Mobile/portable terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9344672-B2
Application number	US-201314762538-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2013
Priority date	Feb 1, 2013
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed is a mobile/portable terminal comprising: a case of which at least a part is flexible; a camera module which is provided on one side of the case to photograph in one direction; a display unit for displaying images photographed by the camera module; a bending unit in which the camera module bends toward another side direction; and a control unit for controlling the camera module according to a change in an angle of the bending unit. The mobile/portable terminal has advantages of being capable of photographing images on both front and rear sides with a single camera so that the number of cameras can be decreased to thereby reduce costs for components, utilizing a mounting space for cameras, and using a camera with a high resolution for self-shooting.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:
a case of which at least a part of the case is flexible;
a camera configured to capture one direction in a manner of being mounted on one side of the case;
a display unit configured to display an image captured by the camera;
a bending unit configured to be bent to make the camera face another direction; and
a controller configured to control the camera according to change of an angle of the bending unit.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein if the bending unit changes an angle as much as an angle equal to or greater than 90 degrees, the controller is configured to control the image captured by the camera to be stored in a storing unit or to be displayed on the display unit in a manner of reversing the image.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , further comprising a user input unit positioned at a rear side of the camera.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein if a part of the display unit is blocked by the bending unit as the bending unit is bending, the display unit is configured to display an imaged on a part not blocked by the bending unit only.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , further comprising a user input unit configured to receive an input using a touch input mode on the display unit,
wherein if the bending unit is bent and blocks a part of the display unit, the user input unit is configured to be disappeared from the display unit.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the display unit is made up of a flexible material and wherein both the case and the display unit are bent in a manner that the bending unit is overlapped with the display unit.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the display unit is mounted on another side of the case and wherein if a video call is received and the bending unit is bent to make the camera face another direction, the controller is configured to connect with a counterpart of the video call.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the display unit is mounted on another side of the case and wherein if a telephone number of a counterpart is inputted and the bending unit is bent to make the camera face another direction, the controller is configured to connect a video call with the counterpart.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 7 , wherein if the bending unit is unbent, the video call is terminated.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein if the bending unit is bent, the controller is configured to activate the camera.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control capturing of the camera to be stopped in the middle of changing the angle of the bending unit.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein if a capturing object is moving, the controller is configured to adjust the angle of the bending unit according to the movement of the object.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the bending unit is configured to maintain an angle adjusted by a user.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the bending unit comprises a plate spring.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein both the case and the display unit are made up of a flexible material.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lee Gungil

Classifications

• H04M1/0268

  including a flexible display panel · CPC title

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title

• G06F2203/04102

  Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper · CPC title

• H04M1/0202

  Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets (constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03) · CPC title

• H04N2007/145

  Handheld terminals · CPC title