pair, and

the flange is inserted in the locking groove of the battery module when the body is arranged in a lengthwise direction of the rear case, but separated from the locking groove of the battery module when the body is arranged in a direction transverse to the lengthwise direction of the rear case.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, wherein one of the rear case formed with the locker coupling hole and the body of the locker is formed with a pivoting groove, and the other one is formed with a pivoting angle restricting projection for restricting the pivoting angle of the pivoting groove.

4. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein the pivoting groove is provided on a rear of the body in the form of an arc, and the pivoting angle restricting projection is provided protruding from the surface of the rear case formed with the locker coupling hole.

5. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, wherein the body has a convex surface from which a locker handling rib further protrudes.

6. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, further comprising a pivoting plate coupled to the shaft of the locker by a bolt from a rear of the rear case and pivoting along with the locker.

7. The mobile terminal according to claim 6, wherein one of the shaft and the pivoting plate is provided with at least one coupling projection, and the other one is formed with a projection insertion groove in which the coupling projections are partially inserted.

8. The mobile terminal according to claim 6, wherein the rear of the rear case formed with the locker coupling hole is further formed with a pivoting plate inserting boss in which the pivoting plate is inserted.

9. The mobile terminal according to claim 8, further comprising a free-pivoting restrictor for restricting free-pivoting of the locker in the pivoting plate and the pivoting plate inserting boss.

10. The mobile terminal according to claim 9, wherein the free-pivoting restrictor includes

a stopper formed on one of the pivoting plate and the pivoting plate inserting boss;

and

a protrusion formed in the other one of the pivoting plate and the pivoting plate inserting boss and catching the stopper.

11. The mobile terminal according to claim 10, wherein the stopper is provided in the pivoting plate, and

the protrusions are provided in the pivoting plate inserting boss while forming a pair at different positions along a circumferential direction of the pivoting plate.

12. The mobile terminal according to claim 11, wherein the stopper is provided as a free end in the pivoting plate so as to be elastically movable inward or outward in a radial direction.

13. The mobile terminal according to claim 10, wherein outer surfaces of the stopper and the protrusions are rounded.

14. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the battery module and the battery reception portion are provided with a primary coupling portion for primarily coupling the battery module and the battery reception portion before operation of the locker.

15. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a middle case arranged between the front and rear cases and assembled together with the front and rear cases, at one side of which the main PCB is assembled.

16. A mobile terminal comprising

a front case;

a rear case detachably coupled to the front case at a rear of the front case with a component reception space, in which a main printed circuit board (PCB) is arranged, therebetween, and comprising a battery reception portion recessed toward the front case at one side thereof;

a battery module coupled to the battery reception portion; and

a locker rotatably coupled to the rear case and making the battery module be locked to or released from the battery reception portion,

wherein the locker forms a pair, the locker comprising;

a body, a flange protruding from one side of the body, and being inserted in a locking groove of the battery module when the body is arranged in a lengthwise direction of the rear case, but separated from the locking groove of the battery module when the body is arranged in a direction transverse to the lengthwise direction of the rear case; and

a shaft connected to the body and inserted in a locker coupling hole of the rear case.